Search Documents

By H. J. Hand

Statistical methods are becoming increasingly important for interpreting routine reports, or for analyzing special test data in industrial plants, such as steel plants. They have already become practically a necessity to the plant metallurgist. A paper by Chancellor, 1 written in 1933, gives many examples of the benefits the plant metallurgist can derive from the use of these methods. The present paper discusses applications of importance to many others who must analyze reports in the steel plant, as well as other examples of interest to metallurgists. Statistical Methods Logically Suited to Plant Problems.—Statistical methods are not new as a branch of mathematics. Until comparatively recently, however, practical applications were confined mainly to actuarial science, biology, and economics; fields in which an observed result is obviously influenced (and often determined) by a complicated set of variables more or less constantly tending to affect it. As pointed out by Daeves,2 a decade or more ago, problems in industry are basically similar to those in these other fields in that a given result is at least partly due to that chance combination of causes happening to be present at the time. When trying to do the same thing repeatedly, constant results are never attained; they vary about the desired result with more or less well defined mathematical regularity. Such a condition arises out of the great number of factors tending to affect the final result. If statistical methods are so valuable to the biologist or economist, why then should they not also be of great value to plant managers and engineers, and to all who must interpret reports from various sources in the industrial plant? Within the last few years, industry has become conscious of this situation, and the use of these methods has been rapidly expanding in such p1ants. Many Useful Statistical Devices Available.—Many statistical methods of attack are available for the analysis of plant data. It is the object of

Jan 1, 1938

By H. J. Hand

Statistical methods are becoming increasingly important for interpreting routine reports, or for analyzing special test data in industrial plants, such as steel plants. They have already become practically a necessity to the plant metallurgist. A paper by Chancellor, 1 written in 1933, gives many examples of the benefits the plant metallurgist can derive from the use of these methods. The present paper discusses applications of importance to many others who must analyze reports in the steel plant, as well as other examples of interest to metallurgists. Statistical Methods Logically Suited to Plant Problems.—Statistical methods are not new as a branch of mathematics. Until comparatively recently, however, practical applications were confined mainly to actuarial science, biology, and economics; fields in which an observed result is obviously influenced (and often determined) by a complicated set of variables more or less constantly tending to affect it. As pointed out by Daeves,2 a decade or more ago, problems in industry are basically similar to those in these other fields in that a given result is at least partly due to that chance combination of causes happening to be present at the time. When trying to do the same thing repeatedly, constant results are never attained; they vary about the desired result with more or less well defined mathematical regularity. Such a condition arises out of the great number of factors tending to affect the final result. If statistical methods are so valuable to the biologist or economist, why then should they not also be of great value to plant managers and engineers, and to all who must interpret reports from various sources in the industrial plant? Within the last few years, industry has become conscious of this situation, and the use of these methods has been rapidly expanding in such p1ants. Many Useful Statistical Devices Available.—Many statistical methods of attack are available for the analysis of plant data. It is the object of

Jan 1, 1938

By Wallace W. Wilson

This DaoerAA calls to attention for the first time, to the writer's knowledge, a purported recovery of oil by substantially horizontal gas cycling that is considerably in excess of 50 per cent of the oil originally in place. The average angle of dip along the path of travel of the gas is less than one degree of arc. The best recovery by gas cycling previously brought to the writer's attention1 occurred in the case of the Mile Six Field in Peru, where about 68 per cent of the original oil in place has so far been recovered. In this case, however. the recovery was greatly aided 1)y the high dip angle of about 17.5". An approximate estimate of recovery was made by the method developed by the writer' for the case of the Cook Ranch Field, using an average relative permeability ratio function dictated by past experience with a number of good quality sandstones. A result of about 40 per cent recovery of the original oil in place wa* obtained after the 8.5 pore volumes of cumulative gas cycling undergone by the Cook Ranch Field. Tile writer desires to emphasize what appears to him as the sound engineering practiced at Cook Ranch, and also the care attending the taking of data and the high quality of the calculations made. It is impossible to take issue on factual grounds with any of the conclusions drawn in the paper. It is, however, desired to point out the difficulty of explaining the unexpectedly favorable oil recovery on ordinary theoretical grounds. It would be of interest to know whether relative permeability ratios have been measured on the Cook sand. The operator is inclined to attribute some of the excess benefit to settling of the oil across the bedding planes into the lower part of the sand. It is difficult for the writer to appreciate the importance of such an effect, inasmuch as the concomitant opening of excessive vacated pore space in the upper part of the sand would he expected to cause excessive bypassing of the gas. REFERENCE 1. Welge. H. J.: "A Simplified Method for Computing Oil Recovery by (Gas or Water Drive." Trans. AIME, (1952), 195, 91. AUTHOR'S REPLY TO MR. WELGE Welge has poined out clearly the difficulty of applying material-balance procedures in calculating the Performance of low-pressure, dispersed gas injection operations. There can be no argument that even with the most favorable assumptions of K,/K,, and with cumulative gas cycling in excess of normal expectations, the calculated oil recovery will be considerably less than the 72.5 per cent recovery realized from this project to Jan. 1, 1951. There probably are at least two reasons for the unusually high recovery from this reservoir, the effects of which would be difficult or impossible to calculate by known methods: 1. The operator did not use the same injection wells for the entire operation, and exercised considerable control over producing GOR by changing the locations of injection wells whenever well performance indicated excessive bypassing. Fifty-six wells were used for injection, not over 29 of which were in use simultaneously. This procedure resulted in frequent shifting of the fluid movement patterns in the reservoir and undoubtedly increased the ultimate recovery. The writer knows of no satisfactory procedure for calculating the effect of this practice. 2. Vertical movement of oil across the bedding planes of the reservoir rock hy gravity drainage tended to maintain a relatively high oil saturation, and hence a favorable K,/K, ratio, in the lower sections of the reservoir. As pointed out by Welge, this condition has aggravated the tendency for high producing GOR, but at the same time it has resulted in increased oil recovery. As may be seen from the performance charts for the various battery areas, operating (GOR'S have been quite high for the last several years of reported history.

