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By P. A. C. Wilson

Instantaneous outbursts of carbon dioxide in coal mines have occurred in Germany only in one part of the Waldenburg-Neurode mining district.' This mining region comprises the northeastern fold of the "Innersudetian" coal basin. The basin (Fig. 1) is in the form of a geologic trough approximately 60 km. (37 miles) long and 30 to 35 km. (19 to 22 miles) broad and is enclosed on three sides by ancient truncated mountain ranges—the Riesengebirge, the Bober-Katzbachgebirge and the Eulenge-birge. Only the southeastern part of the trough is not enclosed by mountains of older rock formation. The floor of the basin before the building up of the coal measures was formed on the western, northwestern and northeastern borders by the material from Archean rocks (gneiss and mica schists); in the northern part over this was deposited the Silurian formation. The carboniferous period is represented both by the Lower ("kulm") and Upper Carboniferous, with an unconformity between the stages; that is, the kulm was tilted up and partly eroded before the Upper Carboniferous was deposited. The kulm is a salt-water formation (with marine fauna) but Upper Carboniferous rocks are nonsaline water deposits, with fresh-water flora only. The Lower Silesian coal measures were thus formed in a lime basin fed by the running water coming down from the mountains. As already indicated, the bottom series of the Upper Carboniferous formation, termed "Waldenburg strata" were laid down unconformably on the Lower Carboniferous. Over the Waldenburg strata there are the "Weisstein strata," an intermediate barren stage without coal beds, 400 to 500 m. (1300 to 1600 ft.) thick. Another unconformity followed, which is overlain by the '(Saarbrucken" series, which contain the upper coal measures, and the ('Ottweil" strata. In the last named, it is only on the southwestern fold that beds of coal are developed.

Jan 1, 1931

By T. W. Bossert

MELTING is the initial step in the fabricating of all aluminum and aluminum-alloy products. Its function may be considered as threefold: to improve the metal quality, to adjust the composition, and to change the form to that required for subsequent fabrication. Because the melting operation is generally somewhat removed from the final product fabrication, its importance is frequently overlooked. Melting equipment and melting procedures can reflect materially on fabricating procedures as well as on quality and cost of final product. The selection of equipment and the establishment and control of melting procedures, therefore, should be given careful consideration. It is the purpose of this paper to present the various factors that should be considered in establishing melting procedures and in selecting melting equipment. Certain of these are the result of the inherent characteristics of aluminum and can be treated rather specifically. Others depend on the particular production requirements and hence will have to be considered more generally. This paper is intended to cover only the melting of solids, as differentiated from fines, such as borings, turnings, and sawdust. The melting of fines, in many respects, is a subject that should be treated by itself, and practices for melting fines are by no means as standardized as are those for melting solids. The melting of fines is today the subject of considerable developmental interest; hence practices discussed today may soon be replaced by new or improved ones. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE METAL THAT AFFECT MELTING Aluminum and aluminum alloys possess several inherent characteristics that affect the melting problem. Of the physical properties, density, heat content, thermal conductivity, emissivity, and melting temperatures are important because of their effect on equipment design. A list of such properties for commercially pure aluminum is given in Table r, compared with similar properties for iron and copper. The low density of aluminum as well as of the aluminum alloys is of material advantage in the design of melting equipment, in that such equipment can be considerably lighter than similar equipment for handling the heavier metals. The density, however, particularly of the molten metal, is not greatly different from that of the oxides and other nonmetallic materials that develop or become part of the melt during the melting process. Separation of such nonmetallics is not as rapid a process as with some of the other metals, and consideration of this must be made in establishing melting procedures. Sufficient holding time to permit such materials to separate out and, in some cases, fluxing treatments to aid the separation, are required. Since some of these nonmetallics settle to the bottom of the melt, provision should also be

