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By N. J. Grant, A. W. Mullendore, Y. Ishida

Creep tests were performed at 500°F on polished specimens of A1-3 pct Cu at stresses of 2000, 4000, and 6000 psi. The effects of the size and distnbution of the second phase were studied in connection with the mechanisms of deformation, especially grain boundary sliding. Although the amount of grain boundary sliding varied considerably for the different heat treatments, yestriction of grain boundary sliding is not due primarily to precipitate on the grain boundary. NUMEROUS prior investigations of grain boundary sliding, notably those of McLean, 1 Rachinger, 2 Rhines, Bond, and Kissel, 3 and Brunner and Grant,4 have established the importance of this phenomenon in the deformation of pure aluminum and its solid-solution alloys at elevated temperatures. An extension of this kind of study to the case of a simple two-phase structure is an important step towards understanding the deformation behavior of more complex alloys. A two-phase A1-3 pct Cu alloy was selected for this study. The creep behavior of alloys in this system has been studied by Sully and Hardy,5 by Underwood, Marsh, and Manning,' and by Pelloux, Chaudhuri, and Grant.7 In these studies, the prior heat treatments were such that some precipitation took place during the tests in most cases. Pelloux, Chaudhuri, and Grant7 studied the creep of A1-2 and 3 pct Cu alloys in the overaged condition. Their results indicated that the structure most effective in promoting high-temperature strength consisted of a fine, closely spaced grain precipitate and large, widely spaced particles on the grain boundary. The present work consists of quantitative meas- urements of grain boundary sliding during creep of an A1-3 pct CU alloy with four different precipitate distributions. The aims were to quantitatively define the role of the second phase on grain boundary sliding, and to obtain information regarding the mechanism of grain boundary sliding. MATERIALS AND PROCEDURE A high-purity A1-3 pct Cu alloy, kindly supplied by Alcoa, was used in this investigation. The composition of the alloy in weight percent was as shown in Table I. This composition is such that A12Cu exists as a second phase at temperatures below 850°F. A homogeneous grain size of 0.6 to 0.8 mm was obtained by annealing the machined test bars for 5 min at 1000°F, furnace cooling to 930°F, and homogenizing for 5 hr. Following the recrystalli-zation and homogenizing anneal, four different heat treatments shown in Fig. 1 were utilized. The F7 and F5 treatments utilize a furnace cool to the aging temperature while Q7 and Q5 have a water quench from the homogenization temperature before aging. Figs. 2 to 5, and Table 11, show the size and shape of precipitate dispersions obtained with the above heat treatments. The heat treatments produce variations in the dispersion both in the grains and along the grain boundaries. Precipitate particles along the grain boundaries are rounded and large (about 1.5 p diameter) in the F5 and F7 structures (Figs. 3 and 5). The grain boundary precipitate was somewhat smaller (0.9 p diameter) in the Q7 structure and no grain boundary precipitate was detected in the Q5 structure using light microscopy. The pre-

Jan 1, 1964

By AIME AIME

FOUR separate groups of conveyors are installed in the Morenci Reduction Works as follows: (1) Ore-handling conveyors from the primary crushing plant to the coarse ore bin, from the coarse-ore bin to the secondary crushing plant, and from the secondary crushing plant to the ore bin in the concentrator plant. (2) Conveyors in the mill section of the concentrator plant. (3) Conveyors handling concentrate from the filter plant to the bedding plant, and from this plant to the smelter. (4) Conveyors handling flux and custom ore in the smelter crushing plant and to the bin at the bedding plant.

