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By Orville R. Lyons

DISCUSSION Judson S. Hubbard (The Humphreys Investment Co., Denver)—In this very interesting paper several brief references are made to the Humphreys spiral, a device used for cleaning fine coal. In Table I, Plants 76 and 77, data are given on spiral performance treating Raton and Trinidad coal. The fine coal, as fed to the spiral in these instances, is actually a table middling, hence the more easily treated material was previously removed and a large number of particles were present which were difficult to clean. Mr. W. M. Bertholf of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Co. presented a paper in February, 1946, Cleaning Table Middlings from a Coal Washery with the Humphreys Spiral Concentrator, from which I quote: "In considering the results of our tests it should be noted that the feed was our table middling, and that any real separation is a 'moral victory' as there is little material that could properly be called coal and practically no heavy rock, the consequences being that previous attempts to clean the middling have not at all been successful." Referring again to Table I, Plants 72, 73, 74, and 75, these data were obtained by Yancey and Geer and others and presented at the February 1950 Meeting, AIME, in a paper entitled Laboratory Performance Tests of the Humphreys Spiral as a Cleaner of Fine Coal. Results shown for those tests involve all particles from 8 mesh through the colloids, which admittedly is not an ideal situation for spiral feed if much refuse is contained in the —80 mesh or —100 mesh size range. As an illustration of the effect of treating too broad a size range, let us consider Plant No. 75, Kentucky No. 9 seam. Spiral feed was 8 mesh x 0. Now had this been 8x100 mesh the percentage of misplaced material would have been 8.0 pct instead of the reported 15.26 pct. Similar comparisons can be made on the other data presented with respect to the spiral. Other types of equipment show a similar trend in that whenever too fine a size is treated in a given unit process the percentage of misplaced material increases. Since the spiral is working near the finer end of the size range, it will sometimes be advantageous to treat the entire range of —8 mesh material rather than to deslime and make a fair showing on, say, the +80 or + I00 mesh. Desliming is subsequently done in any case in the dewatering or thickening operation. Results obtained by spiraling any given coal depend on factors too numerous and complex to discuss here, but there are strong indications that proper preparation of feed to the spiral can improve results obtained on some of the raw coals tested. This is clearly pointed out at the end of the aforementioned paper by Yancey and Geer. "The spiral is an extremely simple device which involves no moving parts and is constructed almost entirely of unmachined castings. Since it is such an uncomplicated mechanism, operation is simple and virtually foolproof. These characteristics, which go far toward insuring low cost operation, are attractive attributes in any coal cleaning unit." Certain equipment used in conjunction with the spiral has resulted in a decrease in the percentage of misplaced material, notably in actual practice the launder screen which is used to remove objectionable high ash fines from a spiral-washed coal product. Private correspondence with the U. S. Bureau of Mines has intimated that an additional yield of coal is possible by flotation of the spiral middling. Possible future improvements and developments may result from other methods now under consideration. Finally, some compromise must be made between the best metallurgical performance and the best practical or economical results. Mr. Lyons emphasizes in his summary this objective of overall economy in selection of equipment. G. B. Walker (American Cyanamid Co., Stamford, Conn.)—I had the pleasure of reviewing the draft of this paper and my curiosity was aroused by the data given for Tromp plants, in that all of the examples shown appeared to be 2-product separations, whereas all the Tromp plants with which I am familiar have been 3-product units. The data given for plants No. 101 and 102 appear to be taken from Tromp's brochure on his process and represent the results obtained at the Dominale plant in Holland which was operated for many years by Mr. Tromp. The plant, which was designed to treat 58 tons per hr, was sampled while treating 35 tons per hr of 3Y4x-in. coal. Example 101 appears to conform to what would result if the middling product were calculated into the refuse product, while Example 102 represents the calculation of the middling into the coal product. It is believed that Examples 103 and 104 represent the operation of the Willem-Sophie Mine in Holland recalculated on the same basis. In checking the English examples given by numbers 14, 15, 16, and 17, the same procedure seems to have been followed. These results have, apparently, been taken from an article in Colliery Engineering in August 1941, describing the initial operation of the Williamthorpe Colliery of the Hardwick Colliery Co. Two vessels are employed in this plant, one to treat soft coal and one to treat hard coal. Example No. 14 presents the results that could be obtained from the soft coal bath if the middling were calculated into the refuse, and Example 15 the results when the middling is calculated into the coal. Examples 16 and 17 represent the same expedient in the case of the hard coal bath. Of interest to this discussion is the fact that during the past year the Simon-Carves Engineering Co. in England has installed in the Williamthorpe plant their new "Sim-Car" medium cleaning system which is based on magnetic extraction and control and which is licensed under the Heavy-Media Separation Processes patents by the American Zinc, Lead and Smelting Co. This system has been described in the December 1951, issue of Colliery Engineering. It is reported that since the Williamthorpe Colliery was changed from the Tromp system of medium cleaning to the Magneto-Motive method of medium control the opera-

