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By B. C. Allen

The interface energies of chronzium, molybdenunz. hugsten, and their solid-solution alloys Cv-35Re, MO-33Re, and UJ-25Re were studied at 0.6 to 1.0 of the absolllte liquidus ter)zpe,vature using fiz&apos;e )izethods. Liquid surface tension, yv , was deter mined clsing the pendant-drop and drop-weight methods. Results are, respectizlely, 1700, 2370, and 2480 +100 dynes per ct for the rhernium -containing alloys and essentially the same as tlwse reported for liquid chro)riln, trolybdenum, and tungsten. Average solid slrjace energy, rsv< xias ))zeasured using tlre fiber-extetlsion method. The ratio of ysS, the acerage high-angle grain-boundary energy, to ySV cclas jolnd fronz grain-bolzdary grooue angles fort)zed at the surface in an inert atrfizosphere. Absolllte iute?:face energies were deterawined using ?nultip/rase equilibria involzing suitable liquids of known surface tension (tin, silver). Interpretation of the experimented results in view of pvobable tenzperatzcre, orientation, and purity effects giz,e the follouling approximations in ergs per sq ctn: ysv (i2lo. Mo-33Re) - 2100, ySS (Mo, Mo-33Re) - 800, rr (defornzation twins in MO-33Re at 1200"C) - 800. ysV (Cr. Cr-35Re) - 2400. YSS (CY, Cr-35Re) - 1000. Probably Ylv- YSV- 2500 for tungsten and W-25Re, giving yss (It&apos;, W-25Re) - 900. The interface energies of solid and liqid ch?&apos;omiu?.z, nolybdenu?rr, and tungsten are not geatly aff&apos;ected by rhenium and therefore are not a ttlajor factor in the ductili zing rhenium effect in Croup VI-A metals. THE interface energies of the refractory Group VI-A metals, chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten, are not well-established. The objective of this investigation was to study the liquid surface tension, solid surface energy, and grain-boundary energy of these metals and compare them to those found for the bcc solid-solution alloys, Cr-35e,&apos; 0-33e,&apos; and -25e. Five techniques were used to measure interface energies in high-purity polycrystal rod, wire, and sheet at 0.6 to 1.0 of the absolute liquidus temperature. The alloys were chosen to see if there was any connection between interface-energy behavior and the ductilizing rhenium effecL4j5 EXPERIMENTAL WORK Materials. A description of the materials used is presented in Table I. Chromium rod was prepared by arc melting iodide process crystals supplied by Chromallo Cor., hot extruding, and warm swaging to 0.63-cm-diam rod.6 The sheet was prepared by rolling as-extruded rod to 95 pct reduction in area from a hydrogen furnace at 800" to 900°C and surface grinding off 0.02 cm from each face. Cr-35Re rod was prepared by arc melting sintered rhenium powder and iodide chromium crystals, warm rod rolling to 50 pct reduction in area in cans, and swaging to 60 pct reduction in area at 1100" to 1200°C. Some of the rod was warm-rolled to sheet and then surface-ground. Portions of swaged chromium and Cr-35Re were further reduced by swaging and drawing to 0.013-cm-diam wire by the General Electric Co. Mo-33Re and W-25Re rod, sheet, and wire were provided by Chase Brass and Copper Co. The molybdenum sheet consisted of two lots, both essentially the same except for the carbon content. Liquid Surface Tension. The liquid surface tension of Cr-35Re, Mo-33Re, and W-25Re was measured by a combination of pendant-drop and drop-weight methods using techniques already decribed." Following out-gassing, molten drops were formed on the ends of centerless-ground Mo-33Re and W-25Re rods by electron bombardment at 5 x 106 mm. Similar drops were formed on outgassed Cr-35Re rods by induction heating under 1 atm of 99.995 pct Ar. Solid Surface Energy. Solid surface energy was measured by conducting microcreep experiments on molybdenum, Mo-33Re, chromium, and Cr-35Re wires at 2350°, 2306, 1550°, and 180O°C, respectively. In preparation, gage marks -2.5 cm apart and -0.001 cm deep were circumferentially scribed on the wire with a razor blade. Weights of the wire material were then attached. Five to seven reasonably straight wires were hung in a container made out of the wire material. The free end was placed through a small hole in the removable top and secured by bending a small portion 90 deg. The containers not only tended to provide vapor-solid equilibrium for the wires but also protected them from gaseous impurities. They were nominally 2.5 cm in diam by 5 cm high and were made from extruded chromium rod, Cr-35Re arc casting, molybdenum bar stock, or welded Mo-33Re sheet. After deg re as ing, the assembly was outgassed at a relatively low temperature to 2 x 10"5 mm and then recrystallized 2 to 8 hr at the creep temperature in a rhenium-element resistance furnace. The static argon atmosphere was gettered by tantalum radiation shielding. Specimen temperature was measured optically to 25"C using calibration with known melting points and blackbody conditions. The wires generally developed a stable bamboo-type structure according to Fig, l(b), (c), and (d) and retained their gage marks [upper portion of Fig. l(d)]. One or two of the weights were clipped off to provide a low load for the creep anneal. To minimize the possibility of bending or breakage, the wires remained attached to the top of the annealing container which was held to keep the wires vertical. The distance between gage marks was