Jan 1, 1952

By Simon D. Strauss

COPPER In terms of mining activity, copper is the leading nonferrous metal. It is true that in recent years the volume of aluminum consumption in the non-Communist world has exceeded the volume of copper consumption, but virtually the entire primary aluminum supply is derived from bauxite. On the average, only four tons of bauxite need be mined to produce a ton of aluminum. By contrast, the highest-grade, large-scale copper mines now in operation (those in the Congo) must mine at least 20 tons of ore to produce a ton of copper. In the United States an average of 150 tons of ore must be mined to produce a ton of copper. This does not take into account the huge amounts of waste overburden that must be stripped from the open-pit mines to account for their steadily rising share of the world's copper output. Copper epitomizes the economic problems of the mining industry in many ways. Its price is highly volatile, considering its great economic importance. It has been a tool of mankind longer than any other of the base metals-the dawn of history has been classified as "The Bronze Age." World Copper Production Although copper is mined in many countries, in recent years 70% of the non-Communist world production has come from six countries. Two of these are industrialized countries and are large consumers-United States and Canada. The other four are developing countries with very small domestic requirements-Chile, Zambia, Zaire, and Peru. Heavily dependent on copper exports to sustain their domestic economies, these countries find themselves oscillating between prosperity and depression with the changing levels of copper prices. In an effort to control their own destiny, in 1968 they formed an organization of copper exporting countries (CIPEC) which was designed to study copper markets and possibly to intervene actively in these markets. (When this chapter was being prepared, no actual steps along such lines had been taken.) Many of the leading industrialized nations are wholly dependent on imports for their primary copper supplies. These include West Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and many others. Japan, now the non-Communist world's second largest copper consumer, produces only 10 to 15% of its requirements from domestic mines. Although the bulk of the copper output is smelted in the country where it is mined, there is a limited international trade in copper concentrates. Canada, the Philippines, Australia, and Papua-New Guinea are significant exporters of copper concentrates; Japan, Germany, the United States, and Sweden are importers. However, this trade accounted for only about 10% of the non-Communist world production of copper during the decade of the 1960s.

Jan 1, 1976

By A. H. Geisler

INTRODUCTION THE correlation of property changes during precipitation with structure has progressed, sometimes rapidly but other times more slowly, since the fundamental discovery of Merica, Waltenberg and Scott.1 The predominent factor that hampered the progress has been limitations imposed by the various detection methods. Refinements in X ray diffraction techniques and in metallographic methods, which have been extended by the electron microscope, have contributed new information within the last few years. These permit an extension of the theory as proposed by Mehl and fetter in 1940.2 Now that a suffcient number of alloys has been investigated to establish a general mechanism of the precipitation process, a correlation of the facts into a generally applicable theory of age-hardening is both warranted and desirable. 'I he purpose of the paper is to provide an orderly correlation of the phenomenological facts of precipitation hardening. Speculation on mechanism of hardening will be confined to that consistent with existing theories of hardening. Age-hardening accompanies the formation of a new structure, the precipitate, as provided by an alloy system in which solid solubility decreases with decreasing temperature. Upon this premise alone all such systems would be expected to include age-hardenable alloys. Alas, this is not always the case. Few attempts have been made to explain the variable degree of age-hardening among different alloys or to explain the influence of small alloying additions upon the hardening. Dispersion hardening as originally postulated3 is not adequate.* Coherency hardening-the term that will be used to distinguish the properties of a two-phase mixture in the unique and unstable transition state at which the phases are strained into precise atomic registry (continuity or coherency) in planes

