Search Documents

By John A. Church

IN the year 1874, when the price of pig-iron was still high, that staple product became the subject of discussion in the newspapers and among those philosophers who are determined to know the "reason why" for all things. The object of the inquiry was to find out why iron did not fall in price as much as some other things had fallen. Indeed, there seemed to be an impression that iron and gold ought to move on nearly parallel lines, for the fact was constantly brought forward that iron then cost twice as much as it did before the war, though gold had returned to within twelve or fifteen per cent. of its former value. After some time the papers, by what seemed to be nearly unanimous consent, reached the conclusion that the maintenance of high prices was the work of the furnace proprietors, who, as the result of their shrewdness, were pocketing enormous profits. No proof was given to support this opinion, and the figures of cost and sale that were produced were of the most general kind, and used in the most vague manner. Visiting the president of the Thomas Iron Company, whose great works at Hokendaqua and Catasauqua, in Pennsylvania, are so well known as the largest and among the best conducted in America, I found him quite willing to meet the vague suspicions of the newspaper wiseacres, by a publication of the figures contained in the furnace-books of his company. These were accordingly given to the world through the Engineering and Mining Journal, and attracted the general attention they so well deserve. Though my own name became connected with these statistics, from the fact that I used them as the basis for the first attempt ever made to calculate the furnace economy of an American works, I can, without the suspicion of egotism, say that the statistics referred to are the most valuable contribution the literature of American blast-furnace work has yet received, for their interest is independent of personal considerations, and due entirely to the fact that they represent faithfully the details of practice in one of the most prominent American works. They are an exact transcript of the furnace-books, and form a body of accurate information of the greatest value to the metallurgical student. Their importance is shown by the fact that though the theoretical conclusions which I based upon them have been several times attacked, not one of my critics has made the slightest contribution to

Jan 1, 1876

By Arthur Winslow

Introductory.—The following paper is based upon a report on the lead- and zinc- deposits of Missouri, prepared for the State Geological Survey, which is now being printed. This report is the outcome of work prosecuted by the writer, assisted by Mr. J. D. Robertson, during the past five years. The studies in the State were supplemented by examinations of the similar ore deposits in Wisconsin and Arkan- sas. The report will contain in all about 800 pages, and the aim has been to make it complete and exhaustive, especially in descriptive matter. Naturally, only a brief outline can be presented here, and the reader is referred to the report itself for further details. Contents. I.—History and Statistics, . . 636 II.—Topography of the Region, . 639 III.—General Geology, . . .639 The Archean, . . .639 The Algonkian, . . 640 The Silurian, . . .640 The Devonian, . . 640 The Lower Carboniferous, 641 Tie Coal Measures, . 641 The Tertiary, . . .641 Structural Geology,. . 642 IV.—The Ore-Deposits, . . .643 Geologic Distribution, . 643 The Forms of the Ore-Bodies, . . .641 The Composition if the Ore-Bodies, . . .645 Gangues, . . . 645 Minerals, . . .618 Paragenesis of Minerals, . . . 651 The Structure of the Ore-Bodies, .... 651 V.—Descriptions of Types, . . 652 The Eagle Mines, . . 652 Shaft No. 23, . . 652 The Western Zinc Company or Oswego Lands, 651 The Gobar and Tomlinson Shaft, . 655 The Alba Company's Mine, 656 The Victor Mine, . . 658 The Bonne Terre Mines, . 660 General Geology, . 660 The Ore-Bodies, . 661 The Vallé Mines, . . 664 The Garatee Mines, . 664 The Corn-Stalk Diggings, . . .665 The Virginia Mine, . 666 The Conlogue Mine, . 667 VI.—The Mode of Formation of the Ore-Bodies, . . 670 The Formation of the Cavities. . . . 670 The Filling of the Cavities, . . . .675 The Formation of the Breccia Deposits, . . 673 The Formation of Circle Deposits, . . .674 The Impregnated Deposits of the Southeast, . 676 VII.—The Origin of the Metalliferous and Other Minerals, 676 1. Originally Deposited in Concentrated Condition, 676 2. Derived from Great Depths, . . .677 3. Original Diffusion, Supplemented by Lateral Secretion, . . . 678 4. Concentrated Through Surface Decomposition, 681