Jan 1, 1946

By Kenelm C. Appleyard

In introducing to an American audience a description of the work done in dry coal separation in England and in Europe generally, it is perhaps desirable to give a short history of the development outside the United States of the particular processes with which the author is connected, and perhaps to stress a little the differences in the nature of the conditions to be faced. England actually presents one set of problems and the Continent of Europe another, since the character of the coals to be treated is entirely dissimilar, and the attitude of the coal industries towards coal preparation is also dissimilar. England for generations has been working by hand good seams of clean coal of the highest possible quality and has not felt any pressing need to clean its coal. Most Continental countries, however, especially in Central and Western Europe, have been working friable and often very dirty coals for so long that a washery is accepted as a part of the normal equipment of a colliery, with the result that the art of wet washing has reached a high state of perfection, particularly in Belgium and Germany. The advent of machine mining has intensified the problems to be faced in all countries, and in England has been coupled with the working out of the best seams in the older coal fields, thus bringing about the necessity of working thinner and dirtier seams with resultant difficulties as regards marketing the products, while Poland, with clean and well prepared coal, has in recent years been attacking established British markets in Scandinavia. In recent years, therefore, interest in coal preparation has been steadily gaining ground in England, although it has not yet reached Continental dimensions. Broadly speaking, the differences in preparation problems between England and the Continent boil themselves down to one of size. In England, for example, with the exception of the Kent coal field, the proportion of coal of a size less than ? in. to the coal less than 2 in. is very much less than on the Continent, and since the principal difficulties in dry cleaning lie in the fines it is easier to produce good figures on

Jan 1, 1931

By B. R. Queneau

[ ] B. R. QUENEAU-One of the difficulties in metallurgy has always been a lack of precision in measurement, and I think the authors are to be congratulated on developing a method which will give us an accurate and dependable quantitative estimate of the amount of retained austenite. O. ZMESKAL*-As Chairman Queneau said, this is indeed an ingenious and needed determination. We have seen figures presented of 1/2 pct retained austenite determined, and I would like to ask the authors the lower limits of this method. How far down do they feel they can go in improving the technique still more?

Jan 1, 1948

By Russell Dayton

THE metallurgical polarization microscope has been utilized in several researches in the last few years, thus attaining a fair degree of prominence, but little has been written in a manner suitable to a metallurgist concern-ing the theory of this instrument. In this investigation the theory was carefully studied, and the results are presented here in a detailed manner, yet as simply as possible. The theory is discussed with particular reference to the three chief functions of the instrument: (1) determination of anisotropy; (2) effect of strain; and (3) identification of inclusions. Each of these is investigated experimentally, with especial attention to the mechanism of producing any effect. Where possible, the discussion is supplemented by photomicrographs. The instrument used had numerous defects as a polarization microscope; these and their remedies are discussed. In the microscopic study of transparent mineral sections (chal-cography) the use of polarized light has aided tremendously in the identification of a mineral. The determination of strain in transparent substances (photoelasticity) by the use of polarized light has lately become a commercial process, used in testing finished glass articles. The success of the use of polarized light with opaque materials has not been so great. The magnitude of the effects obtained is much less than that of the corresponding effects with transparent materials, and the mechanical difficulties are much greater. Konigsberger,(1)? in 1909, was the first to apply polarized light to the microscopic study of