Jan 1, 1967

By J. L. Rodda

THE desirability of a uniformly sized abrasive for metallographic polishing has probably been recognized in a general way for a long time. Certainly all metallographers have recognized the damage that can be done to a polished surface by a piece of grit, especially if one of the softer metals, such as zinc or aluminum, is being polished. It is to be doubted, however, whether many metallographers have had any adequate idea of the particle size of the abrasives they were using or of the range of sizes encountered in any given grade of abrasive. At any rate, the descriptions of abrasives for metallographic work found in the literature are generally very meager. It was with the idea of securing an abrasive with a limited range of particle size that a study of this problem was commenced. Commercial abrasives, even when recommended for metallographic work, are made up of particles of varying sizes. One such abrasive contains some particles so fine that they remain in suspension for days and other particles so coarse that they settle at the rate of 3 in. per minute. It is evident that the coarsest particles are over 100 times the diameter of the smallest ones, or over 1,000,000 times the volume. The hopelessness of avoiding scratches under these conditions is evident. Vanderwilt1 has described a laboratory method for grading abrasives in which the elutriator is used. Le Chatelier&apos;s method, described by Goerens,2 also makes use of an elutriator. However, the elutriator is too slow for this purpose and requires too delicate a control for the range of sizes desired. The method of stirring up the abrasive in water, allowing it to settle for as given time, then drawing a measured depth off the top of the suspension, has been finally adopted as the simplest proce-dure. The largest particle in a given portion is. then determined by Stokes&apos; law:3

Jan 1, 1931

Discussion of the paper of Archer E. Wheeler and Milo W. Krejci, presented at the Butte meeting, August, 1913, and printed in Bulletin No. 80, August, 1913, pp. 1831 to 1880. BRADLEY STOUGHTON, New York, N. Y.:-I would like to ask Mr. Krejci whether they have tried mixing coke dust with the lime in those converters and, if so, if any advantage has been found. It has been a very great advantage in the steel converters where coke dust has been mixed with the lime near the tuyeres. Of course the agent that causes the corrosion at that point is oxide of iron, and coke seems to prevent the formation of the oxide of iron and so protect the tuyeres. It would be interesting to know if it had the same effect in the copper converters. MILO W. KREJCI:-We have never tried it here. At Anaconda the tuyere section was formerly put in by mixing magnesite with tar and ramming that into the tuyere section, but they have abandoned that. Might I ask how you would apply the coke dust? How get it into the tuyere section ? How hold it there ? BRADLEY STOUGHTON :-The coke dust is mixed with silica and clay and then rammed in and burned. I suppose in your converters it would be mixed with the magnetite or magnesite and then agglomerated with the material in place. MILO W. KREJCI:-We never tried it here. PROF. JOSEPH W. RICHARDS, South Bethlehem, Pa.:-I would like to ask how thick this deposit of magnetite is on the lining. How thick a layer would be practical ? MILO W. KREJCI:-About 21 in. would be sufficient. SOLOMON LE FEVRE, Mineville, N. Y.:-I was interested to hear of the use of magnetite in connection with the copper smelter. I am interested in the mining of magnetite, but was not aware that it had been used at all&apos; by the copper metallurgists.

Jan 11, 1913

By JOHN R. SUMAN

IT appears now that the conflict with the totalitarian states will be a long-drawn-out struggle. The course of this war up to now indicates that this may well be the first major conflict where man power has not been the vital and determining factor. Mechanized warfare has made it possible for relatively small, well-equipped groups to outmaneuver and defeat large armies which lack the necessary modern equipment. Under these circumstances, ultimate victory becomes a matter of resources and productive ability. The important question is not how many soldiers can he put into the field, but the volume and speed in producing the armaments essential to ensure a victory. The resources available to the opposing nations and the efficiency of their systems of enterprise and production will be primary factors in determining the ultimate outcome. Germany had a head start of eight years in the armament race, and it is not easy to overcome such an advantage overnight.

