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By E. F. Kingsbury

ONE of the well-known and important uses of the noble or precious metals has been for electrical contacts. In fact, the elements of this group, comprising gold, silver and. the six platinum metals, have been called "noble" because of their ability to resist heat and corrosion, properties which. were early found to be of importance in good contacts. Of these, platinum and its iridium alloys, palladium, and silver, have been extensively used. In recent years the electrical industry has been responsible for about one-eighth of the total consumption of the platinum metals in the United States. Information is not available as to what part of this one-eighth has been used for contacts but it is certainly an important one. SUBSTITUTES FOR PLATINUM During the past 20 years a considerable number of contact alloys have been proposed in the patent literature largely with the aim of more or less replacing platinum by gold or silver, and some of these alloys are finding increasingly widespread application as the reliability of their performance becomes established. From even the partial data at hand it appears that this substitution by the less precious metals has replaced at least one-half of the amount of platinum that the entire electrical industry would otherwise be consuming at the present time. While the subject is of considerable interest to the metallurgist it is even more so to the electrical engineer and it is surprising that the literature records no systematic and' comprehensive investigation along these lines. Practically all the scattered work on noble metal contacts has centered around platinum as a standard and has had two more or less distinct aims. One of these has been the replacement of platinum by cheaper materials, and the other, the development of materials of superior electrical performance. The merit, of a contact metal has been assumed to be dependent on its infusibility, and since the more precious metals have the higher melting points there has naturally been an association of the two qualities in the sense that the more precious were

Jan 1, 1928

By K. S. Lane

The problem of stability of slopes in reservoirs is one of real interest in civil engineering. The problem is whether the valley walls will remain stable or whether they are likely to slide as conditions are changed by storage of water in the reservoir. If major slides are indicated, as on the walls of relatively steep canyons, one must estimate whether they will be so located and of sufficient size as to interfere with operation of the reservoir-as by blocking the outlets, or by displacing sufficient water to over-top the dam in a huge wave. Some cases involve problems in soil mechanics for slides in earth or weaker rock; other locations need the assistance of rock mechanics for slides in harder rock. While this is not a new problem, attention has recently been focused on its importance by the hugh landslide into the Vaiont reservoir in 1963, which claimed the lives of over 2000 people and forced abandonment of the dam and powerhouse. VAIONT RESERVOIR SLIDE Fig. 1 shows Vaiont Dam in Italy which is a double curvature arch, 875 ft high, located on a tributary of the Piave River, north and west of Venice. When completed in 1960 it was the highest arch dam in the world. In 1960 a sizable landslide (some 700,000 cu yd) occurred on the left abutment a short distance above the dam. Following this, the reservoir was held down for construction of a by-pass tunnel through the right valley wall to insure connection with the upper end of the reservoir in event of further slides. In October 1963 a giant landslide occurred on the left valley wall, over a width of some 14 miles (see Fig. 2). Over 300 million cu yd slid into the reservoir, displacing the water and forming a hige wave 700 ft above the top of the dam as it hit the opposite, or right, wall of the valley. The wave then passed some 500 ft over top of the dam, followed down the tortuous winding canyon and debouched into the

Jan 1, 1967

By S. J. CRAIGHEAD

IN 1912 the United States Smelting Refining and Mining Company made a large investment in a number of coal properties in Utah and in 1915 a subsidiary, the United States Fuel Co., was organized to take over these properties. Operations started in 1916 and the Company soon became, and remains, one of the major coal producers of the State. It now produces approximately one million tons of coal annually, which is about 22 per cent of Utah's output. The U. S. Fuel Co. owns large reserves of good coal and is in a position to expand operations with the industrial growth now taking place in the West. Traveling through the Western States, one is struck by numerous advertising signs portraying the picture of jovial Old King Cole of nursery rhyme fame. His rotund figure and beaming countenance are the symbols of Utah King Coal, the product of the King mine of U. S. Fuel Co. King Coal is a by-word of quality coal throughout all the Western States.