Jan 1, 1935

By Milton E. Wadsworth, John N. Ong, W. Martin Fassell

The temperature and oxygen concentration dependence on the reaction of sphalerite in oxygen at pressures from 6 to 640 mm Hg have been investigated in the temperature range 700° to 870°C. Sphalerite has been found to oxidize linearly over this entire temperature and pressure range. At higher rates, considerable self-heating was observed. The dependence of the oxidation rate on the oxygen concentration may be expressed by: Rate = k' where k' is the specific rate constant and 0 = K1[O2]/(1 + KI[O2]), where K1 is the equilibrium rate constant for the adsorption of oxygen on sphalerite. Values of the activation energy and the enthalpy of adsorption were found to be 60.3 and —59.6 kcal per mol, respectively. Data have been presented that indicate conditions under which either a sulphatizing or an oxidizing roast may be obtained. ROASTING processes have been employed in the metallurgy of a great number of basic metals in use today. Until recently, however, little attempt has been made to deduce the fundamental mechanism by which oxidation takes place. Structural changes upon oxidation have been investigated1 = and thorough work has been performed with regard to the reaction products and the thermodynamics of the oxidation reactions. The objective of this investigation was to determine the rate of oxidation of sphalerite and to apply the absolute reaction rate theory in the theoretilcal interpretation of the experimental results." "O Description of Apparatus The apparatus contains the following features: 1—a furnace with gas system, 2—an autographic weighing system, and 3—a temperature control system. Furnace With Gas System—The furnace was mounted by a yoke on each end and was free to travel up and down on steel guide rods, permitting the introduction and removal of samples from the apparatus with minimum difficulty. The furnace was heated by three sections of Kanthal wire wound externally on a zirconia tube and insulated with Fiber-frax. Pure gases or mixtures of gases were introduced into the lower end of the furnace through two flowmeters, a mixing chamber, and a gas-tight sparger, Fig. 1. The gaseous products of the reaction and the unused gases were prevented from escaping to the atmosphere by maintaining a small negative pressure on the system. This procedure permitted air from the outside to enter through the small an-nulus around the quartz suspension fiber and prevented the escape of the internal gases. Autographic Weighing System—The autographic weighing system consisted of an adapted gold balance, a photoelectric circuit, and a weight recorder, Fig. 2. The sample was suspended from one end of the balance beam by means of a platinum chain outside the furnace and a long thin quartz fiber on the inside of the furnace. On the other end of the balance beam, the necessary weights were added to counterbalance the sample. In addition, a calibrated chain was added to the balance which was linked directly to the weight recording unit. Control was effected by means of a photoelectric circuit." A parallel beam of light from a strong source was directed onto a small front-surfaced aluminum mirror mounted in the middle of the balance beam and then to a front-surfaced mirror mounted on the ceiling of the room. The beam was then reflected onto a front-surfaced right prism at a distance of 9 ft from the balance

Jan 1, 1957

INCREASING realization that pouring and ingot-mold practices involve many factors of fundamental importance to ingot quality and general steel-mill operations has caused these phases of steelmaking to become major concerns of operators and metallurgists engaged in control of quality and costs. Methods of pouring steel from the ladle into the ingot molds have some direct effects on ingot quality. The mold itself governs solidification and dimensions of the ingot and in so doing exerts some very tangible influences not only on ingot quality but also on product yields and general steel-mill processing. In addition, practices are employed in the handling of molds during daily open-hearth operations that are important to quality and production costs. Therefore, pouring and mold practices must be considered highly specialized and important steps in steel-mill operations. MOLD DESIGN Mold design is difficult to discuss in a precise manner because it varies greatly throughout the industry, both in theoretical concepts and practical application, and few well developed data are available. Most ingot molds are designed to meet conditions peculiar to a given plant wherein quality standards are dictated by end-use requirements, which may differ considerably even for the same grade of steel. The mold designer must also consider the equipment available to process ingots and the product obtained from them. Such equipment, used for stripping, heating, blooming and finishing operations, is seldom, if ever, exactly the same in any two steel plants. Thus, pronounced contrasts in mold designs can be expected to continue, even among plants making strictly comparable types of product, particularly because some producers are just beginning to realize the benefits possible from specialized designs. Certain fundamentals are used in mold design but even these

