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By Harry M. Mikami

Refractories are heat-resistant, generally nonmetallic materials used as the linings of furnaces or high temperature vessels in the steel, iron, nonferrous metals, glass, cement, lime, ceramic, chemical, petroleum, paper, and power and heat generation industries. Refractories must have structural strength at high temperatures but also, in many applications, must simultaneously resist chemical-physical corrosion-erosion from stags, metals, granular solids, or gases. Among the major uses are the pyrometallurgical processes for producing iron, steel, copper, aluminum, nickel, lead, zinc, etc. Rotary cement kilns, glass tanks, refineries, utility boilers, chemical and ceramic (including refractories) plants, and a myriad of other smaller scale users employ refractories in the high temperature parts of their operations. Thermal, chemical, and structural conditions under which refractories are used differ widely so there is a great variety of refractories to fill the various needs. Two major classifications are the "basic" and "acid" types. Basic refractories include magnesia and chromite, singly and in combinations, dolomite, and forsterite (olivine). The acid category includes aluminosilicates, alumina, and silica. There are a number of other specialized types such as carbon, graphite, silicon carbide, zircon, and zirconia that have important applications but are used in much smaller amounts than the major categories. Physically, refractories can be divided into bricks and shaped products on the one hand and unshaped or monolithic products (also termed specialties) on the other. There are many further subclassifications and divisions, a discussion of which is beyond the scope of this chapter; see Refs. 2 and 9. Raw materials for the principal basic refractories are magnesia and chrome ore. Magnesia, generally termed magnesite or periclase, is obtained mainly from seawater or saline brines extraction, but substantial amounts are produced from mined magnesite (MgCO3). Dolomite (CaCO3•MgCO3), another important basic refractory, is obtained entirely from mined sources. Acid refractory raw materials are: fire clays, flint clays, kaolin, and other natural clay minerals; aluminosilicate minerals such as kyanite, andalusite, sillimanite, pyrophyllite, bauxitic clays; calcined refractory grade bauxite, alumina from the Bayer process for the alumina group; and quartzitic rocks for silica refractories. The total value of all refractories shipped in the United States in 1974 was $989 million, a record to that date. Of this amount, about 73% represents bricks and shaped products and 27% is in nonshaped or monolithic products which comprise mortars, cements, castables, plastics, and ramming and gunning mixes. Fig. 15.4E.1 shows the rising value of all U.S. refractory shipments in the period 1948-1974. Values of brick and shapes paralleled

Jan 1, 1976

By J. A. Herbst, R. Mackelprang, J. D. Miller

Droplet size distributions were determined by stabilizing in gelatin and measurement of the distributions by means of computerized image analysis Several variables that affect droplet sizes were studied and the resulting size distributions were modeled via a population balance equation Key parameters in the model were related to the physical properties and operating conditions of the systems examined using a multiple linear approach

Jan 1, 1981

By Wilbert G. McBride

Two Also 3 1/2-ton motor trucks were used by Young Bros. while operating at the Mammoth Collins mine at Shultz, Ariz. One was equipped with an oil tank holding 1,075 gal. and was used for the transportation of "tops." The other was fitted with a stake body and used to carry machinery, wood, rails, pipe and all classes of miscellaneous supplies. The bodies were made of oak with maple flooring and were attached to the frame of the chassis by U-bolts, to avoid drilling the main members of the frame. Most of the hauling was done from Tucson, a distance of 47 1/2 miles. During the first 3 months, part of the road was in very bad condition and the tire cost was excessive. After this part was repaired the road was in fair condition, but never good. There were no excessive grades or bad sand, but wagon ruts, too narrow for the truck wheels and of a different gage, caused heavy tire loss; while chuck holes, sharp curves and stones, both imbedded and loose, were objectionable features. During wet weather the trucks could not get sufficient traction to climb some of the hills and were likely to stick in the mud in certain places, so that no attempt was made to run them unless they were on the' road when the rain started. This lost time amounted to about 5 per cent. of the total, but, whenever possible, it was utilized in making minor repairs. The price of gasoline was from 17 to 21 c. per gal. Rubber tires were used throughout. Drivers were said $4.50 to $5 per shift, and a return trip to Tucson was counted as two shifts even when made in one day. Drivers were provided with a room in Tucson and were paid for a11 time lost due to causes beyond their control. Trucks were loaded one way only. Speedometers were placed on both trucks but the excessive vibration soon caused them to fail. For this reason, and because no account was taken of the distance covered in picking up a miscellaneous load or in other minor ways, the mileage given is under the actual distance traveled. Some of the weights had to be estimated, but care was taken to have the number of ton-miles low rather than high, to avoid underestimating the costs. The cost of hauling from Tucson to the mines was $12 per ton

