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By S. Marion Tucker

THE aggregate number of "papers" read within any one year before more or less bored and bewildered audiences is simply appalling. We have seventy to eighty engineering societies alone, not to speak of the many hundreds of societies of every other imaginable kind. And each meets at least once a year to tell what it has found out since the last meeting. All this is very fine and fortunate, at least in the case of the scientific and technological societies; for if even only one significant discovery, one new truth, one new idea comes out at the meeting, the session has been abundantly justified. To many of us, not scientists or technologists, the scientific and technological societies seem to release by far the most useful and important information. What they have to say is often of prime importance directly to human life and to industry, and is perhaps even more important indirectly in its final influence upon social and economic conditions, thus ultimately determining the course of what we like to call civilization. The paper read by that quiet, unpretentious man on the platform ma; mean the revolutionizing of a great existing industry, the creation of an entirely new industry, the gain of millions of dollars to some persons, the loss of millions to others. But, lamentably,

Jan 1, 1940

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 R. G. Hall

AN article on the subject of electrolytic zinc no longer needs to be preceded by an apology. The production of zinc by electrolysis is past the laboratory stage and has become an economic factor of considerable importance in the total production of zinc in the United States. The various methods of procedure to be, followed for the greatest economy of manufacture are fairly well known, consequently a detailed description of any method is no longer necessary or desirable. In this paper I shall endeavor to lay down some of the governing conditions in this industry, the relation of methods to ore deposits, freight rates, and sources of power supply. POWER POINTS Assuming for a moment that, for the present at least, the electrolytic production of zinc will be confined too those localities having developed water power, a glance at these powers so developed in the United States, with their relation to known zinc orebodies of economic size, will not be without interest. Northwest In the Northwest we have water powers, developed and undeveloped, in Washington and Montana. These must, of course, bear a close relation to the rapidly growing zinc production of the Coeur d'Alenes and of the Butte districts. In general, the power of the territory in question is relatively low-priced, at least as compared with the cost of developing power from coal, and the near neighborhood of large bodies of more or less complex zinc ores makes these water powers of more than usual interest. The same remarks may be applied equally to the developed water powers of the Canadian side of the line in the Northwest, where we have again commercially available complex ore deposits such as are being exploited today at and near Trail.

Jan 9, 1917

By D. J. Carney, R. R. Burt, E. J. Whittenberger

Hardenability (multiplying) factors for carbon, mongonese, silicon, chromium, nickel, and molybdenum have been developed for hypereutectoid low-alloy steels in which bainite is the first subcritical transformation product. These factors permit the calculation of 95, 80, and 50 pct martensite hardenability from chemical composition when steels with spheroidized structures are quenched from 1475°, 1525°, and 1575°F. The strong contributions to hardenability of the less expensive elements, silicon and manganese, suggest their use to obtain additional hardenability in hypereutectoid low-alloy steels. DURING the past decade a number of investigators'"11 have carefully developed information which permits calculation of the hardenability of medium -carbon low-alloy steels from chemical composition and grain size. These data have been especially valuable in developing less costly low-alloy steel compositions with equivalent or Improved

