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By Clarence O. Babcock

Model pillars of limestone, marble, sandstone, and granite with length-to-diameter (L/D) ratios of 3, 2, 1, 0.5, and 0.25 (0.286 for granite) were tested to failure in axial compression to determine to what extent an increase in end constraint increased compressive strength. Adjustable steel rings, mechanically tightened about the ends of test specimens to create a radial prestress of 3,000 or 5,000 psi prior to the application of axial load, increased end constraint more than was possible in previous tests using solid steel rings. (Solid rings, epoxy-bonded to the ends of dogbone specimens, increased compressive strength compared with that of straight specimens without ring constraint.) During the loading cycle, additional end constraint was produced by lateral expansion of the specimens against the rings. The effect of the end constraint was to increase the compressive strength 55 to 58 percent for the shorter pillars of dogbone shape compared with the compressive strength of straight pillars with the same L/D ratios without ring constraint. Most pillars with L/D ratios of less than 2 were made stronger by end constraint. Pillars with an L/D ratio of 3 did not benefit significantly from end constraint. When the results from compression testing of straight specimens of rock in the laboratory are used to design mine pillars in situ, the pillars will be larger than necessary if the horizontal compressive stress is several thousand pounds per square inch greater than that resulting from the weight of the overlying rock alone. The L/D ratio can be increased by a factor of 1.76 for ratios in the range 0.25 to 3 and still provide the same compressive strength. The safety factor applied with straight specimen test results should also be acceptable for use with constrained pillar test results.

Jan 1, 1969

By R. H. Schutz

This publication lists the respiratory protective devices approved by the Bureau of Mines as of December 31, 1968, and the names and addresses of their manufacturers. The purpose of this publication is to inform the public about approved equipment for safe use in mines and mineral and allied industries.

Jan 1, 1969

By G. W. Weems

The Bureau of Mines used the Burnett method and apparatus to determine the compressibility factors for helium and carbon dioxide mixtures at 0°, 10°, 20°, 23°, and 35° C and to pressures of 900 psia. Tables of compressibility factors and approximations of the virial coefficients are presented for seven binary mixtures as well as for helium and carbon dioxide. The results compare favorably with existing data.

Jan 1, 1969

By Jerome E. Grader

Special-purpose analog computers are being profitably applied in the process industries to perform miscellaneoas online computing functions in situations where conventional measurement and/or control hardware cannot perform a required task satisfactorily. This paper will discuss the application of such equipment in the mining industry. It is divided into two parts, beginning with a description of operation of the hardware, followed by a discussion of several applications of the computers to mining industry control problems.

Jan 1, 1969

By R. E. Siemens

The Bureau of Mines sought to correlate the variation of structure-sensitive superconducting properties with microstructure in selected Cb-Hf alloys and to compare the experimental results with those predicted by the GLAG theory. Alloys in wire and rod form were evaluated by critical temperature, critical current, magnetization, resistivity measurements, and optical and electron microscopy. In the absence of an external magnetic field, the current carrying capacity of columbium was greatly reduced with addition of up to 85 wt pct Hf, but a large increase in Ic occurred for Cb-90 wt pct Hf. Favorable Ic-H behavior was observed in cold-drawn alloys containing 25 and 57 wt pct Hf. Correspondingly, a maximum in Tc occurred at 10-25 and 90 wt pct Hf. Four- or five-hour heat treatment at 600° C resulted in maximum Ic values and maximum hysteresis in magnetization. Dislocation pileup, polygonization, and fine precipitates, responsible for flux pinning, are listed in order of their effectiveness as pinning sites. Sites having an average separation of 1,500 to 3,000 A and a diameter of 1,000 A or less were most effective in influencing Ic-H and M-H behavior. The resistive critical fields increased smoothly to a maximum of 80 k0e between 60 and 65 wt pct Hf. Highfield, mixed state, reversible paramagnetism was observed in some alloys; however, the GLAG theory was in good agreement with experimental results for the majority of the composition range studied.

