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By R. W. Kraft, L. D. Graham

The process of' spheroidization, or more properly coarsening, of Al-CuAl,eutectic alloy specimens with various initial microstructures was studied by quantitative metallographic and X-ray diffraction techniques. By measuring the rale at which specimens with a very fine dispersion of phases (produced by quenching molten droplets of the alloy in water) coarsened it uias determined that the rate-controlling mechanism for coarsening was diffusion, probably of aluminum in the aluminum-rich phase. The lamellae in specimens with a high degree of microstructural and cr-ystallog/uphic anisotropy (produced hy unidirectional solidification of ingots) thickened during heat treatment by recession of the CuAl, platelets from jaulted regzons, yet the specinlens retained a very high degree of. anisotropy after prolonged heat treatments at a temperature within 8°C of the eutectic temperature. In such specimens the crystallographic orientation relationship between the phases remained constant and no change in the crystallographic substructure occurred. Based on these observations a model was developed for the coarsening—or rate of' thicken-ing—oj- the lamellar structures which predicts that the rate of decrease of interface area is proportional to the square of lamellar interface area. Experiments with degenerate and very coarse lamellar microstruc -tures preduced by extremely slow unidirectional solidification) indicate that initial microstructure is a most important factor governing the final micro-structure after heat treatment. The particle size and shape of dispersed phases are important parameters affecting the properties of a wide variety of two-phase materials. As is well-known, varietythe dispersed-phase particles tend to coarsen at appropriately high temperatures because the interface energy of the system is reduced by the concomitant reduction in interface area. The phenomenon of

Jan 1, 1967

By Irwin Roman

NUMEROUS results and formulas have been published for analyzing seismic records, but most of them apply only to large-scale phenomena such as are encountered in studying earthquakes. In a few cases,1 formulas have been published for some of the simpler structures. In the present paper, an attempt will be made to analyze several types of struc-tures without using methods more advanced than those of a first course in calculus. In, tracing a disturbance through a medium, it is almost always possible to base the analysis on Fermat's Principle of Extreme Time, which states that waves of displacement travel between points in such a manner as to make the time of travel an extremum with respect to all neighboring paths. In the simpler cases, comprising most of those used in optics or geophysical prospecting, this time is a minimum and the principle is often referred to as the Principle of Least Time. Within a homogeneous medium, having a uniform speed of transmission of the disturbance in all directions and throughout the medium, the paths are straight and are refracted at the interfaces in accordance with the Snell law of refraction, which states that the ratio of the sine of the angle, made by the ray with the normal to the interface, to the speed of trans-mission is the same on both sides of the interface. Thus, in any medium composed of homogeneous sections, this same ratio has a constant value at all points. In particular, if all interfaces are horizontal, it is apparent that the angles of incidence are the angles made by the ray with the vertical direction. Furthermore, the incident ray, the refracted ray and the normal to the interface are all in the same plane at each refraction;

Jan 1, 1933

By J. A. Woolf, E. S. Leaver

The presence of soluble base metals in precious-metal ores usually precludes cyanidation as the best method of treatment. The laboratory experiments described in this paper show the possibility of cyanidation of gold-silver ores containing less than 0.5 per cent. of cyanide-soluble copper and the effect of zinc in the cyanide solution. Part I.—Copper in Cyanidation The proposed process of cyanidation of precious-metal ores containing copper is based on the regeneration of about 80 per cent. of the cyanide used in the dissolution of the copper. The method of regeneration involves a combination of the sulfide and the acid precipitation of the copper and silver. The resultant solution is made alkaline with lime, and the gold is precipitated with zinc dust. Solubility of Copper Minerals in Cyanide Solution In order to determine the solubility of copper minerals, including metallic copper, under the usual conditions for cyanidation, experiments were conducted with synthetic ores. Each ore sample was prepared by mixing the particular pure copper mineral with barren sea sand. Both the mineral and sand were ground to pass 100 mesh before they were thoroughly mixed. The percentage of copper in each head sample was determined by direct assay, excepting the metallic copper sample, which was computed on weights before mixing. Table 1 gives the results. Azurite, bornite, chalcocite, cuprite, malachite and finely divided metallic copper are readily and completely soluble under the usual conditions for cyanidation. Enargite and tetrahedrite are sufficiently soluble to cause an excessive loss of cyanide, and they also cause fouling of solutions with arsenic and antimony. Precious-metal ores containing small percentages of chalcopyrite or chrysocolla may give satisfactory returns with the usual cyanidation.