Jan 1, 1942

By William Fink

THIS paper is the nineteenth of a series from the Aluminum Research Laboratories, presenting the results of the investigations of equilibrium relations in aluminum-base alloys made from electrolytically refined aluminum. In previous papers equilibrium) relations have been deter-mined and correlated for 12 binary systems. Equilibrium relations have also been determined for portions of the aluminum corners of three ternary systems (aluminum-iron-silicon, aluminum-magnesium-silicon and alu-minum-copper-magnesium). The object of the present paper and those to follow is to increase our knowledge of the aluminum corner of the more important ternary systems. In 1926 Dix and Keith? suggested a new method for designating the phases encountered in alloy systems. The system has been used to a very limited extent 1,2,3. The system has since been slightly modified and will be used in this and future papers. In the system as modified, a phase is designated by placing in parentheses the chemical symbols of the elements essential to the formation of that phase. The symbols in the parentheses are separated by dashes in order to clearly distinguish them from a chemical formula. Elements that are not necessary to the formation of the phase in question, but which may be present in solid solution, are not indicated in the designation. If two or more phases would have the same designation according to these rules, they are dis-tinguished by prefixing Greek letters, and are definitely identified by X-ray diffraction patterns.

Jan 1, 1936

By A. H. Daane, J. F. Haefling

The limits of miscibility in some of the uranium rare-earth alloy systems have been determined in the temperature range 1000°to 1250°C. The solubilities of lanthanum and cerium in uranium are greater than those of the remaining rare earths by a factor of more than two. The solubility of uranium is greater in cerium, braseodymium, and neodymium than in the other rare-earth metals studied. The values found in this study are in qualitative agreement with those which might be expected if the solubility rules of Hildebrand and Scott are applicable. AS interest in nuclear reactors intensifies, many new types of fuels are being suggested in attempts to improve the economics of some of the proposed reactor schemes. To remove some of the difficulties inherent in the use of solid-fuel elements and their reprocessing, many types of liquid-metal reactors have been suggested. One of the more attractive features of several of these reactor concepts is that they include a continuous or semicontinuous process for the extraction of fission products and "bred" fissionable materials from the fuel, utilizing immiscible metal extractants. This would enable a much higher burn-up of fissionable material to be achieved and would present a very attractive economic picture. Several studies have been reported on equilibrium systems in which there exists a high degree of immiscibility between uranium and another metal that might be used as an extractant in such a processing scheme.' Two of these systems in which a high degree of immiscibility exists are those of uranium with the two rare-earth metals, lanthanum, and cerium. Since the rare earths constitute a significant fraction of the fission products, their removal is of prime importance. It is reasonable to believe that this might be accomplished by equilibrating a rare-earth phase with the contaminated uranium fuel in the liquid state. In order to make a more complete study of those systems which would be of interest either as extractants in a liquid-liquid extraction process, or as fission products formed in the fuel, the alloy systems of uranium with lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, and samarium were studied in some detail in the temperature range 1000" to 1250°C; less detailed studies were made with the other rare earths. In addition to being of value to the reactor program, the data obtained in this study should be of help in making a study of the role played by the electronic structures of metals in determining the nature of metallic solutions. The unique electronic structures of the rare-earth elements make them particularly interesting in this respect. EXPERIMENTAL The usual procedure for a solubility determination was to seal equal volumes of uranium and the particular rare earth in a tantalum crucible under an atmosphere of helium; this crucible was then sealed in a stainless steel jacket in an atmosphere of helium. These samples were equilibrated by repeated inverting of the crucibles in a furnace for 15 min at the desired temperature, left in an upright position for 15 min to permit separation of the two phases, and then quenched under a stream of water. In some runs the temperature of the furnace was held 50' to 100°C above the desired quenching temperature while inverting in order to insure good mixing. However, it was found that above 1200°C the crucibles were subject to failure and for these runs the furnace temperature was not raised above the desired quenching temperature. A small amount of tantalum was dissolved in the uranium and the rare earths in these runs, a maximum of 3 wt pct in the uranium phase at 1250°C and up to 1 wt pct in the rare-earth phase at this temperature. On cooling, the major portion of this tantalum precipitated as primary tantalum crystals. Any residual tantalum would probably have a negligible effect on the mutual solubility of uranium and the rare earths in each other. Samples for analysis were cut from each phase with an abrasive cutting wheel; the region near the interface between the two metals was carefully avoided. In the case of the rare earths with melting points above 1250°C no solubility data were taken on the rare-earth phase since this phase could not have achieved equilibrium in a reasonable length of time. (For the same reason no data were taken on the uranium phase below its melting point of 1132°C.) Equilibrium appeared to have been reached in the uranium phase in these cases although the rare-earth phase had not melted. To verify this, samples were melted together in an arc furnace similar to that described by Kroll.2 These samples were sub-