Jan 1, 1969

By Edwin B. Wilson

Electric power generation remains the greatest market for coal in the United States. In 1967, about 272 million tons of coal, amounting to over 51 percent of total coal consumption, were burned to satisfy this nation's hugh demand for power. The size of the utility market is currently five times that of 1941 and continues to grow with the demand for more and more energy. A major reason for this strong market has been the ability of the coal industry to supply a superior product for combustion while maintaining competitive prices. Now that the coal industry is engaged in intensive competition with nuclear power for future energy demand, it becomes ever more imperative that superior coal products are produced. One important problem when burning some coals is a liquid phase corrosive attack on boiler tube metal in the superheater and reheater areas of the furnace where steam temperatures may exceed 1050°F.

Jan 1, 1969

By J. D. Miller Discussion by N. P. Finkelstein, M. C. Fuerstenau

The point designating 10 -4 nole/per liter sulfonate addition in Fig. 1 has been presented incorrectly. This figure, with the corrected scale, is shown at right. N. P. Finkelstein (National Institute for Metallurgy, Johannesburg, South Africa) - The qualitative conclusion the authors of this paper have reached in evaluating the influence of hydrocarbon chain length on collector effectiveness agrees with conclusions in several published reports. However, in two other

Jan 1, 1969

The granulites and related "dry" igneous rocks tend to be passed over during exploration for metals. Preliminary data show that high trace concentrations of eu, Ni, and other metals of economic interest are commonin orthopyroxene and some of the other granulite minerals. During retrograde metamorphism of granulites, pyroxenes are converted to amphiboles or phyllosilicates, and significant quantities of metals are released andbecome available for incorporation into new mineral phases, or may be transported elsewhere. S-rich scapolite is the normal scapolite of granulites. Its retrogression to secondary plagioclase provides much S which scavengesCu and Ni, from pyroxenes undergoing retrogression, thus producing ore-fluids. A full analysis of a scapolite with 5·10 per cent SOg is given.Beryl is unstable in granulites but the rare Be mineral taaffeite (Al4Mg(Be, FeII)Os) with 5·50 per cent BeO occurs in central Australia as a pale green tabular mineral easily confused for chloritoid in hand-specimen.Metamorphic differentiation and mobilization of primary ore concentrations are major factors controlling their post-granulite attitude and grade.Zones of retrograde metamorphism are commonly found cutting or engirdling granulite terranes. As the "volatiles" for the new hydrous minerals of many of these zones are of deep-seated origin and may be juvenile, sulphide mineralization in them may also be of mantle origin. However, it is likely that much of the metal content could be scavenged from the granulites as they are down-graded by juvenile volatiles. Major Bouguer gravity anomalies delineate some granulite terranes (e.g. Fraser Block, Western Australia), and are related to deep-seated geosutures and mantle disturbances.Many granulite terranes are linear belts and appear to be welded to older cratonic blocks.

Jan 1, 1969

By G. H. Keith

The Bureau of Mines determined the mechanism(s) involved in observed anomalous changes in mechanical properties of vanadium-base alloys. Tensile properties of electrorefined and commercial-purity vanadium-base alloys containing up to 5 atomic percent molybdenum or titanium were measured between 77° and 673° K. Snoek oxygen and nitrogen peak heights were measured to determine the changes in dissolved interstitial content caused by increasing quantities of solute. In addition, changes in lattice parameter were followed wit: precision X-ray techniques. Softening, observed in alloys containing titanium, is explained by the formation of a second-phase titanium compound with oxygen or nitrogen. However, because of partitioning of titanium between compound formation and solid solution formation, about five times the stoichiometric amount was required for complete reaction. Addition of 1 percent titanium drastically lowered the strengthening due to strain aging, at 673° K, and 2 percent titanium essentially eliminated it. All alloys were ductile at 77° K. Variations in the tensile properties of the molybdenum-containing alloys are explained by variations in the amounts of interstitial impurities present. The molybdenum did not react with these impurities and had no effect on strengthening due to strain aging. Commercial-purity vanadium alloys containing more than 2 percent molybdenum were brittle at 77° K.

