Search Documents

Cinnabar was discovered in southwestern Arkansas on Little Missouri River in sec. 1, T.7S., R.26W., in April, 1930, and near Antoine Creek in sec. 28, T.6S., R.23W., some 15 miles farther east in May of the same year. It was not, however, until June, 1931, that cinnabar was identified as such in a specimen from the original discovery area sent to W. M. Weigell by Walter F. Hintze of Murfreesboro. Almost simultaneously2, in July, 1931, Moritz Norden of Hot Springs identified specimens from the Antoine Creek area as cinnabar. Immediate interest in the district followed the identification of cinnabar and by January, 1932, the district was known to extend as a mineralized belt about one mile wide trending east-northeast from sec. 13, T.7S., R.27W., in Howard County across central Pike County and into Clark County to sec. 19, T.6S., R.23W., thence extending southeast into sections 33 and 34 of the same township. Since then, cinnabar has been found in sec. 6, T.7S., R.22W., thus giving a total east-west length to the district of approximately 30 miles. Interest focused mainly on the two discovery areas, with the result that mining development has progressed most rapidly in those localities. In the Antoine Creek area the Arkansas Quicksilver Co. has done considerable exploration work and has retorted the high-grade ore so obtained. In the Little Missouri area the Southwestern Quicksilver Co. has had a 12-ton rotary furnace in more or less continuous operation since April, 1932, and has been the largest producer in the district. In March, 1934, the United States Geological Survey began a study of the Arkansas quicksilver district, which was made possible by an allotment of funds from the Public Works Administration. Until

Jan 1, 1935

By A. L. Blomfield, M. J. Trott

ThE Golden Cycle Mining and Reduction Co. operates its custom mill at Colorado Springs on Cripple Creek ores exclusively. These ores are straight sulfo-tellurides, with practically no base metals such as Pb, CU, Zn, As, or Sb. Upon entering the mill, the ore all passes through the sampler to storage bins, where beds of 5000 tons each are made to insure uniformity in roasting. Classification of ORes For efficiency, it has been found advisable to separate the ores into two classes according to their lime content. Other constituents have their effect, such as alumina and magnesia, but, speaking generally, these are roughly proportional to the lime, which, as CaO, is used as the indicator. Class A contains not more than 2 per cent. CaO and comprises about 66 per cent. of the ore treated. Class B contains over 2 per cent. CaO, and comprises 34 per cent. of the ore treated. Typical analyses of both classes are as follows: Class A a B Insol.......................... 86.70 75.90 Al2O3........................:.. 2.30 3.40 Fe.............................. 3.26 3.48 CaO............................. 1.57 5.12 S............................... 1.79 1.80 MgO........................... 0.21 1.08 Ignition loss..................... 3.20 6.50 99.03 97.28 The beds of each class of ore are made as large as possible with the available ore as it comes in, to avoid changing from one bed to the other any oftener than necessary. Each roaster will handle 50 per cent. more of class A ore than of class B, with practically the same results. This necessitates changing the rate of feed for each new bed and tends toward a poor roast and loss of tonnage at each change.

Jan 1, 1919

By J. C. Reed, J. M. Hansell

Cinnabar was discovered in southwestern Arkansas on Little Missouri River in sec. 1, T.7S., R.26W., in April, 1930, and near Antoine Creek in sec. 28, T.6S., R.23W., some 15 miles farther east in May of the same year. It was not, however, until June, 1931, that cinnabar was identified as such in a specimen from the original discovery area sent to W. M. Weigell by Walter F. Hintze of Murfreesboro. Almost simultaneously2, in July, 1931, Moritz Norden of Hot Springs identified specimens from the Antoine Creek area as cinnabar. Immediate interest in the district followed the identification of cinnabar and by January, 1932, the district was known to extend as a mineralized belt about one mile wide trending east-northeast from sec. 13, T.7S., R.27W., in Howard County across central Pike County and into Clark County to sec. 19, T.6S., R.23W., thence extending southeast into sections 33 and 34 of the same township. Since then, cinnabar has been found in sec. 6, T.7S., R.22W., thus giving a total east-west length to the district of approximately 30 miles. Interest focused mainly on the two discovery areas, with the result that mining development has progressed most rapidly in those localities. In the Antoine Creek area the Arkansas Quicksilver Co. has done considerable exploration work and has retorted the high-grade ore so obtained. In the Little Missouri area the Southwestern Quicksilver Co. has had a 12-ton rotary furnace in more or less continuous operation since April, 1932, and has been the largest producer in the district. In March, 1934, the United States Geological Survey began a study of the Arkansas quicksilver district, which was made possible by an allotment of funds from the Public Works Administration. Until