Jan 1, 1930

By George M. Bouton, Lawrence Ferguson

The experiments described in this publication were inspired by the Bell System's large interest in lead-alloy sheathed cables and by the wide range of fatigue and corroding conditions to which they are sometimes subjected in service. The first experiments consisted of operating specimens of lead + I per cent antimony telephone cable sheath alloy in a fatigue test while they were immersed in water taken from a manhole. Because of many published reports concerning corrosion-fatigue phenomena of various metals and alloys, a reduction in fatigue life was expected(1)2 Instead, however, the fatigue test ran on for many times the normal number of cycles an4 was finally stopped without failure. Because of this, the experiments were broadened to include the effect of many media on the fatigue properties of four lead alloys over a wide range of testing speeds and strains. One material, a viscous tacky polymerized isobutylene3 used in

Jan 1, 1945

By ROBERT E. HARDWICKE

THE QUESTION of whether the production of oil should be limited to market demand has been constantly discussed during the last two years. Oil men, legislatures and courts have reached highly conflicting conclusions. Opponents of limitation to market demand assert that it is a scheme of the big purchasing companies to fix prices and to create a monopoly. Proponents, on the other hand, declare that such a limitation is necessary to prevent physical waste and that the effect on prices is merely incidental. A brief review of market demand legislation will disclose the confusion existing. The laws of Oklahoma,' prohibiting waste of oil and gas, specifically' authorize limitation to market demand as a method of preventink such waste. These laws and the proration orders based thereon have been upheld by the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, by several three-judge Federal District Courts, and by the Supreme Court of the United States.' Kansas has a similar law3 but no case has been found which discusses its validity. About a year ago the California Legislature passed a comprehensive conservation act, generally known as the Sharkey Bill giving authority to restrict production to an amount representing current requirements for use, taking into consideration oil and products in storage. This may be considered as equivalent to limitation to market demand. The Act was defeated upon referendum vote after a hard fought campaign in which it was charged that the Act would result in destruction of the independent operators.

Jan 1, 1932

By G. F. Jenkins

ASBESTOS is a general term embracing the fibrous varieties of a number of minerals. Of these, the hydrous magnesium silicate, chrysotile (H4Mg3Si209), a variety of serpentine, is the most abundant and useful to industry. All other types of asbestos belong to the amphibole group of minerals and are classified as: crocidolite, NaFe(SiO3), FeSiO3; anthophyllite, (MgFe)SiO3; amosite, also a ferromagnesium silicate but with iron content higher than that of anthophyllite; tremolite, CaMg3(SiO3)4; and, actinolite, Ca (MgFe)3(SiO3)4. PROPERTIES The commercial value of asbestos depends largely on the physical property that permits it to be readily separated into fine filaments of high tensile strength and flexibility, which, coupled with the fact that it has the quality of incombustibility of a mineral-in distinction to vegetable and animal fibers-makes it of unique usefulness for many purposes. To some extent, the value depends upon the length of the fiber, although extreme length is neither necessary nor desirable for most purposes. Chrysotile occurs as cross-fiber veins, in which the asbestos fibers are approximately' at right angles to the vein walls, with vein width- or fiber length-seldom exceeding 2 or 3 in.; also as slip-fiber, in which the fibers 'lie in the same plane as the vein or on slippage planes. A cleanly broken vein of cross-fiber has a pearly luster and may range from a deep green or brown color to light shades of yellowish green or cream. When of good quality, the fiber filaments forming the vein may be easily drawn away from their neighbors and exhibit a fine silkiness and pure white color. They may be twisted into a thread and when flexed between thumb and fingers are found to be strong and pliable. Chrysotile withstands comparatively high temperatures without breaking down completely or fusing but begins to lose water of crystalliza-

Jan 1, 1949

By John W. Gabelman

Uranium exploration technology historically has followed the economic cycle of demand, exploration spurt, and trailing supply; but with a greater lag. Greatest progress was made during the wane of demand as geological investigation caught up with the flood of new discoveries made during relatively short periods of peak demand. Updating brought technology to a new level based on the deposits which were discovered and not on the total range of deposit types which might exist. The technology was seldom able to predict new deposit types or new districts, which have consistently been surprises. Yet each new cycle of increased demand was at a new higher level, occasioned by a new use, which required the discovery of previously unrecognized larger types of deposits. Hindsight shows that data sufficient to have predicted most discoveries were available. The predicted growth of uranium demand far in excess of estimated resources is an incentive to examine current technology for data or promising techniques that might foster discovery by technical prediction rather than by systematic drilling. The world could well be reexamined systematically with new geophysical techniques including gamma spectrometry, radon emanometry, and magnetometry. Known occurrences could well be reevaluated in the light of new data on mineralization process and supergene leaching. Less-leachable extrinsic elements associated with uranium might he sought as clues to unleached uranium at depth. Uranium is increasingly being noted in environments containing coal and petroleum which might become targets. High-temperature replacement disseminations are increasingly reported and particularly attractive as exemplified by the Rossing district. The number of formations containing uranium occurrences is growing so that new, not necessarily fluvial, formations might be productive. Enough drilling has been done to indicate that uranium is selectively distributed regionally under some control yet to be determined. Exploration should address those environments and areas where uranium could occur rather than only those where it is already known.