Jan 1, 1948

By C. M. Shigley

Tan record of the largest magnesium plant in the country utilizing sea water as a primary raw material stands as another victory in the struggle for large-scale production of pure chemical elements from the oceans. Bromine was the first element to be economically and commercially recovered when, in 1933, a six million pound per year unit was built on the Atlantic Coast near Wilmington, North Carolina, by the Ethyl-Dow Chemical Co.1 The bromine was reacted with ethylene to produce ethylene dibromide, a necessary associate of tetraethyl lead in ethyl antiknock fluid. Within eight years that plant was doubled and redoubled, and another large unit was put into operation at Freeport, Texas, taking bromine from the Gulf of Mexico. In 1940, in fortunate anticipation of the impending demand for magnesium and the limitations of the production from natural brines, the Dow Chemical Co. turned again to the sea, and designed and erected a plant at Freeport to produce 18,000,000 lb. of magnesium per year from sea water.2 In March 1941, two months after the new plant had been put into successful operation, construction of an 18,000,000-lb. Government-financed addition was started. Late in 1941, as a part of the $400,000,000 defense program intended to produce 600,000,000 t0 700,000,000 lb. of magnesium per year, Dow was asked to build and operate for the Government a 72,000000-lb. plant near its original plant at Freeport. Within a few days after the Japanese made their attack at Pearl Harbor, preparation of a site was started at Velasco, Texas, for the construction of the Texas plant of the Dow Magnesium Corporation-the largest known magnesium plant utilizing sea water as its raw material. Less than six months after the first piling was driven, urgently needed magnesium was in steady production. Five months later, the plant had exceeded its rated capacity. It remained above rated production until the general magnesium curtailment was applied to Government-owned plants in September 1944. Credit for the construction and operation record of the Dow magnesium plant must be divided among the efforts of a very determined group of men, an extremely favorable location, and a simple process. It is with the two latter aspects of the plant that this article will deal. The site for the new enterprise was chosen near Velasco, Texas, on property bordering the Brazos River at a point approximately 6 miles inland from the original magnesium plant and y miles inland from the Freeport Harbor on the Gulf of Mexico. This location was far enough away from the operating units to reduce both interference from construction and the vulnerability of closely bunched manufacturing operations to the then feared air attack. Yet the distance inland was not too great for the economical construction of a barge canal from the harbor to serve both the transportation of raw

Jan 1, 1945

By Owen F. Jensen

CONSTRUCTION of a ground-water supply includes many operations, which do not end with completion of facilities. Evaluations must be made of the quality of water in various areas and the history of production. Following an analysis of geologic, hydrologic, and chemical data there must be an exploratory drilling program and a study of resulting information. When the well is completed a continuous survey of operating records and basic data is necessary, since designs for future wells are varied as more data becomes available for those already completed. As the following discussion must be limited to a single undertaking, the customary procedure will be outlined for development and construction of a ground-water supply in which more than three wells are involved. Parts of this procedure are applicable for all ground-water supplies. Three possible sites were selected for construction of a paper mill. The problem was that the industry daily required approximately 15 million gallons of water of the best quality available; however, if water of the best quality were not available in the desired amount, water of a poorer quality could be used up to half the required amount, about 7 million gallons. In the preliminary survey approximately 1500 to 2000 square miles were covered for each site. Collected data consisted of several hundred electric logs of oil and gas wells; reports by the U. S. Geological Survey on ground-water resources of localities in and near the area; unpublished records of several hundred water wells including chemical analyses of the water produced and drillers' logs of the wells; records of periodic water-level measurements made in observation wells by the USGS; topographic maps drawn up by USGS and by army engineers; and highway and county road maps. A preliminary report based on study and evaluation of these data was presented to the client, recommending the site with the most favorable and economical ground-water conditions. The study indicated that water of the quality and quantity desired could be developed. In this particular area there were indications that the aquifer could be separated into two zones con- taining water of different chemical character. This chemical character varied somewhat with area, but principally with depth, a factor which later proved an economic advantage in design of the well field. After studying the preliminary report, the client weighed other economic factors as well as ground-water advantages and selected a plant site. Authority was given to proceed with detailed study of the chosen area. Evaluation of preliminary data concerning the area indicated that it should be supplemented with additional information derived from actual exploratory drilling and testing. A flexible plan of exploratory drilling was devised so that data obtained as each test hole was drilled could be correlated with existing data and additional test holes could be located and drilled accordingly. Specific data to be obtained from each test hole were: samples of all formations penetrated; the driller's descriptive log of formations; electric logging surveys; one or more samples of water from selected water-bearing formations; temperature; and water levels and their recovery after periods of production. The area studied in such detail was approximately 400 square miles. Choice of location for the original test holes was based on the preliminary study. The pattern for these test holes was designed to require a minimum number of holes and to allow for interpolation of data between two, three, and four holes. Geologic, hydrologic, and chemical data gathered after completion of the first four test holes showed that the north section was the most desirable in the area, which was then reduced from the original 400 square miles to about 150 square miles for more detailed and intensive study. On the basis of findings from the current test a tentative well field was laid out and a drilling program devised. One test hole was located on the actual plant site and later developed into a small pilot production well equipped with a deep well turbine pump. Water from this well was used for general construction requirements. Another test hole drilled near the pilot production well and adjacent to the proposed route of the well-collection system was used during the pumping test of the pilot production well to determine the degree of interference. From the data thus obtained, calculations were made to determine the coefficients of transmissibility and storage. Three additional holes