Jan 1, 1935

By Wheeler North

THE United Eastern Mining Co.'s property is located in the Oatman, Gold Roads mining district of Mohave County, Ariz. The mine and mill are some 26 mi. (41.8 km.) southwest of Kingman, the nearest railway connection. The ore consists of a mixture of calcite and quartz with some andesite. The values, which are mainly gold, alloyed with approximately 34 per cent., by weight, of silver, are extremely fine so that fine grinding is a most important factor in extraction. The milling process, briefly, consists of single-stage, coarse-crushing, two-stage ball milling in cyanide solution, followed by combined mechanical and air agitation, and by straight counter-current decantation. The Merrill zinc-dust precipitation method is used to recover the values, and is preceded by the Crowe vacuum treatment of the solution. The most notable features of the plant are the absence of filters, and the use of short peb mills loaded with steel balls, for fine grinding. As originally designed, the capacity of the mill was to be 200 tons per day, although the grinding end was to be capable of handling double that amount. By adding extra agitators and thickeners and by some alterations to the grinding end, the daily capacity has been raised to 285 tons. This, it is hoped, may be increased to 300 tons during the warm months of the present year. TONNAGE MILLED PER DAY 1917 average 234 Maximum month 272 Minimum month 146 1918 average 253 Maximum month 276 Minimum month 217 As this article primarily deals with plant operations, those interested in the mechanical description are referred to the article by Mr. Otto Wartenweiler,1 the designing engineer, which gives the details and costs of design and construction. The following changes have been made since that article was published:

Jan 8, 1919

By Sidney Sigel, J. Gardner Brooks, Irvin R. Kramer

In 1942 Grossmannl proposed that the hardenability of a steel may be calculated from its chemical composition by considering the base hardenability associated with its carbon content and grain size and multiplying this base by factors for each element present. Since Grossmann's original publication, several investigaton2-6 have reexamined the multiplying factors for the individual elements and in general have found that the multiplying principle is valid. However, some of the individual factor curves developed have been in poor agreement. Inasmuch as the carbon-factor curve obtained by Grossmann was dependent Lipon the factors for all the other alloying elements present in the steel, it logically followed that his results were in need of correction in the light of the new data available for manganese, silicon, and the other alloying elements. Furthermore, in order to avoid the possibility that errors in the manganese, silicon, or other curves might influence the carbon-factor curve, investigation of iron-carbon alloys containing little or no manganese and silicon was necessary. That the effect of carbon on hardenability was greater than indicated by Grossmann is shown by a comparison of the diameters of completely hardened rounds of iron-carbon alloys with the ideal critical diameter calculated from Grossmann's factors. These alloys have a greater hardenability in a finite quench than predicted by Grossmann's factors for an infinite quench (Table I). Among the other important variables that were in need of further investigation were the effect of deoxidation practice on the grain-size correction curves and the effect of stable carbide-forming elements on the depth of hardening. Most Of the work by Kramer, Hafner, and Toleman4 was done on silicon-killed steels. It was not known whether Gross-mann's grain-size correction curves, determined on aluminum-killed steels, was valid when applied to steels with different deoxidation practice. More data on the