Jan 1, 1895

By E. E. White

In August, 1911, I read a paper before the Lake Superior Mining Institute1 on surveying and sampling diamond-drill holes. The present paper gives a more thorough descriptiou of these methods, together with a few changes and notes suggested by further experience. Since August, 1911, the methods, used constantly by the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co., have been developed to a higher degree of efficiency, and have given great satisfaction. Until a few years ago but little attention was paid to the determination of the actual course of drill-holes, to the accurate sampling' and analysis of the material, or to the scientific location of the drill-holes. It has now been common practice for several years in many districts to test the inclination of drillholes by etching glass tubes with hydrofluoric acid, but the direction of deviation from the vertical has not often been determined. Methods of determining the direction by means of a compass were first developed in connection with drilling in Victoria. The latest method used on the Rand in South Africa has been recently described by John I. Hoffman.2 In the same paper Mr. Hoffman describes an ingenious method of wedging-off a drill-hole so as to start new holes at several successive points. By this means a hole can be deflected in any desired direction, and the curvature can be controlled to a considerable extent, provided the rock is soft enough to permit the hole to be wedged off. Unfortunately, in the Lake Superior district, the jasper iron-formation is so hard that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to do this. I tried to deflect one hole so as to avoid drill-rods stuck in the hole, by using a

Jan 1, 1913

By Victor Homerberg

A STUDY of the correlation of the mechanical properties, and of the microstructure with the heat treatment of 60-40 brass has been confined, heretofore, to the rolled or extruded material as received from the manufacturer. The results obtained by Babson and Buhler,1 Bengough and Hudson,2 Stead and Stedman,3 and Brayton4 have been confined to the treatment of the material as received. No attempt was made to get the material into a given condition and then to work from this basis. To start with a given structure would have the decided advantage of making the work independent of the original condition, hence, to make the results reproduceable. In a previous paper, it was shown, in connection with the study of the transformation that occurs at about 470° C., that if specimens were quenched to produce the beta structure and then reheated, the beta would begin to break down, at approximately 200° C., into a very finely divided alpha. It was predicted that important results might be obtained if test pieces were to be given a similar double heat treatment and then tested for the mechanical properties as well as a study of the microstructure. The material used in the present investigation was a ¾ -in. round bar of extruded muntz metal of the following composition: Copper, 61.05 per cent.; zinc (by difference), 38.90 per cent.; lead, 0.05 per cent.; iron, trace; tin, nil.

Jan 3, 1924

By Robert B. Hoy

If the reader finds that the basic information in a commodity chapter is insufficient, he can consult the appropriate sources in this chapter to find more detailed or more up-to-date information. In these days, technology develops so rapidly that this 5th edition will be somewhat out of date even by the time it is distributed. A comparison of this edition with the 4th edition (1975) of Industrial Minerals and Rocks will clearly demonstate how rapidly the scene changes. One of the best sources of new information, of course, is attendance at technical meetings. For example, the papers presented at the national and sectional meetings of AIME usually discuss new developments in the respective divisions of the society. Frequently this information is available in Preprints. In addition some are printed in Mining Engineering and/or the Transactions of the Society of Mining Engineers of AIME. Furthermore, other professional and trade journals contain articles pertinent to the field. A journal introduced in 1967, Industrial Minerals, published by the Metal Bulletin, Ltd., London, is an excellent source of information. The Mining Journal, Ltd., also in London, publishes a weekly journal, a Mining Magazine (monthly), and a Mining Annual Review. The latter covers the field from three aspects: (1) by commodities, (2) through technical developments, and (3) geographically. The Industrial Minerals Directory 1977, 1st ed., Metal Bulletin Books, Ltd., London, provides addresses of organizations in the field. Other useful magazines and periodicals include Engineering and Mining Journal, Pit and Quarry, Rock Products, and World Mining, all published in the United States. In addition many new books related to industrial minerals have been published since the 4th edition of Industrial Minerals and Rocks. Most of these are included in the bibliography of each chapter in this volume. Another excellent information source is the proceedings of the Forum on Geology of Industrial Minerals. This group, which held its 18th annual meeting in 1982, is sponsored by a state geological survey or another mineral agency on a rotational basis. The proceedings have been published by the various sponsors and are available as indicated in Table 1. Two major sources of basic industrial mineral and rock data in the United States, and also a good source for many foreign countries, are the US Geological Survey and the US Bureau of Mines. The two agencies publish many reports and maps on a variety of geological and mining subjects. In addition, each agency has an indexed list of all their publications with a free service announcing new publications: New Publications of the Geological Survey, US Geological Survey, 329 National Center, Reston, VA 22092 and New Publications-Bureau of Mines, Publications Distribution Branch, US Bureau of Mines, 4800 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213. The US Bureau of Mines (USBM) publishes annually Minerals Yearbooks which provide statistical data on mineral products including production, consumption, imports and exports, as well as information on new developments. Another very useful USBM series is called Mineral Facts and Problems. Editions were published in 1960, 1965, 1970, and 1975. Four major series of publications by the Bureau are Information Circulars, Reports of Investigations, Mineral Trade Notes, and Minerals and Materials. The last two are particularly good for news of foreign developments. The Bureau of Mines Employee Directory, available at all USBM offices, lists addresses and telephone numbers for all offices as well as same for all commodity and area specialists.