Jan 1, 1969

Jan 1, 1969

By M. J. Pool, P. J. Spencer, R. V. Miner

The partial molar heat of solution of rhodiunz in liquid lin and Rh-Sn alloys has been measured as a function of rhodium concentration at 700" , 725" , 750" , and 775°K. The values at infinite dilution are very exo thermic, ranging from -29,950 to -28,260 cal per g-atom Rh at 700" and 775"K, respectively. At the solubility limit the heat of solution becomes sharply nzore exothermic and has permitted the liquidus boundary to be accurately established at each temperature. From the measurements in the two-phase region of liquid Plus RhSn, the heat of formation of RhSn,has been determined. A large increase in the heat of formation between 725" and 750°K suggests the possibility of a phase transformation in this compound. V ERY few measurements have been made of the heats of solution of transition metals in liquid tin; yet those values that are available are of great interest because of their very large exothermic nature. For example, the heat of solution at infinite dilution of palladium in tin has been measured as about -26,000 cal per g-atom (625" to 800°~),' while the heat of solution at infinite dilution of platinum is even more exothermic at -28,591 cal per g-atom (914°K).' These values are of the same order of magnitude as the heat of formation of many intermetallic compounds and as such clearly indicate that very strong bonding must exist between the solute and tin atoms in the liquid solutions. Rhodium might be expected to display similar solution characteristics in tin in view of its close electronic resemblance to palladium and platinum. Since no thermodynamic data are available for Rh-Sn alloys, rhodium was chosen as an appropriate solute for further investigation of transition-metal systems with highly exothermic heats of solution at infinite dilution. EXPERIMENTAL The heat of solution of rhodium in dilute Rh-Sn liquid solutions was measured as a functlon of rhodium concentration at 700°, 725", 750°, and 775°K. The liquid-metal solution calorimeter used in this work has been fully described elsewhere. At the start of each series of measurements, the solvent bath consisted of about 0.5 g-atoms of 99.9+ pct pure tin. To this was made a number of small rhodium additions, about 0.0005 g-atoms each, and the heat of solution was measured for each. Rhodium of 99.9+ pct purity in powder form was used in order to promote rapid dissolution in the liquid tin. The powder specimens were contained in tin foil stated to be purified (lead-free). This foil was found to have no measurable heat of solution in pure tin so the effect of any impurities could be neglected. The energy equivalent of the calorimeter was experi- mentally determined by dropping tungsten and/or tin specimens at intervals during each series of rhodium drops. The tungsten and tin used were 99.95 and 99.999+ pct pure, respectively. The only heat effect due to a tungsten drop, or a tin drop at low rhodium concentrations in the bath, is the sensible heat of the specimen. The heat content of these materials is well-established and is presented in the compilation of Hultgren et al. 4 As the rhodium concentration in the tin bath increases a small heat effect arises from the reaction: Sn (liquid, T) — & (soln, T) where T is the temperature of the tin bath. Where necessary, this heat of solution of tin was determined by Gibbs-Duhem integration, and corrections were made to the heat effect of the tin calibration specimens and the tin foil containing the rhodium specimens. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The calculated values of the heat of solution of rhodium in dilute Rh-Sn alloys as a function of composition are shown graphically in Fig. 1. The values have been corrected for the sensible heat of the specimens, initially at 273"K, and apply to the reaction:

Jan 1, 1969

By R. M. Douthwaite, G. Birkbeck

The effect of grain size and specimen dimensions on the occurrence and magnitude of a yield point drop in pure iron has been examined. The tests were done at room temperature. The results indicate that gain size is the critical factor determining whether a yield drop occurs. The specimen diameter:gain size ratio does not influence the magnitude of the yield drop for the range of gain size and specimen diameters investigated. HUTCHINSON,' petchY2 and worthington3 have investigated the grain size dependence of the upper yield stress (uUYP) and the yield point drop, ouyp - aLYP, in Armco iron, mild steel, and Si-Fe, respectively. These authors used center-annealed wires to avoid stress concentration from specimen shoulders and to ensure uniformity of the applied stress. Coarsegrained specimens show no yield point drop; the yield point drop then increases as d-'I2 increases (where d is the grain diameter). These results can be understood in terms of Petch's analysis2 in which the magnitude of amp depends on the strain rate in the (limited) number of grains deforming plastically at the upper yield point. If N grains per unit volume are undergoing plastic deformation, the strain rate in the deforming grains is l/Nd3 times higher at the upper yield stress than when the whole specimen deforms homogeneously. If N is constant and independent of grain size at uUyp, then all the grains are deforming when ~d~ = 1, so there is no yield point drop. At finer grain sizes, the yield point drop is given by: where AU, is the friction stress increase corresponding to a tenfold strain rate increase. Christ, Smith, and Burton studied the upper yield point in 0.050-in.-diam wire specimens prepared from zone-refined iron. Each end of the 2; -in. specimens was soldered to a & -in. diam steel ball and the load applied through the two balls. There was a yield point drop in specimens with grain diameters less than 0.1 mm; no drop was observed in specimens of grain diameter greater than 0.1 mm that were free from veining substructure, but specimens of grain diameter 0.129 mm, annealed in the y range, showed an upper yield point. and this was associated with the presence of a veining substructure in these specimens. Christ et al. suggested the upper yield point occurs when more than a specific number of grains fill the specimen cross section so a multiplicity of slip is required to initiate plastic deformation. Table I summarizes the published data on the grain size at which the yield drop disappears. On the basis of this data the ratio of specimen diameter:grain diameter = 5 to 27 appears to be the critical value for the occurrence of a yield point drop. Thus, petch2 interprets the appearance and magnitude of the yield point drop in terms of the limited number of grains deforming plastically at uuyp, whereas Christ et a1. consider that the occurrence of the yield drop depends on the ratio specimen diame-ter:grain diameter. The published data cover a wide variety of materials so some variation between the results is to be expected, but the size range covered in the data of Table I is rather limited. In an attempt to discover whether the specimen diameter:grain size ratio or the grain diameter is critical in determining

Jan 1, 1969

By H. K. VAN POOLLEEN, W. Hurst, H. C. Bixel

In an earlier publication* I showed the development of the instantaneous point source solution for a well producing at a constant rate at the center of a system of two radial, adjoining sands of different permeabilities. I also showed how a wellbore radius could be incorporated if this were the development required. For the purpose of that paper and the point I wished to make, this solution served. It yielded a simplifying solution of sands in series identified by Eqs. VI-26 and VI-27. (These equations are reproduced in part by Bixel and van Poollen as their Eq. 3, Page 302.) I am well aware that the simplified solutions are approximations. The facts that these Ei-functions satisfy the diffusivity equation and meet the boundary conditions both at the well and at the interface between sands, and that the earliest time considerations yield zero pressure drop, are evidence that the solutions are good approximations. This was the purpose for these formulas, which I interpret that where the permeabilities are of finite order of magnitudes in the respective media, the relations give satisfactory answers. However, from the authors' point of view there are reservations, which leads me to consider their entire generalization as illustrated in their Figs. 1 through 14. What I understand from their storage capacity, relationship Fs, which is the ratio of the product of porosity and compressibility of Sand II to Sand I, that is employed here by the authors as a correlative means of identifying one figure from another, there is nothing in the exact mathematics that supports such a term as a means of correlation. This is taken out of context, unsustained that this applies. Here the mathematics are known, where the true correlation is the diffusivity term of one sand to another. This entails permeability that refers back again to the term M in their paper for the transmis-sibility of fluid from one sand to the other that should have also been a part of this storage capacity. In Figs. 8 through 14, which purported to show the simplified equation following this correlation, there are apparent discontinuities for M equal to or less than 0.1000 that differ from the trends for greater values of M. In this connection there is no reference radius given for this cumulative pressure drop in the paper that would permit me to make these calculations. However, what is clear for M equal to 0.1000 or less we are treated to almost a closed barrier at the interface; a condition entered by the writers without qualification. This across-the-board treatment of these simplified formulas, whatever the motive of the authors, enters into a range of permeabilities that even I as the contributor would have reservations that such could apply. Under comparable conditions I would be looking at a closed reservoir or some facsimile for such. The extent to which the approximation or the exact equations pertain is not evident in the generality offered by Bixel and van Poollen in their paper. Only when they or other writers show the comparison of the pressure distributions within the formations can one be able to judge the rational limits to subscribe to the simplified formulas.

Jan 1, 1969

By D. H. Desy

The Bureau of Mines studied the properties of copper that had been oxide dispersion-strengthened with 2 vol pct of either yttria or alumina. Compounds of copper and aluminum or yttrium, coprecipitated from aqueous solution, were converted to oxides; the copper was reduced, compacted, sintered, and extruded. For the resulting copper-dispersoid composites, room temperature tensile properties after annealing in hydrogen, elevated temperature tensile and stress-rupture properties, and electrical conductivity were determined. Compared with oxygen-free copper, copper-2 vol pct alumina or yttria had improved strength after annealing between 400° and 1,000° C, and improved elevated temperature strength, with little loss in electrical conductivity.