Jan 1, 1947

By J. Gardner Brooks, Sidney Sigel, Irvin R. Kramer

In 1942 Grossmannl proposed that the hardenability of a steel may be calculated from its chemical composition by considering the base hardenability associated with its carbon content and grain size and multiplying this base by factors for each element present. Since Grossmann's original publication, several investigaton2-6 have reexamined the multiplying factors for the individual elements and in general have found that the multiplying principle is valid. However, some of the individual factor curves developed have been in poor agreement. Inasmuch as the carbon-factor curve obtained by Grossmann was dependent Lipon the factors for all the other alloying elements present in the steel, it logically followed that his results were in need of correction in the light of the new data available for manganese, silicon, and the other alloying elements. Furthermore, in order to avoid the possibility that errors in the manganese, silicon, or other curves might influence the carbon-factor curve, investigation of iron-carbon alloys containing little or no manganese and silicon was necessary. That the effect of carbon on hardenability was greater than indicated by Grossmann is shown by a comparison of the diameters of completely hardened rounds of iron-carbon alloys with the ideal critical diameter calculated from Grossmann's factors. These alloys have a greater hardenability in a finite quench than predicted by Grossmann's factors for an infinite quench (Table I). Among the other important variables that were in need of further investigation were the effect of deoxidation practice on the grain-size correction curves and the effect of stable carbide-forming elements on the depth of hardening. Most Of the work by Kramer, Hafner, and Toleman4 was done on silicon-killed steels. It was not known whether Gross-mann's grain-size correction curves, determined on aluminum-killed steels, was valid when applied to steels with different deoxidation practice. More data on the

Jan 1, 1947

By Richard E. Chism

Some years ago, when I was seeking an illusive fortune and gaining a precarious existence in the primeval forests of Brazil, there penetrated, even to my headquarters in that far-off land, the story of a new-found mining district, where mountain peaks were ribbed with silver, and valleys teemed with virgin gold. Such were the stories that caused hundreds of men to seek their fortune in Sierra Mojada, and to return heaping curses, loud and deep, upon the vivid imaginations that had evolved the glittering fiction. Nevertheless, the rumors had some foundation of truth. The ribs of silver exist, if not the placers of gold; and a flourishing town, of some three thousand people, with two leading mining companies and several smaller ones, in operation, represents what was permanent in the excitement of 1879. Geographical Situation. The town of Sierra Mojada is situated in the State of Coahuila, Republic of Mexico, in latitude 27' 24' N., and longitude 26' 40' W. of Washington, 4' 36' W. of the City of Mexico, and 103' 43' TV. of Greenwich. It lies about 70 miles, in an air-line, N. E. of Escalon station, on the Mexican Central Railroad; but by the present wagon-road, which makes a long detour to turn the mountain range, the distance to the station is about 105 miles. The nearest towns are Huajuquilla, in the State of Chihuahua, about 125 miles due west, and Cuatro Cienegas, in the State of Coahuila, 112 miles to the eastward. Between these points and the town of Sierra Mojada, and to the north of this town, the country is an immense desert, entirely uncultivated, almost uninhabited, and very little known. This

Jan 1, 1887

By Alden B. Greninger, Victor G. Mooradian

Microscopic examinations of quenched (beta) 60:40 copper-zinc and quenched (beta) 74:26 copper-tin alloys have frequently disclosed long, thin parallel bands or markings within the polyhedral beta grains. Apparently, it has been accepted that these markings are mechanical twin bands, although there is no published account of experimental data that might tend to substantiate this belief for the copper-zinc system, and only meager evidence has been submitted for the copper-tin system. Johnsonl0 commented upon the markings he observed after deforming a quenched brass of 55.6 per cent copper and 44.4 per cent zinc. Clark's papers4 on the heat-treatment of Muntz metal contain many photomicrographs of markings in beta brass; these she referred to as Neumann bands (inasmuch as repolishing and re-etching failed to remove them) and stated that markings present in Muntz metal as quenched were the result of shock imparted during the polishing operation. Van Wert18 first suggested that these parallel markings in quenched beta brass (60:40) might be alpha precipitated along certain crystallographic planes of the matrix lattice. He showed that upon reheating the specimens to temperatures below 800" C., obvious precipitation of alpha within the large beta grains first occurred at the markings. In a discussion of this paper, Phillips stated (pp. 505-507) that in his opinion the markings observed by Van Wert were mechanical twins resulting from contraction strains produced during the quenching operation. In a study of segregate structures in beta copper-tin, Smith17 observed that in the quenched beta phase (containing 74.92 per cent Cu) parallel . bands or markings very similar to those in metastable beta brass could be