Jan 1, 1942

By Robert J. McKay, F. P. Huston, WILLIAM G. HUMPTON

THE manufacture of nickel-clad steel plate and the fabrication of articles from it has progressed far enough to permit a general description of the working methods used. The manufacture of sheets made up of layers of nickel and steel is not new as a sheet of this character was patented in Germany in 1893. Present development differs mainly in the size and finish of the product. The earlier light-gage highly finished products have been limited in their application due to their similarity, in certain respects, to electro-plated and highly finished alloy sheets. The new product is a relatively heavy plate 1/4 or 3/s in. thick and heavier, with one side coated with nickel, the weight of nickel being of the order of 10 per cent of the whole. The finish is that of hot-rolled steel plate.

Jan 1, 1931

By C. G. Fink, E. P. Polushkin

A PART of the material incorporated in this paper was derived from the studies of ancient metal objects examined by the authors from time to time for museums and art collectors, in order to verify the age of the metal. The data thus accumulated during several years were systematically surveyed and supplemented by new material obtained in examination of a set of specimens that had been generously donated by museums for this study. Altogether over 50 pieces were investigated, of which 39 are described in this paper. Every specimen is at least 1500 years old; the majority are considerably older. Exact conditions to which these bronze and copper objects were exposed in the ground are unknown, unfortunately. It is safe to say that exposure conditions did not remain constant during the long period of burial. Although the collection of specimens studied represents a wide variation in location and age of the objects, as well as in the nature and composition of the metals, it was found that fundamental changes in the metal structure were limited to a few typical cases which, therefore, may be considered as more or less general. The authors&apos; chief aim was to study the effect of extremely long periods of corrosion on the structure of bronze and copper. Specimens Studied As the majority of specimens were very small and sometimes had a heavy coat of patina, or crust, which further reduced the amount of metal available for analysis, quantitative chemical analyses were not made. Small detached specimens were not always obtainable and studies had to be made on the statue, or other object, itself. In the description of specimens (Table I), their approximate compositions determined under the microscopc are given. The proportion of tin in bronze containing eutectoid was found by visual estimation of the area occupied by the eutectoid. It was based on the assumption that maximum solubility of tin in copper on moderately slow cooling is 7 to 8 per cent in thin castings and 9 to 10 per cent in heavy castings. When the metal was all

Jan 1, 1936

GENTLEMEN : Herewith are submitted reports for the calendar year 1933 of your Treasurer and the Chairmen of the following standing committees: Finance, Admissions, Membership, Papers and Publications, Library, and MINING AND METALLURGY. TO these reports you are referred for additional details of the year&apos;s activity. Finances.-Income for 1933 from all sources totaled $121,690 com- pared with $138,331 in 1932. Incidentally, this exceeded the income as estimated in the budget by $7,190; the largest item being a "surplus" of $3,316 over the budget expectancy as to member dues. As compared with 1932 the most important items of shrinkage in income were $9,000 from dues and initiation fees; $5,500 from the magazine, MINING AND METALLURGY; and $2,500 from sales of publications other than the magazine.

Jan 1, 1934

By Cyril Smith

SOMEWHAT over ten years ago the author described studies1,2 on the constitution of the copper-silicon system. The copper-rich portion of this diagram is shown in Fig. 1. The experimental points freely dotted about the diagram seemed to justify an otherwise unconvincing diagram and for several years the curious reverse bend in the alpha-phase bound-ary was accepted as substantially correct, even by later investigators3,4 of the system who introduced changes in the high-silicon phases. The binary diagram has been used as a base for several ternary systems" without any suggested changes. Voce10 suspected the existence of another phase from his study of the cast alloys in the copper-manganese¬silicon system, but evidently hesitated to extrapolate this to the binary diagram, particularly in view of the too ingenious explanation that was advanced" to account for the pools of constituent clearly visible in castings; namely, that they were secondary alpha of twinned orientation deposited from beta. Von Schwarz,12 in 1932, called attention to the fact that this micro-constituent in copper-silicon alloy castings was anisotropic under polar-ized light and asserted that a new phase, not cubic, should be placed in the diagram adjacent to alpha. Sautner,13 on the basis of investigations with the polarizing microscope and with X-rays, introduced this phase into the diagram at about 6 per cent Si. The relevant part of his dia-gram is shown in Fig. 2. Sautner called the new phase beta, renaming the old beta phase zeta. To avoid confusion, in redrawing Fig. 2 the phases have been renamed in accordance with the terminology adopted in the present paper, in which the new phase is called kappa and the other phases retain the designation given them by Arrhenius and Westgren.4