Jan 1, 1983

By Francis R. Conley, John A. Sievert, John N. Dew

A brief review is presented of the past performance of a number of large, thin, highly permeable reservoirs with low dips in the Bolivar Coastal fields of Venezuela. The performance of these reservoirs indicates that the fluids are segregated vertically within the sand section by gravity. With this assumption, equations are developed which describe the performance under pressure maintenance operations. Methods of solving these equations and results of simple example calculations are presented. Example calculations indicate that under pressure maintenance conditions injected gas tends to {tow preferentially along the top of the sands and that encroaching water has a tendency to flow preferentially along the bottom. The expected performance of segregated fluids is discussed and compared with that of fluids which are uniformly distributed in any sand section. INTRODUCTION The field performance of a number of reservoirs described herein indicates that the fluids are segregated vertically within the sand section by the force of gravity. Thus, it was felt that any method used to predict the future performance of these reservoirs should consider the effects of segregation in the sand sections. A study of the available information on some of the reservoirs suggests that increased recoveries may be expected if the reservoir pressure is maintained by either crestal gas injection or flank water injection. To predict future performance of reservoirs under pressure maintenance operations, a method of analysis was needed which would account for segregation of fluids in the sand sections. Several methods of analysis have been developed to take into account the segregation of fluids in the reservoir as a whole1,3 To our knowledge no method considers segregation of the fluids within sand sections in the manner indicated by the past performance of several reservoirs in the Mara-caibo Basin. This paper outlines part of the work done in studying some of these reservoirs and contains a description of their performance characteristics. The analysis presented is restricted to pressure maintenance conditions, since space limitations prevent a full discus- sion of the development of the mathematical relations and the various methods of solving them. Only a sketch of the development of the mathematical relations is given. The various methods of solving these relations are pointed out, but the actual determination of solutions to various problems are omitted except for one example. It is felt that these results may aid in the study of reservoirs outside the Maracaibo Basin. Some concepts on which the present analysis is based are outlined by D. N. Dietz. However, the analysis presented herein includes several factors not considered by Dietz: (1) variations in permeability and in the cross section, (2) various shapes of the cross section, and (3) the production of fluids. Also, the mathematical development presented by Dietz differs considerably from our corresponding analysis. RESERVOIR CHARACTERISTICS The reservoirs under consideration, large and thin, with low dip and high permeability, are large to the extent that they contain from 0.5 to over four billion bbl of oil initially in place. The section thicknesses vary from 100 to 400 ft and the lengths from 10,000 to 40,000 ft. Thus, a length-wise cross section of the producing formation appears to be long and thin. The dip angles vary from 0 to 6 degrees and the average permeabilities vary from 0.5 to over three darcies. The reservoirs contain from 20 to 50 per cent shale inter-laminated with the productive sands. Most shale breaks within the major sands do not correlate from one well to the next, and correlation is often difficult, even between wells drilled from the same location. However, it is often possible to correlate the shale breaks between major sands for some distance. Herein we are concerned with the performance of reservoirs containing oil of gravities over 20" API. Past reservoir performance indicates good pressure communication and, in cases where pressure sinks have developed, large amounts of fluid migration have occurred. Few of the reservoirs have had initial gas caps, but also, few have been found to be highly under-saturated. Due to gravity segregation, secondary gas caps usually form before the pressure has been reduced more than 25 per cent of its initial value. The effect of gravity has not only been apparent on a reservoir-wide basis, but has also caused segregation of the reservoir fluids in productive sections. Proof of this is found from the results of selective well tests, workovers, and electric and various other types of logs. Evidence that