Jan 1, 1955

By S. K. Nicol, A. R. Swanson, J. C. Day

Addition of oil to a suspension of hydrophobic coal particles can influence its dewatering characteristics. An agglomeration process occurs in which coal particles are held together by negative capillary pressure at particle/oil/water contacts. Consequently, the units round which flow can occur are enlarged and this improves dewatering parameters such as drainage rate, solids recovery, and equilibrium moisture content. This paper discusses processes which attempt to use this principle, in terms of metallurgical and economic efficiency. The discussion is augmented by results of recent experiments on the effect of oil addition to centrifuges and vacuum filters.

Jan 1, 1980

By H. W. Morse

INTRODUCTION THE experimental work on the oxidized copper ore at the New Cornelia mine at Ajo, Ariz., ended on Jan. 12, 1916. On that date final decision was made on the general nature of the process to be used in the 5,000-ton leaching plant, and on many of the details, as far as experience on a40-ton scale could decide them. With the approval of the Board of Directors and the General Manager, John C. Greenway, we have compiled what seem to be the most interesting data on the results obtained during the experimental period. The most important part of the data resulted from the operation of a 1-ton and a 40-ton plant at Ajo. Experimental work on Cornelia oxidized ore dates back to April, 1912, and has been going on nearly continuously since that time. A good many variations from the original idea have been tried, but the process finally decided upon is in principle and in all of its details a simple one. The history of the leaching work on this ore has been brought down to about a year ago in papers presented to this Institute by Stuart Croasdale1 and Dr. L. D. Ricketts.2 The present paper will, therefore, deal principally with the results obtained during the last year of the work.

Jan 9, 1916

By T. R. Cass

THE renewed interest in titanium, resulting from its increasing application as a structural material, has stimulated basic deformation studies on this metal. In the course of our work, we have developed a dislocation etchant and applied it to a perfection study of melt-grown single crystals as well as to a preliminary investigation of plastic deformation in titanium. The etchant, Keller's etch (21 cu cm HF, 64 cu cm HC1, 106 cu cm HNO3, and 160 cu cm H20), reveals the emergence of both grown-in and fresh dislocations on pure titanium and a-phase Ti-Al single crystals. Pits are produced only on surfaces within a few degrees of the basal plane; the more exactly parallel to a basal plane the surface is, the more distinct are the pits. The observed pit density, however, does not appear to depend on the surface orientation; the pits simul- taneously become less distinct as the misorientation from a basal plane increases. Etch times are short, a few seconds, for pure titanium; longer times are necessary for alloy crystals.

