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By C. H. Jr. Herty

FEW subjects have attracted the attention of metallurgists more than ,oxygen in steel. From the days of Mushet and Ledebur interest in this subject has been increasing, and as additional knowledge has become available, the problem has naturally grown more complex. Instead of using the simple term "oxygen" we now distinguish between iron oxide, silicates of various kinds, oxysulfides, oxygen as gas and oxygen in solid solution in steel. There are five general methods for determining oxides in steel: hydrogen reduction;, vacuum fusion; various wet-extraction methods, including electrolytic methods; methods depending on volatilization of the iron away from the oxides; and metallographic methods. For oxygen in solid steel each of these methods has both advantages and disadvantages. The hydrogen-reduction method is of no use on steels above about 0.20 per cent. carbon;1 furthermore, it gives only FeO and possibly some MnO. The vacuum-fusion method2 is expensive and gives total oxygen, with the exception of some A1203, and does not differentiate between the various oxides in which the oxygen exists. Most of the wet-extraction methods' give only the more insoluble oxides Si02 and A1203, though the iodine method gives MnO to an uncertain degree (information that may be more misleading then no information

Jan 1, 1930

By W. F. Holbrock

IN a previous paper1 a method for the measurement of the compara-tive desulphurizing power of slags was described and data, were presented covering the range of likely slags containing up to 10 per cent MgO. In the present work the range is extended to include Tags containing up to 20 per cent MgO, and the effect of temperature on 5 per cent and 15 per cent MgO sings over the range 147.5° to 1525° C. is included. The method used was that described in the previous paper except that some of the temperature measurements were made with a noble-metal thermocouple instead of a tungsten-graphite thermocouple. Twelve-gram charges of 0.S per cent sulphur-metal and 5-gram charges of slag were subjected to heating for 30 min. at a prescribed temperature. The charges were analyzed for sulphur content. For purposes of comparison, desulphuriz-ing power is defined as the ratio of the percentage of sulphur found in the slag to that found in the metal. Six slag and metal charges were made coincidentally in holes in a section of all electrode graphite rod. One slag and metal charge was used as a control by means of which adjustment in the desulphurization value could be made for small varia-tions in temperature and other factors. For convenient presentation of the data, the slags are arranged in groups -in each of which one of the four main slag components is constant. Thus, the 15 per cent MgO slags are presented separately from those containing 20 per cent MgO.

Jan 1, 1938

Jan 1, 1932

By Robert D. Thomson

Listed among strategic and critical minerals for stockpiling, mica is an important raw material in electronic and electrical equipment industries. Each year large quantities are consumed in the manufacture of television and radio tubes, radar sets, generators, transformers, electric toasters, and irons. Crude mica, which comes from the mine in crystals or in rough books of various shapes and sizes, is known as run-of-mine or book mica. Structural imperfections, impurities, rough edges, and defective laminae are removed by cobbing, rifting, and trimming to produce a marketable block mica or film mica. After the rough books have been hand-cobbed to remove adhering rock, dirt, and crushed or defective mica they are rifted, or split. In the U.S. a straight-bladed knife is generally used for rifting. Products of this operation are classed broadly as untrimmed sheet mica and scrap.

May 1, 1956

Mark Twain once observed that "Everyone complains about the weather but nobody does anything about it." Not too long ago, the same observation held true for the problem of air pollution. During the past 25 years, however, the mounting concern over air pollution has spurred industrial and governmental research to find ways and means to combat the menacing situation. But for all the time and money spent in recent years to fight it, air pollution is still a major problem in most industrialized communities in America. At the SME Fall Meeting last September, coal's responsibility for such pollution was aired at an informative panel discussion moderated by Ernst Hall. The many-sided problem of air pollution became readily apparent as five experts, representing industry and government, parlayed over the task of cleaning up dirty air. Their opening comments are reprinted here.