Jan 1, 1960

By Harry M. Mikami, Harold A. Heiligman

The term chromite is often used to cover all chrome ores and concentrates which are the designations actually employed by most industrial users and producers. Chromite is, of course, the predominant mineral in chrome ores which are aggregates of chromite and gangue minerals, most commonly magnesian silicates. Most chrome ores now used are petrographically chromitites which is a rock, rather than an individual mineral term. The title of this chapter, following past usage, is meant in the broad sense. Chromite is the only primary commercial source of chromium. This book is intended to deal only with nonmetallic minerals and rocks. Chromite uses are both metallic (ferroalloys) and nonmetallic (refractories and chemicals), but any discussion of mineralogy, geology, and mining is common for all types. A number of the major commercial ores are interchangeable, and their uses are determined by economic considerations. Mineralogy COMPOSITION [Chromite is a term embracing a wide range of chromium-bearing spinel*-group minerals the compositions of which can be expressed as (Mg,Fe2+)0.(Cr,AI,Fe3+ )203.t This can be further generalized to R2+O.R23+03 and the molecular RO: R,03 ratio is generally close to one. The exact composition may be arbitrarily expressed as a solid solution of six end-members, MgAI2O4, MgCr2O4, MgFe2O4 FeCr2O4, FeA12O4, and Fe2+.Fe23+04 with the proportions of each stated or plotted in the six-cornered prism of Johnston and Stevens61 or this scheme may be simplified to comprise only three endmembers making up a composition triangle, Fig 1. [ ] FIG 1-Triaxial composition diagram showing molecular compositions of chromites listed in Table 1. The RO.Fe2O3 corner includes Ti02 norms listed in the table. Note that the high-alumina chromites (1, 2, 3, 9), form a cluster well apart from the high-Cr2O3 chromites. There is a tendency for high-iron chromites to be higher in Fe2O3 + TiO2 but it is not a consistent or systematic relationship. The MgO/RO ratio must also be known to characterize the chromite chemically. Simplest and most convenient method is Thayer's' in which a chromite such as (Mg.65Fe.352+)O.(Cr.40Al.50Fe.103+)203 would be written as (Mge,) Cr eAlo. The molecular pro- portions of ferrous and ferric oxides can be seen at a glance as the divalent and trivalent oxides]

Jan 1, 1960

By William F. Boericke

THERE was a time when the selection of fire brick was .left to the judgment of the head bricklayer of the plant, whose choice was not unaffected by a box of Christmas cigars from a friendly salesman. But the days are past when it was generally believed, with complacent philosophy, that bricks were bricks without much distinction, and should be bought on a price basis alone. Gone, too, is the belief that in certain types of industrial work the eventual failure of refractories was assured. Modern metallurgical practice, with its trend toward handling larger tonnages at higher temperatures, demands the use of refractories that cannot be supplied by random guess. The logical development is to inquire into the properties of the brick to be purchased, and this resolves itself into the use of specifications. In 1925, the General Refractories Co., with the active support and hearty cooperation of some of its larger customers, established a laboratory, at its Baltimore plant, for testing and research in refractories. This was the outgrowth of a growing appreciation of the value of research in the refractory field. Since then the work has become more involved' and the aims more ambitious, so that the present laboratory now employs a staff of 11 men working, under the direction of trained refractory technologists, on problems of research as well as the routine control of manufacture. It is believed s that `this type of laboratory is a comparative novelty among refractory manufacturing plants. It handles the testing and research work for all the 15 plants of the organization. Being at one of the works has the advantage of making it possible to carry on large scale plant tests on new products after the preliminary laboratory tests have been successfully completed.