Jan 1, 1964

By G. L. F. Powell, L. M. Hogan

Samples of silver and Ag-O alloy, 0.12 wl pet, have been undercooled to a maximum of 250°C by melting in a slag of commercial soda-lime glass. Grain refinement occurred in undercooled silver samples whet the degree of undercooling exceeded a critical value which varied from 153° to 175°C, depending on the melting conditions. In under cooled Ag-0 samples, the grain structure was fine and equiaxed at degrees of undercooling larger than 50oC. The grain refinement in both silver and Ag-0 alloy samples was the result of recrystallization during or immediately following freezing. When the oxygen content was increased, the degree of undercooling at which recrys-tallization occurred decreased. INVESTIGATIONS of the grain structure of strongly undercooled melts of nickel and cobalt1-4 have revealed a change in room-temperature grain size as a function of undercooling. At large degrees of undercooling the grain size was fine, but samples undercooled by smaller amounts exhibited a much coarser grain structure. The reported undercooling at which this grain size transition occurred in nickel varied between 140° and 175'C undercooling. Walker1 attributed this grain size change to an enhanced nuclea-tion rate. Cavitation at a melt-solid interface was con sidered to generate a high-pressure wave. This, in turn, produced nucleation in the liquid as a result of an elevated freezing point increasing the undercooling in the melt. A similar grain size transition was observed in undercooled silver between 133° and 153°C undercooling.5 The grain size transition in undercooled silver was found to be dependent on oxygen con tent. More recently, the authors5 showed that a simila transition occurred in an undercooled Cu-O alloy, =0.08 pet, but not in oxygen-free copper undercooled more than 200°C. The transition was attributed to recrystallization of the solidified grains after freezing; the greater the degree of undercooling, the more complete the recrystallization. In view of this effect of oxygen content on grain size transition, additional undercooling experiments were carried out with silver. This paper reports the results of these studies on silver and Ag-O alloys undercooled more than 50°C EXPERIMENTAL 1) Materials. The silver was supplied by Matthey Garrett Pty., Ltd., as fine granulate, silver mini' mum 99.9 pet, and contained the trace impurities shown in Table I. The silver originated from two different refineries resulting in the difference in impurity content shown in Table I. However, the variation in composition had no discernible effect on the undercooling behavior. Samples of the silver were melted in an open-ended, vertical, cylindrical resistance furnace, wound with Kantha] wire, the temperature of which was adjusted by means of a variable transformer, 2) Melting and Undercooling. Bulk samples of silver were undercooled by preoxidation and removal of oxidized impurities in a glass slag, as previously described,5 but special precautions were necessary to allow comparison between oxygen-free silver and a Ag-O alloy. Samples free of oxygen were prepared by first melting weights of granulate varying from 200 to 400 g in clean vitreous silica crucibles in air for approximately 15 min. A sample was frozen and a complete glass cover formed over the top surface by adding granulated glass rod. The sample was then melted and frozen several times until no oxygen bubbles appeared in the glass slag. Subsequent thermal analysis indicated that the oxygen content was negligible. The glass acted as an efficient barrier to absorption of oxygen from the air. Ag-O alloys were prepared by melting silver in silica crucibles with only a partial cover of glass, so that the top surface of the melt was in contact with air. The silver was held molten in air for several hours at 1000° to 1050°C, in the expectation that the oxygen in solution would reach equilibrium with atmospheric oxygen. At T - 1000°C the equilibrium oxygen content was calculated as 0.12 wt pet O, using Sieverts law and Eq, [l], derived by Mizikar et a!.7 from the data of Sieverts and Hagenacker8 for 1 atm of oxygen:

Jan 1, 1970

By H. S. George

On one occasion when it seemed desirable to reveal under the microscope not only the metallic structure of an alloy, but certain small non-metallic inclusions that are ordinarily obliterated by etching, it was discovered that, by partly eclipsing the illuminating pencil of light rays, the residual light was thrown on the object from one side and the structure was brought out in relief. At the same time, the non-metallic inclusions were retained in clear view. In this first demonstration of lighting obliquely through the objective a card was thrust part way into the light beam between the arc iris and the light filter; the shadow of the card on the filter served to locate its position. Next several stiff-paper disks of various diameters were mounted on flexible wires; some plasticine on the other end of the wires made it easy to adjust and maintain a disk at any desired position in the light beam. To facilitate manipulation, an assortment of disks was mounted on a wheel, as shown in Fig. 1. The purpose of partly eclipsing the light beam was discussed in an earlier paper.' There it was pointed out that the usual methods of illuminating opaque objects for microscopic examination lend an unnatural appearance to the view, while the new method, which has been termed conical illumination, revels the true relationship of constituents by simulating natural lighting. In nature, all objects are lighted diffusely, or by light predominating from one direction, or by a combination of diffuse and directed light. Under these conditions, objects appear to have three dimensions—they possess relief. The kind of illumination known to metallographists as vertical or axial results in an unnatural appearance, as a large proportion of the illuminating rays are parallel to the line connecting the eye with the object, a condition almost never met in nature. Microconstituents