Jan 1, 1939

By AIME AIME

BY COMBINING the sessions on reduction and refining of copper, lead and zinc it was possible to devote an entire day to nonferrous metallurgy. Four interesting papers were presented at the morning session and four more in the afternoon. In the discussion of papers on copper, F. R. Pyne acted as chairman, with H. M. Shepard as vice-chairman, whereas for those on lead and zinc, F. F. Colcord acted as chairman, with C. R. Hayward as vice-chairman. The paper by P. D. I. Honeyman on the smelting of raw concentrates in the reverberatory furnace was presented by Mr. Pyne and discussed by Messrs. Mazany and Hayward. The interesting paper by E. S. Bardwell, com- paring the use of various fuels in copper-refining furnaces at Great Fails, Mont., was presented by Mr. Shepard and discussed by Messrs. Boggs, Gronningsater and Hayward. That by R. G. Knickerhocker, describing the stationary basic copper converter at Messina, Transvaal, was presented by Mr. Pyne, together with a written discussion by c. R. Kuzell, of the United Verde Copper co. It was an interesting illustration of how well-known processes may sometimes be modified to fit into unusual conditions.

Jan 1, 1932

By Geo. W. Bain

PRODUCERS of building stone have had to seek new and attractive uses for their output to supplement the diminished orders for standard products. Lunar is the direct result of the need of new outlets for marble and is. probably the most ingenious and attractive type to reach the market in a quarter of a century. It is a highly translucent stone which retains the same glistening sparkle in transmitted light that marble exhibits by incident rays. This sparkle sets it apart entirely from translucencies made of glass or even onyx, alabaster, and the distinctive exceedingly fine textured calcite marbles produced in Alabama and quarried formerly in northern Vermont and Quebec.

Jan 1, 1936

By Albert Sauveur

Jan 1, 1924

By Albert Sauveur

Jan 1, 1924

By J. VAN DEN BERC

Tin production and export from the Far East are still a long way off from the prewar figures. The Malayan Peninsula, which had a rather good start directly after the war largely because of stock piles found in Singapore and elsewhere, has since been hampered in the rehabilitation of its tin mines and dredging operations by material shortages and, more recently and more severely, by revolts and attacks of communist elements and gangster bands. These hindrances make working in the mines dangerous and form a daily threat against the valuable and highly vulnerable dredges. Contrary to the conditions in Malaya are those on the tin islands of Billiton, Banka, and Singkep-all in the Netherlands East Indies-where the Dutch have re-established peaceful relations with the population. Dutch efforts since the fall of 1945 have been rewarded by continuously increasing production, extension of production facilities, and return of moderate prosperity, complete safety, and all-out co-operation among the population ? native and Chinese ? to the benefit of all concerned.

Jan 1, 1949

By Albert Sauveur

(Winces-Barre Meeting, June, 1911.) THE instrument about to be described meets so perfectly the special needs of the metal microscopist that there seems to be little doubt but its merits must be readily appreciated by those who have had any experience in the microscopical examination of metals. The Microscope-Stand.-The microscope-stand proper, Fig. 1, consists of a microscope-tube, provided with both coarse and fine adjustments of the best construction, and with a draw-tube, rigidly mounted on a bar supported at both ends on substantial and firm cast-iron legs. The height between the table and the under side of the supporting bar is 5 in. and the distance between the supporting legs 12 inches. This arrangement&apos; affords free space below the objective for the examination of large specimens of metals, such as full rail-sections, without detracting in the least from the value of the instrument when applied to the examination of the usual small specimen, as explained later. Many metal microscopists frequently have to examine bulky specimens, and this is altogether impossible with the ordinary microscopes as well as with the special metallurgical microscopes which have been designed and described from time to time. Recourse must be had to all sorts of makeshifts for the proper support of large specimens, or, more often, the microscopist gives up the attempt altogether, or else resigns himself to the cutting of the bulky samples into small pieces to -be laboriously polished and separately examined. It is believed that an instrument permitting the examination of large as well as of small specimens with equal ease and accu-