Jan 1, 1953

By Orville R. Lyons

DISCUSSION Judson S. Hubbard (The Humphreys Investment Co., Denver)—In this very interesting paper several brief references are made to the Humphreys spiral, a device used for cleaning fine coal. In Table I, Plants 76 and 77, data are given on spiral performance treating Raton and Trinidad coal. The fine coal, as fed to the spiral in these instances, is actually a table middling, hence the more easily treated material was previously removed and a large number of particles were present which were difficult to clean. Mr. W. M. Bertholf of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Co. presented a paper in February, 1946, Cleaning Table Middlings from a Coal Washery with the Humphreys Spiral Concentrator, from which I quote: "In considering the results of our tests it should be noted that the feed was our table middling, and that any real separation is a 'moral victory' as there is little material that could properly be called coal and practically no heavy rock, the consequences being that previous attempts to clean the middling have not at all been successful." Referring again to Table I, Plants 72, 73, 74, and 75, these data were obtained by Yancey and Geer and others and presented at the February 1950 Meeting, AIME, in a paper entitled Laboratory Performance Tests of the Humphreys Spiral as a Cleaner of Fine Coal. Results shown for those tests involve all particles from 8 mesh through the colloids, which admittedly is not an ideal situation for spiral feed if much refuse is contained in the —80 mesh or —100 mesh size range. As an illustration of the effect of treating too broad a size range, let us consider Plant No. 75, Kentucky No. 9 seam. Spiral feed was 8 mesh x 0. Now had this been 8x100 mesh the percentage of misplaced material would have been 8.0 pct instead of the reported 15.26 pct. Similar comparisons can be made on the other data presented with respect to the spiral. Other types of equipment show a similar trend in that whenever too fine a size is treated in a given unit process the percentage of misplaced material increases. Since the spiral is working near the finer end of the size range, it will sometimes be advantageous to treat the entire range of —8 mesh material rather than to deslime and make a fair showing on, say, the +80 or + I00 mesh. Desliming is subsequently done in any case in the dewatering or thickening operation. Results obtained by spiraling any given coal depend on factors too numerous and complex to discuss here, but there are strong indications that proper preparation of feed to the spiral can improve results obtained on some of the raw coals tested. This is clearly pointed out at the end of the aforementioned paper by Yancey and Geer. "The spiral is an extremely simple device which involves no moving parts and is constructed almost entirely of unmachined castings. Since it is such an uncomplicated mechanism, operation is simple and virtually foolproof. These characteristics, which go far toward insuring low cost operation, are attractive attributes in any coal cleaning unit." Certain equipment used in conjunction with the spiral has resulted in a decrease in the percentage of misplaced material, notably in actual practice the launder screen which is used to remove objectionable high ash fines from a spiral-washed coal product. Private correspondence with the U. S. Bureau of Mines has intimated that an additional yield of coal is possible by flotation of the spiral middling. Possible future improvements and developments may result from other methods now under consideration. Finally, some compromise must be made between the best metallurgical performance and the best practical or economical results. Mr. Lyons emphasizes in his summary this objective of overall economy in selection of equipment. G. B. Walker (American Cyanamid Co., Stamford, Conn.)—I had the pleasure of reviewing the draft of this paper and my curiosity was aroused by the data given for Tromp plants, in that all of the examples shown appeared to be 2-product separations, whereas all the Tromp plants with which I am familiar have been 3-product units. The data given for plants No. 101 and 102 appear to be taken from Tromp's brochure on his process and represent the results obtained at the Dominale plant in Holland which was operated for many years by Mr. Tromp. The plant, which was designed to treat 58 tons per hr, was sampled while treating 35 tons per hr of 3Y4x-in. coal. Example 101 appears to conform to what would result if the middling product were calculated into the refuse product, while Example 102 represents the calculation of the middling into the coal product. It is believed that Examples 103 and 104 represent the operation of the Willem-Sophie Mine in Holland recalculated on the same basis. In checking the English examples given by numbers 14, 15, 16, and 17, the same procedure seems to have been followed. These results have, apparently, been taken from an article in Colliery Engineering in August 1941, describing the initial operation of the Williamthorpe Colliery of the Hardwick Colliery Co. Two vessels are employed in this plant, one to treat soft coal and one to treat hard coal. Example No. 14 presents the results that could be obtained from the soft coal bath if the middling were calculated into the refuse, and Example 15 the results when the middling is calculated into the coal. Examples 16 and 17 represent the same expedient in the case of the hard coal bath. Of interest to this discussion is the fact that during the past year the Simon-Carves Engineering Co. in England has installed in the Williamthorpe plant their new "Sim-Car" medium cleaning system which is based on magnetic extraction and control and which is licensed under the Heavy-Media Separation Processes patents by the American Zinc, Lead and Smelting Co. This system has been described in the December 1951, issue of Colliery Engineering. It is reported that since the Williamthorpe Colliery was changed from the Tromp system of medium cleaning to the Magneto-Motive method of medium control the opera-