Jan 1, 1924

By Virgil R. D. Kirkham

NoRth America has for many years led the world in phosphate production, but with development of African deposits and their marketing conditions with respect to European countries, this leadership will shortly pass to Africa. Algeria, Egypt, Tunis, and Morocco have large phosphate reserves and a correspondingly large production because of easy mining and a ready European market, which was developed during the war. An increase in home consumption is destined to develop for the eastern American fields, and the countries of the Pacific will provide a market for the western producers. New processes indicate a decrease in fertilizer costs, which will encourage a more widespread domestic use and assure better marketing conditions. The African deposits, although benefited by a water haul, have the disadvantage of being isolated from a source of acid so that the crude rock is shipped from Africa to its destination, whereas in the United States the chief product shipped is acidulated rock or various types of superphosphatic fertilizers, The principal types of phosphate deposits used in the manufacture of fertilizers are guanos, apatite, phosphatic marl, phosphatic limestone, phosphatic shale, and phosphate rock which is also known as phosphorite. Some of these deposits are found on each of the continents; Table 1 gives their occurrence, age, location, character, extent, etc. Most of the information found in this table represents a compilation of information published elsewhere in a different form and widely scattered.

Jan 1, 1925

By L. T. Leyson, U. C. Tainton

Some time ago, at ameeting of the Institute Prof. J. W. Richards1 said, "I take exception to the statement that all the factors in the production of electrolytic zinc were known long ago.... There is possible in my opinion an improvement of perhaps 50 per cent. in the new electrolytic processes." An examination of the literature of the subject will show the justness of Professor Richards' contention. The work of the earlier investigators was carried on in the shadow of difficulties that, today, are hardly more than memories. We seldom hear now of zinc sponge, that bête noir of the electrolytic-zinc pioneers. Zinc sponge was the name given to a peculiar, soft, black, non-adherent form of zinc deposit that was utterly useless for melting into ingot form. At the big plant at Cockle Creek, New South Wales, in 1897, Edgar Ashcroft2 said that the solution in the plant would suddenly, and without ascertainable cause, go' "bad" and begin to deposit spongy zinc. The most delicate, even spectroscopic, methods of analysis were unable to detect any difference between "good" solution and "bad" solution; either form might change to the other on being kept for a while. When it is added that an outbreak of this insidious disease (which appeared to be infectious, or at least contagious) could be dealt with only by discarding the solution and washing out all tanks and pipe lines, some idea may be gathered of the troubles of the zinc electrometallurgist in what may be spoken of as the "sponge age" of electrolytic zinc. Thanks to the efforts of a number of investigators, we are today able to diagnose with considerable certitude the nature of the malady that puzzled Ashcroft and his co-workers. The researches of Mylius and

Jan 1, 1924

By Edward B. Durham

The refinery at the San Francisco Mint takes the bullion purchased by the receiving department, and carrying Illore than 200 parts of precious metals in 1,000, or, in mint parlance, over 200 fine, and separates and refines the various metals contained therein, using electrolytic processes exclusively. Bullion containing silver is treated in cells charged with a nitric electrolyte. These cells produce fine silver and leave a residue rich in gold. The residue from the silver-cells, together with crude gold-bullion, is treated in cells having a chloride electrolyte. These produce fine gold and leave a residue containing silver chloride. The latter is reduced to the metallic state with zinc and is then treated in the silver-cells. The various waste solutions and the wash-waters, after being freed from the bulk of their precious metals, still contain copper and other metals. These are removed by scrap-iron, and are then treated in the copper-cells, having a sulphate electrolyte. These cells produce pure copper, and collect a residue containing lead, some gold and silver, and all the metals of the platinum gronp that were in the bullion. This residue is relatively small, and is melted into bars and stored until suEcient accumulates to warrant treating it for platinum, etc. The refinery occupies three large and three small rooms. The large ones are, a melting-room, 30 by 34 ft.; a cell-room, 39 by 46 ft.; and a wash-room, 30 by 33 ft. The small rooms are used as foreman's osce, laboratory, and , re- spectively. The methods here described are those in use in December, 1909, when notes for the present paper were taken.