Jan 1, 1957

Jan 1, 1953

By Milton E. Wadsworth

The reduction of a metal in an aqueous solution may be defined in terms of its source of electrons. In electrolytic reduction electrons flow as a result of applied voltages. In other systems electron sources are reducing gases or metals of lower electron affinity. In the latter two cases it is increasingly evident that reduction is electro-chemical in nature in that electrons flow through one or more conducting phases even though the discharge reactions may not be rate controlling. Electrode processes impmtant in reduction and metal deposition are reviewed and extended to contact reduction by precipitation (cementation) on mme electropositive metals. Contact reduc- tion Processes are ancient in origin and represent techniques which have had successful application for hundreds of years. In spite of this, little has been understood in terms of the dynamic properties of such systems or of important side reactions. In recent years an increasing amount of laboratory work has been carried out on contact reduction and an attempt is made here to summarize the important findings. Undoubtedly the interest aroused recently may be attributed to improved reactor design which has demonstrated on a commercial basis accelerated metal recovery by taking advantage of important kinetic and chemical parameters. of gold cyanide (Au(CN)-), respectively. The most common method for the reduction of ions in solution is by electrolysis. The impure metal is made the anode and the ions are reduced at the cathode. Leach liquors containing reducible ions may similarly be reduced electrolytically using an inert anode. The latter process is referred to as electrowinning. In recent years hydrogen has been used successfully as a gaseous re-Metallurgical Society of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers (AIME). He was also a member of the Executive Board of the Metallurgical Society (AIME). In 1957 Dr. WADSWORTH was given the AlME Best Paper Award as coauthor of a paper on the roasting of sphalerite. On July 1, 1968 Dr. WADS-WORTH started an 24 month assignment in the Philippine Islands to assist in the development of graduate metallurgical engineering at the University of the Philippines. In addition to graduate teaching and curriculum development he will establish research programs to develop extraction processes for metals production in the islands. The project is supported by the Ford Foundation through Educational Projects, Incorporated.

Jan 1, 1970

Jan 1, 1931

By G. R. Speich

RECENT studies by Smith and Olney,1,2 Olney,3 Greifer and Salli,4 Rys etal., and Olney and smith 6 have established that graphite is the first decomposition product to format the surface of hypereutectoid plain-carbon steels when they are austenitized in a vacuum or inert atmosphere and slowly cooled. This graphite evidently forms directly from the austenite and only at the surface of the specimen. The interior of the specimen is found to be free of graphite. The graphite layer can almost completely cover the specimen surface and the rate of its formation is markedly sensitive to the orientation of the austenite. The present work was undertaken to study this phenomenon further, especially with regard to the effect of temperature and austenite orientation. The material studied in this work was a high-purity iron-carbon alloy containing 0.88 pct C, 0.005 pct Mn, 0.016 pct Si, 0.005 pct S, and 0.002 pct P. Specimens were heat-treated in a commercial hot stage modified for rapid quenching.7 This permitted direct observation of the formation of the surface graphite. A vacuum of 10"" to 10-5 mm of Hg prevented oxidation or decarburization of the specimens. Specimens were austenitized for 30 min at 1100°C and quenched to a series of lower temperatures where they were isothermally transformed. Surface graphite was observed to form at 700°, 750°, and 780°C but not at 825°, 900° or 1000°C. Since the maximum solubility of austenite for graphite is 0.88 pct C at 800°C,8 surface graphite only forms at tem-

Jan 1, 1962

By Strathmore R. B. Cooke, Robert E. Brandt

EARLIER work1,2 has shown that the strength developed by fired magnetite pellets containing silica or silicates is due to three separate effects. Two of these are associated with the formation of slag in the interior of each pellet at temperatures above 1000°C, where the atmosphere is substantially though temporarily neutral. The third is independent of the silica content and is responsible for the development of a hard shell around the pellet during the initial stages of firing, a condition which permits the pellet to assume the increasing load of the overlying burden and prevents extrusion of the slagged and semi-liquid interior. Pellets made from hematite concentrates do not show these effects unless specific additives are incorporated, and it is these differences in behavior which in large part account for the difficulty in producing satisfactory pellets from such concentrates. Elsewhere it has been stated that "the most important factor responsible for the development of strength in fired magnetite pellets containing no additive is the oxidation of magnetite to hematite and the subsequent recrystallization and grain growth of this constituent."1 The object of the investigation reported in the present paper was to study in detail the mechanism described above and to evaluate its contribution to the strength of the fired pellet compared with other possible mechanisms, excluding slag bonding. This was effected by placing together polished faces of two cubes prepared from specific minerals and then heating them under constant pressure at different temperatures both in air and in nitrogen.