Jan 1, 1953

By E. C. Harder

BAUXITE is known mainly as the ore from which aluminum is smelted but it has large use also in the manufacture of artificial abrasives and as a basis for certain chemical industries. A small amount is used for refractories and for other purposes. COMPOSITION Dana and others give the mineral formula of bauxite as A1203.2H20 and the composition as A12037 73.9 pct; H2O, 26.1 pct. It has been definitely shown, however, that bauxite does not exist as a specific mineral but rather as a rock. The term is now used synonymously with aluminum ore and it embraces gibbsite (hydrargillite or alpha trihydrate), A1203.3H20 (A12037 65.4 pct; H2O, 34.6 pct); boehmite (alpha mono¬hydrate), A1203.H20(Al203) 85 pct; H2O, 15 pct); diaspore (beta monohydrate), A1203.H2O(A12037 85 pct; H2O, 15 pct), and mixtures in various proportions of any two of them. Bauxite of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic in Europe is predominantly a mixture of gibbsite and boehmite, subordinately a mixture of boehmite and diaspore, or gibbsite and diaspore. The bauxite of North and South America, tropical Africa, Asia, and Australasia consists largely of gibbsite. Corundum (A1203) is not included under bauxite, although gradations from bauxite to emery or corundum exist. All bauxite, irrespective of the aluminum minerals composing it, contains certain impurities, including silica, in the form of clay minerals (kaolinite, halloysite, and others) or quartz, iron oxide (as hematite or goethite), titania (as leucoxene or rutile), iron sulphide (as pyrite or marcasite), iron carbonate (siderite), and calcium carbonate (as calcite); the last three mentioned in minor amount and of local occurrence only. Bauxite belongs to a group of partly consolidated materials called laterites, formed by surface weathering. This group includes also impure siliceous and ferruginous bauxite and siliceous and

Jan 1, 1949

By W. M. Peirce

FOR many years it was considered quite the proper introduction to any discussion of zinc metallurgy to remark that the methods of extracting zinc from its ores were archaic. Often there was an added implication that the industry in every phase savored of the days of alchemy. On rare occasions comments of this sort may still he heard. Fortunately, not only for the zinc industry but for the world at large, there is today no longer a basis for considering zinc metallurgy unprogressive. Progress in any industry is possible along three distinct lines. The methods of production may be improved, thereby reducing costs. In the case of basic materials, this may also have the important effect of increasing potential supply. Second, quality may be improved. Finally, the product may be made more valuable to consumers through increased knowledge of its utilization, thus holding old markets or opening new.

Jan 1, 1931

By E. R. Funk, H. Udin, J. Wulff

The surface tension of solid silver is measured by a refinement of the Udin, Shaler, and Wulff technique. The tests were made in a purified helium atmosphere at four different temperatures and various times. The average of the results is y = 1140 + 90 dynes per cm for the range 875° to 932°C. A SUCCESSFUL measurement of the surface tension of solid copper was reported by Udin, Shaler, and Wulff.' They performed experiments on copper held in vacuum within 100°C of the melting point. At these temperatures, the creep rate in 5 and 3 mil copper wires was sufficient to permit determination of a balance between the contractile force of surface tension and the extending force of small copper weights joined to the end of the wire specimens. By suspending a series of variously weighted specimens and measuring the change in a gage length during the test, the balancing applied load could be found. This point of zero strain is a measure of the surface tension. The mathematical formulation of this gives: w = r y [1] where w is the weight for zero strain; r, the radius of the wire; and y, the surface tension. A subsequent note by Udin pointed out that eq 1 applies only to single-crystal specimens. Since the specimens used revealed a "bamboo" structure upon