Jan 1, 1912

By P. B. Bucky

IN previous publications1 it was shown that a scalar model of any weighty structure, where the stresses produced are mainly due to gravita-tional forces, will behave similarly to its prototype if the model and proto-type material are the same arid the model is placed in a centrifugal field of force (substituted for the gravitational field) which has been increased in the same proportion as the linear model scale is decreased. This principle is now being applied to a study of the behavior of mine structures in an attempt to determine the laws that control them. The importance of using models as a means of solving mining problems has been discussed previously, yet it may be well to reiterate here that this method of research and type of solution have been productive of far-reaching results in other engineering fields, notably those of hydraulics and aerodynamics. Model research is a comparatively cheap and time-saving method of checking practical experience. Up to the present time the best guide to what will happen underground has been the judgment of the man who has observed most and been longest acquainted with the local conditions. His experimental work underground is limited by the elements of cost, time and danger, while failure is seldom permissible. In a model, as in a test tube, all elements that affect the solution of a problem are under definite control. Each element may be varied independently at will and its effects noted. Experimental work on a small-scale model may there¬fore be performed at a comparatively small expenditure of time and money, instead of on a full scale in the mine, where the cost, time, and danger elements are necessarily great. The experiments described in this paper are to be considered as part of a progress report and a continuation of Technical Paper 425. One object of the research program is to make each experiment point the way for further research on that particular phase of the general problem. The results and conclusions presented here are therefore not to be considered as final, but are to be interpreted as

Jan 1, 1933

By J. W. Cunningham, M. J. Stultzman

THE demand for improved materials for high-temperature service has increased during the last few years. Iron,- nickel,- and cobalt-base alloys have been investigated extensively and many alloys with outs'tanding high-temperature strength have been developed. Considerable research has been directed toward improved methods of processing these alloys. The vacuum furnace as a tool for the purification and improved control of high-temperature alloys has been studied extensively and production units are in operation. The research covered by this paper studied the effects of casting in air, vacuum, or argon upon the elevated-temperature properties of two nickel- and two cobalt-base alloys. The alloys investigated were Stellite 31, He 1049, Udimet 500, and Guy Alloy. MELTING AND CASTING PROCEDURES Two heats of each of the four alloys under investigation were melted and investment cast under the following conditions: 1) Stellite 31 was melted and investment cast in air and in vacuum, with an argon atmosphere for pouring. 2) He 1049 was melted and investment cast in air and in vacuum, with an argon atmosphere for pouring. 3) Udimet 500 was melted and investment cast in vacuum with and without additions of zirconium and boron. 4) Guy Alloy was melted and investment cast in vacuum and in argon. The heats were all melted in induction furnaces equipped with preformed magnesia crucibles of 50-lb capacity. The air-melting furnace was powered by a spark-gap converter of 40 kw capacity. The vacuum-melting furnace was powered by a motor-generator set of 100 kw capacity. The argon heat of Guy alloy was melted in the vacuum melting furnace under an argon atmosphere. Virgin materials were used for preparing all heats except the air heats of Stellite 31 and He 1049. The charge for the air heat of Stellite 31 was a commercial blend of shot. The charge for the air heat of He 1049 was Stellite 6 shot plus those virgin materials necessary to give the desired composition. All of the materials used were of the same grade used com-

Jan 1, 1960

By Frank Clemes Smith

The study of the so-called refractory gold-ores of the Potsdam sandstone, ores which are probably of wider occurrence and of much greater economic importance in the Black Hills than is generally supposed, has led the writer to formulate in the present paper some of the results obtained in the course of a special examination of these particular ores, conducted at the State School of Mines at Rapid City, So. Dak. Various circumstances have interrupted the work, and it will easily be seen that relatively little has yet been accomplished; but it is hoped that this little may be of sufficient interest to justify a later supplement. Tellurium, discovered by Muller von Reichenstein in 1781, is generally classed as a very rare metal; it is further mentioned by one of our late writers as " of comparatively little importance," and as obtained from its ores by a " complicated process.'' Concerning its rarity, we have some trustworthy evidence below. Its commercial importance, particularly in connection with electrical appliances, has been passed upon by Mr. Edison ; * and it is certain that, in some metallurgical processes for the treatment of gold- and silver-ores, it may be saved as a byproduct at a relatively reasonable expense. The importance of tellurium as a mineralizing agent is emphasized by the remarks of one of our leading metallurgists,jwho, in his own practice and by a wide series of experiments, has found its occurrence to be much more general than has been supposed. Recently the same writer has discussed the occurrence of tellurides and oxidized tellurium compounds in the gold-ores of Cripple Creek, Colo., and in those of the Black