Jan 4, 1954

By F. L. Clerc

The lead and zinc region of SW. Missouri is interesting, not only by reason of the value of its output, which ranges in the neighborhood of ten million dollars a year, but even more because of the facilities which it offers for the study of certain forms of ore-deposits, of' which the loci and genesis are somewhat obscure. Although the mineral species found in the region are few and of common occurrence, crystallization has taken place on a generous scale, and unusual forms abound in many combinations, presenting examples of pseudomorphism, para-genesis, metasomatic replacement and the action of mineral-depositing and mineral-dissolving waters. For the mineralogist, lithologist, and specialist in certain lines of metamorphism, it has peculiar attractions, while the systematic geologist will perhaps find its chief claim to attention in the simplified problem it presents, in the study of ore-deposits. In addition to the phenomena above enumerated, it presents instances of well-developed comb-structure in the ores, fissures and faults, and slickensides—features usually associated with extensive movements in the earth's crust, and believed by some authorities to prove the deep-seated origin of the ores. In connection with these occurrences, the absence of all igneous rocks from this region is noteworthy and significant. For that reason, the simplified case presented by the Joplin region, from which these rocks have been eliminated as a factor, is specially valuable. Having had unusual opportunities to watch the development of this district, I have been deeply interested in the bearing of the revelations of the Joplin mines upon questions of universal importance to the science of ore-deposits; and it was to my great regret that the project of a meeting of the American Institute of Mining Engineers at Joplin, proposed in 1892, was

Jan 1, 1908

By H. L. Hopkins, L. W. Kempf

Aluminum alloys, in common with most other metallic alloys exhibit slight density changes with variations in temper achieved by heat-treatment, which usually are the result of the variation with temperature of the solid solubility of the various alloy constituents in the solvent metal. Changes in density are, of course, most marked in conditions that exhibit the maximum variation in solid solubility of the constituents. In aluminum alloys these conditions usually prevail when alloys are quenched from just below the melting point and are subsequently reheated to some lower temperature. Since commercial heat-treatments may be of this type, the density changes, although small (of the order of 0.3 per cent which may be compared with the density change of about 1.5 per cent involved in the transformation, at ordinary temperatures, of gamma to alpha iron during the hardening of steel), may in some specific applications necessitate quantitative consideration. This phenomenon has been investigated extensively in the laboratories of the Aluminum Company of America over a period of years. A number of investigators '-5t have observed and measured the density changes accompanying the heat-treatment of aluminum alloys. In general, these changes have not been directly translated to dimensional changes and their significance has been overlooked to some extent by the practical user of aluminum alloys. It is the purpose of this paper to consider some practical aspects of these density and dimensional changes. These density changes were given some consideration in 1917 in connection with the use of aluminum-alloy pistons for aircraft engines. Investigations by Lea and Shakespear were reported in some confidential reports of the British Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, Light Alloys Subcommittee, during 1917 and 1918, which are not generally available in published form. In these reports the term "permanent growth" was applied to the dimensional changes occurring in the pistons at the tem-

Jan 1, 1936

By A. T. Stroebel, J. A. Goodwin

Diatomite deposits, the skeletal remains of tiny aquatic plants called diatoms, are found in many parts of the world. Only a few of these deposits are of commercial value. Open pit mining is used in nearly all deposits now being worked. Processing methods range from simple drying, crushing, sizing and packaging to carefully controlled and highly sophisticated calcining and air classification procedures, employing the latest control and testing techniques. The major uses of processed diatomite are infiltration as filter aids and fillers and extenders.