Dec 1, 1911

By E. J. KENNEDY

FEBRUARY 15-18 will be the outstanding dates of the month for members of the A. I. M. E., for then the 141st Meeting of the Institute is to be held in the Engineering Societies Building, at New York. What with 41 technical sessions, the Annual Business Meeting at 4 o&apos;clock Tuesday afternoon,, two sessions of the Section and Division delegates, minor committee meetings, and the many luncheons and dinners, the Dinner-Smoker, Informal Dance, President&apos;s Reception and the Dinner-Dance, the opportunity will be limited to do- more-than cast sheep&apos;s eyes at New York&apos;s other multitudinous attrac¬tions until the meeting is over. The technical program is diverse but well organized. The sessions are almost equally divided among the four days, with ten on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and 11 on Thursday. The meeting opens Monday morning with registration. Be sure to attend to this detail. Failure to do so may have its repercussions at the meeting and throughout the year.

Jan 1, 1932

By John H. Hollomon

A REVIEW of the steps which have been made to increase knowledge in the field of ferrous physical metallurgy during the closing period of World War II brings both pleasure and disappointment. Contributions of great value have been made, to be sure. However, due partly to the stress of the times, researchers in this field have been in the main directing their attention toward the short-range problems involved in the development and production of materiel for war. Furthermore, publication of the results of a great number of studies has had to be delayed. Much of the German work may, indeed, be lost entirely, owing to the efficiency of our bombers, which managed to account for most of the famous Kaiser Wilhelm Institut of Dusseldorf, not to mention the other large laboratories and manufacturing plants throughout that country. It would seem safe to assume, however, that fundamental research in Germany had been forced to give way to the shallow, but more pressing, engineering problems of a country trying to avoid defeat. In Russia the picture has been clouded by the limitations imposed upon comunication; but this much does seem clear: Russia alone among the great nations of the world has maintained her long-range view and has continued to foster research of the most fundamental type. English workers; on the other hand, appear to have been able only to meet the demands of the pressing problems of war, and their studies have been of the short-range variety. That metallurgical research of any sort should have continued in France during this chaotic period in her history would seem impossible, but, amazingly, a small handful of scientists did manage to carry on their work, and it is to be hoped that more will be heard from them in the future.

Jan 1, 1946

By Robert Mehl

A STUDY of the structures arising from the decomposition of the a solid solutions in the Cu-Zn and the Cu-Al systems is of peculiar interest in the study of the mechanism of precipitation from solid solutions. It is possible in these alloys, by varying the composition within the ß field, to precipitate from the same basic lattice phases having different lattice structures. It has been rather generally assumed heretofore that the type of structure originating from the decomposition of a solid solution-the Widmanstätten structure-is determined by the lattice structure of the parent solid solution alone. In the first paper of this series1 evidence was advanced which threw doubt upon this hypothesis; but definite proof of the correctness or incorrectness of the hypothesis should be forthcoming from a study of these alloys, for if the structures originating, for example, from the precipitation of the a phase from ß and of the -y phase from the ß in the Cu-Zn system should be shown to be crystallographically different, the hypothesis would necessarily be held as definitely disproved. Furthermore, the newer proposal enunciated in the first paper of this series-that the origin of the Widmanstätten structure lies in a cooperation between the lattice of the parent solid solution and that of the precipitate-which at present seems the only alternative hypothesis, would in such an event be given added weight. The work here reported shows that the Widmanstätten structures originating in the precipitation of the a phase from the a and in the precipitation of the -y phase from the ß in the Cu-Zn system are indeed crystallographically different; and incidentally presents some new descriptive information on the Widmanstätten structure from a more general point of view.