Jan 11, 1964

Jan 1, 1887

By C. H. Stein

THE Pennsylvania Legislature, on March 13, 1837, passed an act authorizing the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co. to construct a railway to connect the North Branch Division of the Pennsylvania Canal with the slack water navigation f the Lehigh River; the navigation company accepted this act on May 10, 1837. Edwin A. Douglas, chief engineer for the navigation company, located the route for this railway from White Haven to Wilkes-Barre, which was called the Lehigh & Susquehanna Railroad. The object was to transport coal from the Wyoming Valley, of Pennsylvania, to the Atlantic seaboard. This railway was considered a marvelous piece of engineering, as it included a tunnel nearly 13 mi. long, and a series of inclines, or planes, up which the cars laden with coal were raised from the vicinity of Ashley to the summit f the mountain near Solomon's Gap, whence they were taken to White Haven by rail. There the coal was transferred to canal boats. In June, 1862, floods almost completely destroyed the upper division of the canal, so on March 4, 1863, the Pennsylvania Legislature passed an act prohibiting its restoration, but granted a charter for the construction of a railway from White Haven to Mauch Chunk to connect with the line from White Haven to Wilkes-Barre, previously built. On March 16, 1864, a supplementary act was passed extending the Lehigh & Susquehanna Railroad to Easton, Pa. This completed a direct all-rail route from Wilkes-Barre to the New York harbor (by way of the Central Railroad of New Jersey). Up to this time, all freight and passenger traffic passed over the planes, but in 1866 and 1867 there was constructed what was known as the "back track" down the mountain side between Solomon's Gap and Ashley over which all the passenger traffic and empty cars thereafter passed; it is now known as part of the main line. For the handling of the heavy coal traffic, however, this would have involved a continuous climb from Ashley, 170.27 mi., from New York, to Solomon's Gap, 157.8 mi. from New York, or a distance of 12.47 mi., and a total ascent of 1,013.75

Jan 9, 1921

Jan 1, 1895

Some years ago it was my good fortune to inspect some coal properties in Germany, and the most striking impression I received on my trip was that in that country every one in the coal industry, miners and operators, was proud of the fact-not apologetic about it-and that industrially coal was looked upon as a King. The explanation, of course, was that at least 90 per cent of the entire mineral value produced in Germany was from coal, and that it was the very foundation of the nation's industrial life. The feeling was so different from that existing in the United States among those engaged in producing coal that it made a profound impression on me, and many times since then I have speculated about the reasons for the difference in opinion in the two countries. Here, of course, our units are much smaller and more numerous, there is not so large a proportion of technically trained men, and we have the American trait of depreciating the things we do at home; but among those not actively

Jan 1, 1939

By J. L. Hendrix, R. B. Dix

A study was made of the United States Bureau of Mines chlorine-oxygen leaching process for complex sulfide concentrates. The investigation sought to determine the kinetic order and mechanisms involved in the reactions between galena and sphalerite with chlorine. The influence of copper on the extraction rates was also studied. It has been shown that the rates of reaction of chlorine in aqueous solutions with sphalerite and galena are both zero order at 373 K with rate limiting step being the chemical reaction. Addition of cupric chloride increased the extractions of both lead and zinc.

Jan 1, 1981

US 4,181,588 - Direct extraction of lead from lead sulflde ore. Ore is leached with a solution of ferric chloride and sodium chloride. The leach liquor is filtered to remove sulfur and gangue, then cooled in a crystallizer to precipitate lead chloride The slurry from the crystallizer is subjected to electrolysis to deposit lead chloride on the cathode plate. Solution from the electrolysis cell is used in the leaching step. M.M. Wong and F.P. Haver, assigned to US Secretary of the Interior Jan 1, 1980. 6 pp. (204-115). Filed: 1-4-79 (1,026).

Jan 1, 1982

By G. S. Hume

IN. THE autumn of 1922, British Petroleums Ltd. found oil of 14° Baumé in a sand 17 ft. thick in its. No. 2 well at Wainwright, 120 miles southeast of Edmonton. This greatly encouraged drilling in the Wainwright-Irma area and this past summer several wells were started, three of which are now completed and the others still being drilled. Of the three completed, No. 4 British Petroleums contains oil; No. 3 British Petroleums gave a show of oil but so far has not given much hope, of becoming a commercial producer; and No. 1 Maple Leaf Co., as now finished, is a. gas well with a daily flow of gas of about 2,500,000 cu. ft. at a closed pressure of 700 lb. An oil sand is reported to have been encountered below the producing gas horizon in the Maple Leaf well but has not been tested. Operations on this well have been suspended for the winter. The Geological Survey of Canada this past summer undertook a geological investigation of this area with the object of defining the structures with which the oil and gas are associated. The structure underlying this portion of the plains was supposed to be a terrace with the western edge dipping into the Alberta syncline and with a monoclinal structure to the east. By accurate leveling on known geological horizons on this terrace, a number of gentle folds were located and -it is in these folds that the oil and gas are found. At the British Petroleums Nos. 2 and 4 oil wells, the western flank of the fold has a gentle dip of only a few feet to the mile to the southwest whereas the strata on the eastern flank dip to the northeast about 40 ft. in ½ mile, the strike of the fold being northwest and southeast. How far oil will be found down the gentle southwest dip is unknown but probably the productive part of the fold will not exceed 1 mile in width, and possibly less. No. 3 British Petroleums well is on the strike of the fold 1 mile southeast of the two oil wells. The sand that was productive in Nos. 2 and 4 wells was not present in this well or, if present, was very thin and unproductive. Two other sand horizons, however, were encountered. The upper of these