Jan 1, 1983

By J. H. Fletcher

ALTHOUGH some mines have been completely mechanized, on the whole mechanical equipment has made slow progress in the coal fields. Coal mining is particularly well adapted to hand labor. The skillful hand miner can keep his working place safe under difficult roof conditions, remove impurities from the coal at the point of origin, and produce a maximum percentage of large-size coal, so as to command the highest price on the market. Hand mining has also the advantage of low capital investment per ton of production and moderate carrying charge when the mine is idle. Though animal haulage gave way to electric locomo-tives and hand cutting to mining machines, beyond these concessions most of the tonnage is still produced by manual labor. But factors over which producers have no control are speeding the change to mechanical mining. The additional investment in underground equipment and surface preparation plant must be offset by a great increase in tons per man-day, and to do this the employees should be able to utilize as much of their time as possible on production. In the installation of mechanical mining, the only change in method usually has been to add loading machines to a mine already developed for hand loading. Because of a lack of suitable equipment, few mobile loading machines have been installed in seams of coal less than 4 ft. thick; the mechanization in the thinner seams has been confined largely to shaking conveyors and hand loading onto chain conveyors. Mechanical mining requires an organization that is prepared to study its particular problem from production territory to market in recognition of the changed factors arising from the use of loading machines at the working face, and other causes, such as safety of men and property; high wage scale on hourly basis; concentrated working territory and rapid extraction from a given area; change in the percentage of sizes of coal produced and effect of this on average realization. There are also the coal-cleaning problem; increased capital investment, maintenance, obsolescence, and the relation of all these to the spread between realiza-tion and production cost. If coal seams were uniform, the answer would

Jan 1, 1939

By E. G. Gaylord

A BRIEF review of the oil conditions in California for a few years prior to 1923 is desirable for a clear comprehension of the development during that year and the results of the development. California's oil production during the five years preceding 1922 had been running from 100,000,000 to 115,000,000 bbl. annually. Crude oil stocks in storage had been declining steadily from 1915 to 1919, when there was a slight increase. They continued to decline through practically all of 1920, when they were drawn on to the extent of 11,350,000 bbl., leaving 20,930,000 bbl. on hand. In 1921, with production approximately 10,000,000 bbl. greater than the previous year, crude-oil stocks increased until, at the end of the year, there were 33,289,000 bbl. on hand. It would seem, therefore, that at the end of 1921 the so-called Pacific Coast province could absorb between 100,000,000 and 105,000,000 bbl. of oil per year, any in excess of this amount going into storage, not being, able to compete in other markets with oil outside the state. During 1922, daily production increased from 316,000 bbl. at the beginning of the year, to 500,000, at the end. This increase was the result entirely of production from the new fields, in the Los Angeles basin. In fact, considerable oil from the older fields of the state was shut-in beginning with March, 1922. As of 1922, the past development of the oil industry of California had been, in a general way, quite regular. As the need grew for more oil, pioneer drilling was increased, resulting in the discovery of new fields here and there. The good prices for crude oil that prevailed during the later part of the War and into 1921 had stimulated an extensive wildcatting campaign by California's larger oil corporations, as well as by smaller independent oil companies and by individuals. Many wildcat wells in California have required, two or three years for their completion, consequently the intensive wildcatting, which might be said to have started in California in 1917 and continued into 1922, found its greatest results with, the discovery of three very productive fields which, for all practical purposes, might as well have come in simultaneously.

Jan 3, 1924

By Thomas Cox

The following compilations are made from a series of investigations and are used to present the subject in an unbiased manner, as the writer does not represent any company or financial interest. The present situation is complex. The producers are hard pressed by reason of the low price of crude, while the independent refiner is little better off, because of the corresponding cut in price of refined products, except on occasional contracts. If the real costs are analyzed, it will be seen that the land speculators and the lessors—royalty owners—make the larger profits and not the struggling legitimate operator or independent refiner. The present-day (October, 1922) posted prices per barrel for crudes are Kansas, Oklahoma, Mexia, Gulf Coast, and Louisiana..... $1.25 Healdton............................................. 0.75 Northern Texas and Central Texas...................... 1 . 50 Pennsylvania......................................... 3.00 Wyoming, Elk Basin.................................. 1.25 Wyoming, Salt Creek................................ 0.70 California Base..................................... 0.60 These prices are at the well. In addition, crudes must be gathered and transported to refinery (by pipe line or tank cars), refined, and the refined products marketed. These crudes are of various gravities, ranging within a narrow margin for each field or district, so that averages are not difficult to deduce, and it is these averages that really determine the average operating conditions. In order to show the present realizations, the prices and costs now obtaining are listed against the average yields; the figures are also adjusted VOL. urn.----71