Jan 1, 1976

By Arne Bergholm

Australian rutile was chlorinated in the presence of CO or carbon. The chlorination velocity in CO was found to be strongly influenced by temperature and proportional to the CO concentration, but independent of the Cl, concentration. In the presence of carbon, the reaction velocity is much higher. The reactivity of the carbon and the distance between the carbon and the rutile surfaces are important variables. The reaction velocity is approximately proportional to the Cl, concentration and independent of the CO concentration of the surrounding atmosphere. Experiments with fluidized-bed chlorination of carbon-rutile mixtures indicate that the motion of the bed has little influence on the reaction velocity. At low temperatures, the chlorination velocity of dense tablets is much greater than that of TiO, coke mixtures suitable for fluidization. The reaction mechanism is discussed. In the industrial production of TiCl, rutile is chlorinated in the presence of carbon. Disregarding intermediate steps, the reaction may be expressed by the following equations: The ultimate object of this study was to find out whether the reaction velocity was higher in fluidized bed operation compared with chlorination of pelle-tized carbon-rutile mixtures. From a literature survey and preliminary experiments it was learned that some basic knowledge about the reaction mechanism was needed for a good experimental design. Therefore the following sets of experiments were carried out: 1) Studies on the reaction velocity in the chlorination of rutile with CO as the only reducing agent. 2) Chlorination of separate rutile-carbon tablets. 3) Chlorination of rutile-carbon tablets at different temperatures with various kinds of carbon, various grain sizes, and various tablet-making techniques. This series of experiments was carried out not only with pure chlorine but also with mixtures of chlorine with argon, CO and CO,. 4) Chlorination of rutile-carbon tablets made in a strictly standardized manner. 5) Chlorination of static-bed rutile-carbon mixtures. 6) Fluidized-bed chlorination of the same mixture. The experiments 4 to 6 formed the final and direct test of the main question: Static bed vs fluidized bedo. Although there are many patents and papers dealing with the general aspects of chlorination, only few experiments from which detailed information can be obtained have been reported in the literature. Pamfilov and coworkersl3 have studied chlorination of TiO, with CO or carbon as the reducing agent. They found that the weight decrease per hour at 600o to 800°C amounted to 11 to 14 pct with CO and 45 to 51 pct with carbon. They suggest that phosgene might be an intermediate in the chlorination of TiO,. Takimoto and Hattori have chlorinated reduced titanium oxide (TiO) and found a very high rate of TiC1, -production. They proved that the composition of the gas from the chlorination of rutile-carbon mixtures contained mainly CO. They reported for instance 74.7 pct CO, and 5.6 pct CO at 800°C at which temperature the Boudouard equilibrium composition is 12 pct CO and 88 pct CO. Seligman and Segerchano6 have studied the chlorination of TiO. They proved that Ti0 and chlorine react rather rapidly at temperatures as low as 300°C. Above 400°C, the reaction was complete. At 500°C the velocity of this reaction was much higher than was chlorination of TiO, + C. McTaggart,7 Nishimura, et al. and Wilskam have chlorinated mixtures of carbon and various kinds of rutile or beneficated ilmenite. Nishimura, et al. also report the results from reduction of TiO, with H2, CO, or carbon. At 900°C only 1 pct Ti O is formed in 2 hrs. At 1100°C 23.1 pct Ti, 0, was formed if elementary carbon was present. No carbide formation occurred below 1400°C. McIntosh and Cofferll have observed that the CO, content of the exit gases from chlorination of rutile and calcined petroleum coke is appreciably higher than found in the Boudouard equilibrium. At 900°C the ratio (CO, /CO + CO) is about 80 pct, whereas the equilibrium value is about 2 pct. W. E. Dunn12 has studied the chlorination rates of several TiO,-bearing minerals with CO + Cl, or COCl . Chlorinations were carried out either in a fluidized reactor or a fixed-bed reactor, both having a 30-mm diameter. The results obtained in both reactors were comparable. It was proved that benefi-ciated ilmenite (i.e., ilmenite from which the iron oxide had been removed by chlorination) was chlorinated 10 times faster thanrutile. Sore1 slag showed an intermediate rate. When phosgene is used, the