Jan 1, 1929

By Norman B. Pilling

The technical difficulties hampering the metallographic analysis of silicon steels are chiefly the result of the extreme corrodibility of these alloys. The addition of silicon to iron in increasing quantities, up to about 6 per cent., rapidly increases the susceptibility of the alloy to chemical attack, not only in acid solution, but in water. This renders the preparation of metallographic sections very difficult, because of a non-selective attack upon the finely polished surface by the water used as a lubricant in polishing. This water attack masks the true structural details revealed by suitable etching reagents. It is thus necessary to use alcohol as a polishing lubricant in the last stages of preparation and to avoid all etching reagents having an aqueous base. A specific reagent for the identification of iron carbide in ferrous alloys, and the one hitherto used almost' exclusively by metallurgists, is an alkaline aqueous solution of sodium picrate, which stains this constituent selectively. Its application to silicon steels has not proved successful, as its distinctive selective action is more or less completely hidden by the general attack of the aqueous solvent on the silico-ferrite, greatly accentuated by the fact that this reagent must be used at its boiling temperature (105' C.). Thus, a powerful metallographic aid to the study of the higher silicon alloys, such as transformer steels, is lost. A new reagent has been developed for the purpose of overcoming this difficulty. It is with some hesitation that the list of etching reagents, already overburdened, is increased, but the properties of this new reagent are advantageous in several ways and a definite field for it may be found in the metallography of ferrous alloys. The reagent consists of a dilute solution of nitric acid and methyl alcohol in nitrobenzol. It is a great advantage to secure an anhydrous solution, as a tendency toward acidic etching has been traced to small amounts of water. A convenient method of preparation is to make an anhydrous stock solution of nitric acid in methyl alcohol in the proportion 20 per cent. acid by weight (12.5 per cent. by volume). The alcohol can

Jan 1, 1924

By Arthur S. Dwight

From the latest and best literature on lead-smelting, little can be learned concerning the present state of the art of mechanical feeding in the United States. H. O. Hofman, in his Metallurgy of Lead (5th ed., 1899), briefly describes the main features of the system in use at Pueblo, Colo., and later (p. 235) says " the only successful mechanical feeding, as far as the writer is aware, is that found at the works of the Pueblo Smelting and Refining Co." H. F. Collins, in his Metallurgy of Lead and Silver (London, 1899), covers American practice pretty thoroughly; but as to mechanical charging, he says: "The German plan of taking off the gases by means of a small iron pipe suspended in the center, and the plan of charging by means of cup and cone, as in iron blast-furnaces, have both been tried, but have not found favor, chiefly on account of the difficulty of obtaining free access to the furnace-shaft for barring, etc., with such devices."' . H. W. Hixon, in his Notes on Lead and Copper Smelting (3d ed., New York, 1900), gives a description and drawing of the Hixon feeding device, as originally installed at East Helena. Evidence that this system of feeding has passed its experimental stage, and deserves more serious consideration than it has heretofore received, is furnished by two large plants—the Pueblo and the East Helena—of the American Smelting and Refining Co., where mechanical feeding has been in continuous and successful operation for a considerable period; one new plant now erecting at Salt Lake City, Utah, and one old one belonging to the same company, the El Paso works, now being rebuilt after a disastrous fire, in both of which mechanical feeding is to be a prominent feature ; one new plant of an independent concern at Torreon, Mexico, which will adopt mechanical feeding; and a number of other smaller plants, among

Jan 1, 1902

By Charles A. Ashburner

' I. Natural-Gas Explorations. The rapid development of the natural-gas* industry in Western Pennsylvania, and the great economy which results from its use, both for manufacturing and domestic purposes, has led to an inquiry as to the occurrence of this gaseous mineral in all thickly populated and large manufacturing centers of the United States. Natural-gas springs are to be found in almost every State in the Union, and in many States gas has been obtained in wells sunk either for water, oil, or gas, or in search of solid mineral deposits. The occurrence of natural gas is, however, not dependent upon mere chance, as is popularly supposed, but upon the existence of special geological phenomena; this fact is now recognized by professional men and by many practical men concerned either in the exploration for or in the use of this gas. The desire among our leading manufacturers, to emulate Pittsburgh, has led to the sinking of many wells in many localities, in search of natural gas. Some of these wells are now being located and drilled under the direction of professional experts, but many more have been, and are still being located by "quack " explorers, who often depend upon spiritualistic communications, or the diviningrod, or by intelligent persons, who are ignorant, however, of the geological and physical conditions under which gas has already been found. My attention has recently been directed to a number of these exploring operations where holes have been drilled, and, after failing