Jan 1, 1917

By T. L. Joseph

A DEMAND for specialized knowledge has directed engineering curricula towards competency in some particular field or occupation. Preparation for life in a broad sense of completeness has received little consideration. Ways and means are needed for weaving some of the threads of liberal education into the fabric of engineering education. Any effort to develop a humanistic-social stem of engineering education will depend largely upon the content of the courses and the type of instruction offered. Many of the courses in college curricula are intended to lay a foundation for more advanced courses to be taken later by those. who specialize in some particular field. Students in other fields lack the background necessary to take the advanced courses and have too much detailed information, soon forgotten, forced upon them if they pursue the foundation courses. To develop a humanistic-social stem for engineering education existing catalogue courses selected should follow some general plan aimed towards broad educational objectives. Courses packed with detailed factual information are necessary for the stu-

Jan 1, 1947

By R. H. Dourson, B. H. Sage, W. N. Lacey

The compositions of coexisting phases in the methane-propane-n-pentane system were determined at 160° and -2 20°F. throughout the two-phase region, at pressures above 500 lb. per sq. in. The experimental results permitted the calculation of gas-liquid equilibrium constants as well as the establishment of the critical behavior of this ternary system. Although many binary paraffin hydrocarbon systems have been investigated, the experimental work relating to the phase behavior of ternary paraffin hydrocarbon mixtures at elevated pressures is relatively scarce, being limited to a study of the meth-ane-propane-PL-pentane system at 100°F.l,2 However, Guter and co-workers have studied the phase behavior of the methane-ethane-ethylene system at relatively low temperatures. Information concerning the phase behavior of ternary systems is of value in predicting the behavior of the components in multicomponent systems, since the influence of pressure, temperature, and concentration may be individually ascertained. In the light of the importance of such information, the study of this ternary system was extended to higher temperatures in order to increase the field of temperature in which the data could be applied. Since all states encountered in this investigation are above the critical temperature of methane, the details of its phase behavior are not of direct significance. The properties of propane in the heterogeneous region were taken from a correlation3 based upon recently published data. The corresponding information for n-pentane was taken from experimentally measured vapor pressures and volumetric data.4 The rnethane-propane system has been studied throughout the two-phase region at temperatures above 70°F.,5 while the phase behavior of the propane-n-pentane system has been established for temperatures above 160°F.6 The volumetric and phase behavior of the methane-72-pentane system has been studied in detai1.7,8 The experimental measurements serve to establish with adequate accuracy the phase behavior of the components and of the constituent binary systems for this ternary system. It is believed that, with the exception of the measurements for the methane-propane system, the uncertainties in the earlier data relating to the pure substances and the binary mixtures are probably less than those associated with the values reported here. Method The methods and apparatus employed in this investigation have been described.137 In principle, the method involved the withdrawal of samples of the coexisting gas and liquid phases from a vessel containing a heterogeneous mixture of methane, propane and n-pentane. Provision was made so that