Jan 1, 1962

By Rudolf Gahl

Page Tests Conducted in Small Test Mill................... 577 Demonstration Tests Conducted by Minerals Separation Co....... 577 Flotation Tcsts Conducted by Inspiration Co............. 577 Sampling of Orebody........................ 578 Other Results Obtained in Small Test Mill.............. 580 Tests Conducted in Large Test Mill................... 580 Flow Sheet............................. 580 Discussion of the Value of Preliminary Table Treatment......582 Callow Flotation Installation..................... 585 Flinn-Towne ~nstallation...................... 587 Cole-Bergman Installation...................... 588 Methods Followed in Competitive Tests................ 590 Advantage of Pneumatic Flotation Machines.............. 591 Pneumatic Machines of Minerals Separation Co............. 591 Float Skimming Device......................; 594 Experimental Inspiration Flotation Machine.............. 596 Arrangement of Callow Cells in Series ................ 598 Variations of Flow Sheet....................... 599 Coal Tar as Flotation Agent..................... 600 Experience with Primary Slime.................... 602 Influence of Iron on Flotation..................... 605 Influence of Chemicals on Primary Slime............... 607 Fineness of Crushing Desired.................... 607 Operation of Large Concentrator..................... 608 Flow Sheet of Callow Sections.................... 608 Flow Sheet of Inspiration Sections.................• 609 Inspiration Flotation Machine of Steel Construction.......... 610 Minerals Separation Section..................... 613 Filter Plant............................ 613 Results Obtained in Commercial Concentrator............... 616 Tonnage............................... 616 Air and Power Consumption...................... 616 Floor Space............................ 617 Water Consumption......................... 617 Recovery............................. 618 Oil Consumption.......................... 618 Operating Costs for Flotation..................... 620 Discussion of Results Obtained.................... 620 Prospects for Futurc Development of the Flotation Process......... 621 Porous-Bottom Experiments..................... 622 Raising the Grade of Concentrates.................. 624 Recovering Carbonates by Flotation................. 624 Recovery of Silicates by Flotation.................. 627 General Theory......................... 628 Conclusion............................... 630

Jan 1, 1917

By F.B. Foley, S.P. Howell

Not infrequently, in the case of the failure of a metal structure, such as a bridge, tank, airplane, gun carriage, etc., a doubt arises whether the failure was due, among other causes, to the effect of an overburden or of an explosive maliciously or accidentally exploded in contact with it. As few means of discriminating between the effects of these causes have been known and these means were of a rough qualitative character, it was surprising to find in the record of an inquiry into the failure of a structure, the statement that, by observations on the Neumann bands in the structure, it was possible to determine the speed of breakage in the metal and to distinguish between a fracture caused by an explosion and one caused by an ordinary mechanical strain. Such a criterion, if well proved, was of value to the explosives experts of the Bureau of Minea, the Ordnance Department of the United States Army and the Bureau of Ordnance of the United States Navy, but search showed no record of it in the literature nor did any of the metallurgists and metallographers consulted know of any data on which such a criterion could be based having been assembled and critically studied. However, it was universally held that there was promise in the idea and that there exkted unique facilities at the Bureau of Mines Experiment Station at Pittsburgh for the preparation, under definitely known conditions, of material for study by metallographers, and that material of value might also be obtained from the proving grounds of the Army and Navy. Therefore, with the approval of the Director of the Bureau of Minea and the Chiefs of Ordnance of the War and Navy Departments, the Chairman of the Division of Engineering of the National Research Council, on April 12, 1919, appointed a Committee on the Investigation of Neumann Bands, which has since been engaged in this study and which, after some slight change in its personnel, consists now of the following: Dr. William Campbell, Advisory Metallurgist, Bureau of Ordnance, Navy Department. P. B. Foley, Metallurgist, Bureau of Mines. S. P. Howell, Explosives Engineer, Bureau of Mines. Comdr. 0. M. Hustvedt, U. S. N., Bureau of Ordnance, Navy Department. Dr. Charles E. Munroe, Chief Explosives Chemist, Bureau of Mines.

Jan 1, 1923

By S. P. Howell, F. B. Foley

Not infrequently, in the case of the failure of a metal structure, such as a bridge, tank, airplane, gun carriage, etc., a doubt arises whether the failure was due, among other causes, to the effect of an overburden or of an explosive maliciously or accidentally exploded in contact with it. As few means of discriminating between the effects of these causes have been known and these means were of a rough qualitative character, it was surprising to find in the record of an inquiry into the failure of a structure, the statement that, by observations on the Neumann bands in the structure, it was possible to determine the speed of breakage in the metal and to distinguish between a fracture caused by an explosion and one caused by an ordinary mechanical strain. Such a criterion, if well proved, was of value to the explosives experts of the Bureau of Minea, the Ordnance Department of the United States Army and the Bureau of Ordnance of the United States Navy, but search showed no record of it in the literature nor did any of the metallurgists and metallographers consulted know of any data on which such a criterion could be based having been assembled and critically studied. However, it was universally held that there was promise in the idea and that there exkted unique facilities at the Bureau of Mines Experiment Station at Pittsburgh for the preparation, under definitely known conditions, of material for study by metallographers, and that material of value might also be obtained from the proving grounds of the Army and Navy. Therefore, with the approval of the Director of the Bureau of Minea and the Chiefs of Ordnance of the War and Navy Departments, the Chairman of the Division of Engineering of the National Research Council, on April 12, 1919, appointed a Committee on the Investigation of Neumann Bands, which has since been engaged in this study and which, after some slight change in its personnel, consists now of the following: Dr. William Campbell, Advisory Metallurgist, Bureau of Ordnance, Navy Department. P. B. Foley, Metallurgist, Bureau of Mines. S. P. Howell, Explosives Engineer, Bureau of Mines. Comdr. 0. M. Hustvedt, U. S. N., Bureau of Ordnance, Navy Department. Dr. Charles E. Munroe, Chief Explosives Chemist, Bureau of Mines.