Jan 1, 1952

By Paul H. Rydlund

Substantial priming was a considered necessity for proper initiation of ammonium nitrate-fuel oil mixes as ANFO began to carve its niche in the mining industry in the latter fifties. Heavy priming accompanied the introduction of prills and oil to many blasting operations, large charges of high explosives were commonly used at the bottom, top and frequent intervals throughout the column. As the quality of ammonium nitrate improved and operators became more experienced, primer costs began to diminish. Increased experimentation continued with reduced primer costs a main objective. Cast primers were introduced and became accepted as an excellent companion for ANFO. Although the trend toward larger diameter boreholes became increasingly popular, emphasis on lower and lower priming costs continued. A primer was simply required to produce any type of initiation within the ANFO column to be considered adequate. Suddenly ANFO priming had digressed from excessive to marginal. Early experimental data from test site and laboratory indicated that ANFO had a tendency to react inefficiently in the initiation region of the column unless substantially primed. This was evidenced by the presence of unstable reaction rates detected with newly developed detonation velocity measuring equipment. These low order or "transient" velocities were believed to originate because of inadequate primer strength or a primer diameter to column diameter mismatch. However, the nature of this experimental work was generally confined to small diameter column charges detonated in iron pipe simulated bore-holes. It was questionable whether the smaller scale laboratory data was applicable to large 12 1/4 and 15-in. boreholes.

Jan 3, 1973

By A. A. Bauer, H. A. Saller, F. A. Rough, J. R. Doig

among uranium alloy systems are the U-Zr, U-Ti,and U-Mo binary systems, in that an intermediate phase, of limited solubility range, exists in each system. These intermediate phase alloys offer a promising field of investigation, both as binary alloys and as ternary alloy combinations. While a limited amount of work has been done on the binary alloys, none has been done on ternary combinations of these alloys. As a possible prelude to more intensive investigation of these systems, a study of the phase relationships between the 6 phases of the U-Zr and U-Ti systems was undertaken. The solid-state portions of the binary constitutional diagrams for the U-Ti,1 Zr-Ti,2 and U-Zr3 systems are shown in Fig. 1. The solid to liquid transformations are not shown, as these transformations were not studied in the ternary system. The phase designations employed are based upon those shown in the uranium constitutional diagrams. The crystal structures of the various phases are given in Table I. Experimental Materials and Methods The ternary section presented is based upon the results of thermal, metallographic, and X-ray analyses of a series of alloys ranging in composition between the phases of the U-Zr and U-Ti systems (U-74 atomic pct Zr to U-35 atomic pct Ti). After preparation of the alloys, thermal data were obtained. On the basis of these data, specimens were heat treated and examined metallographically. Specimens were then selected from those heat treated for X-ray determination of the phases present in what were considered critical phase regions. Alloy and Specimen Preparation—Alloys for this investigation were prepared from selected as-reduced uranium and crystal-bar zirconium and titanium. For nominal compositions, see Table 11. Charges were arc melted from five to seven times under a helium atmosphere, finally being cast into wire-bar form for fabrication. A zirconium getter button was used to clean the furnace atmosphere prior to melting. The alloys were homogenized 20 hr at 900 °C and furnace cooled. A portion of each bar was then removed for thermal analysis; the remainder was saved for fabrication. Alloys 8 through 14 were placed in steel tubes along with zirconium getter chips and, after flushing with argon, the tubes were welded shut and rolled at 1500 °F to a 50 pct reduction in diam. The remaining alloys were annealed 24 hr at ll00°F to insure transformation of the ? phase to the 8-U2Ti phase and were then hot rolled from a salt bath. Attempts to roll alloys 6 and 7 at 1100 °F were unsuccessful. Following this, attempts were made to roll pieces of alloys 1 through 5, which had cracked rather severely during casting, at 1200 °F, but these efforts were also unsuccessful. These alloys were, therefore, further treated in their cast and homogenized condition. All alloys were pickled to remove oxide formed during rolling. Thermal data were obtained on these alloys by conventional differential thermal analysis at a heating rate of 30C per min, and by a high-speed heating method at rates of approximately 10°C per sec. For the latter method of analysis, a 36-gage Chromel-Alumel thermocouple is spot welded between two slivers of alloy, the sandwich being en-