Jan 1, 1968

By V. B. Kurfman

Grain refinement of Mg-Al melts by carbonaceous additions has been attributed to nucleation by aluminum carbide. The effects of process and alloy variables are interpreted and predicted in terms of the dispersion and chemistry of this phase. The grain coarsening action of Be, Zr, Ti, R.E., chlorination, temperature extremes, and prolonged holding times is described. Measures necessary to insure an adequate dispersion of the catalyst are discussed. CARBON inoculation treatments have become fairly well known and used for grain refinement of magnesium alloys containing Al. Although there is general agreement that a nucleation process occurs, the process is not understood and the inoculants are used in a rather empirical fashion. The treatment is applied to the class of alloys containing 3 to 10 pct Al, i.e., AZ31A to AM100A. Typical methods involve melting, alloying, and adjusting the temperature to 1400° to 1450°F. Then 0.01 to 0.5 pct C as CaC2, C6C16, or lampblack is added by any convenient means, and the melt poured within 10 to 30 min. Investigators generally have been impressed by an assumed similarity of this refinement process to superheat grain refinement, which depends on heating approximately the same alloys to a temperature in the range of 1550" to 1650°F, then pouring promptly after the melt is cooled to the pouring temperature. Various predictions have been made that carbon refinement would replace superheating in commercial practice due to reduced process costs, but this replacement has not fully taken place because of production difficulties and conflicting observations. Davis, Eastwood, and DeHaven1 agree with Nelson2 and wood3 in suggesting that an excess of inoculant may be harmful. Wood however says that overtreat-ment is not a problem in production use of hexa-chlorobenzene inoculation, and Hultgren and Mitchell4 claim no evidence of harm from excess additions. Various grain coarsening reactions are known to occur, including the possibility of overtreatment mentioned above. Trace amounts of Be,2 Zr, and Ti may prevent refinement by either a carbon treatment or a superheat. Occasionally treatment with cl25 may cause coarsening, although the Battelle refinement process' uses a CC14-C12 blend. Grain coarsening also tends to occur on holding at temperatures below 1350°to 1400°F, especially after a superheat treatment, and for this reason Nelson2 stresses the desirability of a refinement method useful at lower temperatures for open pot melting practice. Since a carbon treatment can be made to work at temperatures below 1400°F, it seems desirable to investigate the mechanism of the refinement and the mechanisms of the coarsening reactions in order to establish control conditions for use in commercial production. The identity of the nucleating phase must first be established and then the factors affecting its chemistry and physical dispersion must be determined. THE IDENTITY OF THE NUCLEATING PHASE Davis, Eastwood, and DeHaven suggested that the nucleating phase in this system is Al4c3,1 but Mahoney, Tarr, and LeGrand8 disagree, largely because they found no evidence of the compound in alloys after carbon treatment and because there is no indication that aluminum carbide should be unstable over the temperature range used in the superheat treatment. This latter objection is based on the assumption that both the carbon treatment and the superheat treatment introduce the same nuclei. Electron diffraction studies have been made to identify the nucleating phase. Samples of grain refined A292 have been selectively etched SO that clean surfaces are obtained and so that secondary phases are in relief. Electron diffraction patterns from these surfaces have established that the carbon treatment of A292 introduces into the metal a large number of small, plate-like particles with a structure very similar to Al4C3. In most cases, the plate-like nature of the particles prevented positive identification but in the cases where the identification could be made the particles proved to be AIN A14C3. However, enough variation in lattice constants was observed so that all compositions from pure A14C3 to the 50:50 solid solution A1N.Al4C3 were probably present.14 In A14C3 and especially AlN.Al4C3 the A1 atoms occur in layers within which they have the same hexagonal symmetry and spacing as the Mg atoms in a single basal plane of a magnesium crystal. The solid solution spacing lies between the 3.16 of AIN and the 3.3? for Al4C3, in satisfactory agree-