Jan 1, 1923

By Thomas Cox

The following compilations are made from a series of investigations and are used to present the subject in an unbiased manner, as the writer does not represent any company or financial interest. The present situation is complex. The producers are hard pressed by reason of the low price of crude, while the independent refiner is little better off, because of the corresponding cut in price of refined products, except on occasional contracts. If the real costs are analyzed, it will be seen that the land speculators and the lessors—royalty owners—make the larger profits and not the struggling legitimate operator or independent refiner. The present-day (October, 1922) posted prices per barrel for crudes are Kansas, Oklahoma, Mexia, Gulf Coast, and Louisiana..... $1.25 Healdton............................................. 0.75 Northern Texas and Central Texas...................... 1 . 50 Pennsylvania......................................... 3.00 Wyoming, Elk Basin.................................. 1.25 Wyoming, Salt Creek................................ 0.70 California Base..................................... 0.60 These prices are at the well. In addition, crudes must be gathered and transported to refinery (by pipe line or tank cars), refined, and the refined products marketed. These crudes are of various gravities, ranging within a narrow margin for each field or district, so that averages are not difficult to deduce, and it is these averages that really determine the average operating conditions. In order to show the present realizations, the prices and costs now obtaining are listed against the average yields; the figures are also adjusted VOL. urn.----71

Jan 1, 1923

By C. A. Rowland, R. C. Nealey

Until recently there were very few dry grinding rod mills used. The early installations performed as anticipated. In the last seven years a number of dry grinding rod mills have been made, most of which have been used for grinding iron ore. The recent installations have not operated as anticipated in accordance with practices learned from wet rod milling. The paper does not establish any definite rules for the application of dry grinding rod mills but does attempt to establish some guidelines that can be followed. The paper reviews a number of flowsheets describing the problems encountered and some of the solutions found. Completely dried compared to partially dried feed is reviewed. Problems encountered in scaling up from pilot plant to production-size mills are described. Rod sizing, effect of rod length, rod bending, rod breakage, and rod tangling are discussed. While wet grinding rod mills have been used for 50 years to grind ores and make specifications sands, dry grinding rod mills have only recently come into significant use in the mineral industries. Among the materials now being processed in dry grinding rod mills are (1) lead sinter, lead slag, and limestone; (2) iron ore; (3) silica; (4) cement clinker; and (5) coke. Because the application of wet grinding rod mills was well understood at the time that dry grinding rod mills were introduced, the criteria and guidelines for selecting the former were carried over to the selection of the latter - in some cases with the anticipated results, but in many cases not. It is the purpose of this paper to describe, through a series of flowsheets, some of the recent problems encountered with dry grinding rod mills, to point out the solutions to these problems, and to set forth some guidelines for the selection and application of these mills. When dry grinding rod mills came into use, the following facts about their wet grinding counterparts were already well established: (1) The performance of large-sized mills can be accurately predicted from the performance of rod mills 5 or 6 ft in diameter. Wet grinding mills as large as 14 ft in diameter (inside shell) by 20 ft long with rods 19.5 ft long can operate satisfactorily.