Jan 1, 1923

By Frank H. Macpherson

FEW people realize the tremendously important part that Saline and Pulaski Counties in central Arkansas have played in the winning of the war. The present favorable war situation might have been very different if we had not had the bauxite produced during the past two years from these two small areas, a total of about 15 square miles. As a general statement, it can be said that the Arkansas bauxite deposits are, individually, relatively small, irregular in thickness, somewhat scattered and, therefore, compared with coal or iron-ore or open-pit copper deposits, relatively ill adapted to a rapid and drastic expansion in output. A few years ago it would have seemed an impossibility for these two counties to produce over six million long dry tons of bauxite in one year. However, with the cooperation of the operators, that is what happened in 1943, when the state of Arkansas achieved the seemingly impossible with a production of 6,020,684 1 long tons (dried equivalent) of bauxite ore during the calendar year, compared with an average annual production of 323,725 2 tons in the period 1931 to 1941. It became apparent early in the year 1941 that the United States soon might be drawn into the war, and, therefore, that an immediate study of the domestic metal situation was necessary. Aluminum is by far the most important metal used in the manufacture of aircraft and many other implements of war and it was evident that there would have to be a tremendous increase in the domestic production of bauxite, which is practically the only present source of this metal. As more than 95 per cent of the known bauxite reserves of the United States was in Arkansas, careful preliminary studies were made in that state by representatives of the United States Bureau of Mines, the United States Geological Survey and the War Production Board in the summer of 1941. Reserves in other states also Were studied. The result of these studies was a recommendation by the War Production Board that mining in the bauxite-producing areas of Arkansas be geared for maximum production, in order to supply sufficient ore for this country's war requirements and, if necessary, to supply the war needs of Canada as well. The annual goal of eight million long tons (dry Weight) set for Arkansas by the War Production Board Was exceeded in 1943, when in August the output reached a rate equivalent to more than 8,300,000 long tons, dry basis. Because of the comparatively small tonnage of bauxite reserves, Congress appropriated funds for an extensive drilling program to be carried out by the Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the Geological Survey. Drilling began in May 1942 but owing to delay in delivery of drills, and trucks upon which the drills were mounted, the program did not get into peak operation until early in 1943. By the end of July 1944, the Bureau of Mines records indicated an addition to the Arkansas reserves of 10,000,000 long tons (wet basis) in place

Jan 1, 1945

By William Campbell

The structure of iron and steel, though the object of so much study and research for the past 25 years, is by no means thoroughly understood. In the first place, we have three or more distinct iron-carbon thermal diagrams, each with its own supporters, and each representing a theory of the structure and constitution of cast-iron. In the second place, by reason of the fact that austenite, the solid solution of carbon in iron, decomposes in the solid state into ferrite, or pure iron, and cementite (Fe3C), and that quenching from above this transition-range, no matter how rapid, cannot entirely prevent the change and thus preserve the austenite by itself at ordinary temperatures, it happens that under the microscope we find, in addition to the ferrite, Fe3C, and austenite, which the thermal diagram of steel requires, a series of transition-products with distinctive structures, to which have been given the names martensite, troostite, sorbite, etc. Now these transition-products, in addition to the solid solution, austenite, have been the source of much controversy, at times very bitter. One side would insist that, say, troostite was an entity, which the other side would deny, pointing out that it must be a transition-mixture, with a particular structure. That austenite was a solid solution of carbon in iron has been denied by one school; we have been told that Fe24C dissolved both Fe3C and Fe, and thus gave rise to a whole series of quenching-pro-ducts—all this in spite of the fact that no matter how the thermal diagrams differ in regard to cast-iron, they all agree in regard to the solid solution, austenite, for Fe24C finds no place on the diagram. Thus it happens that while the authorities fight both in regard to the iron carbon diagram and the structures met with in hard-

Jan 1, 1913

By Arne Westgren

ONLY in exceptional cases can the ordinary methods of chemistry be used for determining the constitution of compound metallic substances. Recourse has therefore been taken to special methods, the main expedients of which are, as we know, thermal analysis and metal microscopy. To these may be added-though more accessory-the determination of electric conductivity, specific volume, hardness or other properties. The information obtained by these methods has been compiled in equilibrium diagrams. Naturally, the technically most important alloys, such as steel, bronze and some others, have been subjected to very close study, and many investigators have devoted themselves to the solving of their problems of constitution. The equilibrium diagrams of these systems are therefore known today with a comparatively high degree of accuracy, even though it must be admitted that many details regarding their transformation reactions still remain to be completely explained. The equilibrium diagrams of the other alloys as a rule have not been determined so accurately. Most of them are based only on approximate determinations of the homogeneity ranges of the various phases. Thus extensive, detailed studies remain before these diagrams may be considered as established. Unfortunately, it must also be admitted that many of the alloy diagrams given in the present handbooks are as a whole very dubious. As a matter of fact, many of them may really only be viewed as the results of rather superficial, orientating investigations. In fact, there also seems to be a general opinion prevailing in our day that much work still remains to be done before the equilibrium conditions of the alloys may be considered as fully explained. At present, in almost all institutes for research on metals, as well as in many university laboratories, investigations to this effect are being carried out. As a rule, the classical methods of metallography, the thermal analysis and metal microscopy are applied.