Jan 1, 1958

• "This country eventually may have to rely on foreign sources for some metals, not because it does not have them here but because it may have difficulty getting the labor to mine them. Few people realize the extent to which the 'old timers' are still the backlog of the important districts." --Fred Searls, Jr. • A new filter has been developed by Arthur D. Little, Inc., for the ABC which will remove all dust from the air. Submicroscopic asbestos fibers are used as filter media and are claimed to stop all dust and pollen while passing suitable quantities of air. •Out in front public relationswise is the Peabody Coal Co. which has launched a 15-min television news program on WNBQ at 10:30 C.S.T., Tuesday and Thursday nights. Clifton Utley, news commentator, will tell how coal is mined today and indicate, with pictures, the improvement in efficiency and safety which has resulted from today's mechanized operations. •Two hundred coal mining companies are using roof bolts as a means of supporting about 14 million sq ft of roof surface, Edward Thomas of the Bureau of Mines reported. Various types of metal and wooden pins can be used. The method was first used by the St. Joseph Lead Co. over 20 years ago, but is now being studied and adopted widely in metal, nonmetallic, and coal mines. * The first ten technical graduates have reported at Hanford Works in the state of Washington, to begin the newly installed General Electric rotational training program, believed to be the first of its kind at any U.S. atomic energy plant. The program is to provide suitably trained personnel for the nation's atomic energy program. •The need for top-notch scientists and engineers to stimulate mining programs in British colonies is acute. About 60 American experts are being sought for the ECA sponsored program. Positions for mining engineers, geologists, assayers, topographers, and petrologists are open. •Production of primary aluminum for the first quarter of 1950 was 322,4250008 lb which is 6 1/2 million lb more than was produced in the first quarter of 1949. Shipments of aluminum sheet, plate, and strip amounted to 259.772,1571b for the first quarter. •Policy on manganese procurement for the stockpile is being studied by a House Armed Services Subcommittee with the possibility of lowering specifications. The U. S. Bureau of Mines is drafting a bill to encourage domestic production for stockpiling through producer subsidies. 'It will have to be cleared by the Bureau of the Budget and other agencies before going to Congress. •Oil men consider dry holes a necessary evil in their search for oil. Last year 34 out of every 100 wells drilled were dry holes. Yet Texas Technological College is attempting to drill a dry hole on its campus at Lubbock, taking every precaution to make sure it is a "duster" so its petroleum engineering students can play around with experiments without being bothered by any messy crude oil. --Natural Resources Notes. •A portable alertness indicator which signals lethargy in persons doing monotonous jobs has been developed for the Navy's Special Devices Center. A possible application to hoistmen is indicated but broaching the matter to them would be tricky.

Jan 6, 1950

By Joseph S. Malesky

As essential as the discovery of coal was to our state of advancement, the discovery and development of explosives marks one of the most important findings in the history of civilization. For this reason explosives are rightfully referred to as the forerunner of progress. Without explosives our vast economic enterprise concerning the mining of coal, copper, iron, aluminum, and various other ores could not function. Explosives are used in all kinds of construction works, in the razing of old buildings, blasting of trenches, driving of tunnels, and in many other instances common to our everyday life. An explosive may be defined as a substance (usually a mixture) that, where flame or shock is applied, yields readily to rapid combustion or oxidation, accompanied by the formation of such relatively large quantities of gases as to produce much violence and pressure which, in turn, react against their surroundings and cause what is termed an explosion. By their very nature the action of explosives is destructive and disruptive of adjacent materials. Decomposition of explosives can occur through deflagration, which is rapid burning or combustion, as in the case of black powder, or through detonation, which is an almost instantaneous disruption, as in the case of dynamites and blasting agents. HISTORY OF BLASTING WITH EXPLOSIVES At one time workmen obtained stone blocks for building by grooving the rock with crude picks, driving wooden wedges into niches in the rock, and pouring water on the wedges; the swelling of the wood forced out the blocks. As late as the 17th century, fires were placed against the face of rock to crack it, and water was sometimes dashed on the heated rock to shatter it by sudden cooling. The progress of our country is synonymous with advancement of the improved manufacture and extended use of explosives. Coal had been

Jan 1, 1973

By H. O. Hofman

(Canal Zone Meeting, November, 1910.) I. INTRODUCTION. IN a previous paper,1 The Behavior of Calcium Sulphate at Elevated Temperatures with Some Fluxes, we published the results of our investigation, into the behavior of calcium sul-phate in air; that, is, under oxidizing conditions. The results as a whole hold good for a neutral atmosphere, or one which has no chemical effect upon calcium sulphate. The present paper deals with the behavior of calcium sulphate under reducing conditions, the reducing-agents employed being carbon monoxide and carbon, and the changes the calcium sulphide formed undergoes when it is subjected to an oxidizing-roast. Technical literature deals very sparingly with the subject. The information furnished by the recent leading chemical manuals is general. Thus Dammer,2 Moissan,3 and Abbegg,4 quote Berthier as having reduced, in 1823, calcium sulphate with carbon, and Stammer as having done the same in 1851 with carbon monoxide; Gmelin Kraut 5 add Leplay and Laurent (1848) as third investigators. Metallurgical authorities confine their statements to the known fact of reduction by carbon. II. PREPARATION OF RAW MATERIALS. 1. Calcium Sulphate.-This salt was prepared in the same manner as described in our previous paper,6 and was found to be chemically pure. * Professor of Metallurgy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. + Metallurgical Instructor, Imperial Technological Institute. 1 Trans, xxxix., 628 to 653 (1909). 2 Handbuch der anorganischen. Chemie, vol. ii., part 2, p. 309 (1894). 3 Traité de Chimic Minérale, 1904, vol. iii., p. 543. 4 Handbuch der anorganischen Chemie, vol. ii., part ii., p. 116 (1905). 5 Handbuch der anorganischen Chemie, vol. ii., part 2, p. 233 (1909). 6 Trans., xxxix., 630 (1909).