Jan 1, 1962

By Arnold E. Lamm

The author addressed a keynote session for all divisions at last October's SME Fall Meeting in Phoenix, Ariz. Discussing the competition from gas, oil, hydroelectric and atomic energy, he said that the market can only be wrested from them "by endeavoring to lower costs far beyond anything we thought possible a few years ago." He saw the rate of return for the industry as "grossly inadequate." Looking ahead, Mr. Lamm saw only a few extremely large generating plants being built. "Purchase of coal for such plants," he said, "will probably be confined to a single source on long-term contracts. Only those coal companies who are able to locate huge reserves, close to adequate cooling water, capable of being mined and transported at the lowest cost in relation to quality, will be able to compete. . . While the market for coal will be very large in terms of tons, it will be most selective and confined to a few transactions of very great magnitude. "Coal offers a proven and tried method of producing energy. The available strippable reserves of Western coal and mineable underground reserves offer the cheapest source of energy available. History will attest that coal has been a steady and stable source of energy. Up until recently, the energy market of the West has had to depend on natural gas which product has had a long and steady price escalation. Statistics show that, where coal is available, the price of gas is quite stable, but where gas is the only available fuel, it has traditionally followed a steady and upward price trend.

Jan 11, 1965

By GILBERT C. DAVIS

ANY thought of Morenci naturally includes its sister town of Clifton, its gateway to the outside world. Clifton, the country seat of Greenlee County, is the terminus of a branch line of the Southern Pacific railroad from Lordsburg, N.M. Carload freight incident to the Morenci operation moves from Clifton over Phelps Dodge?s standard-gauge industrial railroad. Private freight must be hauled by truck. These two communities fell far short of supplying adequate housing for the personnel concerned with the new operations so a new townsite, Stargo, was developed adjacent to Morenci. Here 234 housing units with garages have been built and twenty similar units have been erected near the reduction works.

Jan 1, 1942

Feb. 18 to. 21, 1918 Committee on Arrangements J. E. JOHNSON, JR., Chairman BRADLEY STOUGHTON, Vice-Chairman A. R. LEDOUX RALPH W. DEACON F. T. RUBIDGE L. W. FRANCIS E. M. SHIPP MRS. S J. JENNINGS J. V. N. DORR A. L. WALKER G. D. VAN ARSDALE R. M. RAYMOND Finance Committee ALBERT R. LEDOUX, Chairman WALTER H. ALDRIDGE J. H. JANEWAY GEORGE D. BARRON CHARLES F. RAND WALTER DOUGLAS BENJAMIN B. THAYER

Jan 4, 1918

PRESENTATION of the 1922 Washington Award to Capt. Robert W. Hunt, honorary member and twice president of the Institute, was made at the annual dinner of the Western Society of Engineers, in Chicago, on June 18, 1923, in the presence of 250 mem-bers and guests. W. L. Abbott, Chairman of the Award Commission, when delivering the presentation address, said The life of the Govern-ment of this country, as the lives of governments are usually measured, is short, barely 150 years, but meas-ured by what it has accom-plished, this country has reached a venerable age. The first 75 years of our country's existence were necessarily preparatory to the greater developments which came in the second, and that last half of our country's existence is ex-ceeded, by ten years, by the span of life of our honored guest. "Very little iron and steel were produced in this coun-try until after the birth of Robert W. Hunt. And it was not until after 1860, when as a boy of 21 he joined his fortunes with those of the Cambria Iron Works, that the iron and steel business of the country really took root. After a year or two with the Cambria Works, he left a promising position to go into the army, where he served for four years. After the close of the war he returned to the iron works and qualified himself as a metallurgical chemist.

Jan 7, 1923

By Henry S. Drinker

The Musconetcong tunnel is situated in New Jersey, near the line of the Central Railroad of New Jersey, about twelve miles from Easton, on the Easton and Amboy Railroad, the latter being the extension of the Lehigh Valley Railroad to tide-water. Up to the present time, the terminus of the Lehigh Valley Railroad has been at Phillipsburg, N. J., opposite Easton, passengers connecting there with New York by the Morris and Essex (D. L. and W.) and New Jersey Central lines; freight and coal being forwarded by the Morris and Essex to tide-water at Hoboken, and by the Central Railroad to Elizabethport and Port Johnson ; also, by the Belvidere and Delaware connections through Trenton to South Amboy.