Jan 1, 1948

By Paul F. Kerr, Raymond F. Robinson

Uranium mineralization occurs in the footwall of the Sunshine vein from the 2900 to the 3700 level. Veinlets of uraninite associated with pyrite and jasper have been so extensively divided and recemented that units more than a few feet in length are seldom observed. The wall rock is St. Regis quartzite of the Belt series. The age of the uraninite, on the basis of isotopic analyses, is 750 * 50, which agrees with geological data suggesting that phases of the Sunshine mineralization are pre Cambrian. THE Sunshine mine in the Coeur d'Alene district, Idaho, is well known for its silver-bearing veins but prior to the summer of 1949 had not been recognized as a possible source of uranium. At that time, during a geiger counter reconnaissance by T. E. Gillingham, R. F. Robinson, and E. E. Thurlow, high radioactivity was noted and radioactive specimens were collected from the footwall of the Sunshine vein.' The detection led to the identification of uraninite-bearing veins, since explored jointly by the Atomic Energy Commission and the Sunshine Mining Co. After the occurrence was noted, the geology of the uranium deposit was studied by the Sunshine staff, and a laboratory examination of the ores was conducted at Columbia University. Several types of laboratory work were undertaken. Differential thermal curves were made of selected siderite samples and results from many more were secured through the work of Mitcham.2 X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence analyses were employed on uraninite, jasper, and siderite. Chemical analyses were made through the cooperation of the Division of Raw Materials of the Atomic Energy Commission. General Geological Features Several silver-bearing veins cut the overturned north limb of the Big Creek anticline as mapped by Shenon and McConne1,³ while the Osburn fault, a long-recognized regional feature about a mile away, marks the north boundary of the Silver Belt. The Sunshine vein, Fig. 1, has a south dip more or less parallel to the 60" axial plane of the fold and cuts rocks of the Belt. Series, starting with the Wallace formation near the surface, continuing downward through the St. Regis formation, and probably extending into the Revett quartzite which lies below the bottom or 3700-ft level. The limb of the anticline is locally modified by secondary folds, one being prominently exposed in the uranian area along the Jewel1 crosscut near the Sunshine vein. Crumpling of the limb resulted from compression which formed the anticline and probably preceded the faults in which the vein deposits accumulated. Evidence of drag along these faults points to reverse movement in the uranium-bearing area and elsewhere. This is true of major faults in the mine workings, and the majority of faults which can be mapped, as pointed out by Robinson.' The St. Regis formation, as measured in the mine, appears to have an initial thickness of some 2000 ft, but the apparent thickness due to thickening during folding is some 3400 ft. Along the Sunshine vein the purple and green rocks characteristic of the Wallace formation in the nearby Military Gulch section p. 37 of ref. 5) have been completely bleached because of introduced sericite. Hydrothermal solutions acting on the wall rock have substituted for the original color a pale greenish cast, although no pronounced mineralogical change has resulted, as Mitcham has observed.' The silver and the uranium depositions appear to belong to distinct epochs resulting from several periods of emplacement. Likewise, multiple periods of deformation account for the faulting. Uraninite is generally associated with silicification, while silver . mineralization accompanies carbonate veins. Rarely, uraninite may be found in a matrix of siderite. Ordinarily uraninite formed prior to ar-gentian tetrahedrite. Where clusters of veins form a stockwork, uraninite-jasper veins often favor one trend while tetrahedrite-siderite veins favor another. During deformation, brecciation of the St. Regis quartzite provided openings between broken rock fragments for precipitation from vein-forming solutions. Fractures due to major breaks were filled during the first stages of vein formation, while later deformation displaced the first veins and provided new channels along which further mineralizing solutions proceeded. The uraninite veins, as the first formed, have suffered fracturing, displacement, and segmentation. Uranian vein segments uncut by faults and more than a few feet in length are rare or nonexistent. Siderite veins are more massive and often extend without a break for tens and even hundreds of feet. In general they show much less segmentation. While the siderite is usually later, there is an overlap in the periods of deposition, some earlier siderite veins being extensively segmented in much the same way uraninite veins have been broken. Vein silica is more extensively distributed than the uranium and iron mineralization it carries. Along the vein course concentrations of uraninite frequently fade away and barren white quartz continues, the transition often occurring within a few feet along strike or down dip. An example appears on the 3700-ft level where a uraninite vein, see Fig. 2a,

Jan 1, 1954

By Alfred G. Heggem

It is the purpose of this article to describe methods recently introduced into the oil and natural gas industry to safeguard the lives of the workmen and to protect property from destruction. Only such drilling methods are described as pertain directly to the operations necessary to maintain the well under complete control at all times. Wells Formerly Drilled Without Controlling Equipment It may seem incredible that practically all wells, until rkcently, were drilled without the provision of any means for control. To drill a hole into a boiler carrying high-pressure steam without first providing means to control the escape of steam would be unthinkable, yet in oil fields wells are drilled into a gas or oil formation with a possible pressure of 300 to 1,800 lb. per square inch and a daily flow of 20,000,000 to 80,000,000 cu. ft. of gas or 1,000 to 15,000 bbl. of oil per day. Some wells have produced in excess of 100,000 bbl. of oil per day, but these are exceptional cases. In addition to the loss of product, one must consider the great danger attendant upon the promiscuous liberation of such an amount of explosive and inflammable substance. Introduction of Metal Casing for Deep Drilling The introduction of metal casing to secure a permanent and impervious wall in a well made the drilling of deep wells possible and removed many of the original problems encountered in well drilling, but it did not insure the control of the well. To obtain the full value of the casing it was essential that a pressure-tight joint be made between the wall of the well and the lower end of the casing. Many materials in various forms were used, including cotton, hemp, stable refuse, oats, rice, cloth, leather, cork, rubber, lead, clay and cement, resulting, after a slow process of evolution, in the general adoption of two types of bottom fittings for