Jan 1, 1887

By W. A. West

One who attempts to collect and classify equilibrium data from various iron-alloy systems is soon struck with the absence of any quantitative theory that can serve as a general background against which to compare and contrast results from different systems, at different temperatures, and with different concentrations. It is not necessary to wait for a perfect theory; investigation of divergences of theory from observation may prove of great value in acquiring understanding of the subject. For example, one has only to think of Raoult's law as applied to aqueous solutions. The equations developed by Zener1 represent an effort to provide such a quantitative theoretical background, and it is therefore desirable to subject this theory to such tests as can be applied. The present article is intended to be an application of available tests, and may thus be considered as a supplement to Zener's paper. It is assumed that this paper is available to the reader. The equations make it possible to calculate the effect on the equilibrium concentration of one alloying element due to the presence of one or more other elements. In particular. they are intended to give, for alloy steels, the carbon concentrations in alpha and gamma phases in equilibrium with each other, and in gamma in equilibrium with cementite. They may, however, be modified for use for carbon-free alloys. A summary is given later of the equations used in analyzing the data in this paper, and the symbols are there defined. About 125 papers have been examined for experimental data suitable for this investigation. An effort was made to look up all available reports of ternary systems including iron and carbon, as well as similar systems of higher order. Supplementary material was also obtained from a number of binary systems. A few noncarbon ternary systems were also found to which these methods could be applied. A comparatively small proportion oi the papers read provided usable material. In many systems the number of quantitative observations made in the iron-rich region is extremely small, and the smoothed curves to be found in most published phase diagrams are entirely useless for quantitative treatment. This opinion is confirmed by the authors of the series on Alloys of Iron Research, whose remarks show clearly that they have no illusions as to the accuracy of many diagrams that they present. A further difficulty arises from the fact that these equations apply only to rather low percentages of alloying elements. The result is that at the lowest concentrations, where the best agreement might be hoped for, the errors of observation become relatively very large. The experimental difficulties in measurements of this kind of equilibrium are, of course, an old story.

Jan 1, 1947

By W. A. West

One who attempts to collect and classify equilibrium data from various iron-alloy systems is soon struck with the absence of any quantitative theory that can serve as a general background against which to compare and contrast results from different systems, at different temperatures, and with different concentrations. It is not necessary to wait for a perfect theory; investigation of divergences of theory from observation may prove of great value in acquiring understanding of the subject. For example, one has only to think of Raoult's law as applied to aqueous solutions. The equations developed by Zener1 represent an effort to provide such a quantitative theoretical background, and it is therefore desirable to subject this theory to such tests as can be applied. The present article is intended to be an application of available tests, and may thus be considered as a supplement to Zener's paper. It is assumed that this paper is available to the reader. The equations make it possible to calculate the effect on the equilibrium concentration of one alloying element due to the presence of one or more other elements. In particular. they are intended to give, for alloy steels, the carbon concentrations in alpha and gamma phases in equilibrium with each other, and in gamma in equilibrium with cementite. They may, however, be modified for use for carbon-free alloys. A summary is given later of the equations used in analyzing the data in this paper, and the symbols are there defined. About 125 papers have been examined for experimental data suitable for this investigation. An effort was made to look up all available reports of ternary systems including iron and carbon, as well as similar systems of higher order. Supplementary material was also obtained from a number of binary systems. A few noncarbon ternary systems were also found to which these methods could be applied. A comparatively small proportion oi the papers read provided usable material. In many systems the number of quantitative observations made in the iron-rich region is extremely small, and the smoothed curves to be found in most published phase diagrams are entirely useless for quantitative treatment. This opinion is confirmed by the authors of the series on Alloys of Iron Research, whose remarks show clearly that they have no illusions as to the accuracy of many diagrams that they present. A further difficulty arises from the fact that these equations apply only to rather low percentages of alloying elements. The result is that at the lowest concentrations, where the best agreement might be hoped for, the errors of observation become relatively very large. The experimental difficulties in measurements of this kind of equilibrium are, of course, an old story.