Jan 1, 1943

By W. N. Lacey, R. H. Dourson, B. H. Sage

The compositions of coexisting phases in the methane-propane-n-pentane system were determined at 160° and -2 20°F. throughout the two-phase region, at pressures above 500 lb. per sq. in. The experimental results permitted the calculation of gas-liquid equilibrium constants as well as the establishment of the critical behavior of this ternary system. Although many binary paraffin hydrocarbon systems have been investigated, the experimental work relating to the phase behavior of ternary paraffin hydrocarbon mixtures at elevated pressures is relatively scarce, being limited to a study of the meth-ane-propane-PL-pentane system at 100°F.l,2 However, Guter and co-workers have studied the phase behavior of the methane-ethane-ethylene system at relatively low temperatures. Information concerning the phase behavior of ternary systems is of value in predicting the behavior of the components in multicomponent systems, since the influence of pressure, temperature, and concentration may be individually ascertained. In the light of the importance of such information, the study of this ternary system was extended to higher temperatures in order to increase the field of temperature in which the data could be applied. Since all states encountered in this investigation are above the critical temperature of methane, the details of its phase behavior are not of direct significance. The properties of propane in the heterogeneous region were taken from a correlation3 based upon recently published data. The corresponding information for n-pentane was taken from experimentally measured vapor pressures and volumetric data.4 The rnethane-propane system has been studied throughout the two-phase region at temperatures above 70°F.,5 while the phase behavior of the propane-n-pentane system has been established for temperatures above 160°F.6 The volumetric and phase behavior of the methane-72-pentane system has been studied in detai1.7,8 The experimental measurements serve to establish with adequate accuracy the phase behavior of the components and of the constituent binary systems for this ternary system. It is believed that, with the exception of the measurements for the methane-propane system, the uncertainties in the earlier data relating to the pure substances and the binary mixtures are probably less than those associated with the values reported here. Method The methods and apparatus employed in this investigation have been described.137 In principle, the method involved the withdrawal of samples of the coexisting gas and liquid phases from a vessel containing a heterogeneous mixture of methane, propane and n-pentane. Provision was made so that

Jan 1, 1943

By Carl Wagner

AT elevated temperatures. most metals react with oxygen, sulphur, or halogen rather rapidly, although a coherent layer of the reaction product is formed and separates the two reactants from each other. The reaction proceeds, since one of the reactants or both dissolve and diffuse across the reaction product. In many cases the rate is diffusion-controlled as is indicated by the validity of the parabolic rate law of Tammann' and Pilling and Bed-worth. wott and Gurney' have suggested that diffusion processes also play an important part in the case of reduction reactions. This is confirmed by observations reported below. In general, however, the rate of reduction reactions is determined not exclusively by diffusion processes. Reduction of Silver Sulphide Above 179°C silver reacts with liquid sulphur very rapidly. Since the volume of silver sulphide is much greater than that of the equivalent amount of silver, a coherent layer of silver sulphide is formed in accordance with a rule established by Pilling and Bedworth.' According to Wagner','' silver ions and electrons migrate from the Ag-Ag,S interface across the silver sulphide layer to the Ag,S-S interface where the following chemical reaction takes place: 2 Ag +2 e + S Ag,S If silver sulphide is reduced by means of hydrogen, the equivalent volume of the reaction product, silver, is less than that of the initial substance. Accordingly, no coherent layer of silver is formed. Instead, fine filaments of silver grow from the silver sulphide surface into the ambient gas. This phenomenon has been investigated by many authors, especially by Kohlschiitter," who has also reviewed previous literature. Kohlschiitter has interpreted the observed phenomena by migration of "silver" dissolved in silver sulphide. According to Wagner,' silver ions and electrons are the migrating particles. The sequence of consecutive steps involved in the reduction of silver sulphide is shown in Fig. 1. Every- where at the silver sulphide surface, hydrogen reacts with sulphur so that excess silver ions and electrons are formed, which migrate at random until they are captured by a nucleus of metallic silver. If such a nucleus lies on the surface and material is furnished only from the base, the original nucleus is pushed outward and thus a filament grows. Removal of sulphur and formation of metallic silver may also take place at different points when silver sulphide is reduced by copper. The reaction is usually formulated as: AgL,S + 2 Cu = Cu.S + 2 Ag but the actual reaction products are silver and a solid solution of the two sulphides. Primarily, excess silver and electrons dissolved in silver sulphide are formed. After a certain degree of supersaturation has been reached, nuclei of metallic silver may form. If, however, a silver foil is in contact with the silver-sulphide phase, as is shown in Fig. 2, silver ions and electrons will migrate to the Ag,S-Ag interface where they are captured. To confirm this scheme, a composite sample, with the geometry shown in Fig. 2, was made by pressing silver sulphide tablets 0.6 cm in diam and 0.4 cm high together with a copper cylinder and a silver foil in crucibles of iron, which does not react appreciably with silver sulphide at 400°C. After heating for 3 to 7 hr at 400°C. the specimens were cut normal to the phase boundaries. It was found that the thickness of the silver foil had increased from 0.01 cm as initial value to a maximum value of 0.06 cm. In the interior of the silver sulphide tablets only traces of metallic silver were observed. These observations show clearly that silver ions and electrons may migrate over distances of several millimeters before they form metallic silver. Reduction of Cuprous Sulphide by Iron The behavior of cuprous sulphide is very similar to that of silver sulphide, since the lattices of the high temperature modifications are identical, but in Cu.S there is a variable deficit rather than an excess of metal. To investigate the displacement of copper by iron, cuprous sulphide powder covered by a copper foil was pressed in iron crucibles and heated up to 800 °C for 3 to 7 hr. The thickness of the copper foil increased from an initial value of 0.005 cm to a nlaximum value of 0.029 cm. In the interior of the