Jan 1, 1916

By Alan English

INTRODUCTION During the Bicentennial Year in the United States of America, recognition should be given to the fact that 20 years ago the first large-scale commercial pelletizing plant was started and attained rated capacity. This was the beginning of a new industry. Twenty years ago the total production of pellets was principally from pilot plant facilities and totaled in the thousands of tons per year. At the present time the world production is slightly in excess of 280 million tons per year. This truly is a tremendous growth for any industry. Such a production growth obviously is accompanied by a similar growth pattern in the development of process, equipment, and facilities. During the growth and development period, different materials became more adaptable for processing. For example, initially the pelletizing of iron ores revolved around the magnetite concentrates where the heat of reaction constituted a very important part of the process fuel. During this growth period, specular hematite, earthy hematite, mixtures of hematite and magnetite, and even non-ferrous type materials were pelletized, a function previously thought not practical. The demand for the use of pellets has also broadened their concepts. At first they were made to replace the high-grade iron ores used in blast furnaces. Nowadays, not only have they replaced iron units, but they have had a major influence on the design of larger blast furnaces and have contributed to production rates in excess of 10 000 tons per day from a single furnace. They have also been used in the manufacture of steel, principally for coolants in the BOF practice. More recently, with the improved beneficiation techniques that have been developed over the same period of time, pellets have been used for the direct reduction process and can be used directly

Jan 1, 1977

By Henry S. Rawdon

Any laboratory corrosion test, as judged from the practical point of view, is valuable only to the extent that it foretells what will, in all probability, occur in service. Such a test is most properly to be considered as a "pilot test," that is, a test which indicates the direction along which action may be expected to occur rather than as a truly quantitative test which would be expected to tell just how and to what extent the action would proceed. It is generally recognized that laboratory corrosion tests should be chosen with particular reference to the character of service expected for any particular type of metal, so far as it can be foreseen. Even when this requirement has been fulfilled, however, the question whether the actual service behavior of the material is in accordance and general agreement with predictions based upon such laboratory tests is always a pertinent one. The information available in the technical literature bearing on the correlation between the service behavior of metals from the corrosion standpoint, and the results obtained with the same metals in laboratory corrosion tests is very meager, indeed. The results which have been obtained in weather-exposure tests of sheet duralumin which form the body of this discussion are presented here for their bearing on this particular phase of the problem of the corrosion resistance of duralumin. Although the exposure tests described have not been completed, in the sense that all of the tests, in the series initially laid down, have been accomplished, still the general trend shown by the results is so clear that a number of definite conclusions at this stage (subject, of course, to possible modification in the light of later results) are believed to be warranted. The tests reported upon here form one phase of the much broader study of this subject which has been under way for several years in which the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the Bureau of Aeronautics of the Navy Department, the Army Air Corps and the Bureau of Standards have cooperated. Without the very helpful cooperation of the manufacturers in furnishing the

Jan 1, 1929

By Henry S. Rawdon

Any laboratory corrosion test, as judged from the practical point of view, is valuable only to the extent that it foretells what will, in all probability, occur in service. Such a test is most properly to be considered as a "pilot test," that is, a test which indicates the direction along which action may be expected to occur rather than as a truly quantitative test which would be expected to tell just how and to what extent the action would proceed. It is generally recognized that laboratory corrosion tests should be chosen with particular reference to the character of service expected for any particular type of metal, so far as it can be foreseen. Even when this requirement has been fulfilled, however, the question whether the actual service behavior of the material is in accordance and general agreement with predictions based upon such laboratory tests is always a pertinent one. The information available in the technical literature bearing on the correlation between the service behavior of metals from the corrosion standpoint, and the results obtained with the same metals in laboratory corrosion tests is very meager, indeed. The results which have been obtained in weather-exposure tests of sheet duralumin which form the body of this discussion are presented here for their bearing on this particular phase of the problem of the corrosion resistance of duralumin. Although the exposure tests described have not been completed, in the sense that all of the tests, in the series initially laid down, have been accomplished, still the general trend shown by the results is so clear that a number of definite conclusions at this stage (subject, of course, to possible modification in the light of later results) are believed to be warranted. The tests reported upon here form one phase of the much broader study of this subject which has been under way for several years in which the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the Bureau of Aeronautics of the Navy Department, the Army Air Corps and the Bureau of Standards have cooperated. Without the very helpful cooperation of the manufacturers in furnishing the