By J. Campbell

The negative pressure developed within a solidifying sphere of pure iron is investigated theoretically assuming an elastic-plastic model. The maximum hydrostatic tension attainable is shown to be an order of magnitude smaller than that required for the homogeneous muclealion of pores in the liquid cove, and four orders of magnilude smaller than that predicted from) a rigid shell model. It is well-known that liquids can withstand large hydrostatic tensile stresses, or negative pressures. The various experimental investigations of the tensile strengths (often called the fracture pressures) of liquids are reviewed by Dean,1 and the theoretical attempts at estimating fracture pressures are critically assessed by wakeshima.2 Using Fisher's3 quation, the fracture pressure of pure liquid iron is about -70,000 atm, which may be too large by as much as a factor of 4, but is certainly correct to within an order of magnitude.' In view of the great importance of the problem of the nucleation of shrinkage cavities in castings it is of interest to determine exactly what tensile stresses can exist in the residual liquid in a solidifying casting; it has often been assumed that, because of the very low strengths of solid metals near their melting points, no interior stresses are developed at all. Nussey4 has determined theoretically the pressure in the liquid core of a solidifying metal sphere assuming that the solidified shell does not deform (i .e., is perfectly rigid), so that because of the contraction accompanying solidification (a) (about 3 pct for most metals) the progressive deposition of solid onto the inner surface of the shell causes the remaining liquid to be expanded to make up this difference in volume. This leads to a relation between the pressure P in the liquid, the initial pressure, PO, the bulk modulus of the liquid, K, and the inner and outer radii of the solid shell, o and b, respectively:

Jan 1, 1968

Flexibility is the keynote in designing modern exploration drills that and mobility. Add to the flexibility of individual drills the wide range of models, and the man looking for a drill has ample choice today. Weight? Choose from models as light as 50 lb or as heavy as 10,000 lb. Hole capacity? From less than 1 in. for smallest core drills to 20 in. or more for auger types. Transportation? The lightest go by packsack (in fact, that is one trade name) ; others are designed to go by Jeep, truck, on skids or are built on light trailers. Power? Select air power, gasoline or diesel engine, electric motor, or use a power take-off from the vehicle on which the drill is mounted. Drill bits offer almost as much variety as the drilling machines themselves. Many drills are suitable for a variety of uses, and often adapt to several types of bits with ease. Some of the types available are: diamond core, diamond reaming, rotary, auger, shot, and special soil sampling tools.

Oct 1, 1955

By Hans Von Höfer

Apart from the hypothesis of a cosmic origin (which failed of acceptance because it was not adequately supported by facts), the only important controversy concerning the origin of petroleum has been, for a long time, between the advocates of inorganic and of organic origin respectively. Each of these theories has had a long history of development, and is still being perfected, under the influence of two causes: (1) the increasingly extensive and thorough study of the oil-fields (of which new examples are periodically discovered and opened); and (2) the progress of synthetic experiments devoted to this question. Moreover, the advance in our physical and chemical knowledge of the properties of this peculiar natural product has necessarily modified all criticism of conflicting views. I. The Hypothesis of Inorganic Origin That the nation of an inorganic origin of petroleum, first set forth by Berthelot in 1866, and afterward ingeniously developed and formulated by Mendelejeff, should thus have proceeded chiefly from chemists, is quite natural; for the question was one of possible chemical processes in the earth's interior, and of imagined chemical reactions to be verified by ex-periment. Hypotheses of this kind were suggested by many chemists, of whom two, P. Sabatier and J. H. Senderens, may be specially named by reason of their highly interesting chemical experiments. Among geologists, Mendelejeff's hypothesis was received at first with much interest and favor; for it rested on the assumption of a central terrestrial mass of iron carbide, and the geologists had good reasons for adopting that assumption. Yet comparatively few of them attempted to furnish geological proofs of the hypothesis: the majority either silently believed in it, or for one or another reason rejected it altogether. An apparently weighty support of Mendelejeff's view was furnished by the American, G. F. Becker, who found in the oil-regions of the United States important and abnormal disturbances of the isogons of terrestrial magnetism, and inferred that in these regions the central iron mass must