Jan 1, 1953

By F. R. Cattoir, R. W. Kimball, C. T. Anderson, V. V. Donaldson

THIS paper is the second of a series on the effect of various elements on hot-working characteristics of Fe-C alloys to be issued by this laboratory. The investigations being conducted at the Ferroalloy Research Branch of the U.S. Bureau of Mines, Redding, Calif., involve fundamental research on the effects of various alloying materials and impurities on the physical properties of high purity Fe-C alloys. This paper deals with the determination of the limit of forgeability of steels containing varying amounts of manganese and sulphur. A paper discussing the hot-working characteristics and the physical properties of the forgeable alloys is being prepared. One of the principal impurities in all steels is sulphur.. The phenomenon, hot-shortness, commonly attributed to sulphur, has long been a source of expense and inconvenience to both the maker and user of steels. In steelmaking practice, this effect of sulphur has been overcome by the addition of manganese which, apparently, acts as a desulphurizer. Manganese is also used as a deoxidizer and alloying material. The critical and strategic position of man- ganese gives added importance to research which may contribute to its conservation and more effective utilization. It is not the purpose or intention in the present paper to give any explanation of the mechanism of either hot-shortness or its prevention but rather to report the results of forging high purity Fe-C alloys of the range of compositions near the limit of hot-forgeability. Temperatures for each phase of reduction were duplicated within 20" to 30°F for all tests. The starting material was sponge iron, which, after melting and purification, gave a high purity iron containing about 0.001 pct each of silicon and phosphorus. Scrap iron was not considered suitable because of its high percentage of contaminants and wide variation in analyses. The sponge iron was melted and refined for melting stock in a three-phase, direct-arc, size ST, Moore Rapid Lectromelt furnace with a 500 kva rating as described in the preceding paper. Additives were carefully selected to avoid addition of contaminants. The sulphur was added as resublimed flowers of sulphur or purified roll sulphur of analytical grade. The manganese used was dehydrogenated high purity electrolytic material produced by the Bureau of Mines plant at Boulder City, Nev. High purity aluminum in the form of wire was used for deoxidation. The limestone was obtained locally and had the following analysis: CaO, 53.7 pct; MgO, 0.8; ignition loss, 42.4; R2O3, 0.2; SiO2,3.0; and P2O5, 0.014.

Jan 1, 1955

NEW MEMBERS The following list comprises the names of those persons who became .members during the period of Jan. 10, 1918, to Feb. 10, 1918. ANTISELL, TONER, Min. Engr.; Supt., Great Falls Mine of Maryland, Chevy Chase, R: F. D. No. 4, Washington, D. C. BAKER, RAYMOND FRANK, Geol:, The Texas Co., Producing Dept., Box 362, Tulsa, Okla. BERTON, ADRIEN, Chief Engr., Corocoro United Copper Mines, Ltd., Corocoro, Bolivia. Buck, WILMER EARLE, Met., Curtis & Co. Mfg. Co., Hamberger & Kienlein Aves., St. Louis, Mo. BUELL, WILLIAM H., Asst. Director, Experimental Station, E. I. duPont de Nemours & Co., Wilmington, Del. CARDENAS, FEDERICO F., Mgr., Cia. Minera Nazareno y Alicante, S. A., Allende, No. 112, Saltillo, Coah., Mexico. CHEVALIER, JEROME A., Pet. Geol., The Carter Oil Co.; Exchange National Bank Bldg., Tulsa, Okla. CLEAVES, DANIEL LUNT Supt., St. Joseph Lead Co., Herculaneum, Mo. CLOTHIER, GEORGE A., Resident Min. Engr., Province of British Columbia,