Jan 1, 1897

By E. A. Farrell

A comprehensive survey is made of the status of the asbestos industry as it relates to marketing the product. Included are descriptions of the various types of asbestos and the grading and classification systems used. The uses of asbestos, distribution practices, and types of ore bodies are all related to marketing. World production, the producers and their capacities and world consumption for 1966-67 are summarized and statistical data are included. Asbestos is a general term describing a family of fibrous minerals of the serpentine and amphibole mineral groups. Asbestos has a long history going back to the time of the Egyptians, when it was used as a lamp wick. The commercial mining of asbestos started in Canada, Russia, and Africa in the 1800's, and the first asbestos products were made in Italy and Russia. The five main types of asbestos are: chrysotile, accounting for 95% of the total mined, amosite, crocido-lite, anthophyllite, and tremolite. Canada, Russia, and Africa are the major producers of asbestos. The commercial utility of asbestos was at first based on the heat resistance of the fibrous mineral in the form of packing, at the start of the industrial revolution. Its current utility is based more on its ability to reinforce binders such as portland cement, rubber, and plastics. Its inertness to the chemical nature of most binders is unique. Most important is its ability to maintain its reinforcing utility when the product is exposed to weather and soil conditions as in asbestos cement boards and pipe, and heat, pressure, and chemical exposure as in brake linings and gaskets and packings. The mineral asbestos is also unique because its fibrous form permits it to be spun and woven to cloth or formed into paper. Many asbestos applications are critical to national defense and at the present time, there are no satisfactory substitutes. Grading and Classification Canadian chrysotile asbestos fiber is graded and priced by length since basically the longer the fiber the higher the utility. The Canadian asbestos industry does not, however, classify the fiber by direct length measurement, but by a dry screening test. The method is called the Quebec Standard Screen (QS) test. One pound of fiber is mechanically shaken in four vertically stacked sieve boxes. The relative proportions remaining on the sieves defines the grade. The longer the fiber, the larger is the amount that stays on the top coarse screens and the less on the lower, finer mesh screens. Other tests can be used to further define the length distribution of fiber such as the wet screen Bauer McNett and the Suter Webb Comb (3 group only). The Canadian grading system divides the milled fibers into 5 main groups: group 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, with 3 group being the longest, and 7 the shortest. Each group is further divided to subgrades, identified in each group by the letters A to Z, with "A" the longest and "Z" the shortest. See Appendix 1 for the Canadian QS classification system. The Russians also use the QS test on chrysotile. The Africans classify their chrysotile into grades similar to Canadian. The African crocidolite and amosite, however, are classified into actual length groups such as l to 2 in. and 2 to 3 in. Amosite and crocidolite are generally longer than chrysotile but also more brittle. Milled asbestos is not composed of staple length fibers like fiber glass or cotton, but of a mixture or blend of fibers ranging from long to short. Milled asbestos has a fiber length distribution similar to the particle size distribution of a powder. For example, the longest group 3 chrysotile grades have a high percentage of the longest fibers (1/2 to 3/4 in.) and low percentage of short fibers (0.003 in.). The figures in Table 1 give the approximate length distribution of the longest, middle, and shortest groups. A second and further method of classifying fiber is the degree to which the fiber bundles are separated to form a larger number of smaller diameter bundles. This property is normally described as the degree of fiberization, openness or surface area. Air permeability tests are used to measure surface area. Asbestos pro-

Jan 1, 1971

By Oliver Smalley

Except for the work of Guillet, who conducted a systematic investigation on the zinc-replacing value of nickel in brass, and extended his investigation with a view to developing commercial high zinc content nickel brasses, the author does not know of any other systematic research on the subject. The most promising commercial alloys and their physical properties obtained by Guillet are given below: These test results scarcely justify the use of such quantities of so expensive a metal, and could have been obtained from ordinary commercial brass. For purposes of comparison, the physical properties of ordinary brasses, ranging from 70 per cent. to 50.1 per cent. Cu in both the cast and normalized1 conditions are included in 'Table 1. These incidentally furnish a useful standard of the properties of castings and of rolled, extruded and forged brass when correctly annealed. A close study of some of the well-known special brasses containing nickel reveals a series of alloys which bewilder by their complexity, and me can only hazard a guess at the function and commercial value of each of the many elements used.