Nov 1, 1910

By E. F. Ketterer, D. B. Collyer, A. B. Wilder

The microstructural stability of 59 carbon and low alloy steels after 34,000 hr exposure at 900' and 1050°F, including the weld heat-affected zone, is discussed. The tensile and creep rupture properties of the parent metal of many of the steels before and after 10,000 hr exposure are presented. SEAMLESS pipe has been used for many years at elevated temperatures. When seamless first began to be used, operating temperatures and pressures were relatively low and the steel produced adequately met the existing requirements. The need for knowledge of creep properties and graphitiza-tion was nonexistent. Today the requirements for tubular products have changed considerably. Operating temperatures and pressures are increasing continually and corrosion, particularly at high temperatures, presents a problem. Carbon steels have, under these conditions, certain economic advantages particularly in oil refinery use. However, the use of low alloy steels in the generation of steam power has increased appreciably due to the influence of molybdenum on creep strength and the control of graphitization with chromium. The behavior of carbon and certain low alloy steels after long periods of exposure at 900° and 1050°F (480° and 565°C) has been investigated. The steels were examined before and after 10,000 to 34,000 hr exposure. Results obtained with material exposed at 1200°F (650°C) are not presented due to the severe oxidation and resulting decarburiza-tion after long periods of exposure. The graphitization characteristics of carbon and low alloy steels are of fundamental concern to the users of these materials. This is particularly true where welded joints are employed. In order to evaluate properly the behavior of steels at elevated temperatures, it is desirable to employ not only long periods of exposure under controlled conditions, but to use material with known properties and steelmaking practices. The purpose of this investigation has been to study the microstructure of the weld and the tensile and creep rupture properties of the parent metal after long periods of exposure at elevated temperatures. In the report'.' of a previous investigation data were presented on the microstructure, impact strength, hardness, and oxidation characteristics after 10,000 hr exposure at elevated temperatures. When this investigation was planned, methods for controlling the graphitization characteristics of steel were not established and, therefore, a number of special alloy steels were included in the study. During the exposure of these steels, the influence of aluminum in accelerating the rate of graphitization and the inhibiting power of chromium were established by various investigators. Also, the vanadium-bearing steels, because of their outstanding creep properties, received attention. As a result of these developments, considerable progress has been made in the field of high temperature tubular products, and the necessity for special alloys to prevent graph-itization has been restricted largely to the use of chromium. Material Chemical analysis, deoxidation treatment, and austenitic grain size of the 59 steels discussed in this paper are shown in Table I. The steels were forged to 1x1 in. bars with the exception of steels 12B, 12DX, 12DY, 12DZ, 70, 70A, 72 to 78, 82, and 83 which were machined from heavy wall pipe. All bars were surface ground before exposure. Heat treatment before exposure is shown in Table 11. The majority of the steels included were melted in either a basic open hearth or basic electric furnace; how-

Jan 1, 1955

By A. W. Schlechten, R. P. Abendroth

Equilibrium H2S/4 ratios were determined as functions of temperatunz and composition in a hydrogen recirculation apparatus. A high-temperature solid solution exists in the range two-phase regionfrom TiS 1.96, to TiS1.30, Various thermodynamic quantities were calculated from the data. COMPOUNDS in the titanium -sulfur system have not receiyed much attention in the past, probably because they do not occur naturally in the earth's crust. However, titanium-sulfur compounds have been used in various metallurgical processes. The U.S. Bureau of klines' studied the formation of ti- tanium-sulfide mattes from charges composed of rutile, pyrite, and carbon, with the resulting sulfide matte being chlorinated to form titanium tetrachlo-ride. Fishel, Roe, and Ellis' investigated the de-sulfurizing action of titanium in steels, and Schwarz and Koster studied the preparation of metallic titanium from the sulfide using aluminum and magnesium reduction. The thermodynamic properties of some of the compounds present in the titanium-sulfur system may prove to be of some use in the consideration of future processes using these sulfides, and would