Jan 1, 1915

By A. F. Taggart

This paper describes the result of a series of experiments run in the laboratory of the School of Mines, Columbia University, during the winter of 1927-28. It shows that the several operating adjustments of a pneumatic table produce effects in the action of a given coal that may be grouped into two classes, viz.: stroke length, speed and rocker-arm angle, which affect longitudinal travel; air supply and table slope (transverse and longitudinal), which determine transverse travel. The magnitude of the effect of the different adjustments varies. Some of the adjustments affect stratification of the bed, both as respects size and specific gravity of the bed components, as well as direction of travel. Operation of a pneumatic table is fundamentally different from that of a wet table in that the former exerts, through the air supplied, a force on the particles upward away from the deck which is lacking on the wet table while, on the other hand, it lacks the positive control over cross travel that is supplied by the wash and feed water. Apparatus The pneumatic table used is shown in Fig. 1. Deck A is 20 by 12 in. and consists of nainsook supported on slats that register with the riffles. Fig. 2 is a photomicrograph of the nainsook used. It shows that the cotton threads average about 0.13 mm. dia. and the apertures about 0.17 mm. The deck carries 12 riffles consisting of wooden strips, 3/16 in. wide and 1/4 in. high, laid parallel to the feed side of the table. The riffles terminate along a line starting on the feed side at a point 11 in, from the mechanism end and running to the corner formed by the coal side and slate end. Taper starts from a line that runs parallel to their terminal line through the junction of the upper riffle with the mechanism end. The height at the terminal line is about 1/32 in. The deck with its supporting slats is carried on a framework consisting of rails A, sloping end rails B, and adjustable metal strips C, which latter permit variation in transverse slope. This frame is enclosed at the edges by means of heavy canvas, indicated in the sketch by wavy lines, which makes a flexible conduit between the deck and the stationary air chamber,

Jan 1, 1930

By R. L. Templin

THE increasing use of aluminum and its alloys in commercial fields has demanded a better understanding of their machining properties. This fact is exemplified by problems that have arisen in the automotive and airplane industries, but many in other fields might be cited. As pure aluminum and its alloys in their various commercial conditions show appreciable differences in their machining properties, it is not surprising that quite divergent solutions have been offered for the machining problems encountered. However, if the fundamental requirements of the most suitable cutting tools for these metals are understood, these machining problems lend themselves more readily to satisfactory solutions. Since the machining of free cutting brass and mild steel is understood by most persons accustomed to working these metals, it may serve our purpose better to first make a general comparison of the tools more commonly used in machining these metals with the tools most suitable for machining aluminum, then proceed to a more specific discussion of the individual tools. COMPARISON OF CUTTING TOOLS Cutting tools commonly used for machining free cutting brass usually have little, if any, top and side rake; they are ground on a medium to coarse abrasive wheel and used without any cutting compound or with a cutting compound that has a paraffin base. Those ordinarily used for steel have some top and side rake, are usually ground on a medium to fine abrasive wheel, and are often used with soluble-oil cutting compounds. The proper tools for aluminum and its alloys should have appreciably more side and top rake than the tools for cutting steel; should have very keen edges obtained by grinding with fine or very fine abrasive wheels supplemented in many cases by hand stoning with an oil-stone; and should be used with suitable cutting compounds whenever possible. In many cases, tools suitable for machining aluminum and its alloys are not appreciably different from tools commonly used for cutting hardwoods. The front clearance of a tool most suitable for machining aluminum and its alloys should be about 6°, the top rake from 30° to 50°, making the total angle of the cutting edge of the tool from 35° to 55°. A side