Jan 1, 1969

By Merle L. Bowser

The Bureau of Mines has developed a portable recording methanometer that utilizes the Bureau's methane sensor. The methanometer can operate continuously for at least 30 hours on small, sealed, rechargeable lead-acid batteries.

Jan 1, 1969

By K. A. Gschneidner, O. D. McMasters, T. J. O’Keefe

X-ray diffraction, differential thermal, ad rnetallo-graphic methods were used to establish the Dy-Pb Phase diagram. Lead additions lower the 1377°C transformation temperature of dysprosium to 1360°C leading to an inverted peritectic reaction. The 327°C melting point of lead is lowered by dysprosium additions to about 326°C yielding a eutectic reaction. A second eutectic reaction occurs at 13.3 at. pct Pb and 1200°C. The dysprosium-richest intermetallic compound DysPb3 melts congruently at 1695°C and crystallizes in the hexagonal Mn5Si3 (D8,) type structure. The peritectic decomposition temperatures for the remaining compounds are Dy5Pb, at 1555C, DyPb2 at 955C, and DyPb3 at 880°C. A fifth compound near the DyPb stoichiometry exists over a 310°C temperature range decomposing at 1130°C by means of an inverted peritectic reaction and melting incongruently at 1440°C. The crystal structures of the compounds are discussed. A systematic study of the rare earth-lead alloy systems is underway in an effort to supply information concerning the alloying behavior of the rare earth metals. The Dy-Pb phase diagram is the fourth system to be investigated in this study. The Yb-Pb,1 Y-Pb,2 and Eu-Pb 3 diagrams have been published recently. Utilization of the rare earth series of metals as a research tool in this manner should yield a better understanding of alloy formation. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Materials. The lead used in this investigation was obtained from Cominco Products, Inc., and was specified to be 99.99 pct pure. The dysprosium was prepared in this Laboratory by the calcium reduction of the fluoride followed by distillation of the dysprosium. The major impurities in the dysprosium in ppm are: A1 (<40), Ca (400), Er (<50), Gd (<200), Ho (<200), Mg (<50), Si (30), Ta (400), Tb (<100), Y (<50), 0 (651, H (15), N (not detected), F (430), C (35). Alloy Preparation. Most of the alloys were prepared by melting weighed amounts of dysprosium and lead in sealed tantalum crucibles. The tantalum crucibles were sealed by are-welding in a He-Ar atmosphere welding chamber. Thus the alloys are in contact with He-Ar at about 1 atm pressure. Homogenization was achieved by holding them in the liquid state for about 1 hr, cooling, inverting the crucibles, remelting, and repeating the process at least twice. Since these alloys were prepared in sealed tantalum crucibles, chemical analysis for final composition was thought to be unnecessary. No detectable reaction of these alloys with the tantalum crucible was observed by metallographic examination. Metallographic evidence was also used to confirm the homogeneity of some of the alloys prepared in this manner. The compositions of a few alloys, which were prepared by nonconsum-able are-melting, were corrected for the small weight losses involved by assuming that the weight loss is due to vaporization of lead. The specimens obtained from the alloy samples were prepared under a dry-argon atmosphere because they were rapidly attacked by air and moisture. Thermal Analysis. Differential thermal analysis methods were used to determine the liquidus curves and reaction horizontals of the system. Both Pt vs Pt + 13 pct Rh and W + 5 pct Re vs W + 26 pct Re thermocouples were used to measure the temperature. An X- Y recorder was used to record the specimen temperature and differential electromotive force between the specimen and molybdenum standard. The arrest temperatures were measured potentiometri-cally. The accuracy limits (* values) associated with the reaction temperatures obtained by this method were estimated on the basis of both the reproducibility of the particular temperature value and the accuracy of the thermocouple at a given temperature. Liquidus temperatures were obtained from cooling arrest data while both heating and cooling arrest data were used to establish the horizontals of the diagram. Heat treatments during the thermal analyses of the alloys between 40 and 70 at. pct Pb were necessary in order to approach equilibrium conditions. The samples were held at temperatures between the various peritectic horizontals for l to 2 hr before the thermal analyses were continued. The entire range of compositions was investigated at the expense of a minimum amount of materials by adding appropriate amounts of lead to master alloys. More than sixty alloys were analyzed by this differential thermal method and for each alloy the results given herein are taken from two or three heating and cooling cycles. X-Ray and Metallographic Methods. Slice specimens for metallography and powder specimens for X-ray diffraction were prepared from rod-shaped samples which had been melted in sealed 0.62 5-cm-diam tantalum crucibles. The specimens were heat-treated in sealed tantalum crucibles which were protected by sealing them in argon-filled quartz ampules. Quenching was accomplished by breaking the ampules in ice water after heat treatment. X-ray powder specimens were sealed in 0.3-mm-diam glass capillaries under a dry-argon atmosphere. Copper, iron, and chromium radiation were used to obtain the powder patterns for these alloys. More than 150 powder patterns were obtained for specimens of various compositions and heat treatments. Included in these were several patterns for specimens which had purposely been oxidized. Patterns from specimens which had been accidentally exposed