Jan 1, 1960

By T. S. Fuller

THE work of D. J. McAdam1,2 at the U. S. Naval Engineering Experiment Station, Annapolis, Md., on what has been called by him "corrosion fatigue" has focussed the attention of the engineering profession in general, and of those interested especially in the study of corrosion in particular, on the importance of making tests which will indicate as nearly as possible what can be expected from a given material in service. Pitting is unquestionably the chief agent operating so tremendously to reduce fatigue limits, but in the light of previous work3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 it is fair to assume that absorbed hydrogen resulting from the action of the corroding medium upon steel may, under certain conditions, have a perceptible influence. The experiments described in this paper deal more precisely with stressless corrosion, or "prior-corrosion fatigue, "9 and have been carried out to test such an assumption, to segregate, if possible, the effect of pitting from that of absorbed hydrogen, and although very preliminary in nature they indicate results which are striking.

Jan 1, 1929

By T. S. Fuller

The work of D. J. McAdam, Jr.1,2 at the U. S. Naval Engineering Experiment Station, Annapolis, Md., on what has been called by him "corrosion-fatigue" has focussed the attention of the engineering profession in general, and of those interested especially in the study of corrosion in particular, on the importance of making tests which will indicate as nearly as possible what can be expected from a given material in service. Pitting is unquestionably the chief agent operating so tremendously to reduce fatigue limits, but in the light of previous work3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 it is fair to assume that absorbed hydrogen resulting from the action of the corroding medium upon steel may, under certain conditions, have a perceptible influence. The experiments described in this paper deal more precisely with stressless corrosion, or "prior-corrosion fatigue,"9 and have been carried out to test such an assumption, to segregate, if possible, the effect of pitting from that of absorbed hydrogen, and although very preliminary in nature they indicate results which are striking.

Jan 1, 1929

By T. S. Fuller

The work of D. J. McAdam, Jr.1,2 at the U. S. Naval Engineering Experiment Station, Annapolis, Md., on what has been called by him "corrosion-fatigue" has focussed the attention of the engineering profession in general, and of those interested especially in the study of corrosion in particular, on the importance of making tests which will indicate as nearly as possible what can be expected from a given material in service. Pitting is unquestionably the chief agent operating so tremendously to reduce fatigue limits, but in the light of previous work3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 it is fair to assume that absorbed hydrogen resulting from the action of the corroding medium upon steel may, under certain conditions, have a perceptible influence. The experiments described in this paper deal more precisely with stressless corrosion, or "prior-corrosion fatigue,"9 and have been carried out to test such an assumption, to segregate, if possible, the effect of pitting from that of absorbed hydrogen, and although very preliminary in nature they indicate results which are striking.

Jan 1, 1929

By Henry Mulryan

DIATOMS are microscopic aquatic plants of the order Bacillariaceae. They are unicellular plants with skeletons made up of amorphous opaline silica. The skeletons show highly ornate, complicated geometrical designs. Diatoms live in water virtually everywhere. They are found in clean sea water, brackish water, and fresh-water lakes and ponds. When conditions are right, diatoms propagate by subdivision in huge numbers. Alkalinity, temperature, and the presence of high concentrations of silica in the water largely control diatom life. When the diatoms die the skeletons drop to the bottom of their habitat to form oozes of varying thicknesses. DIATOMITES Diatomite, or diatomaceous earth, is composed essentially of the siliceous remains of the diatoms, although other organic skeletons are also present, especially in sea-water deposits where radiolaria, sponges and silico-flagellates are common. Impurities are generally carbonaceous material, fine-grained silt, volcanic ash and dust, and occasional coarse grains of sand. Diatomites are marine, brackish, or fresh-water, depending upon types of diatoms and their method of deposition. DIATOMS More than 8000 species of diatoms have been named and classified. Some are definitely classified as to their habitat; some are so well recognized as to their living conditions that they can be stated to be diagnostic types, and when encountered in a deposit determine the origin of the deposit. Some of the commoner types of diatoms found in the fresh-water diatomites on the Pacific Coast are: [Cymbella lanceolata Agardh Fragilaria virescens Ralfs Encyonema prostratum Ralf s Diatoma vulgare Bory Surirella biseriata Brebison Eunotia major Ehrenberg Amphipleura pellucida Kutaing Stictodiscus niagarae Ehrenberg Gomphonema geminatum Lynberg Melosira granulata Ehrenberg]

Jan 1, 1939

By B. C. Blake

IN general, billet-type or long slender ingots are used when it is desired to produce directly from the ingot in one conversion a product of medium or small cross-sectional area. They are designed to eliminate the blooming and billet-mill stages of the usual procedure. As used at Connors, they constitute a means of keeping a continuous rolling mill busy in the production of high-quality small rods, small angles, hoop stock, baling ties and concrete reinforcing rods without the need for a blooming or billet mill. They represent sound steel with the best surface that is commercially practical to use in the rolling of small continuous mill products.