Jan 3, 1925

By D. N. Sutherland

The cassiterite flotation circuit at the Renison concentrator has operated with increasing levels of automatic control since late 1981. The circuit operates at high levels of recycle which make it difficult to control manually so that the initial control strategy was to stabilize the mass flows around the circuit prior to circuit optimization. Control of the air supplies to the flotation banks was introduced to achieve this stabilization and initial results indicated that some success has been achieved, as indicated by improvements in the overall circuit performance and reduction in the stream variabilities. These improvements were gained through control of the major recycle to the roughing stage which dominates the circuit behaviour. Feed-forward control of collector addition has also been introduced successfully, but attempts to control the final concentrate grade have been less satisfactory. This work is continuing and the objective of current activity is to include the three cleaning stages in an overall circuit control scheme as a first phase of metallurgical optimization of the operation.

Jan 1, 1984

By R. A. Anderson, O. D. Sherby, J. E. Dorn

Solid solution alloying increases the plastic properties of aluminum at elevated temperatures by solid solution strengthening, by restraining recovery and recrystallization, and by a Cottrell effect. When binary aluminum alloys are strained and aged at 1940° to 300°K they develop a yield point. This is attributed to a migration of dislocations to solute atoms during aging. IN view of the ever expanding interest in applications of metals and alloys to high temperature service conditions, it becomes increasingly important to be cognizant of the effect of various metallurgical factors on the strength of alloys at elevated temperatures. One problem of wide interest, not only because of its engineering significance but also due to its fundamental scientific importance, is the elucidation of the effect of alloying elements on the plastic properties of homogeneous a solid solutions at elevated temperatures. It is indeed astonishing to note that in spite of its importance, and in spite of extensive random testing of alloys at elevated temperatures, no systematic investigation has been reported yet on the effect of alloying additions on the plastic properties of a solid solutions at elevated temperatures. This deficiency in our knowledge prompted the investigation described in this report. Rather extensive data are currently available on the effect of alloying elements on the plastic properties of a solid solutions at atmospheric and sub-atmospheric temperatures. Such data might be ex- trapolated to higher temperatures and reasonable guesses might be made regarding the influence of such factors as recovery and recrystallization in order to hazard a qualitative estimate of the effect of alloying elements on the plastic properties of a solid solutions at elevated temperatures. Such

Jan 1, 1952

By Earl A. Trager

The broad picture of world petroleum production at the present time is one of an excessive supply. In any consideration of corrective measures to be applied in the future, it will be necessary to include all the producing areas of the entire world. To illustrate, United States production during 1931 was 48 million barrels1 less than 1930, whereas world production exclusive of the United States increased, owing principally to increases in Russia, Rumania and Persia. Domestic Peoduction Let us first consider the domestic production situation. Due to the fact that United States production was maintained below current demand, about 40 million barrels of oil were withdrawn from storage during 1931. Consumption increased about 1.5 per cent over 1930, which is less than the recent annual rate of increase of 8 to 11 per cent. If the machinery to prevent waste in the petroleum industry operative for more than a year will continue during the coming year and drilling is held to the 1931 level, there will be a decided improvement in the domestic situation by the close of 1932. This will be due in large measure to the drastic reduction in exploratory work and drilling which has been in effect for more than a year. Looking ahead for two or more years, probably there will be a shortage of domestic production in relation to domestic demand, unless there are discovered several large pools comparable to Oklahoma City or East Texas. Were the United States isolated, our problems in so far as petroleum production is concerned might be considered well along the road to recovery. To maintain this perspective will require the cooperation of foreign producers in the future, or protection of United Statcs markets from foreign invasion. Let us review briefly the present situation in the United States. East Texas has been the most important factor during 1931. The large initial production of individual wells and the rapid rate of drilling

Jan 1, 1932

By Robert Gorham Morse

This paper presents the results of an investigation made in the metallurgical laboratory of Columbia University, New York City. The object of the investigation was to determine how the tensile strength, the elastic limit, and the size of the grain, of a pure medium-carbon steel are affected by heating to successive temperatures between 500° and 1300° C., with slow cooling therefrom. Since Dr. Sorby's first investigations into the microstructure of steel, the study of the subject has been continued by Professor Martens, Mr. F. Osmond, Professor Arnold, Professor Howe, Mr. A. Sauveur, Mr. J. E. Stead, and many others. Among many valuable and interesting papers I mention the following as having a special bearing upon this investigation.* " Microstructure of Steel," by Albert Sauveur, Trans., xxii., 546 (1893); Microscopic Metallography," by F. Osmond, Trans., xxii., 243 (1893); "The Microstructure of Steel and the Current Theories of Hardening," by Albert Sauveur, Trans., xxvi., 863 (1896); "The Crystalline Structure of Iron and Steel," by John Edward Stead, J. Iron and Steel Inst., 1898. II.—Statement of Experiments. Through the kindness of Mr. N. Lilienberg, New York City, round rods 3/4 of an inch in diameter were obtained, which had been rolled from one ingot. The analysis of the steel was as follows : C, 0.343; Si, 0.027; Mn, 0.221; I?, 0.0266; S, 0.0037 per cent.