Jan 1, 1938

By Alden B. Greninger, Victor G. Mooradian

Microscopic examinations of quenched (beta) 60:40 copper-zinc and quenched (beta) 74:26 copper-tin alloys have frequently disclosed long, thin parallel bands or markings within the polyhedral beta grains. Apparently, it has been accepted that these markings are mechanical twin bands, although there is no published account of experimental data that might tend to substantiate this belief for the copper-zinc system, and only meager evidence has been submitted for the copper-tin system. Johnsonl0 commented upon the markings he observed after deforming a quenched brass of 55.6 per cent copper and 44.4 per cent zinc. Clark's papers4 on the heat-treatment of Muntz metal contain many photomicrographs of markings in beta brass; these she referred to as Neumann bands (inasmuch as repolishing and re-etching failed to remove them) and stated that markings present in Muntz metal as quenched were the result of shock imparted during the polishing operation. Van Wert18 first suggested that these parallel markings in quenched beta brass (60:40) might be alpha precipitated along certain crystallographic planes of the matrix lattice. He showed that upon reheating the specimens to temperatures below 800" C., obvious precipitation of alpha within the large beta grains first occurred at the markings. In a discussion of this paper, Phillips stated (pp. 505-507) that in his opinion the markings observed by Van Wert were mechanical twins resulting from contraction strains produced during the quenching operation. In a study of segregate structures in beta copper-tin, Smith17 observed that in the quenched beta phase (containing 74.92 per cent Cu) parallel . bands or markings very similar to those in metastable beta brass could be

Jan 1, 1938

By F. E. Lathe, L. Hodnett

This paper summarizes extensive data supplied by 40 copper converter plants in 18 countries, and includes a partial analysis and comments on the effect of converter slag composition and temperature on the fomzation and elimination of magnetite and the life of basic and neutral refractories. APRELIMINARY draft of this paper, including data from 26 companies which had submitted replies to a questionnaire, was presented at the Annual Meeting of the AIME held in New York in February, 1956. Publication was delayed in the expectation that additional replies would be received, and justification for the subsequent delay may be found in the fact that the present revised paper contains data from 40 converter plants situated in 18 different countries. The suggestion that a questionnaire be sent to the major copper and copper-nickel plants outside the U.S.S.R. and associated countries arose at the Los Angeles Annual Meeting in February, 1953, where several papers dealing with converter construction and operation were presented. In private discussions which followed, a group of metallurgists and refractories engineers raised the question why practices varied so much at different plants. Why did magnesite brick give superior service to chrome-magnesite in some plants but chrome-magnesite prove superior in others? Would metallurgical studies point the way to the development of still better refractories? Could magnetite formation be prevented in converter slags and reverber-atory furnace mattes? If this was feasible, why was a heavy circulating load of magnetite tolerated, when, in all probability, it increased copper losses in the reverberatory slags and, in some cases, made it necessary to shut down the furnaces periodically to clean out the accumulated magnetite? Was the sole purpose of coating brick with magnetite that of

Jan 1, 1959

By K. H. Heino

Two 200 T/da Lurgi Turbulent Layer fluid-bed roasters have been in operation at Canadian Electrolytic Zinc Limited since 1966. Zinc concentrate containing 52-54% Zn, 9-11% Fe,31-33% S is treated to produce calcine containing 60-62% Zn,10-12% Fe, .l-.3% S as sulphide and .8-1.2% S as sulphate. Each roaster train comprises a waste heat boiler, two cyclones in parallel and a two-field electrostatic precipitator. Distribution of calcine collected is 10-15 percent from bed overflow, 55-65 percent from boilers, 20-25 percent from cyclones and 2-6 percent from precipitators. A Monsanto designed contact plant produces acid at a rated capacity of 365 T/da (100% H2304 basis) from roaster gases diluted to 7.0-7.5% S02. The process steps are gas cleaning and cooling by weak acid scrubbing, acid mist removal in electrostatic precipitators, gas drying in 93.5-96.5% H2304, conversion of sulphur dioxide to sulphur trioxide in a four-pass converter containing vanadium pentoxide catalyst, and absorption of the sulphur trioxide in 98.1-98.3% H2S04. Product acid is 93.2% H2S04. Conversion efficiency is 97-98 percent and overall sulphur recovery from concentrate is 87-90 percent. The adjacent fertilizer plant has a capacity of 135 T/da of P205. The products are 54 percent phosphoric acid, run-of-pile triple superphosphate, and diammonium phosphate. The plant is of Ugine-Kuhlman design and consists of an air-cooled multiple tank reactor, a tilting pan filter, and a forced circultation vacuum evaporator. Triple superphosphate is made on a continuous belt and partially cured in a rotary dryer. Diammonium phosphate is produced by ammoniating phosphoric acid in a single stage reactor. The slurry of ammonium phosphate is granulated in a blunger and dried.