Jan 1, 1931

By A. F. Melcher

The present paper is a progress report on an investigation of the physical factors of oil and gas and especially of their sands,' such as pore space, size of pores or permeability, retentivity, viscosity of the oil, temperature, pressure, thickness and area of the pay sand, water relations, and capillarity. The purpose is to determine as many of these physical factors as possible, and to ascertain the relations existing, directly or indirectly, between these physical factors and the production of oil and gas. As yet only pore space2 and size of grains of pay sands have been investigated, although an apparatus has been designed to determine the permeability of a sand to oil, water, or gas under definite drops of pressure between the entrance face and exit face of the sample. Messrs. E. W. Shaw, R. Van A. Mills, D. Dale Condit, G. B. Richardson, G. C. Matson, and C. H. Wegemann collected the samples upon which the physical determinations were made. Acknowledgment is made to my colleagues of the United States Geological Survey for many suggestions and criticisms; to Mr. Mills for the production data given of the oil wells from which some of the samples were collected; to Mr. A. W. McCoy of the Empire Gas and Fuel Co., Bartlesville, Okla., for many ideas. Determining Pore Space of Oil and Gas Sands In selecting a method for the determination of pore space, two objects were kept in mind: First, the method must not only be sufficiently

Jan 1, 1921

By N. A. Gokcen

The construction and operation of a simple and accurate vacuum-fusion apparatus are described in detail. Absolute accuracy of the oxygen analysis has been determined by the reduction of oxides weighed to 20.01 mg. The Bureau of Standards steel samples have been analyzed repeatedly, and their inadequacy for the acceptable range of oxygen is presented. The limits of interference of manganese, aluminum, and titanium, and the effects of tin and water-cooling of the furnace tube have been investigated in detail. ANALYSIS by the vacuum-fusion method consists of melting a sample in a degassed graphite crucible under high vacuum and extracting oxygen as carbon monoxide, and nitrogen and hydrogen as gaseous elements. The resulting gas mixture is analyzed for its constituents, from which oxygen, nitrogen, and frequently hydrogen may be determined within 1/2 hr or less. The history and summary of methods1-4 and extensive reviews of literature'.' for the determination of gases in metals have been published in detail. The foundation of the modern vacuum-fusion method of analysis was laid by Jordan and Eckman,11 and Oberhoffer and his associates.1, 10 Diergarten,11, 12 Meyer,13 Thanheiser et al.,14, 15 Ericson and Benedicks,16 Ziegler,17, 18 Sloman,16-23 Thompson et al.,24 and later many others contributed to the improvement, accuracy, and limitations of the method. In some investigations, however, the limitations of the procedure and the errors involved in the analysis require further critical examination and evaluation. In many apparatuses, lunnecessarily complicated and cumbersome features and elaborate precautionary measures do not have conclusive advantages. The purpose of this invest:igation was, therefore, a) to construct a very simple and accurate apparatus, b) to determine the absolute accuracy of results, c) to establish the limits of interference of manganese. aluminum, and titanium, d) to reexamine critically the reduction and recovery of oxygen from oxide powders of various sizes, and e) to evaluate critically the eight steels of the Bureau of Standards."' Apparatus The apparatus used in this investigation is shown in Fig. 1. It has been used for over three years, during which several modifications were made. A brief description of the apparatus is as follows. The transparent silica or Vycor tube, E, is joined to the Pyrex head, B, by mean of a face to face ground joint sealed with mercury. A similarly sealed ball and socket joint would also have been satisfactory. A standard tapered ground joint, successfully used by some investigators, was tried, but in the absence of grease or vacuum cement it was very difficult to disassemble the joint. The graphite crucible, G, 15/16 or l 1/8 in. OD, 2 1/2 or 3 in. high, 1/10 in. wall, shown enlarged in Fig. 3a, is made from the rods containing less than 0.08 pet ash. Two baffles, overlapping sufficiently to prevent spattering, are inserted in two opposite slots cut on a band saw. Two small holes in the baffles permit the temperature measurement of the melt. A second type of crucible, Fig. 2, G, shown enlarged in Fig. 3b, is also satisfactory, though not as convenient as the crucible shown in Fig. 3a. Somewhat similar but more elaborate crucibles with baffles were first tried by Ericson and Benedicks,'" but were abandoned in favor of a crucible with a stopper and a peripheral graphite powder filter. Various versions of their crucible with a stopper have later been used by other analysts, 10-27, 27-30 The crucible is packed directly in E, Figs. 1 and 2, with —35 + 48 graphite powder for shielding and insulation. A minimum layer of 7 mm of powder is necessary for keeping E cool and minimizing the blank. The first use of graphite powder was made by Sloman,10-23 Who found that —200 mesh was the most satisfactory. The author tried various size powders from +20 to —100 mesh and found that a) particles of 28 mesh or larger were not sufficiently insulating and were heated by the induction current, b) the powder finer than 60 mesh packed too much and did not readily permit the escape of gases even when the crucible was heated very slowly; hence, the powder was occasionally blown out of the side in the crucible and in the mercury pump. The optimum size powder is, therefore, 35 to 48 mesh size or 0.4 mm in average diameter. The furnace is designed to eliminate excessive amounts of