Jan 1, 1947

By Norman D. Fitz, Gerald

BOTH physical and economic factors are concerned in determining the optimum rate of depletion of a mineral deposit. The physical limitations are, in a large measure fixed by nature. Economic influences on the other hand, are man-made and subject to wide changes. Analyses of the interrelations of these two groups of factors are of major importance in selecting the optimum rate of production of petroleum and mining properties and in their valuation. Physical Influences PRIMARY limitations on the rate of mining are the rate of shaft sinking and underground development, the rate of hoisting, and the rate of sloping. These rates are largely determined by the physical features of a property. Technical methods which may be employed, and consequently the length of time required, are governed by the dimensions of the deposit, its attitude, depth, regularity, the unit value and character of the ore, the nature of the wall rocks, and similar factors.

Jan 1, 1938

By Richard W. Greene, Joel S. Hirschhorn

MATERIALS containing very large amounts of porosity, in the order of 50 to 90 vol pct, are extremely difficult to evaluate according to conventional mechanical behavior tests. This is usually a consequence of their low strength and brittleness, and the difficulty of preparing standard test specimens. A simple fatigue test has been developed and used successfully on porous nickel sheet materials requiring no specimen preparation; it could also be used for configurations other than sheet or plate. Samples of the sheet. 2 in. sq and about 0.025 in. thick, are placed in a vessel that is evacuated to about 50 f Hg by a mechanical pump. Distilled and deairated water is allowed to enter the vessel thereby filling the porosity (virtually all the porosity in these nickel ma-

Jan 1, 1970

By Nagel, Theodore

USE of oxygen in metallurgical operations was investigated by a committee of unusually able engineers more than ten years ago. A record of their work appeared under the title "The Use of Oxygen or Oxygenated Air in Metallurgical and Allied Processes," Serial 2502, Report of Investigations, U. S. Bureau of Mines. Shortly thereafter the A.I.M.E. published "Use of Oxygenated Air in Metallurgical Operations," based on a symposium at the New York meeting, February 1, 924. Quoting from the Bureau of Mines report In view of the many recent developments in oxygen manufacture, and considering the increasing cost and decreasing quality of our raw materials, the Bureau of Mines has taken the matter of the application of oxygen or oxygenated air to the metallurgical centers for consideration and has appointed an advisory committee to study the problem.

Jan 1, 1935

By Wayne D. Gould

Cities Service Co.'s Pinto Valley concentrator was designed to eliminate excess capital costs without loss of efficiency. The result is a workable plant with some important innovations. These innovations, the equipment used, and plant processes are outlined. Particular attention is paid to the work efficiency and wear of the six ball mills, the largest wet ball mills made. For experiment purposes, four designs of liners were installed. The effectiveness of each design is discussed.

Jan 1, 1977

By Hans Lundberg

IN ORDER to comprehend the help and information that may be expected from electrical prospecting, it is necessary to have at least a general knowledge of the methods and principles involved in preparing and interpreting results obtained in the field. Electrical prospecting is rather complicated, both in theory and practice, and in order to make a brief description clear to the practical mining man it has been necessary to idealize and generalize the problems, at the risk of having such simplification criticized by the theoretical man. This simplification must not be misinterpreted as showing a lack of theoretical knowledge. FIG. 1.-FLOW OF CURRENT IN AND AROUND A CONDUCTING BODY. For its operation, electrical prospecting mainly depends on the fact that most metallic ores conduct an electric current much more readily than barren rocks. If an electric current flows through a block of ground within which a body of chalcopyrite is enclosed in country rock of schist, the current will find less resistance to its passage through the chalcopyrite than through the schist, even though the passage through the latter be much shorter. This is because the longer path through the chalcopyrite offers less resistance, owing to the superior electrical conductivity of the chalcopyrite (Fig. 1).