By Henry S. Drinker

THE Musconetcong tunnel is situated in New Jersey, near the line of the Central Railroad of New Jersey, about twelve miles from Easton, on the Easton and Amboy Railroad, the latter being the extension of the Lehigh Valley Railroad to tide-water. Up to the present time, the terminus of the Lehigh Valley Railroad has been at Phillipsburg, N. J., opposite Easton, passengers connecting there with New York by the Morris and Essex (D. L. and W.) and New Jersey Central lines; freight and coal being forwarded by the Morris and Essex to tide-water at Hoboken, and by the Central Railroad to Elizabethport and Port Johnson ; also, by the Belvidere and Delaware connections through Trenton to South Amboy.

Jan 1, 1875

By V. R. Garflas, J. W. Ristori, R. V. Whetshel

Preliminary estimates indicate that world consumption of petroleum products and related fuels in 1937 shattered previous records with a figure of 1,920,000,000 bbl.; that is, 124,000,000 bbl. more than the 1936 total. The writers, as in previous years, have been unable to account for all the available supply in 1937. This "unaccounted-for" supply, which formerly was thought to go largely into storage in foreign countries, was close to 53,000,000 bbl. in 1933; 93,000,000 in 1934; 111,000,000 in 1935; 75,000,000 in 1936 and 148,000,000 in 1937. As this discrepancy between supply and demand continued year after year, it became evident that other reasons than additional foreign stocks were responsible for it. It can now be stated that the "unaccounted-for" supply (see Table 1) goes to take care of: (1) consumption of petroleum products and related fuels for military purposes, the figures of which have been and are kept confidential by foreign countries, (2) additions to stocks to be consumed for military and nonmilitary purposes in foreign countries on which likewise no information is available, (3) errors incurred in the conversion of figures of production of crude oil, its products and related fuels from "weight" units, as used in Russia, for instance, to their American or "volume" equivalents and vice versa, and (4) to the lack of reliable statistics on production and consumption, particularly from Russia, the

Jan 1, 1938

By James J. Wise

INTRODUCTION One basic design feature utilized in all caving and sublevel stoping techniques is the drawpoint. These draw- points may be located on sublevels when using sublevel caving methods, or may be located at the floor pillar when using block caving, sublevel stoping, or vertical crater retreat methods. How the drawpoint is designed and developed, how the ore is withdrawn from it, and how the ore is hauled to the shaft or portal encompasses the loading and hauling function. Historically, predominate loading and hauling equipment for caving and sublevel stoping has been scraper slushes, air powered overshot loaders, and rail mounted train haulage. All of this equipment has two common constraints. 1. The equipment locked into specific work sites and is not easily shifted to another work site. This constraint can often lead to low utilization and low productivity of the equipment. 2. The equipment is designed to work in the horizontal plane, which requires that the various horizontally-oriented working levels be connected by vertical raises. Vertical development by means of raises is not only increasingly expensive, but also is not well adapted to movement of large equipment into the s topes. In the last 20 years, two revolutionary labor saving concepts have become common in caving and sublevel stoping. 1. Long-hole drilling, which has mechanized the development of the drawpoint extraction structures as well as the actual stoping and undercutting. 2. Vertical access by means of trackless ramps between levels, and the consequent use of rubber-tired vehicles not only for loading and hauling ore, but also for the rapid movement of men, material, and equipment into the stopes. The introduction of trackless mining systems for loading and hauling has not been easy. Mine planners have had to re-orient their thinking to the larger operating space required by trackless equipment. Larger access drifts have necessitated reconsideration of mine layouts to insure proper ground support. Spiral ramp developments were often laid out on slopes steeper than the equipment could negotiate economically. Mine operators had to accept the added responsibility of roadway maintenance, water removal, increased ventilation, and more technical mechanical maintenance. As the mine operators enthusiastically embraced the superior productivity of trackless mining systems, they some- times disregarded opportunities to combine the older types of equipment with trackless vehicles to maximize productivity at lowest cost. In order to gain a proper perspective on this problem, it is necessary to review the various techniques of loading and hauling and to become more aware of the advantages or disadvantages that each system or combination contributes. LOADING Loading consists of two functions, (1) primary loading from a drawpoint and (2) secondary loading into long- haul system, a truck, train, or possibly a belt conveyor. Mine planners have four basic loading systems available to fit various operating conditions. These are, (1) gravity, (2) scrapers, (3) rail-mounted loaders, and (4) trackless loaders. Each system can produce optimum results under specific conditions. Gravity Loading Gravity loading is probably the oldest system in general use today.