Jan 1, 1970

By W. V. Swarzenski

In its effort to combat waterlogging and soil salinity, the Water and Soils Investigation Division of WAPDA (West Pakistan's Water and Power Development Authority) has carried out an extensive program of test drilling andwater sampling since 1954. Data collected during the past ten years have permitted the delineation of fresh and saline groundwater zones in the Punjab Plain. Fresh groundwater containing generally less than 500 ppm of total dissolved solids is found in wide belts paralleling the major rivers and in other areas of fresh-water recharge. Locally, fresh groundwater extends to depths of 1500 ft and more. Saline groundwater occurs down gradient from sources of recharge, particularly in the lower central parts of the interfluvial areas, and presumably underlies most of the Punjab Plain. The groundwaters of the Punjab are characterized by their evolution from calcium, magnesium bicarbonate waters near sources of recharge to waters containing a dominant proportion of sodium. The highly mineralized waters of the Punjab are generally of the sodium chloride type, whereas in the Dera Ismail Khan District, sodium sulfate waters predominate. The pattern of distribution of saline groundwater zones and the observed gradual increase in mineral content, down gradient from sources of recharge, can be explained best by a hypothesis stressing the process of evaporation from the water table and solution of minerals within the alluvial aquifer. In 1954, detailed groundwater surveys in the Punjab Plain were initiated by WASID, the Water and Soils Investigation Division of West Pakistan's Water and Power Development Authority. The investigations, undertaken under a cooperative agreement between the governments of Pakistan and the United States, were aimed at the formulation of reclamation measures to improve waterlogged and saline soils, and to assess the groundwater potential of the Punjab and other areas of West Pakistan. The nature and urgency of WASID's primary task limited the exploration of the alluvial aquifer generally to its uppermost part. About 1030 test holes drilled in 47,000 sq miles of the Punjab defined the nature of the alluvium to depths of about 600 ft and yielded data on water quality to 400 or 500 ft. A report on the hydrology of the Punjab, based on the results of these investigations was published by WASID in 1963.' The present report incorporates data obtained by WASID since 1962 in a program of deep test drilling in the Punjab and the adjacent areas of Bahawalpur and Dera Ismail Khan District, permitting the definition of fresh and saline groundwater zones to depths of 1500 ft in some areas. Groundwater in the Punjab Plain is contained in alluvial deposits, predominantly sand and silt, which extend almost everywhere to depths of 1000 ft and more. The alluvium has been deposited by the Indus River and its tributaries since late Tertiary time and is contiguous with similar deposits in India. The Indo-Gangetic Plain extends from the foothills of the Himalayas to the ancient rocks of the Peninsular Shield in central India and to the ocean. Gradients are generally very low and range from about 1% ft per mile in the upper part of the plain to less than 1 ft per mile in the south and southwest. The monotony of the alluvial plain is broken by scattered bedrock outcrops in two of the interfluvial areas, Chaj Doab and Rechna Doab. The bedrock hills are projections of the northwest-trending Delhi-Shahpur Ridge that is largely buried by alluvium. The rocks of the buried ridge, presumably of Precambrian age, are essentially impermeable and define the lower limit of the alluvial aquifer in parts of Chaj, Rechna, and Bari doabs. Elsewhere in the Punjab, there are no outcrops of other consolidated rocks and their presence below the alluvium is conjectural. The principal areas of bedrock outcrops, near Kirana and Sangla, are shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1. The movement of groundwater through the alluvial aquifer of the Punjab has been described by Green-man and others.' In most of the area, the pre-irriga-tion water table sloped from the rivers downstream and toward the central axes of the doabs, indicating that the rivers were sources of groundwater recharge. As a result of seepage from irrigation canals, water levels have risen as much as 90 ft. In 1960 they were within 5 to 15 ft of the land surface and above the