Jan 1, 1970

By F. F. Sharpless

IT IS to be. read in Western newspapers that Hon. S. S. Arentz who introduced H. R. 7736, 'has repudiated it, that certain mining men in Utah and Nevada say that they will fight it "until hell freezes over." It is to be read in more temperate expressions that "the eminent engineers who drafted the bill exhibited a woeful misunderstanding of Western sentiment and opinion." Furthermore, it is averred that there is no need for revising the mining laws, that we have got along pretty well under the existing laws, etc. Such statements are so surprising in view of, the facts of record that it is hard to believe that the oppon-ents of the bill, who make them, are well informed, or that they represent general opinion. It will be useful therefore to review the record of the case. Our GOOD OLD MINING LAWS We have indeed got on well in our mining industry, but that has not been by virtue; of our good old mining laws. Rather has it been in spite of them. Ever since the Richmond-Eureka case in the '70s there has been litigation arising from them. Early in the '80s the apex law was discarded by common consent in Leadville, and it has been ignored in every district of flat-lying ore deposits ever since. The great mines of the present time are the porphyry copper deposits. At Bingham, Ely, Ray, Chino, Miami, Clifton and Ajo the apex law is simply inapplicable. A law that is inapplicable to the modern conditions of mining may be an old law, but it can not properly be characterized as a "good" law. For such reasons, and many others of weight, there has been a demand for revision of the mining laws; dat-ing ,back at least three decades. President Roosevelt appointed a commission to advise respecting the question, said commission comprising. Dr. James Douglas (chairman), John Hays Hammond, D: M. Barringer, Walter B: Devereux, and William B. Mather. This committee was unanimous on the following points:

Jan 1, 1922

By Prof John E. Church

ONE of the most striking phenomena connected with the mines on the Comstock lode is the extreme heat encountered in the lower levels. This heat is not due to the burning of candles, heat of the men, and decomposition of timbers, all intensified by bad ventilation, as was the case nearer the surface. It proceeds from the rock, which maintains constantly a temperature very much higher than the average of the atmosphere in Nevada. The heat of these mines is a matter of more than usual interest, for they are the only hot ones now worked in the United States, and both in the present temperature encountered and in the increase which is to be expected as greater depths are reached, they appear to surpass any foreign mines of which we have a record. Hot mines are known also in other countries, as in the tin and copper lodes of Wales, where one of the veins worked by the United Mines is known as the hot lode. It has springs which discharge water at a temperature of 116' Fahrenheit, the depth being 220 fathoms, or 1320 feet. The heat of the air in these workings is. given at 100' to 113' Fahrenheit. The air is bad, and the heat in the drifts seems to be traceable to defective ventilation rather than to the real necessities of the case. Air is supplied through a small pipe, and is drawn from a place where the temperature is 95' Fahrenheit. Under such circumstances it is not surprising to read that in this hot mine the air is hotter than the rock, a state of things which I hare never observed in the Comstock. Other mines have been reported to the British Coal Committee as having temperatures of 106" Fahrenheit and thereabouts, but the only positive comparisons that are available at this writing are the following, all from Cornish mines : Mine. Depth Temperature. in feet. Air. Rock. Tresaveau,.....1581 86° 83° to 85° Consolidated Mines,. .. 1500 87° 86° " " . 1722 94o 93° " L .. .. 1764 94o to 96° 921/2° to 931/2°