Jan 1, 1947

THE following employment items are mode available to AIME members on a nonprofit basis by the Engineering Societies Personnel Service, Inc., operating in cooperation with the Four Founder Societies. Local offices of, the Personnel Service are at 8 W. 40th St., New York 18; 100 Farnsworth Ave., Detroit; 57 Post St., San Francisco; 84 E. Randolph St., Chicago 1. Applicants should address all mail to the proper key numbers in care of the New York office and include 6c in stamps for forwarding and returning application. The applicant agrees, if placed in a position by means of the Service, to pay the placement fee listed by the Service. AIME members may secure a weekly bulletin of positions available for $3.50 a quarter, $12 a year. POSITIONS OPEN Mining Engineer with some engineering training, capable of doing mapping, surveying, exploration, geology and transit work. Location, New York State. Y7333. Mineral Dressing Engineer, B.S. Mining or Chemical Engineering, age to 35. Must have knowledge of flotation. Duties will be in applied research and field evaluation of cationic and anionic flotation agents. Salary, $3500 to $7000 depending on experience. Location, Chicago. R-8971. Geological Draftsman, 25 to 30, with some experience in working with a geologist. Salary, $5100 a year. Location, New York, N. Y. Y7153.

Jan 1, 1952

By Frank Alfred Fahrenwald

A complete list of the elements as given for 1915 includes 18 that melt above 1,700" C. There does not exist one complete thermal equilibrium diagram for any pair of these 18 elements. Several of these elements have been combined, in relatively small proportions, with metals of lower melting point: e.g., tungsten, molybdenum, and vanadium, in steels, or with nickel and cobalt; but of this refractory group, platinum is the only one that has been extensively studied in this connection. When one considers that, with few exceptions, the industries have made use of alloys to the exclusion of pure metals, it is reasonable to expect that alloys of this refractory group will invade fields in which the pure metals have found little application. The past neglect of this class of metals has, no doubt, been partly due to the rarity of some of them, for even though alloys of very valuable properties should be developed, their cost, unless in exceptional applications, would be prohibitive. There is also a well-founded reluctance to undertake research involving very high temperatures which, in the case of most of these elements, must be accompanied by an inert atmosphere as well. This combination of high temperatures*and control of atmosphere within the heating chamber of any furnace of present design is a difficult problem. It is the purpose of this paper to give results,' of an investigation of one binary series of this group, in which methods were employed that avoided the usual difficulties accompanying high-temperature alloy investigation. , Historical.—The alloys of tungsten and molybdenum have received very little consideration during the past. A review of available literature reveals very little regarding this system, and that which has been recorded seems to be at fault. Mennicke2 writes, "Die bekannteste Verbindung

Jan 1, 1917

By A. L. Sweetser

Experience has shown how difficult it is to obtain information regarding laboratory-tests in connection with the chlorina-tion-process for the extraction of gold from its ores, and I therefore present the following method, somewhat in detail, for the benefit of those who may desire to pursue research work in this field. The ore chosen was a partly-decomposed porphyry, extremely siliceous and comparatively soft, and of an average value per ton of from $25 to $26 in gold and $0.68 in silver. The chemical analysis gave: Fe,O,, 3.35; FeS, 1.5; MnO,, 0.75; ZuCO,, 4; A1,0,, 3.20; H,O, 0.7 ; SiO, and insol., 83.50 per cent. The ore, first crushed to pass a 5-mesh screen, was coned and quartered until a 45-lb. sample was obtained. Samples for assay and analysis, taken from this lot by means of riffles, were crushed to pass a 100-mesh screen. The original sample was divided into 10-lb. lots, of which one was crushed to pass a 10-mesh screen; another through a 12-; the third through a 20-, and the last through a 30-mesh screen. Because of the production of an excessive quantity of fine material it was deemed inexpedient to crush finer than 30-mesh size—a decision the wisdom of which is proved by the data in Table I., showing the increasing ratio of slimes, in proportion as the ore is crushed finer. In order to determine the percentage of fines in the sizes of mesh selected, a weighed sample of ore was taken from each mesh, and a sample from the 10-mesh lot was passed successively through 20-, 40- and 100-mesh screens, and the percentage remaining on each screen determined. This process was repeated with the 12-, 20- and 30-mesh lots, with the results given in Table I.

Jan 1, 1908