Jan 1, 1970

By D. W. Lillie

Property changes produced by irradiation of Al-0.4 wt pet Li alloys at 270°C to a burnup of 0.155 pct of all atoms are described. Metallographic evidence of the formation of internal pores and the concentration of gases at grain boundaries is shown. Some conclusions are drawn concerning desirable property characteristics for resistance to radiation swelling. RADIATION induced gases are of great practical significance in nuclear engineering since they affect the behavior of fissionable fuels and control rod materials. In fuels the gases xenon and krypton are the major offenders, producing serious em-brittlement at low irradiation temperatures and gross swelling at high irradiation temperatures. In control rod materials containing boron, the production of helium from the B 10 (n, 0) Li7 reaction produces similar reactions. Since the trend in reactor design is for operation at increasingly high temperatures, the phenomenon of high-temperature swelling by these induced gases has been the subject of considerable recent study. The objectives of such work have been to obtain engineering information and quantitative data on the effects in specific fuels and control rods and to obtain further understanding of the mechanism of gas damage so that more intelligent corrective steps can be made. Analogue systems are often useful for the latter objective and in this case alloys containing Li are suitable in view of the reaction Li6 + n - He4 + He 4. Both products are gases and no serious radiation problem is produced to complicate post irradiation handling. Considerable caution is, of course, necessary in any operations in which tritium release is possible. The present program was initiated to provide a detailed study of the effects of He + H3 generated by irradiation in Li-bearing alloys. The results on Mg-Li solid solution alloys have been reported elsewhere.' This paper presents information on irradiation of an A1-0.4 pct Li alloy in which the lithium was present as highly enriched Li6 in order to maximize the radiation burnup. PROCEDURE The original intent in the selection of the alloy content was to have Li in solid solution at all temperatures. It became apparent, however, that the solubility of Li in A1 was substantially lower than that reported in the original reference consulted.' This was substantiated by the work of Nowak3 who reported solubility of less than 0.01 pct Li at 100°C. The alloy used (0.4 pct Li) was therefore two phase at room temperature. The irradiation temperature was estimated to be about 270° C, and at that temperature all or almost all of the Li would be soluble under equilibrium conditions. The precise state of the alloy under irradiation is not known. Aluminum used was 99.996 pct purity (max. impurities Si 0.002 pct, Mg 0.001 pct, Fe 0.0005 pct, and Cu 0.0005 pct). The lithium was obtained from Oak Ridge National Laboratory; 96.1 + 0.1 pct of the lithium was ~i~, but chemical impurities were 0.25 pct Ca, 0.05 pct Fe, 0.02 pct Na, 0.02 pct Cu, 0.01 pct Sr, and 0.01 pct Ba. The two metals were melted in an alumina crucible in a resistance heated furnace in an atmosphere of helium. A l-in. ingot was cast in an iron mold, machined to %-in. round, hot swaged (350°C) to 0.080-in. round, cold swaged to 0.060-in. round, and finally cold drawn to 0.040-in. round. Four-inch wire lengths were then cut and annealed at 250°C for 4 hr in helium. Irradiations were carried out in a VT hole in the Argonne CP-5 reactor. The wires were held in an aluminum jig, sixteen wires per capsule, and were maintained in a helium atmosphere for maximum heat transfer. Eight wires of pure aluminum and eight of Al-Li alloy were placed in each capsule. Argome Laboratory statements were accepted as establishing flux and exposure levels. These were based on previous experience and flux map-

Jan 1, 1961

By Edgar Kendall

A KNOWLEDGE of the fundamental principles of locating, sampling, testing and evaluating materials is essential in prospecting for mineral aggregates. In this discussion, mineral aggregates will be considered sand, gravel, crushed stone and slag that are used as materials of con-struction. The quantity of mineral aggregates produced in the United States during the year 1935 for such purposes was roughly 165,000,000 tons, about 60 per cent of which was sand and gravel, 37 per cent crushed stone and 3 per cent crushed slag. The total value of this material was approximately $100,000,000. It is apparent therefore that the prospect-ing for suitable mineral aggregates is of considerable economic importance. In prospecting for mineral aggregates, the methods employed are the same whether the organization is large or small. In the large organiza-tion there may be available geologists for locating sources of supply, a land acquisition department to arrange for the necessary options or permits, engineers to do the sampling, a laboratory for testing, and a board of consulting materials engineers to make the final selection. Even small organizations must follow the same general procedure, though the respon-sibility for the selection of aggregates may rest with one man, who may or may not be an engineer, but who must depend entirely upon his own judgment.

Jan 1, 1939