Jan 3, 1918

By Desmond De Villiers Oxford, Peter H. Williams

Nchanga Consolidated Copper Mines, Ltd., is one of the four mines operated by the Anglo American Corp. in Northern Rhodesia, now the independent nation of Zambia. Today Nchanga is the second largest single producer of copper in the world, accounting for more than 200,000 long tons of copper annually at a monthly milling rate of 430,000 tons of ore. The average mill-head grade is about 5.20% total copper, of which approximately 60% is copper sulfide. The remainder, referred to as "acid soluble," is copper oxide. Nchanga mines three separate orebodies varying in grade and sulfide-to-oxide ratio. Ore is processed in two separate grinding circuits feeding into three separate flotation circuits. A fourth flotation circuit treats leach plant residue for additional recovery of sulfides.

Jan 1, 1965

By Charles Behre

THIS paper deals with recent geologic studies in the slate belt of Northampton, Lehigh and Berks counties, Pennsylvania. The work was conducted under the auspices of the Pennsylvania Topographic and Geologic Survey. Three years have now been spent in detailed consideration of the economic geology of this region. In the field, particular attention was paid to the bearing of geology on quarry development and property valuation and the object of this paper is to summarize the results from that viewpoint. Excellent studies of a somewhat similar nature have already been carried out by Bowles,1 but with the emphasis upon the details of quarrying and fabricating methods, rather than upon the geologic relations. THE NORTHAMPTON-LEHIGH-BERKS DISTRICT Location The region here discussed lies in east-central Pennsylvania and extends southwestward from Delaware River, on the New Jersey line, to the Schuylkill in north-central Berks County. It is an elongated belt occupying the northern sections of the three counties mentioned and lying along the southern edge of Blue Mountain. Its length is about 50 miles and its average width five or six, though in places it attains a maximum of 10 miles.

Jan 1, 1928

By R. Kossowsky

USING etch-pit techniques, Johnston and Gilman' have shown that the stress dependence of dislocation velocity can be represented by the expression where r, is the dislocation velocity, a is the applied stress, and oa, is the stress to produce a unit velocity. Noble and Hul12 showed that the exponent m is strain-dependent and increases rapidly in the work-hardening region. This was explained by arguing that in the work-hardened material the applied stress required for any given velocity will be greater than in the annealed material by an amount equal to a back stress due to work hardening. schadler3 has stressed the importance of substructure as a possible source of error in dislocation velocity measurements, and took care to make velocity measurements in which dislocations moved such short distances that interactions with boundaries were avoided. schadler3 also pointed out that, if standard testing equipment is used, measurements of m from flow stress data could be seriously in error in materials with a high initial work-hardening rate. Noble and Hu112 have further argued that, due to the strain dependence of m , the extrapolation to zero strain4 to obtain the true value of m can be justified only in the preyield region. Microstrain experiments in high-purity iron5,6 have led to the conclusion that aiA (Ref. 5) (defined as the stress to first produce a permanent set of 10-6 in. per in.) and oflow are not controlled by the same deformation mechanism. It has been proposed5,6 that aA is governed by the lattice resistance to the motion of screw dislocations in a given slip plane and that oflow is controlled by the lattice resistance to a full-scale cross slip. The purpose of this note is to extend Noble and Hull's argument further and to show that measurements of m from flow stress data can be in error due to the rapid increase in stress in the microstrain region6 when stress is increased beyond aA. Double z-one-refined single crystals of molybdenum (with the (101)[ 111] slip system operating and a Schmidt factor of 0.475) were used in an experimen-