Jan 1, 1929

By C. R. Kuzell

Although furnaces constructed of refractory brick have been operated for many decades, there has always been an unfulfilled desire by the operators for a less arduous and more satisfactory method of patching weak spots and burned-out zones in order to postpone and to effectively extend the termination of a furnace campaign. Not only has this desire frequently arisen when small spots have approached incipient failure while the furnace structure as a whole was still in good condition, but also when larger areas showed signs of needing replacement. The available methods have been arduous, sometimes dangerous, inefficient with respect to the life of new refractory material used, and nearly always have necessitated interruption of the continuity of the furnace operations and therefore reduction in furnace production during the period of time required for the repair work. Most of these older methods have involved the replacement of masonry by refractory shapes in the weakened areas. Many attempts have been made to develop a method of patching the burned-out areas by spraying granular refractory material upon old surfaces. While some success has been attained in attempts to renew the grooved, corroded side walls and fettling, and the edges of hearths, there have been no known successful applications of the spraying method in patching the underside of arches of operating furnaces. The method developed recently at the Clarkdale smelter of the United Verde Branch of Phelps Dodge Corporation, at Clarkdale, Aria., and described in this paper, has been found to be not only convenient and successful with respect to patching vertical or inclined surfaces, but has met with a marked degree of success in patching the parts of furnace arches that are exposed to flame, the successful result being obtained without interruption or interference with the continuity of furnace operations. It may be described as a method of renewing the interior refractory surfaces of operating furnaces by pneumatic spraying of an aqueous suspension of finely divided. particles of refractory material. It has been used

Jan 1, 1944

By A. F. Lucas

Belle Isle, located in the low sea marshes near Atchafalaya Bay, is the southeasternmost of the famous Five Salt Islands of Louisiana. Rising about 80 ft. (24 m.) above the level of the surrounding marsh and being some 800 acres (323 ha.) in extent, it constitutes a striking landmark on the low Gulf coast, and since the eighteenth century, when it played an important part in the operation of the buccaneers, it has been intermittently frequented by man. In 1897, the writer discovered the great mass of salt that underlies the island and shortly afterward published a brief account of the geology of Belle Isle and the neighboring salt islands.' In that paper he described principally the salt, but pointed out also the occurrence of petroleum and of sulphur in the strata above the salt. Since that time the island has been extensively explored by the drill, and the developments up to 1908 have been described by Veatch2 and Harris13 and Knapp.4 The writer's early conclusions as to the probable presence of sulphur in considerable quantity have been confirmed by the later drilling, some of the wells having found quantities of gas containing hydrogen sulphide and a number of sulphur-bearing strata as well. Under the stimulus of the present keen demand for sulphur for war purposes, a syndicate of New York capitalists was recently formed to explore the sulphur resources of the island in more detail. Under the writer's direction, six wells were drilled for this syndicate during the winter of 1916-17: The present paper presents briefly the results of this work and sums up the present knowledge of the geology of this highly interesting locality.

Jan 1, 1918

By Robert Y. Grant

This study outlines the history of metal mining in Japan and the characteristics of the industry as they existed from 1925 to 1945. Mining and milling operations are described together with the role of the Japanese Government. A description of post-hostilities conditions and the present state of the industry is included. MANY of Japan's larger and better known mines date back to the early centuries of the Christian Era. The first stimulus to mining in Japan came through the growth of Buddhism, A. D. 600 to 700, and the attendant need for copper and other metals for temple ornaments and statues. During the Feudal period, 1333 to 1568, mine operations were expanded to meet the demand for ornament metal and for financing of campaigns. After removal of the seat of government from Kyoto to Tokyo, about 1600, the Tokugawa Shogunate placed great emphasis on mining, and many new mines were opened, some of which are still operating. Toward the end of the Tokugawa period, mining had declined sharply from its earlier peak. The easily worked, high grade portions of the orebodies had been exhausted, and the mining techniques then available could not exploit the deeper, lower grade ores. Similarly, extraction of metal from the sulphide ores presented a major problem. With the Meiji Restoration in 1868 and the rapid opening of the country to western ideas came a rejuvenation of the mining industry. Mining, milling, and smelting processes were greatly improved, resulting in the extension of development work into hitherto inaccessible portions of orebodies. The demand for metal during World War I stimulated activity throughout the industry; copper mining, particularly, expanded to a point where Japan ranked second among world producers.* During the depression following the war, mining underwent a severe contraction in activity, recovering slowly during the late 1920's only to undergo a further setback in the worldwide depression which started in 1929. Mineral output declined in 1930, but the beginning of Japanese expansion, 1931 to 1932, brought about an increase in the output of mine products starting between 1932 to 1934. Production continued to rise, the peak output being attained 1939 to 1943 in virtually all commodities. The greatest production of iron ore, chromite, and manganese was not experienced until 1944 when blocked imports, coupled with strong demands for steel, provided the needed incentive. Through necessity, Japan produced much of her mineral needs from her own mines at high cost during World War 11. Taking the 1932 to 1936 period as an average, however, Japanese mines produced only 16 pct of the iron available to industry, 8 pct of the lead, 33 pct of the zinc, and 68 pct of the copper. Nearly all of Japan's output of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc between 1925 and 1945 came from 30 to 49 pct of the mines for which production data are available; for example, 66 of 174 gold-silver mines accounted for 98 pct of the output of this group. Further analysis of mine output indicates that a large part of Japan's metal output was derived from a few large mines; about 10 gold-silver, 15 copper, 3 lead-zinc, 5 manganese, and 2 iron mines account for most of the production. Many of these mines have been operated for 200 to 400 years. With the