Jan 1, 1959

By C. E. Brown, D. C. Helms, O. W. Shimer

The early history and progress of anthracite stripping, from the first known operation at Summit Hill in 1821 through 1917, was covered in 1917 in a paper by J. B. Warriner,1 then chief engineer, now president of the Lehigh Navigation Coal Co., and stripping methods between 1917 and 1931 were the subject of a paper in 1931 by H. H. Otto,2 of the Hudson Coal Company. . The present paper is confined to methods used today on pitching beds in the western middle and southern anthracite fields. The anthracite industry, not unlike other large industries, had been affected for more than a decade by the adverse economic conditions of the country. High development and operating costs and the competition of other fuels caused some collieries to be closed temporarily, while others were permanently abandoned. In order to obtain a larger tonnage at a lower development cost, a larger stripping program was put into effect by many companies. In 1932, stripping operations accounted for 3½ million tons, or 7 per cent of the total anthracite production of the year, and in the next 10 years this increased until more than double that amount, or over 14 per cent of the total production, was from stripping operations. These figures represent the total production of the entire anthracite region; unfortunately, the figures have not been separated from the different fields. There are some operations in the southern and middle western fields where the tonnage obtained from stripping amounts to more than 30 per cent of the total colliery production. Stripping operations on pitching beds present difficult problems. Owing to the various geological formations, a different situation is encountered in nearly every stripping pit; and because of the proximity of an overlying bed, it is very often necessary to load the entire overburden into trucks and haul it out of the pit to the dump area, although back filling and casting is done whenever possible. Beds in the areas described in this paper pitch from 20" to 90 and some are on the invert in many sharp folds and faults. Planning The more successful strippings have had adequate engineering analysis. Some work is being done without much preliminary planning, but many strippings would have failed completely if close supervision by the engineering department had not been . maintained. Locations of stripping areas are determined as follows: I. By constructing cross sections over the areas and drilling sufficient diamond-drill or well drill holes to study the strata and to determine the location, thickness

Jan 1, 1944

By Henry P. Ehrlinger, James C. Bradbury

Tripoli is a naturally occurring, very finely divided form of silica found chiefly in some midwestern and southeastern states and used commercially as fillers and abrasives. Definitions Tripoli is a microcrystalline, finely particulate, more or less friable form of silica that appears to be the product of leaching of siliceous limestone or calcareous chert. The term was originally applied to a deposit near Seneca, MO, that resembled material of that name found near Tripoli In North Africa (Hovey, 1894). The two deposits were subsequently found to have different physical characteristics -the North African tripoli, now called tripolite, is a diatomite, composed of the siliceous skeletons of microscopic marine plants called diatoms; the Missouri tripoli contains no diatom remains. The term tripoli, however, continued to be used for the Missouri material and is now applied in a general way to most silica deposits similar to it in characteristics and geologic origin. In commercial trade tripoli is commonly understood to designate material from the Missouri-Oklahoma field; silica from southern Illinois, the other major producing area, is referred to commercially as amorphous silica. Each term, however, may be used commercially for material, regardless of place of origin, that has the characteristics or uses commonly ascribed to the material from one or the other major producing area. For example, in the commodity price listings, Engineering & Mining Journal routinely lists under Tripoli, prices "f.o.b. Elco, IL" and "f.o.b. Seneca, MO, and Rogers, AR," and under Silica, amorphous, prices "f.o.b. IL," and "f.o.b. bierks, AR." Amorphous silica, the commercial designation given to southern Illinois tripoli, is, like the term tripoli, a misnomer. Mineralogically, the southern Illinois deposits are composed of microcrystalline quartz, and no amorphous material has been detected during X-ray and scanning electron microscope investigations (Leamnson, Thomas, and Ehrlinger, 1969; Thomas et al., 1970; Keller, 1978). Soft silica is another term that has been applied to Illinois and Tennessee tripoli, presumably to distinguish it from the more compact Missouri material. It has also been used in the ceramic trade to distinguish tripoli from "hard" silica, or silica flour, produced by pulverizing silica sand (Heinz, 1937). Rottenstone, produced commercially in Pennsylvania, is similar to tripoli in that a major constituent is finely particulate silica, and its uses are much the same as those of Tripoli-as abrasives and fillers. The origin of rottenstone also is similar to that of tripoli-decomposition of a siliceous sedimentary rock. The parent rock is defined as a siliceous limestone (Gary, McAfee,, and Wolf, 1972; Thrush, 1968) or as shale. Heinz (1937) quotes a brief statement describing the Pennsylvania deposits -"a black impure shaly limestone grading into black shale"-but does not identify the source of the statement. For convenience, rottenstone is included with tripoli in the reporting of production statistics in US Bureau of Mines (USBM) Minerals Yearbooks. Other materials that have been called tripoli include siliceous deposits in San Bernardino County, California (USBM Minerals Yearbooks, 1934-1941) and in Nevada (Chandler, 1960). These, however, differ in composition and/or origin from tripoli and, therefore, should not be identified by the name tripoli.