Jan 1, 1928

By Clarence E. Jackson, George G. Luther

The ever increasing array of information concerning the measurement of the effect of the welding process on the properties of a steel is an indication of the tremendous effort that is being expended in this field. The methods that have been considered may be divided into two groups: first, those that measure directly the effect of welding on the ductility of a steel, and, second, those that observe the change in some property, such as the hardness of the heat-affected zone, and assume a direct correlation between this change and the resultant ductility. The nick-bend test is a direct method designed for studying the effect of welding on the ductility of a steel. The test specimen (Fig. I) consists of a bar cut from a plate with a bead weld on the surface. The specimen is prepaxed with a saw-notch placed so as to restrict deformation to the heat-affected zone under the bead weld when tested as a static bend. Failure is caused by rupture of the low-ductility metal in the heat-affected zone. The angle at maximum load is used as an index of the effect of the welding process on the material. In the development of the nick-bend test considerable scatter was noted in some of the results, although the agreement of duplicate specimens welded at the same time and tested consecutively was excellent. Upon further investigation it was found that the change in ductility was dependent upon the interval of time between the welding operation and the testing of the specimen. For the six steels of Fig. 2, the angle at maximum load in lour cases was doubled and in one case was tripled. All steels that have been studied show an improvement in the angle of bend for longer intervals between welding and testing. This same behavior has been found in weldability tests using the Navy T-bend

Jan 1, 1945

By W. C. Hardy, B. W. McArthur

The purpose of this work is to show application of laboratory data in calculating solution gas-drive performance of the Cisco K-I reservoir. Included herein is a diagram showing the graphical relationship between six variables common to all solution gas-drive mechanisms. With an iterative process one may assume existence of any of these six variables at a particular pressure and calculate the production performance likely to occur in a reservoir produced by solution gas drive. Four unique pressure values are described at which the material balance equation alone is sufficient to predict the cumulative volumes of gas produced. Information derived from these pressure points establishes a criterion for determining compatibility of the pressure-volume-temperature (PVT) analysis of the produced crude with the gas production history. Two averaging procedures are used to arrive at a relative permeability-saturation relationship which describes the field-wide performance. INTRODUCTION The Cisco K-1 reservoir is a lenticular-type sand structure lying at approximately 6,300-ft subsurface. It is located in the H. and T. C. Railroad Co. Block 97, SW 1/4 S 392 and NW 1/4 S 385, Scurry County, Tex. Correlation of data from logs indicated that the Cisco K-1 reservoir occupied approximately 3,218 acre-ft of space with a closure of from 15 to 20 ft. Analysis of the production data indicates that the initial formation pressure and temperature were 2,450 psig and 121°F, respectively. The bubble point occurred at 1,715 psig after production of 12,256 STB oil and 11,520 Mcf gas. Only traces of water have been produced since initiation of production. Successive material balance calculations from June, 1952, to June, 1957, showed that no initial gas cap or water influx has contributed to production of oil and that the Cisco K-1 reservoir originally contained approximately 1.44 X 10" STB of oil. THEORY Methods for calculating solution gas-drive perform-

By A. Blake Caldwell

Northwest frontier is here defined as Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and northern British Columbia. The mineral potential of this area is great and will unfold in the decade ahead but now the largest single producer is the Pine Point lead-zinc mine in the NWT about 1200 km north of Edmonton, Alta., close to the south shore of Great Slave Lake. The mill, initially designed for 4540 mtpd, was expanded to 7250 mtpd in 1969. This operation is described in detail in Mining and Concentrating of Lead and Zinc, Vol.1, Chapt. 17, SME/AIME in the article by W. H. R. Gibney.