Jan 1, 1879

By N. H. Fisher

Geographical Distribution 'he most important known deposits in Australia of what are commonly referred to as the beach-sand minerals are along the most easterly part of the Australian coast, between Southport, 17 miles north of the Queensland-New South Wales border, and Ballina, 50 miles south of the border, and most of the production has come from this area (Fig I). Smaller deposits are known to occur farther to the south at intervals for several hundred miles, and beaches have been worked at Yamba, 96 miles south and Woolgoolga, 150 miles south of the border and at Swansea, 60 miles north of Sydney. Important deposits have been shown to exist on north Stradbroke Island and others have been located farther to the north, as far as Tin Can Bay at the south end of Frazer Island. (Fig 2). Table I gives the list of operators with the location of their deposits and workings, their approximate maximum monthly capacity expressed in tons of heavy mineral produced by their concentrating plants before separation into individual mineral concentrates, their methods of mining and concentrating the minerals, and the products obtained. This table applies as of June 1948, but all the operators are remodeling or improving their plants and plant practices will be modified accordingly. In addition, active boring campaigns have been carried out by Alluvial Gold, Ltd., of Sydney, in the Cudgen-Cudgera area, and by Zinc Corporation Ltd., of Melbourne, on Stradbroke Island, and in other places. Physiography Submergence of the order of 100 to 200 ft at the close of the Pleistocene period left the pre-existing hills as promontories and the valleys as deep inlets. Wave action has built bay-bars and sandspits in a northerly direction from the headlands, and lakes and marshes have formed between these bars and the initial post-submergence coast line. These lakes and swamps have been or are being filled in by river-borne sediments or wind-blown sand. Beasley1 has presented evidence that suggests a recent emergence of the coast line of about 10 ft. The evidence for this belief is the presence of a black sand seam 1/3 mile inland and 17 ft above sea level (Fig 3), and although it is not entirely certain that this seam is of beach formation and owes nothing to windblown concentration, other evidence supports the suggestion of recent emergence. Such emergence would undoubtedly aid the formation of bars and sandspits and the easterly progress of the beach front, leaving a series of parallel dunes (Fig 4). This belt of north-south coastal dunes ranges up to 56 mile in width and as many as 15 lines of dune have been counted (Fig 3). The foredune is generally the highest, upto 25 ft high, and there is in many places a flat platform in front of the dune known as the berm. The dunes behind the foredune are lower and less well defined