Jan 1, 1969

By Amitava Gangulee, Michael B. Bever

The effects of changes in short-range order on some thermodynamic, electrical, and mechanical properties of the silver-rich Ag-Mg solid solutions have been investigated. The heats of formation at 273°K of several alloys after two different thermal treatments were measured by liquid metal solution calorimetry. Their electrical resistivities were measured at temperatures ranging from 4° to 773°k. Tensile tests and microhard-ness measurements were carried out at room temperature. An effective short-range order parameter and an effective interaction energy are defined. The measured changes in the properties are interpreted in terms of these quantities. The short-range order parameter is evaluated separately from calorimetric and X-ray data; the results are in fair agreement. Increasing short-range order lowers the resistivity of- the silver-rich Ag-Mg alloys but does not measurably affect the temperature dependence of the resistivity. Short-range order increases the yield stress of these alloys but does not affect the ultimate tensile stress. Changes in the effective short-range order parameter independently obtained from measured changes in the heat of formation, resistivity, and yield stress are in fair agreement. THE thermodynamic, electrical, and mechanical properties of solid solutions have been investigated as functions of composition in many alloy systems, but the effects of configurational variables, such as short-range or long-range order, on these properties have received much less attention. The silver-rich terminal solid solutions in the system Ag-Mg are well-suited for the investigation of the effects of order. The composition of these solid solutions may be varied over a range extending to about 27 at. pct Mg.1 Appreciable short-range ordering is likely to take place in these solid solutions; the degree of short-range order can be varied by suitable thermal treatments. In the alloy Ag3Mg long-range ordering is possible.2 This paper is primarily concerned with the effects of short-range order on some thermodynamic, electrical, and mechanical properties of the silver-rich Ag-Mg solid solutions.-The long-range ordering transition is the subject of a concurrent paper.3 1) EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES 1.1) Preparation of Specimens. Ag-Mg alloys containing up to 26.4 at. pct Mg were prepared by melting 99.99 pct pure Ag (obtained from Baker Chemical Co.) and 99.99 pct pure Mg (obtained from Eastman Chemi- cal Co. or Johnson Mathey & Co.) in graphite crucibles under molten potassium chloride. The solidified ingots were homogenized at 823°K for 10 days in evacuated Vycor capsules. A surface layer 6 in. thick was then removed by machining. The ingots were swaged into rods (2.5 mm diam) which were drawn into wires (1.0 mm diam). The wire specimens were annealed at 773°K for 24 hr in vacuum and either quenched into iced brine or cooled to room temperature over a period of 15 days. The average grain diameter (obtained from the linear intercepts) was about 0.1 mm. 1.2) Calorimetry. The heats of formation of the alloys were measured in a tin solution calorimeter as the difference in the heat effects of alternate additions of samples of an alloy and the mechanical mixture of its component elements. The additions were made from 273°K to the bath at about 623°K. The heat effect on addition of the alloys was approximately 5.5 kcal per g-atom. The procedure and the method of calculation have been described.4 1.3) X-Ray Diffraction. Short-range order parameters of two alloys were calculated from diffuse scattering intensities,&apos; obtained with briquettes made from powdered specimens. A GE-XRD 5 diffractometer with filtered copper radiation was used. The absolute intensities were based on calibrations with paraffin. 1.4) Resistivity Measurements. The electrical resistivities were measured by a potentiometric method in which the potential drop across the specimen was compared with that across a standard resistance. For measurements below room temperature, the specimens were immersed in liquid helium (4°K), liquid nitrogen (78°K), dry ice and trichloroethylene (195°K), or ice and water (273°K). Measurements above room temperature were made on specimens held in a furnace under helium or in vacuum. The resistivity measurements were reproducible to ±0.5 pct or less. 1.5) Mechanical Tests. Tensile tests were carried out at room temperature with a Tinius-Olsen XY elec-tromatic Universal testing machine. Wire specimens (nominal gage length 1 in.) were used. The strain was measured with an extensometer, which had a sensitivity of 4 x 10-5; the strain rate was 10-3 min-1. Microhard-ness measurements were made with a square-pyramid indenter and a 100-g load.11 2) RESULTS AND DISCUSSION All measurements were made on two parallel sets of specimens, one quenched and the other slowly cooled from 773°K. The reported values are the averages of at least three measurements. In the range of magnesium concentration substantially below that of the composition Ag3Mg, quenched alloys have less short-range order than slowly cooled alloys. As the magnesium concentration approaches that of Ag3Mg, slow cooling develops long-range order. Quenching sup-