Jan 1, 1968

By H. M. Rutherford

THE reflection method in seismic prospecting has aroused much interest in the past few years. The purpose of the present paper is .to present the method of reflections in the mapping of geologic structure and also to give some indication of its limitations. The reflection method is well adapted to the mapping of geologic structure in the Mid-Continent fields, and has been found most useful there. The refraction method is ideally suited to the finding of structures, such as domes, where the amount of relief is very large. This explains the brilliant success of the refraction method in the Gulf Coastal region of Texas and Louisiana. The additional fact that salt has a much higher velocity than the sur-rounding sediments made their discovery much easier. By the use of the reflection method, differences of relief of 25 to 50 ft. to the mile may be detected at a depth of 5000 ft., and the depth points accurately plotted on a map. This is hardly possible by the use of the refraction method. The reflection method has been in almost continuous use in the Mid-Continent area since 1926, but very little, if anything, has been published until recently(7) ? regarding either the method or the results. The dis-covery of several oil fields is now attributed to the use of the reflec-tion method. Reflection methods have been used by the Germans to find the thick-ness of the ice of several glaciers. (2,8) The depths there considered were of the order of only a few hundred feet. For the method to be of any practical value in this country, it must be able to work to depths of several thousand feet. As was indicated above, this is now possible, though there are many problems connected with the reflection method yet to be solved. The refraction method requires that the shooting be done over long ranges. It was necessary, for example, to take distances out to several miles in order to penetrate some five thousand feet. Naturally this uses a good deal of dynamite. In the reflection method the distances are much shorter and the amounts of dynamite are much smaller, within limits which will be noted below. The chief distinction between refrac-tion and reflection methods is to be found in the analysis of the seismo-gram. Refraction shooting makes use of only the first arrival of energy

Jan 1, 1932

By R. V. Whetsel, V. R. Garfias

THE present study is intended as a preliminary statistical survey of the world's production of petroleum substitutes. The information presented is admittedly deficient. It is believed, however, that the increasing importance of these substitutes, particularly with Europe at war, justifies its presentation at this time, if for no other [ ] reason than to encourage enlightened pertinent discussion. The world's production in 1939 of petroleum substitutes-of which approximately 97 per cent are direct substitutes for motor fuels-is tentatively estimated at 108,000,000 bbl., or equivalent to the combined output of crude oil in 1939 of Rumania, Mexico and Colombia. With few exceptions, these figures of production represent also actual figures of consumption. The United States, owing mainly to its output of natural gasoline, leads all countries in the production of these products, with about 53 per cent of the total. In European countries, particularly Germany, the imminence of war in 1939 forced an increase in production and improvement of methods of manufacturing motor fuels, largely from coal, with the result that this country produced in that year over 20,000,000 bbl. of substitutes. Since the beginning of hostilities, substitutes have offered more and more the means of meeting the unfavorable balance between supply and demand in European [ ] countries; the increase in production of these products being at least in part offset by the systematic bombing of synthetic plants and oil storage. The source materials and the resulting substitutes are listed in Table I. The following are the approximate gross heat equivalents of some substitutes to barrels of gasoline:

Jan 1, 1941

The Library of the above-named Societies is open from 9 A.M. to 10 P.M. on all week-days, except holidays, from Sept. 1 to June 30, and from 9 A.M. to 6 P.M. during July and August. The Library contains about-55,000 volumes, including sets of technical periodicals and the publications of scientific and technical societies. Members of the Institute, with few exceptions, are forced to spend a portion of their time in localities isolated from sources of information. To these the Library can render valuable service through correspondence; letters requesting information will receive special attention. The Library is prepared to furnish references and copies of articles on mining and metallurgical subjects; to determine the existence of mining maps, and to furnish general information as to the geology and mineral resources of all countries. All communications should be made as definite as possible so that the information received may be what is desired and not include collateral matter which may not be of interest. The time spent in searching for such collateral matter will be saved, and the information will be sent more promptly and in more usable shape. The members of the Institute can be of service to the Library by forwarding copies of mining reports, maps privately issued, and similar material, which will be classified, indexed, and made available to other members. Suggestions for additions to the Library, either by purchase or personal solicitation as gifts, will be welcomed. It is hoped that members while in the city will use the Library freely, and assurance is given that most careful service will be rendered to them.