Jan 1, 1981

By Newell G. Alford

Forecasts of future timber consumption in soft-coal mining are handicapped by the lack of adequate experience records for estimating properly the timber requirements of the industry. Data were obtained from plants where records are kept or from operators who collected the information and to these were added composite figures for the continental United States in 1905 and 19191 and for central and western Pennsylvania and for Illinois in 1922.2 The result, representing slightly over 928,000,000 net tons, is shown in Table 1. Some of the companies furnishing data were unable to segregate the timber into classes of use but for those who did, Table 2 shows the board feet of posts and cross ban used per ton of coal mined and the percentage of the total timber consumed that was used in roof support. The wide variation in amounts of timber per ton of coal mined is the result of

Jan 1, 1924

SUDBURY ore processed by International Nickel Co. of Canada Ltd. was recovered for many years as two mill concentrates, one primarily of copper, and the other mixed pentlandite-pyrrhotite, But, Since iron content of the nickeliferous pyrrhotite concentrate was ten times its nickel value, capacity of smelting was limited by the need for slagging the excess iron. A process for recovering the iron con- tent was developed after some years of research and a $20-million plant was constructed to employ the new method. Built near Copper Cliff, Ont., the plant started operation early in 1956, scheduled for separate treatment of 365,000 tons of pyrrhotite each year. It is only the first unit of an installation which will have a capacity of more than 1 million tons per year of pyrrhotite. By early 1958, production totaled more than 200,000 long tons of 68 pct Fe pellets containing 0.003 pct P, 1.5 pct SiO2, 0.01 pct S, and 0.15 pct Ni.

Jan 8, 1958

By Ulick R. Evans

I Should like to commence by saying how much I appreciate the honor which the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers has done me in inviting me to visit your country, and to deliver this lecture before you. In choosing a subject, and in deciding what to include and what to omit, I have endeavored to discuss as far as possible work carried out recently in Europe with which you may not be unduly familiar. It would be poor return for your hospitality, and a mistaken sort of compliment indeed, if I were to load the lecture with accounts of researches carried out in your own country—researches with which you are probably better acquainted than I. Not that I have in any way excluded work done on this side of the Atlantic from my survey; one would indeed find it difficult to write on this, or on any other branch of science, without mentioning American work. But I have endeavored as far as possible to concentrate on aspects of the case which will, I hope, be comparatively fresh to you, and I feel fairly certain that this will be in accordance with your own wishes. Films Produced at Elevated Temperatures If a strip of iron is heated strongly at one end, the other end remaining cold, there is produced over the heated portion a layer of oxide scale, the thickness of which diminishes steadily with the distance from the hot end. Somewhere in the middle of the strip, the thickness of the oxidized layer will become comparable to the wave length of light, and over this region the thin films give rise to a series of beautiful interference tints, commonly known as "temper colors." The colors are caused by the fact that two trains of light waves are reflected respectively from the outer and inner surfaces of the oxide film, and the possibility arises that the "crests" of one series of waves may coincide with the "troughs" of the other, thus diminishing the intensity of the light of some particular wave length. The state of affairs in this part of the strip is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1, in which the film thickness is enormously exaggerated, of course, in comparison with the length of the strip; the

Jan 1, 1929