Jan 1, 1931

By J. L. Weeks, K. F. Smith

IN order to determine the magnitude of thermal conductivity changes resulting from alloying vanadium with titanium and a few other elements, several sam~les were PrePared and measured. The thermal conductivity -values reported herein in Table I were determined with an apparatus previously described.&apos; As in recently reported2 determinations on uranium and uranium alloys, whose thermal conductivities are in the same range as vanadium," the accuracy of the values was checked by using synthetic sapphire." The error in the measurement is estimated to be &apos;-3 pct or 0.003 cal sec-1 cm-l "C-1, whichever is larger. The vanadium used in preparing the samples was the calcium-reduced type and was supplied by the Electro Metallurgical Co. as 99.6+ pct pure. All alloying elements used in the preparations were 99+ pct pure. A nonconsumable tungsten electrode arc furnace was used for melting the alloys and, without opening the furnace, each ingot was re-melted a number of times to insure homogeneity. The samples as prepared by the Armour Research Foundation were machined from as forged material without annealing. Acknowledgment The note is based on work performed under the auspices of the AEC. References &apos;J. L. Weeks and R. L. Seifert: Apparatus for the Measurement of the Thermal Conductivity of Solids. Review of Scientific Instruments (1953) 24, pp. 1054-1057. 2 J. L. Weeks: Thermal Conductivity of Uranium and Several Uranium Alloys. Trans. AIME (1955) 203, p. 192; Journal of Metals (January 1955). 3C. A. Hampel: Rare Metals Handbook. (1954) p. 593. New York. Reinhold Publishing Corp. Thermal conductivity of vanadium is given as 0.074 cal sec-1 cm- &apos;°C-1 at 100°C. 4 J. L. Weeks and R. L. Seifert: Note Regarding the Thermal Conductivity of Synthetic Sapphire. Journal Amer. Ceramic Soc. (1952) 35, p. 15. At 70°C, K = 0.071 cal sec-l cm-l °C-1.

Jan 1, 1956

By H. M. Chance

The Choctaw coal-field is a direct westward extension of the Arkansas coal-field, but its coals are not like Arkansas coals, except in the country immediately adjoining the Arkansas line. From the base of the coal-bearing rocks up to the top of the coalmeasures, I find a total thickness of at least 8500 feet. This great mass of coal-bearing rocks consists of an alternation of slates, shales, sandstones and coal-beds, with their accompanying under-beds of fire-clay. Only one small bed of limestone was observed. This occurs near the middle of the series; it is about eighteen inches thick, and quite arenaceous. The formation is naturally subdivided by seven or eight thick beds of sandstone, varying from 50 to 200 feet in thickness, the outcropping edges of which form a series of more or less bold " hogback " ridges, the interbedded shales and slate forming the intervening valleys. The base of the coal-series is a massive sandstone, ranging from 100 to 200 feet or more in thickness, lying immediately beneath the Grady coal-bed, which is the lowest known coal. In the district embraced between. the Missouri, Kansas and Texas railroad and the Arkansas State line, this sand-rock usually forms a bold semi-mountainous ridge. This is the ridge through which the St. Louis and San Francisco railroad passes at Bryan station, where the Grady coal-bed is opened and worked, from which point it can be traced westward without difficulty, passing about three miles north of Le Flor on the same railroad, thence west to the " Little Narrows " (which is merely a gap in the ridge), &apos;and beyond to a point two miles west of the Thompson-McKinney place, where it swings abruptly north for a mile or more, only to resume immediately its westward course, forming for some miles the northern boundary of the valley known as the " Boiling-Springs Prairie," beyond which it trends somewhat

Jan 1, 1890

By J. L. Rodda

The desirability of a uniformly sized abrasive for metallographic polishing has probably been recognized in a general way for a long time. Certainly all metallographers have recognized the damage that can be done to a polished surface by a piece of grit, especially if one of the softer metals, such as zinc or aluminum, is being polished. It is to be doubted, however, whether many metallographers have had any adequate idea of the particle size of the abrasives they were using or of the range of sizes encountered in any given grade of abrasive. At any rate, the descriptions of abrasives for metallographic work found in the literature are generally very meager. It was with the idea of securing an abrasive with a limited range of particle size that a study of this problem was commenced. Commercial abrasives, even when recommended for metallographic work, are made up of particles of varying sizes. One such abrasive contains some particles so fine that they remain in suspension for days and other particles so coarse that they settle at the rate of 3 in. per minute. It is evident that the coarsest particles are over 100 times the diameter of the smallest ones, or over 1,000,000 times the volume. The hopelessness of avoiding scratches under these conditions is evident. Vanderwiltl has described a laboratory method for grading abrasives in which the elutriator is used. Le Chatelier&apos;s method, described by Goereq2 also makes use of an elutriator. However, the elutriator is too slow for this purpose and requires too delicate a control for the range of sizes desired. The method of stirring up the abrasive in water, allowing it to settle for a given time, then drawing a measured depth off the top of the suspension, has been finally adopted as the simplest procedure. The largest particle in a given portion is then determined by Stokes&apos; law:3

Jan 1, 1932