Jan 1, 1952

By C. Ernest Birchenall

AS a basis for further progress in several branches of metallurgy, particularly the study of physical properties of solid solutions and the kinetics of solid-solid reactions, a more complete understanding of the structure of solid solutions and the nature of the metallic bond is- necessary. Any investigation contributing to this understanding should be of primary interest to the metallurgist. Since the metallic bond is characteristic of an assemblage of atoms, it can be studied only where this assemblage exists. One of the most promising approaches to this study of the interactions in metals is through the general problem of binary metallic solutions. Although crystal structures of many solid metallic solutions have been determined and solubility limits for many systems are given in phase diagram studies, progress beyond this is irregular. Electromotive force and vapor pressure determinations have provided thermodynamic activity data for small concentration and temperature ranges in the amalgams and a few other systems.' In two systems, however, copper-zinc and iron-carbon, data are available for the calculation of activities over wide ranges of temperature and concentration. This activity data for the brass system is summarized in the preceding paper.= A detailed study of the solubility and distribution of carbon in iron is given by Smith and Darken.3 Their treatment of interaction energies is applicable only to dilute interstitial solutions. The objectives here will be to derive from activity gats given in the previous paper for the brasses and structural considerations as much new and detailed information as possible about the interactions between copper and zinc in metallic solid solution and the effect of these interactions in determining the short range structure of the equilibrium phases; that is, we shall investigate the energy of interaction between pairs of atoms of the same and different kinds, the deviations of the distribution of nearest neighbors from complete randomness, and show that the conclusions found are consistent with the observed behavior of the brass system. The method of treatment is fairly general for substitutional metallic solid solutions and will be applied to other systems. The determination of vapor pressures of the components of alloy systems is being undertaken in this laboratory to supply more data for this purpose. The information obtained from solid solutions may be extended by careful analogy to liquids as long as the metallic type of bonding is preserved. Since it will be necessary to employ the language of thermodynamics, a brief summary defining the terms used extensively in solution theory is given below. Solution Theory4 An ideal solution is one in which the vapor pressure of the constituent molecules

Jan 1, 1947

By C. Ernest Birchenall

AS a basis for further progress in several branches of metallurgy, particularly the study of physical properties of solid solutions and the kinetics of solid-solid reactions, a more complete understanding of the structure of solid solutions and the nature of the metallic bond is- necessary. Any investigation contributing to this understanding should be of primary interest to the metallurgist. Since the metallic bond is characteristic of an assemblage of atoms, it can be studied only where this assemblage exists. One of the most promising approaches to this study of the interactions in metals is through the general problem of binary metallic solutions. Although crystal structures of many solid metallic solutions have been determined and solubility limits for many systems are given in phase diagram studies, progress beyond this is irregular. Electromotive force and vapor pressure determinations have provided thermodynamic activity data for small concentration and temperature ranges in the amalgams and a few other systems.' In two systems, however, copper-zinc and iron-carbon, data are available for the calculation of activities over wide ranges of temperature and concentration. This activity data for the brass system is summarized in the preceding paper.= A detailed study of the solubility and distribution of carbon in iron is given by Smith and Darken.3 Their treatment of interaction energies is applicable only to dilute interstitial solutions. The objectives here will be to derive from activity gats given in the previous paper for the brasses and structural considerations as much new and detailed information as possible about the interactions between copper and zinc in metallic solid solution and the effect of these interactions in determining the short range structure of the equilibrium phases; that is, we shall investigate the energy of interaction between pairs of atoms of the same and different kinds, the deviations of the distribution of nearest neighbors from complete randomness, and show that the conclusions found are consistent with the observed behavior of the brass system. The method of treatment is fairly general for substitutional metallic solid solutions and will be applied to other systems. The determination of vapor pressures of the components of alloy systems is being undertaken in this laboratory to supply more data for this purpose. The information obtained from solid solutions may be extended by careful analogy to liquids as long as the metallic type of bonding is preserved. Since it will be necessary to employ the language of thermodynamics, a brief summary defining the terms used extensively in solution theory is given below. Solution Theory4 An ideal solution is one in which the vapor pressure of the constituent molecules