Jan 1, 1949

By Leo Horvitz

Microanalysis of near-surface soils for hydrocarbons is the basis of a method for locating gas and oil deposits. To substantiate this technique, evidence of vertical migration of hydrocarbons from petroleum accumulations is presented. Tabulated data relevant to hydrocarbon surveys conducted in several petroleum provinces are included. PEROLEUM and natural gas are composed principally of the saturated hydrocarbons ranging from methane, the lightest, to nonvolatile liquids and solids containing approximately thirty-five carbon atoms. A technique for locating buried accumulations of these hydrocarbons before drilling obviously requires that some of the hydrocarbons leave the deposit and migrate toward the surface of the earth where they may be detected in their original form. Earliest attempts to link near surface hydrocarbons to petroleum at depth were apparently made by Laubmeyer' in Germany and by Sokolov in Russia. These investigators collected samples of soil air from boreholes one to two meters deep and analyzed them for traces of hydrocarbons. They found that soil air over producing areas is richer in these constituents than is soil air over barren areas. Since 1936 work on petroleum exploration techniques of this type has been going on in this country. However, instead of determining hydrocarbon content of soil air collected in the field, investigators analyze samples of the soil itself for adsorbed and occluded hydrocarbons, which are released by suitable treatment and found in larger amounts than are the quantities reported for soil air. Difficulties often encountered in collecting gas samples in the field, moreover, are eliminated when soil is used as the sampling medium. Field Procedure: Sample locations are first surveyed over the area to be investigated. Care is taken to locate the stations at considerable distances from roads, pipelines, drilling wells, and other sources of contamination. The borehole pay be dug with a bucket-type hand auger or with mechanical drilling equipment. Lubricants are avoided in either case. When the desired depth is reached, a sample is brought to the surface, placed in a pint glass jar or can, and securely sealed. Sample containers are carefully labeled and delivered to the analytical laboratory. Generally a satisfactory sampling depth range is 8 to 12 ft. In some regions, however, satisfactory data are obtained from samples collected at much shallower depths. Such is the case, for example, in areas of west Texas where the limestone and caliche near the surface occlude hydrocarbons and prevent their rapid escape to the atmosphere. In carrying out broad reconnaissance surveys in search of large features, considerable time is saved by first taking samples one-fourth to one-half mile apart along profiles about one mile apart. If the analytical data indicate a hydrocarbon anomaly of interest, additional samples are taken to produce a more dense and uniform sampling pattern within the interesting area. This sampling program is particularly adaptable to areas that are sectionized. In areas covered with a network of roads, sampling along these roads facilitates the reconnaissance survey. Actual sampling density used depends upon areal extent of features expected. When flanks of piercement-type domes where accumulations may be only several hundred feet wide are sampled, stations are often no more than 200 ft apart. Analytical Technique: Of the hydrocarbons composing petroleum, only the more volatile would be expected to reach the surface of the earth. The analytical technique, therefore, was developed to determine only those constituents that exert a vapor pressure at room temperature. Actually, in near-surface soils, only a very small part of the hydrocarbons are heavier than pentane. Details of the analytical technique have previously been reported. Only a brief description of the methods will be presented here. A weighed portion of the sample, about 100 g, is first treated with an aqueous solution of copper sulphate and then with phosphoric acid in a partial vacuum. The copper sulphate prevents the reaction of the acid with carbides that may be present because the sample has been contaminated by auger particles. Such a reaction may produce spurious methane. The role of the acid is to decompose any carbonates present, thereby helping to release the hydrocarbons. The carbon dioxide is removed with potassium hydroxide and the flask containing the

Jan 1, 1955

By Edward W. Parker

One of the most important features of the coal-mining industry of the present day is one that is common to the majority of industrial enterprises—the substitution of mechanical methods for hand-labor.

Jan 1, 1900

By Paul D. Foote

Most of the treatises on metallurgy intimate that simultaneously with the development by the atomic physicist of a really satisfactory theory of the atom will be inaugurated a new epoch in the science of metals. Metallurgically and metaphorically, we shall dwell in the Utopia of Sir Thomas More. It is my privilege this afternoon to demonstrate that this state has not arrived. An atom is a miniature planetary system consisting of a positively charged nuclear sun about which revolve electrons each carrying the negative charge e. The charge on the nucleus is + Ze where Z is the atomic number and the number of planetary electrons in a neutral atom is equal to Z. These electrons are arranged in several groups having different binding energies. Ordinary x-ray phenomena relate to processes occurring deep within the atom, usually with electrons in the so-called K or L shells. Such electrons in the heavier atoms are so closely bound to the nucleus that the forces exerted by neighboring atoms in a solid are relatively inappreciable. For most practical x-ray investigation, the atom may be considered as in the gaseous phase completely isolated from its neighbors. The K radiation from an element in the gaseous state, in the solid or liquid phase, or even in combination with other elements in all its possible valences, is almost identical.‡ Visual and ultraviolet spectroscopy is concerned with disturbances of the most loosely bound outer or valence electrons of the atom, always in the vapor state. The remarkable progress of the last year in both theo-