Jan 1, 1971

By G. K. Manning, W. E. Few

WORK on the effect of vacuum heat treatment of 0.040 in. diam sintered and wrought molybdenum wires has been sponsored by the Office of Naval Research at Battelle for the past several years. An electrical resistance furnace' capable of maintaining a vacuum of less than 0.1 micron of mercury at temperatures as high as 4000 °F was used for heat treating the wires. Early in the work, it was found that the introduction of a few microns pressure of oxygen into the furnace resulted in a rapid increase in the oxygen content of the wire specimens and the appearance of a discrete oxide phase. Subsequent elimination of the oxygen atmosphere caused the disappearance of the oxide phase. This was used to determine the solid solubility of oxygen in molybdenum over the temperature range of 2000" to 3000°F.2 It was observed that, with the disappearance of the oxide phase, the wires regained some ductility. Single-phased wires possessed from 5 to as much as 40 pct elongation in 2 in. Later, attention became centered on determining the cause of this wide range in ductility. Wires containing less than 0.002 pct C, less than 0.0007 pct 0, less than 0.0005 pct N, and less than 0.00003 pct H exhibited the erratic ductility noted above. These percentages represent approximately the limit of accuracy of presently available methods of analysis and thus it became apparent that chemical analysis would be of little help in the study. A number of possible explanations for the wide range in ductility were suggested during the course of the work. It was first suspected that variations in the grain size of the recrystallized wire specimens might be responsible. Wire from several lots of material was available. One of these lots tended to develop very large grains when recrystallized, the others all developed an ASTM grain size of 3 to 4 when heated above 2700°F. No correlation between grain size and ductility could be found. It was thought that back diffusion of oil from the diffusion pump might cause contamination of the wire, principally with carbon, but when wires were treated without cooling the cold trap in the pumping system,

Jan 1, 1956

By Sidney Powers

SINCE the opening of the Wheeler oil and gas field in Carter County and the discovery of oil near Lawton, Comanche County, Okla., in 1904, interest has been aroused regarding the origin of the oil in the Permian "Red Bed" region which lies between the Wichita and Arbuckle Mountains on the north and the Red River on. the south. . The later development of the Healdton, Loco, Duncan, Fox, and Graham fields south and west of the Arbuckle Mountains has brought the region into prominence. Recent discoveries of Ordovician and of Pennsylvanian fossils in wells in the Healdton field and of Pennsylvanian fossils in the Fox and Graham fields are of such importance from a scientific and a commercial standpoint that the occurrences and the problems arising therefrom are here briefly described. Producing oil and gas sands in the southern Oklahoma fields, with the exception -of those in the Cretaceous and underlying rocks in the vicinity of Madill, Marshall. County, are associated with the Permian "Red Beds" or with the underlying Paleozoic strata. I n the two fields farthest south of the Arbuckle Mountains, Healdton and Loco, production has been entirely confined to sands at depths of 700 to 1400 ft. (213 to 416 m.) and only recently has a producing sand as deep as 1860. ft. (567 m.) L been encountered. These sands are found near and below the base of the red rocks and were supposed by Wegemann and Heald 2 to belong in large part to the basal Permian,. Wichita formation, or to the immediately underlying formations. Fossils in the blue shales and in the limestones associated with the deeper sands' now prove them to be Pennsylvanian and all-the producing sands at Healdton are found to be of this age. In the fields nearest the Arbuckle Mountains, the Wheeler sands at a depth of about 700 ft. (213 m.) appear to be of Permian age,

Jan 11, 1917

By J. J. Van Nouhuys

THE economics of aerial survey and the technical processes by the aid of which vertical and oblique aerial photographs are turned into line maps showing the most profuse topographical detail such as contours, rivers, roads, plantations, habitations and cultivated lands do not concern us here. They have been ably and exhaustively described in the publi-cations of the British War Office, handbooks on surveying methods and on photogrammetry and in the South African mining, engineering and geological press. Suffice it to mention that for geological interpretation vertical photo-graphs are used on such scales as soon to 1/5,000 to 1/10,000, overlapping each other by 55 to 60 per cent in the direction of flight and some 10 to 20 per cent sideways on to the next sequence or strip. Through this duplication in the overlap the stereoscopic examination becomes possible. The standards by which monochrome aerial photographs are inter-preted can be grouped under the following headings: 1. Continuity.-The continuity of topographic relief not obtainable on the ground owing to the smallness of man relative to that relief. Here lies the greatest value of aerial survey with relation to geology. An immediate alignment can often be made of drainages running in different directions on each side of a hill; saddles and gorges in the mountainsides; abrupt termination of outcrop or indubitable signs of faulting. Most conclusive evidence is thus often obtained about faults which may be perfectly visible at one place on the ground but cannot elsewhere be identified because of decreased throw. Similarly, dikes can often be followed notwithstanding frequent interruption and disappearance under the soil. Scattered outcrop in scrub-covered or bush-covered country can be conveniently located and often correlated, with a large saving of time compared with field work. The same applies to geological contacts. Once these have been established at a few points on the ground, the intervening stretches can be drawn in.