Jan 1, 1926

By Albert Sauveur

IT WAS in June, 1889, that I was first admitted to the society of educated men. The admission ticket had been signed, on the recommendation of my old and beloved teacher, Bobby Richards, by General Francis A. Walker at the time President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an institution familiarly known as M. I. T. I immediately proceeded to take advantage of that privilege by departing for Steelton, Pennsylvania, where I understood I was eagerly awaited by the educated officials of the Pennsylvania Steel Company. I was some. what disappointed at the casualness of my reception and at being tucked away in that preserve closet of steel works known as the chemical laboratory. At Steelton I met Major Bent who was president of the company. When I say "met," that is a figure of speech as my acquaintance with him was confined to my being shown

Jan 1, 1937

By M. W. Ditto

THe conversion of the beehive coke plants, in this country, to byproduct plants has been slow, because the coal supplies were near the centers of the steel industry. With the growth of this industry, especially with its development around Chicago, it became necessary to transport large tonnages of coal from the eastern districts and then convert it into coke. The losses due to transportation costs were partly offset by the value of the byproducts recovered. To save the transportation costs, it was desirable that the coal deposits of Indiana and Illinois be utilized. This coal had always been classified as non-coking; it was also considered unsuitable for the metallurgical field because of the high ash and sulfur contents. The conditions, however, were promising enough to start experimental and development work, which crystallized in the design of the Roberts coke oven. The fundamental features of most coke ovens, with respect to the application of heating gas and the recovery of byproducts, are the same and, in the last few years, the tendency has been toward the better application of heating to the walls, higher thermal efficiency, and, by the control of heating conditions, the increase of byproduct yields. Structural features also have been improved and the use of high-grade refractory material has allowed the use of higher temperatures with the resulting higher rated capacity per oven per day. Great improvements have been made in both recuperators and regenerators, particularly with reference to the individualizing of each oven with respect to its adjacent oven, so that each can be operated as a unit if desired. The highest development of the flue type of oven has been applying individual regenerators for the recovery of waste heat. After some research work, it was found that the high-volatile Illinois coals could be utilized for coke by obtaining the better application and control of the heating conditions in the oven. Most of this high-volatile coal that had been used gave a good coke structure under certain conditions. The fact that coke was occasionally made from this coal, demonstrated the possibiity of making coke from it at all times pro-

Jan 1, 1923

By Guillermo Zuloaga

The iron deposits of the Imataca Range of Venezuela, which occur along the Orinoco River, in the northern border of the Guayana Highlands, have lately attracted attention on account of their economic possibilities. Many deposits occur in this area; some of slight economic importance and others that may rank with the largest masses of high-grade iron ore of the world. The geology and the character of the ores seem to be remarkably similar to those of the large iron deposits of Brazil. In the investigation of the Venezuelan deposits a definite relationship has been found between the mineralization of the large orebodies and igneous intrusions, especially norites and granites. The following paper is the result of a field and laboratory investigation of the ore deposits. The field work was done during the months of February and March of the year 1929, partly in the company of Prof. W. H. Newhouse. The laboratory studies have been made in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, under the supervision of Professor Lindgren and Professor Newhouse. GENERAL GEOLOGY OF GUAYANA HIGHLANDS General Geography and Physiography The Sierra de Imataca proper occupies a narrow belt along the south bank of the Orinoco River, in the northeastern part of the State of Bolivar and in the western part of the Delta Amacuro Territory of Venezuela. The State of Bolivar is generally known as the Venezuelan Guayana, as it forms part of the same physiographic province of the Guianas and northeast Brazil. In general the Venezuelan Guayana is an extensive plateau, sloping gently towards the Orinoco River to the north and towards the Atlantic Ocean to the east. In the northern part mountains are rare, and consist mainly of elongated low hills. Towards the British Guiana-Brazil boundary, table mountains with vertical cliffs are found forming the ranges of Parima, Roraima and Pacaraima. General Geology The Guayana Highlands are the northern extension of the Brazilian Archean shield. Only a few scattered masses of sediments remain on its

Jan 1, 1935