Jan 7, 1916

By B. L. Averbach, E. E. Underwood

The vapor pressure of zinc in equilibrium with solid ß AgZn alloys has been measured by the dew-point method. The thermodynamic activities of silver, and the molar heats of formation have been calculated. Similar measurements have been made for the ternary alloys formed by adding gold to AgZn. An apparent particle size effect has been observed for AgZn filings. The vapor pressure of zinc over filings is 15 to 20 pct higher than over the solid alloys. STATISTICAL methods have been used to inter pret the thermodynamic activities of the components of a solid solution in terms of average equilibrium atomic configurations. In some cases, the atomic arrangements can be measured by X-ray methods, and the results are usually expressed in terms of short range order parameters. Only in the cases of Cu³Au and AgAu have there been sufficient X-ray and thermodynamic data to verify the assumed correlation between the X-ray and the thermodynamic measurements. In Cu³Au the agreement is good; negative deviations from Raoult's law are observed and the number of Cu-Au nearest neighbor pairs predicted on the basis of the thermodynamic treatments agrees quite well with the number of such pairs observed by the X-ray methods. The ß brass alloys present a different set of conditions. The ordering is so rapid in these alloys that the disordered state cannot be retained on quenching. In contrast, the disordered state in CuAu is easily retained on quenching. On heating, the ordered ß brass loses its long range order continuously as the critical temperature is approached; in Cuau the order decreases slightly on heating and then drops discontinuously to zero at the critical temperature. These differences indicate that the short range order configurations in ß brass systems may be of a different character than in Cudu systems. However, X-ray measurements of local order cannot be made in the Cu-Zn alloys because of the similarity in scattering factors. The alloy AgZn is isomorphous with CuZn, however, and recent experiments have indicated that there is a good possibility of observing short range order in this system. Another complication arises in the case of ß AgZn. The disordered body-centered cubic structure exists above 280°C. On quenching from above this temperature an ordered structure of the cesium-chloride type is formed. On slow cooling, however, a complex hexagonal structure, the 3 phase, is produced; and if an ordered quenched alloy is reheated the phase begins to form above 80°C. It is thus difficult to study local order by X-ray methods in single crystals of AgZn since the C phase formed on heating does not necessarily return to a single crystal of the original orientation. This problem has been met, however, by adding a few percent of gold to the AgZn. The gold suppresses the formation of the c

Jan 1, 1952

By E. H. Barton

The necessity, on the Pacific Coast and throughout the semiarid regions in particular, of the conservation of waters for agricultural, industrial and mining purposes has forced itself upon the minds of those directly or indirectly interested in these industries. To meet the requirements of the case, storage must be provided for the flood-waters so abundant during the rainy season in order to insure a constant and unfailing supply during the summer months. Such storage can only be obtained, in the greater number of instances, by the erection of reservoir-walls of great height. The feasibility of employing earth or timber in the construction of such high dams is questionable, especially when (as is often the case) they must be placed in torrential streams. The experience of recent years with masonry dams, throughout this and foreign countries, has demonstrated that such dams, when intelligently and correctly designed and properly constructed, will meet the requirements of larger storage by means of increased height. The failures of masonry dams have been few; only two of any consequence being on record, namely, that of the Puentes dam, in Spain, in 1802, and that of the Habra dam, in Algiers, in 1810.* On the other hand, the failures of wooden and earthern dams are innumerable. The following are some of the most important structures constructed in recent years. The list is taken from Mr. Wegmann's book, just cited: The Furens, Zola, Ternay, Ban and Verdon dams, in France; the Nizar, Lozoya, Villar and the two Hizar dams,

Jan 1, 1900

By W. N. Best

THIS paper is not intended as a scientific discussion of the combustion of oil but is written from, the standpoint of an operator who has the experience and qualifications necessary to guide others in producing the most economic results in the use of liquid fuels. Oil, in this paper, usually, means petroleum or its products but incidental reference is made to other liquid and gaseous fuels, so that the term may be considered, as referring to all liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons in comparison with solid fuels, as coal and. wood. However, only a few of the principal factors in the use of oil as a fuel can be given. The present, and prospective, high price of coal is causing users of fuel to renew inquiry as to the merits of other forms of fuel for industrial purposes. Crude oil (petroleum) is proving to be one of the world's most valuable mineral resources. The recent discovery that oil underlies a considerable area of the United States, Mexico, and other parts of the world to a greater extent than was formerly believed and the large production of some of the wells in these areas shows the probable quantity of fuel oil that may now be available. Through the energy of Lord Cowdrey, who was one of the pioneers of the oil industry in Mexico, oil has been discovered in England; some prominent geologists believe that it may be found yet, in quantity, in Great Britain. For years, oil has been known to be of great value in the manufacture of metals. It has proved incomparable in forge shops, steel foundries, heat-treating furnace s, and wherever accuracy of temperatures is essential, or where a maximum output is desired as well as quality of metal. In some types of equipment, the output produced with oil as fuel is double that obtained with coal and, at a reduction of 50 per cent, in the cost of the fuel. For example, in drop-forging plants, the metal is always waiting for the man when oil is used as fuel, whereas with coal, the man must wait for the metal to become sufficiently heated.