Jan 1, 1928

By John A. THOMPSON, Pazcl D. Torrey, Frank Breayster

DISCOVERY of natural gas in the Dundee field of New York in February, 1930, and the subsequent discovery in Tioga in September of that year, focused the attention of the natural-gas industry on the enormous possibilities of production and distribution in - the most populous area of the United States-New York and New England. Prior to 1926 the natural-gas industry in New York State had settled into a definite and limited policy, with the distributing companies controlling the output from its discovery to the ultimate consumer. Production amounted to between G and 7 thousand mil- lion cubic feet a year, with another 10,000 million feet imported from Pennsylvania for distribution in New York State. This gas was primarily from the Medina sand stone in. the western part of the state.

Jan 1, 1932

By O. J. Huber

HYDROGEN effects in titanium alloys have been the subject of extensive research in recent years. Lenning, Craighead, and Jaffee1 showed that hydrogen embrittles a titanium and, at the same time, elevates the temperature at which the transition from brittle to ductile failure occurs during impact testing. In later work: the same investigators concluded that several all-ß alloys tolerate large amounts of hydrogen without serious damage to mechanical properties, but two-phase alloys suffer varying degrees of embrittlement, depending upon the specific ß-stabilizing addition used and whether or not an a stabilizer is also present. The mechanism of hydrogen embrittlement has not been clearly established. Strain rate has been shown to be an important factor and, therefore, a strain-aging phenomenon is suspected to cause the effects that hydrogen has produced on mechanical properties.3-5 Ripling6 has pointed out that ductility damage varies inversely with strain rate in a-ß alloys and directly in a alloys. This effect in a alloys can be associated with transition-temperature behavior, but the embrittlemeat mechanism in two-phase alloys remains in question. During the course of research conducted for the U. S. Air Force, a dark-etching phase has been observed at the grain boundaries of certain two-phase titanium alloys after duplex (solution plus aging) heat treatments.5-7 An example of the dark-etching interface phase is shown in Fig. 1. Decrease in ductility accompanies the appearance of the minor phase but has not always been attributable solely to the presence of the phase. Although the dark-etching phase has been observed in alloys under a rather narrow range of heat-treatment conditions, it is of general interest since it is always associated with the presence of hydrogen. The known embrittling effect of hydrogen makes any facet of its behavior of particular importance. The intergranular phase has been observed in titanium-base alloys with relatively high amounts of the ß-stabilizing elements. Specific examples of such alloys include Ti-5 pct Mn-2.5 pct Cr, Ti-3.5 pct Cr-3.5 pct V, Ti-8 pct Mn, and Ti-3 pct Mn-1