Jan 1, 1969

By Andersen AK

As part of a research program sponsored by Continental Copper and Steel Industries, Inc. (cos), investigations have been conducted by the Colorado School of Mines Research Foundation, Inc. to study the effect of high current densities on electrolytic processes. The importance of high current densities has long been recognized, particularly in the deposition of copper, and the results of considerable research on the subject have been reported in recent years (19 29 39). This is not surprising because, besides plant capacity, current density is the other major factor which will determine the process economics. In the production of electrolytic copper, current efficiency, steam consumption, number of cells, building area, metal inventory, cathode purity, and power consumption are all affected by current density. The ability to maintain a high current efficiency and satisfactory cathode purity while increasing the current density to twice or three times that commonly practiced could result in considerable saving of capital investment and reduce the operating cost per ton of metal produced. The optimum current density i.e., that current density of which production cost would be at a minimum, can be established from an analysis of the various inter- relating factors (49 59). A review of.all operating electrolytic plants (electrowinning and electrorefining) will indicate that most of these plants are operating at 50% or less of the optimum current density (6). One of the reasons for not using the optimum current density may be attributed to the fact that conventional electrolytic tank- house equipment does not perform satisfactorily at high current density operations. Various investigators (19 79 8) have attempted to overcome this limitation by modifying the design of the electrolytic cell, virtually unchanged since it was first introduced in the late 1800&apos;s. Previously, these attempts have not resulted in,a cell design suitable for commercial application. However, recently, a cell has been designed which performs efficiently under such conditions. This is a CCS development (patents applied for).

Jan 1, 1969

By J. G. Lang

"This paper gives an outline of the principles used in E.M. wire rope testing, showing the practical application of the device and its value in industry and in mining operations.It presents: case histories involving deterioration, such as corrosion, peening and broken wires; anomalies indicating conditions peculiar to drum hoists and friction hoists; tests of locked coil ropes; low-frequency testing; and experiments and development."

Jan 1, 1969

By G. W. Neumann

"In order to avoid pollution of water in Flemming Brook and Little River, which drain the area in which the Brunswick No. 12 Mine and Concentrator are located, the company has gone to considerable expense in preparing tailings storage and effluent setting ponds. The attached drawing gives a plan of the six settling ponds together with elevations of the dikes and the effluent weirs.All original dikes for the six ponds were constructed from humus-free clay and rock material, which was obtained, preferentially, by excavating from within the dike area. Run-off water, precipitated on the outside slopes of the dams will drain off without contacting the tailing material. A ditch was made north of the dam site to deflect surface run-off to the east into a branch of Flemming Brook.A secondary dike, made from tailings, has recently been erected on No. 1 and No. 2 tailings pond inside and above the earth-filled dike which serves as a roadway. Run-off from the tailings dikes will be retained inside the ponds by ditching between the roadway and tailings dike into ponds 4 and 6."

Jan 1, 1969