Jan 1, 1947

By E. W. Engle

For several years the Fansteel Products Co. has been engaged in e production and development of various of the rarer metals. It is at present engaged in the commercial production of tantalum, tungsten, and molybdenum in a very high state of purity. The information contained in this paper is partly a general compilation from various sources and partly information obtained as a result of recent years of work in the laboratory of this company. Tantalum, tungsten, and molybdenum form a group peculiar to themselves among the commercially available metals. Their very high melting points (tantalum 2770' C., tungsten 3350' C., and molybdenum 2550" C.) set them apart so far as the metallurgical processes for their production are concerned. Further, when properly prepared and treated they will stand a somewhat unusual degree of cold work, that is work below the temperature at which marked crystal growth takes place. Such cold-worked metal may show a high tensile strength; tantalum to 130,000 lb. per sq. in., tungsten to 490,000 lb., and molybdenum to 260,000 lb., in the form of fine wire. In physical appearance, these metals are not unlike some steels; they may be better described by saying that polished tantalum somewhat resembles lead; polished tungsten, iron; and polished molybdenum, nickel. The polished surfaces of all three remain untarnished in ordinary air. Air containing corrosion-producing impurities will, in general, show molybdenum the least resistant to corrosion and tantalum the most resistant. Molybdenum has, however, a high degree of resistance to corrosion by hydrochloric acid, a property that should render it of commercial interest. On the other hand, it is markedly attacked by some of the weaker organic acids. The three metals oxidize rapidly when heated at or above a dull red in air. This feature limits their use in many applications where their high melting point and strength make them appear usable. Tungsten and molybdenum, at red heat, are quite inert to hydrogen and nitrogen; while tantalum has a rather remarkable affinity for all the ordinary gases, which results in its becoming embrittled in their presence. This

Jan 1, 1925

By Donald D. Carr, Lawrence F. Rooney

Perhaps no other mineral commodity in this volume has as many uses as limestone and dolomite. These carbonate rocks are the basic building blocks of the construction industry, the material from which aggregate, cement, lime, and building stone are made. Carbonate rocks, and their derived products, are used as fluxes, glass raw material, refractories, fillers, abrasives, soil conditioners, ingredients in a host of chemical processes, and much more. Although the use of limestone and dolomite goes back before recorded history, new uses and products are continually being found. Carbonate rocks form about 15% of the earth's sedimentary crust and are widely available for exploitation. Found extensively on all continents, they are quarried and mined from formations that range in age from Precambrian to Recent. Reserves of carbonate rock are large and will last indefinitely, although high-purity deposits may be absent or have limited availability in certain areas. Limestone and dolomite are so useful and so abundant that in 1981 about 644 million tons were produced in the United States. In fact, about 75% of all stone quarried or mined in the United States was carbonate rock. Sand and gravel was the only mineral commodity produced in greater quantity. In this chapter we have sought to provide the general reader an overview of carbonate rocks, their composition, distribution, production, and uses, with emphasis on developments since 1960. In doing so we borrowed extensively from our report on the applied geology of limestone and dolomite (Rooney and Carr, 1971). The literature on the limestone and dolomite resources of the United States and Canada is so vast and diverse that one can easily become mired down in print. We tried to list those references that are easily accessible and that provide the economic geologist with a starting point for more intensive study. The table listing selected references on limestone and dolomite resources in Canada and the United States reflects our attempt to be selective rather than exhaustive and to direct the reader to the best sources of detailed information. Geology Mineralogy The principal carbonate rocks used by industry are limestone and dolomite. Limestones are sedimentary rocks composed mostly of the mineral calcite (CaCO3) and dolomites are sedimentary rocks composed mostly of the mineral dolomite (CaCO3 • MgCO3). Aragonite (CaCO3), which has the same chemical composition as calcite but a different crystal structure, is economically important only in modern deposits, such as oyster shells and oolites. Aragonite is metastable and alters to calcite in time. Some other carbonate minerals, notably siderite (FeCO3), ankerite (Ca2MgFe (CO3)4), and magnesite (MgCO3), are commonly found associated with limestones and dolomites but generally in minor amounts. Because of their similar physical properties, the carbonate minerals are not easily distinguished one from the other. Specific gravity,