Jan 1, 1937

By John B. Pearse

IN order to get an idea as to the strength of steel rails, it will be well to review the tests to which iron rails have been subjected. In England, Mr. Ashcroft found that the best 80 pound rails broke under a 300 pound weight, falling 15 feet. In Germany the Society of Railway tyfanage1-s determined 011 and have long applied a test of 1000 pounds falling 101/2 feet, as the standard which all first-class iron rails must reach. In this country no inspection nor test is applied, but tests made show that iron rails fro; our most reliable makers, break under a G foot fall of a 1500 pound drop as an extreme test, most of those tested breaking under a far less test; some breaking with less than a 3 foot fall of the same weight. Everywhere where steel has been used, engineers have come to the conclusion that some test is required to show the regularity and strength of the product. As compared with iron, the tests which steel will stand are wonderful. After numerous experiments partially based on the experience of the rail-mill at Graz, belonging to the Southern Railway of Austria, the Society of German Railway Managers fixed upon a test of 2000 pounds falling 138 feet. They found that this test represented the steel which suited their necessities, and also found that with steel of otherwise average purity, this test represented about one-half per cent. of carbon, and made it a rule to take no steel containing under three-tenths of a per cent. of carbon, because it was too soft. They expressed a hope that a harder steel could soon be made tough enough to stand the same test. I n England, a test was adopted of 2240 pounds, falling 15 to 17 feet on the rail on heavy bearings. This test has been found satisfactory under heavy traffic on average road-beds, and has been invariably

By George Kunz

(Butte Meeting, August, 1913.) THE manifold inconveniences resulting from the absence of a uniform standard of mass for determining the weight of precious stones have long been obvious. This lack has been keenly felt in commercial transactions, and those who have devoted time and research to the study of historic diamonds and precious stones have had frequent occasion to deplore the absence of such a standard in the past. In a paper read in Chicago in 1893, before the International Congress of Weights and Measures, held in connection with the World's Columbian Exposition, the writer suggested dividing the carat into 100 parts, and constituting a standard international carat of 200 mg. ; that is, 5 diamond carats or 20 pearl grains to a French gram, making 5,000 carats or 20,000 pearl grains to a kilogram. He also called attention to the fact that while this would depreciate the present diamond carat or pearl grain only about 2.5 per cent., it would abolish the troublesome discrepancies between the various carat-weights now in use, and could be easily explained and understood everywhere.1 The subject of the various diamond carats, their incongruity, and the resulting confusion as to the correct weights of historic gems when definite records of them are searched for, has been fully treated by me in an extensive study of this subject in The Book of the Pearl.2 To the earnest and unremitting efforts of C. E. Guillaume, Director of the Bureau Internationale des Poids et Mesures at Sèvres, is largely clue the eventual success of this eminently desirable reform, which lie has constantly urged both by articles on the subject and by addresses delivered in Paris before the International Committee for Weights and Measures.3

Jan 7, 1913

By H. W. Montz

THE problem of surface support in coal mining is naturally divided into three branches: 1. Surface covered with improvements of such value as compared with the value of the underlying coal, or with such elements of danger to mining, that absolute support is essential. 2. Surface with improvements of less value than the underlying coal such that moderate settlement may be permitted, but destructive settlement must be avoided, either by reason of danger to human life or unwarranted property damage. 3. Surface of relatively small value as compared with the underlying coal where destructive settlement may be permitted. First Problem In the first case it is evident that the original support must be maintained either (a) by leaving ample pillars and confining the coal recovery to a very conservative first mining, (b) by so supporting less conservative first mining by filling or flushing that the gradual deterioration of the pillars may be prevented and subsidence avoided, or (c) by incompressible support as masonry either as an adjunct to insufficient pillars or in place of the original coal support. a. From tests made by the Scranton Engineers Club, it appears safe to figure on 2000 lb. per sq. in. as the safe squeezing strength of coal pillars in place, provided that these are, as usual, not higher than their least horizontal dimension; and from this figure the percentage of pillar to be left for various depths may be easily calculated. For safety in this

Jan 1, 1928