Jan 1, 1900

By E. T. Turkdogan, L. S. Darken, R. G. Olsson, H. A. Wriedt

Several aspects of the calcination of Michigan limestone were investigated: the rate of calcination of limestone spheres with diameters from 1.8 to 14 cm at temperatures from 800° to 1200°C by a thermogravimetric method; the temperature profile across limestone during calcination; the excess pressure developed in the interior of the stone during calcination; the pore surface area, pore volume, and effective gas diffusivity in burnt lime; and the microstructure of polished and fracture surfaces. It is found that, over a wide range of experimental conditions, the difference between the surface and center temperatures remains essentially unchanged during the latter half of calcination. From the rate of weight loss after about 50% calcination, the value 0.00126 cal per cm sec degree is found for the effective thermal conductivity of burnt lime. From the excess internal pressure measurements, i.e., 0.4 to 6 cm Hg at 800° to 1200°C, the permeability of burnt lime is estimated to be within the range 8 X 10-' to 5 X 10' sq cm. With increasing temperature and time of calcination, the pore structure of burnt lime coarsens as indicated by a decrease in the pore surface area, pore volume, and an increase in the average pore size. For the temperature range 600° to 835°C the ratio (effective gas diffusivity/molecular diffusivity) is about 0.18.

Jan 1, 1974

By C. D. Rubert, W. J. Parton

LARGE quantities of fine anthracite with associated impurities are discharged with the waste water from the coal-cleaning plants in the Pennsylvania anthracite region. Furthermore, for many years this fine material has accumulated and formed silt banks. The difficulty of removing the impurities from the fine material and the lack of adequate markets are responsible for the waste of this material. In view of a larger demand for fine coal, mainly for pulverized fuel, the Lehigh Navigation Coal Co. Inc. decided to investigate the froth flotation process for recovery of fine coal from these waste solids. A test plant was constructed and operated for six months during 1942 in order to determine the practicability of recovering coal from the waste water of a cleaning plant (breaker) by froth flotation, and to obtain operating data for designing a commercial plant if the results were favorable. PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION Before the pilot plant was constructed information was obtained by field and small-scale laboratory tests to serve as a guide in the design and operation of the pilot plant. Size and ash analyses of a representative sample of the material discharged in the wash water from a cleaning plant are given in Table I. [ ] The refuse content increases progressively as the size of the particles decreases. The larger particles (+35 m.) are low in ash content and could be marketed without cleaning. Since these solids are discharged from the breakers with 90 to 95 per cent water by weight, the first step in the recovery of the coal was that of reducing the quantity of water so that water in excess will not have to be handled. Furthermore, it was found that the removal of most of the minus 200 mesh high-ash material was desirable to permit the most efficient flotation of the coal. Classification tests were run and showed that a hydroseparator overflow rate of 12 ft. per hour was sufficient to eliminate much of the minus 200-mesh material while allowing the coarser material to settle and be thickened.

Jan 1, 1944

By William D. Mayercheck

Introduction of continuous mining machines in the late 1940s created a new production bottleneck in room-and-pillar sections-the shuttle car. While continuous miners could cut and load coal at a nearly constant rate, the mining sequence was repeatedly interrupted as fully loaded shuttle cars changed places with empty ones. This wait-for-the-shuttle delay period forced the coal industry to reassess the shuttle's batch-type procedure with an eve toward continuous haulage systems that would allow uninterrupted coal flow from face to portal.

Jan 7, 1979

By Henry Howland

INTRODUCTION DURING the last decade no topic has created more interest or received more thought among blast-furnace men than colic. One reason for this is, undoubtedly, the remarkable increase in the use of byproduct coke. Formerly our coke was made at a distance from the furnaces and by a distinct organization. There was little cooperation or development possible under these conditions. Today the situation is greatly changed. Much of our coke is made by the organization operating the furnaces and the coke oven is operated with the primary object of obtaining the best results in the blast furnace. The effect of changing the method of coke manufacture, even in some minor detail, is often felt almost immediately at the blast furnace. There naturally results one of the most valuable assets of the byproduct coke oven, -i.e., the possibility of increased blast-furnace efficiency clue to close observance and correct operation of the ovens. The results are evident, but it often is difficult correctly to account for them. In attacking the solution of a problem of as much importance as why one coke is better than another, there are facts which should be kept clearly in mind The author hopes, in this paper, to bring out some points relative to the use of carbon in the blast furnace which will be of value in solving this question.

Jan 3, 1916