Jan 1, 1926

By Lyman Taylor, Alexander R. Troiano

STUDIES of the transformation of austenite at constant subcritical temperatures have been numerous since the work of Davenport and Bain.1 Considerable information has been obtained on low-alloy steels and on high-carbon alloys containing undissolved carbide or graphite at the austenitizing temperature. Little is known of the isothermal transformation of austenite containing in solution large amounts of both carbon and a single alloying element. In this investigation four steels containing one per cent carbon and with chromium in the range 3 to 9 per cent have been examined with the view to establishing the fundamental character of the isothermal reactions when all carbon and chromium are initially in solution in austenite. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Alloys The chemical compositions of the steels investigated are given in Table I. The 4 per cent Cr alloy is a commercial steel. The other steels were made by the Carpenter Steel Co. as 50-lb., induction-furnace heats and rolled to 5/8-in. round bars. Bars were softened at 650° to 700°C. before the specimens were cut. [ ] Metallographic Method Most of the lines on the transformation diagrams presented here have been placed on the basis of the microscopic examination of partially reacted specimens. Thees specimens were approximately ½ by ¼ by 1/8 in. in size. Specimens of the 9 per cent Cr steel were held 10 to 12 hr. at 1200° to I225°C. before quenching to the various subcritical temperatures. The other steels were held for 2 to 2 ½ hr. at 1200°C. before quenching. These treatments, carried out in an atmosphere of purified nitrogen, produced an austenite grain size larger than A.S.T.M. No. I, some grains being 1 to 2 mm. in diameter. There were a few undissolved carbide particles in some specimens of the 9 per cent Cr steel. It is believed, however, that any errors in the results due to incomplete solution of carbon and chromium in austenite are negligible; that is, austenite compositions may be considered as being those listed in Table I. X-ray Methods Constituents were identified and martensite axial ratios determined from Debye

Jan 1, 1945

By F. E. Bash

CONSTANTAN is an alloy of copper and nickel that is extensively used, under a number of trade names, as a resistance wire with a low temperature coefficient of resistance, and one of the elements of base-metal thermocouples, iron usually being the other thermoelement, although for low-temperature work copper is also used. Before the war, constantan was imported, in common with many other technical necessities. Since it required considerable time to receive the constantan after it was ordered, fairly large stocks were kept on hand; but after the beginning of the war no more was imported acid the stocks of foreign material were exhausted about the same time that the steel and munition manufacturers began to need great quantities of it for thermocouples for the heat treatment of steel. To meet this demand, the International Nickel Co. began manufacturing constantan that met all the requirements of the users of resistance wire but did not give the same electromotive force against iron as the German material and consequently could not be used with instruments calibrated for a definite e.m.f.-temperature relation. It so happened that all the constantan made had an e.m.f. lower than that necessary to meet the specifications of the Leeds & Northrup Co. for whom this investigation was carried out. If some had been higher and some lower, good wire could have been obtained by a, process of selection, but as it was no wire at all could be procured. To remedy this situation, a thorough investigation was started with the close cooperation of the International Nickel Co. and the Electrical Alloys Co. The specifications to which the constantan had to conform were that it should give an e.m.f. of 47.40 millivolts. against pure iron at 1500° F. (816° C.) with the cold-junction temperature at 0° F., or a proportional e.m.f. at temperatures near 1500° F. The method of checking a wire was as follows: It was first welded to a piece of iron wire; Armco iron was found to be satisfactory but iron with greater than 0.1 per cent. carbon would give a lower e.m.f. against the same piece of constantan than pure

Jan 9, 1919

By Bror Nordberg

SAND and gravel are unconsolidated granular materials resulting from the natural disintegration of rocks. The two materials nearly al- ways occur together, variably proportioned in widely available de- posits. A commercial sand comprises the fine granular material, usually less than f in. in diameter (ASTM Designation C58-28), and gravel consists of the coarse, granular material larger than sand (ASTM Designation C125-46T). Gravel falls within the range of 1/4 in. and a top size usually of 3 ½ in. Chemical definition is impossible. Sand and gravel are always of secondary origin. They were formed from various massive rocks through the action of chemical and mechanical forces; then transported, abraded, washed, sorted, and classified by streams, glaciers, waves, or winds, to be redeposited in beds as they are found. Chief disintegrating forces in the reduction of rocks into granular particles were frost, rain, the dissolving action of acid and alkaline ground waters, the mechanical action of streams and waves, and the action of glaciers. Method of formation and deposition have imparted physical properties to sands and gravels that largely determine the commercial value of the materials for particular use and influence the manner of exploitation. In the early days of the commercial industry, purchasing specifications were relatively lenient but in. the past decade much more rigid quality requirements have had to be met for acceptance by all classes of purchasers. The trend to further severity in requirements is a challenge to the industry that commands full knowledge of the nature of raw materials at hand and skillful application of processing into commercial products. Mechanical strength, the ability to resist disintegration, chemica

Jan 1, 1949