Jan 8, 1920

By R. J. Allio, C. H. Randall

An automatic system for the quantitative analysis of microstrulcture has been developed. The method is based upon a statistical model of microstructure and employs phase intercept fractions as fundamental random variables. Structure-sensitive properties can be related explicitly to parameters derived from the distribution of phase intercept fractions in a matevial. THE properties of mechanical dispersions and of multiphase alloys art: intimately related to the amount, distribution, and intrinsic properties of the dispersed material. In many instances, the amount and distribution of the dispersed substances have greater influence on the over-all system properties than do the properties of the dispersed substance-Such properties as average particle size, particle size distribution, homogeneity of dispersion, volume per cent of dispersed phase, and mean free path between dispersed particles thus become critical in any evaluation of the properties of a dispersion. Unfortunately, techniques for evaluating quantitatively the microstructural characteristics of dis~ersions rapidly and accurately have not been available. If necessary, qualitative or semiquantitative devices can be utilized. Some such devices are based merely upon comparison of the specimens in question with arbitrary standards. Other techniques involve superposition of grids and tabulation of particles observed in different portions of the grid. Still other methods based upon lineal analysis entail counting lines or points at random upon the specimen to be examined; the number of intersections of the line with a given phase, the proportion of line or number of points which are covered by given phase are variously recorded. The mathematical basis for most of the techniques of quantitative metallography have been amply reviewed in the literature.'l2 without exctption, however, the standard techniques for quantitative metallography are either imprecise or are exceedingly tedious to apply. For example, tranverse integrating stage for rapid manual areal fraction measurement has been designed by Smith.3 Howerer, as in the case of any device based upon visual eslimation, operator bias may cause appreciable error. Various flying spot devices, on the other hand register particle size distributions in 2-dimensions, from which it is difficult to derive other properties of the dispersion. Thus, e.g., the 3-dimensional distribution cannot be inferred unless certain rather broad assumptions are made concerning the randomness of distribution and geometrical configuration of dispersed phase. Many limitations to the application of quantitative structural analysis can be overcome by the use of the microdensitometer, which is essentially an automated areal analysis device. Data obtained in the form of a distribution of phase intercept values are

Jan 1, 1962

By Thomas Fraser, Robert MacLachlan

The dry cleaning of coal is a relatively new art and, as might have been expected, a number of unforeseen problems have been brought to light in the few years that dry methods of treatment have been in commercial use. The pneumatic concentrators that were first adapted to the cleaning of coal had already been developed to a fair degree of efficiency, although at low ratings, in the field of ore dressing. The concentrating machines, therefore, were in a relatively more perfected state than the general technology of dry cleaning and, for this reason, the major difficulties encountered in the early plants were in the accessory operations involved in the servicing of the cleaners rather than in the functioning of the cleaners themselves. The crudities of a new technology were further aggravated, in some cases, by meagerness of appropriations which precluded even the provision of adequate storage bins and such other facilities as had been long recognized as indispensable to the proper functioning of older types of cleaning plants. The practice of dry cleaning is now sufficiently established so that we may examine critically auxiliary equipment and operations. The cleaning processes have been so simplified, with respect to presizing of the raw coal required and the quantity of air circulated, that stinting of expenditures for auxiliary equipment is not necessary to keep the per ton cost of installation in line with complete and well designed plants of other types. Furthermore, sufficient operating experience has been accumulated to ascertain the conditions most conducive to effective operation of dry-cleaning machines; at least the essentials of a definite technology of dry cleaning has been established. Early Operating Problems The problems that have occupied the builders and operators of dry-cleaning plants from the beginning have been relatively few, but difficult of solution. The principal difficulties have been: 1. The proper sizing of the raw coal to suit the cleaning process. 2. The handling of raw coal when it is delivered wet from the mine. 3. Dust collecting. 4. The maintenance of uniformity in cleaning performance.

Jan 1, 1931