Jan 1, 1958

By E. V. Potter

For a nurnber of years, it has been known that manganese made by electro-deposition under certain conditions is ductile while under other conditions it is very brittle. The ductile metal is gamma manganese normally stable only between 1100 and 1138°C1; the brittle metal is alpha manganese, stable up to 727OC. The ductile metal is not stable, but gradually changes to the brittle form; the time required to complete the transfornlation is about 20 days at room temperature. Other observations have indicated that the transformation is completed in 10 to 15 min. at about 125°C, while at — 10°C, no appreciable change occurs in 9 months. The properties of gainma and alpha Illanganese in the pure state are ordinarilj difficult to determine because the gamma structure cannot be retained by normal quenching procedures and alpha manganese is so brittle, it is difficult to obtain specimens free from flaws. In a recent investigation2 some properties of gamma and alpha manganese were determined by studying the ductile electrolytic metal and determining the changes in its properties as it transformed to the brittle alpha form. These investigations provided an excellent opportunity for following the progress of the transition and studying its mechanism. The results of a series of such investigations are reported in this paper. Procedure Various properties of manganese were determined starting with the metal in the original ductile gamma form and following the subsequent changes in its properties as the metal transformed to the brittle alpha form. These observations were made at various temperatures, the data providing information regartling the mechanism of the transformation as well as the effect of temperature 011 the transition rate. Structure and resistivity values gave the most significant results, so this paper is concerned primarily with them. The structure was studied microscopically as well as by X ray diffraction. The resistivity was determined on strips of the metal by measuring the potential drop across a given length of the specimen. Current was passed through the specimen by wires soldered to its ends, and the potential connections were made by wires looped around the specimen near its center. The current was determined by the potential drop across a standard resistor connected in series with the specimen, the potential drop being measured on a potentiometer. In the temperature range from room temperature to 100°C an ordinary drying oven was used to heat the specimen. This was entirely satisfactory except at 100°C, where the time required to heat the specimen was long compared to the transition time, making the initial section of the resistivity curve unsatisfactory. To overcome this limitation, at 100°C and higher a thermostatically controlled oil bath was used to heat the specimens. The block on which the specimen was mountetl was plunged into the hot oil at the start of each test. The heating time was thereby reduced from 5 min. to about 6 sec, and dependable resistivity values could be obtained through 160°C. At this point the whole transition, including the warm-up time for the specimen, required only about 20 sec and it was not considered worth while trying to extend the temperature range further. Aside from the heating problem, the problem of making a sufficient number of accurate resistivity determinations became more and more difficult as the temperature was raised. Using the manually operated potentiometer, 100°C was about as far as it was possible to go. At this temperature and above, a self-balancing photoelectric recording potentiometer was used. Its response was quite rapid, and it proved to be entirely satisfactory all the way through 160°C, where the tests were stopped because of the specimen heating problem rather than any limitation of the potentiometer recorder. The metal used in these tests was prepared at the Salt Lake City laboratory of the Bureau of Mines. The method of preparation is discussed in a paper by Schlain and Prater.3 The sheets were about 2 3/8 by 5 3/16 in. and varied from 10 to 16 mils in thickness. They could be cut readily into pieces suitable for the various tests. X ray and microstructure determinations were made on pieces about 1/8 to 1/4 in. wide and about 1 in. long, while resistivity measurements were made on strips as long as possible and about 55 in. wide. The thickness of each sheet was not uniform over all its surface. This had no bearing on the X ray and microstructure determinations, but sections as nearly uniform and free from flaws as possible were chosen for the resistivity determinations. The gamma manganese was electro-deposited at 30°C, the time of deposition ranging from 5 to 12 hr for each sheet. Whenever possible, the tests were started directly after the metal was stripped from the cathode; otherwise the sheet was placed immediately

Jan 1, 1950

By H. I. Altshuler

THE mines operated by the Compañia de Real del Monte y Pachuca, Pachuca, Mexico, are in two districts, the Pachuca, and Real del Monte. The principal area of mineralization is within a rectangle roughly 10 miles from east to west and 6 miles from north to south. It contains a number of veins from 2 to 20 ft. wide, which are exploited by this mining company. The scattered position of the producing mines led to the construction of two mills between 1906 and 1908; the Loreto mill, in Pachuca, averaged 2600 tons daily, and the Guerrero mill, in Real del Monte, milled 1270 tons daily. On Feb. 1, 1929, the management decided to enlarge the Loreto mill to take the combined tonnage of both mills at that time. This economic measure required the centralization of ore delivery, which would also afford a material saving in the cost of ore transport. The centralization would give the company the following advantages over the former system of operation: 1. Beneficiation at a single mill, closer to source of materials and supplies than the abandoned- Guerrero mill. The refinery is, also in the Loreto patio. 2. Ore delivery to surface at one point (San Juan Pachuca shaft) instead of at four. 3. Elimination of aerial tramways. To show what would be required to effect this centralization, it is necessary to describe the means by which the ore was delivered to the two mills, prior to centralization. The heart of the Real del Monte district is roughly four miles from that of the Pachuca section. The producing mines in these two districts were: Pachuca district: Santa Ana mine Camelia group

Jan 1, 1934