Jan 1, 1983

By Paul A. Filteau

Asbestos ranks among the leading minerals produced in Canada. It is also mined in Russia, Rhodesia, South Africa, Cyprus, Italy, the U.S.A., Japan, China and several other countries. The most abundant variety, chrysotile, and also the most valuable form of asbestos produced, makes up 90% of the world's supply. In Canada, chrysotile is found in the provinces of British Columbia, Ontario, Newfoundland as well as in Quebec, the latter accounting for almost 90% of all the fibre produced in this country. A number of developments emerging this year could make 1968 a record production and export year for Canada's asbestos mining industry. Asbestos fibre consumption in increasing in the U.S., Canada, up 10% to date this year, Japan and in Latin America. Demand in Western Europe is again on the upswing, following a cut-back last year. As a result, shipments from Canadian mines for the first eight months of this year reached some 916,968 tons versus 873,402 in 1967, an increase of 43,566 tons or 5%. Indications are that Canadian asbestos production will for the first time ever top 1.5 million tons in 1968.

Jan 1, 1969

By A. H. Larson, T. P. McNulty

RECENTLY, an investigation of the absorption of sulfur dioxide gas in molten binary copper alloys was conducted. A Sieverts-type apparatus, consisting of a mercury-filled gas dispensing buret and a mercury manometer, was used initially for determining the volume of gas absorbed as a function of pressure. The equilibration behavior of the alloys studied indicated that the mercury in the gas measuring system was absorbing sulfur dioxide. Owing to the widespread use of mercury as a displacement medium in absorption studies, an investigation was made to determine the nature and magnitude of the mercury - sulfur dioxide absorption effect. The gas measuring system was modified by substituting a Worden Quartz Products Type PDHV fused-quartz-spiral pressure gage for the mercury-filled dispenser and manometer. The dispensed gas volume at known temperature and atmospheric pressure was measured by evacuating a Pyrex vessel of known volume and by admitting sulfur dioxide into the vessel until the attached quartz pressure gage registered atmospheric pressure. Atmospheric pressure was measured concurrently with a separate mercury barometer. The volume of the empty sample chamber and its attendant apparatus was determined by measuring the equilibrium pressure accompanying the addition of a measured volume of sulfur dioxide into the initially evacuated system. The volume of the mercury sample was calculated from the density of mercury at the temperature of the study (25°C). Measured volumes of sulfur dioxide were then dispensed into the system and the equilibrium pressure accompanying each gas addition was determined. From the difference between the system volume and the mercury volume, the number of moles of gaseous sulfur dioxide remaining in the system at each pressure was calculated. The difference between the number of moles of gas dispensed into the system, denoted Enso2: and the number of moles of gas remaining in the system after absorption equilibrium had been attained, denoted nso2(g), was equal to the number of moles of absorbed gas, denoted nSO2. The number of moles of absorbed gas was then converted to absorbed volume, denoted VSo2, in cu cm at stp conditions of (PC and 760 mm Hg. Table I contains calculated values of Snso2, nSo2(g), and VSo2 for different sulfur dioxide pressures. In the original system, denoted Run I, volume limitations of the gas dispensing system prevented absorption studies at equilibrium pressures near atmospheric pressure, so a different gas dispensing system, denoted Run 11, was used for determining the last pressure reading in Table I. The data in Table I are expressed in terms of the absorption of sulfur dioxide in 49.68 cu cm of mercury. In Fig. 1, these data are expressed in terms of the absorption of sulfur dioxide in 100 cu cm of mercury. Since the absorption data plotted in Fig. 1 show a linear relationship, the volume of sulfur dioxide absorbed in mercury is a function of the first power of pressure. The absorption reaction is So2(gas) = SO2 (in Hg) The first-power pressure dependence, coupled with the fact that the sulfur dioxide could be removed from the mercury by applying vacuum, indicated reversible

Jan 1, 1967