Jan 1, 1983

By Benjamin F. Tillson

Although portable fire extinguishers are valuable for fires in an incipient stage, some medium that will dissipate a large amount of heat is needed to fight a fire in mine timbers, because of the size to which the fire will probably have grown before it is discovered. Scaling off, or otherwise smothering such a fire with gases that will not support combustion, is often ineffective for the residual heat will cause reignition when the area is opened and fresh air reaches the hot charred timber. The most effective ways of fighting mine fires, therefore, are to drown and cool the hot zone with water, and to "load out" the partly burned material. Either of these methods requires a direct attack of water ; upon the inflamed material; therefore, every mine containing a large ' quantity of timber or other combustible should be as completely equipped with a fire-hydrant system as it is with compressed-air mains. Mine managers may object to the expenditure, especially if they have not suffered from mine fires. The cost of such preventative measures, however, is only a small portion of the possible losses, and the water pipes can be used for other purposes, which will pay the carrying charges. They can supply water to the rock drills, which will encourage more wet drilling with hollow-drill steel, for the trouble and expense of packing water to individual tanks at the drills will be removed. The carbon-tetrachloride hand extinguishers seem to have no place in mining except for fires that start in electrical equipment. They give off noxious gas, which may prove poisonous in confined quarters; and as it is heavier than air it is of no value for smothering fires overhead or in side timbers and would be dissipated by a good ventilating draft. The old soda-acid extinguisher or the more modern "foam" types ' are preferable. The former probably does not rely for its efficacy on the carbon dioxide generated but on the smothering and cooling effect of the water and the trajectory of stream that may be obtained because of the gas pressure developed. The production of a foam having a tough film to smother a fire, even on overhead surfaces, with the added

Jan 1, 1923

By Benjamin F. Tillson

Although portable fire extinguishers are valuable for fires in an incipient stage, some medium that will dissipate a large amount of heat is needed to fight a fire in mine timbers, because of the size to which the fire will probably have grown before it is discovered. Scaling off, or otherwise smothering such a fire with gases that will not support combustion, is often ineffective for the residual heat will cause reignition when the area is opened and fresh air reaches the hot charred timber. The most effective ways of fighting mine fires, therefore, are to drown and cool the hot zone with water, and to "load out" the partly burned material. Either of these methods requires a direct attack of water ; upon the inflamed material; therefore, every mine containing a large ' quantity of timber or other combustible should be as completely equipped with a fire-hydrant system as it is with compressed-air mains. Mine managers may object to the expenditure, especially if they have not suffered from mine fires. The cost of such preventative measures, however, is only a small portion of the possible losses, and the water pipes can be used for other purposes, which will pay the carrying charges. They can supply water to the rock drills, which will encourage more wet drilling with hollow-drill steel, for the trouble and expense of packing water to individual tanks at the drills will be removed. The carbon-tetrachloride hand extinguishers seem to have no place in mining except for fires that start in electrical equipment. They give off noxious gas, which may prove poisonous in confined quarters; and as it is heavier than air it is of no value for smothering fires overhead or in side timbers and would be dissipated by a good ventilating draft. The old soda-acid extinguisher or the more modern "foam" types ' are preferable. The former probably does not rely for its efficacy on the carbon dioxide generated but on the smothering and cooling effect of the water and the trajectory of stream that may be obtained because of the gas pressure developed. The production of a foam having a tough film to smother a fire, even on overhead surfaces, with the added

Jan 1, 1923

By James K. Stanley

WHEN a plastically deformed metal is heated to a certain temperature, it undergoes a complete change in microstructure, the consequence of which is a marked alteration of mechanical properties such as hardness, strength and ductility. This change in microstructure occurs by recrystallization and is a process involving the formation and growth of strain-free nuclei in the deformed matrix. These nuclei continue to form with time and grow until a new grain structure replaces the cold-worked structure. The formation of the nuclei in the deformed sheet of 1 per cent silicon ferrite is illustrated in Fig. 1. If a recrystallization is conducted isothermally, a measurement of the fraction of the matrix recrystallized plotted against time leads to an isothermal recrystallization curve, first established in 1942.1 Such recrystallization curves are shown in Fig. 4. These curves show that the recrystallization of a cold-worked metal is best considered as a rate process rather than a time independent process such as is suggested by the improperly named and misleading recrystallization diagrams involving deformation, temperature, and grain size. 2-5 Any study of the rate of recrystallization resolves itself into a study of the component rates of nucleation and growth. The previous paper' provided an account of the determination of the rates of nucleation; N, the number of nuclei formed per unit time per unit of unrecrystallized area, and growth, G, the radial growth in unit time, in the recrystallization of silicon ferrite (1 per cent Si). A method was developed to furnish experimental data for evaluating the effect of the recrystallization variables on N and G. The mathematical analysis for the derivation of the isothermal recrystallization curve was developed for a two-dimensional case (in thin sheets where the diameter of the recrystallized grain is greater than the sheet thickness). The present paper is a continuation of the study of recrystallization of 1 per cent silicon ferrite begun in 1942.1 In this work the effect of the factors deformation, temperature, grain size, composition, and recovery is studied with respect to the rates of nucleation and growth. At the same time it is shown how the cooperation of N and G affects the isothermal recrystallization curve. The study of these variables on N and G has a definite bearing on the mechanism of recrystallization and should lay a foundation for a rational theory on the subject. PROCEDURE The procedure used in these experiments was essentially the same as that described previously but in certain details some changes were made in the interests of speed. With few exceptions, the procedure is the same for the study of all the variables. Where the procedure is different from standard manipulations attention is called to this fact.

Jan 1, 1945