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AT a luncheon attended by engineering leaders representing every section of the country, Col. Arthur S. Dwight, president of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, and Charles F. Rand, chairman of the Engineering Foundation, past president of the Insti-tute and its present treasurer, on Thursday, July 20, were decorated with the Croix de Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur by the French Government for distinguished service in engineering tending to closer and more felici-tous relations between the two countries. The decorations were conferred by Consul General Gaston Liebert. In a speech extolling the war work of the American engineer, M. Liebert declared that Germany had been definitely foiled in her attempt to cripple France industrially for a generation by wrecking the coal mines of northern France. Three-fourths of these mines, M. Liebert said, were in full working order and the remainder will be in complete operation within two years. The Germans thought that it would take from 15 to 20 years to accomplish this. M. Liebert said that reconstruction is going on rapidly in northern France, two-thirds of whose indus-tries are now working. The French Government, he said, is planning water-power improvement on a vast scale, which will soon make unnecessary for France to import a single ton of coal. He urged that French students be sent to America to study engineering. In presenting the decorations, Consul General Liebert eulogized Colonel Dwight and Mr. Rand as personify-ing the spirit and service of the American engineer, which, he said, was a powerful factor in the victory over Germany. He spoke of the growing friendliness between the United States and France and described this ceremony as an epoch in international relations. Calvin W. Rice, secretary of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, who presided, repeated that international unity among engineers was the dream of Andrew Carnegie, who saw in the efforts of the engineer and the scientist the hope of civilization. Mr. Rice said in part: In the Declaration of Independence occurs the statement that all men are created free and equal. Jefferson was familiar with the writings of Rousseau. In fact, he was a remarkable linguist notwithstanding that he wrote the Declaration of Independence when only 32 years of age. He was one of the very few ambassa-dors in the history of the United States who could speak the language of the country to which they were sent. The interpretation of the passage in the Declaration of Independence is that all men have equal opportunity, not that they are born with equal ability.

Jan 8, 1922

By Michael Robert Hodson

I. Introduction The free market cash price of aluminium in the third quarter of 1985 is approximately $1000/tonne, well below the short as well as the long run marginal costs of production. The current disparity between marginal costs and price, as well as the pattern of prices since their high level in 1980, has led many economists to question whether prices are governed by the 'fundamentals'. Prices, some would argue, are the result of speculation; and speculation is irrational, little influenced by the fundamentals of the industry. The object of this paper is first to examine the relation between the fundamentals and price. A number of simple models are formulated and some empirical evidence is given to show that prices are not very different from costs. There are good reasons why costs and prices have fallen since 1980. Second, the connection is drawn between the fundamentals and speculation. To do this the concept of 'rational expectations' is defined and applied to a model of the aluminium industry. Then speculation is introduced into the model and the characteristics of the solution are examined. The object is to discover the new factors that determine prices and the basic change in the nature of the solution that is caused by speculation. 2. Prices and the Simple Supply-Demand Model Consider a simple model of the aluminium industry. Demand, D, is determined by economic activity, A, given exogenously, and inversely by the price, P. Supply, Q, is determined by the inverse of the rnarginal cost curve, and so varies inversely with exogenous factor costs, C, and directly with price. Price is determined by the equality of supply and demand. Given the equilibrium level of demand, price in this model is equal to the rnarginal cost of producing the required level of demand, P = MC (Dl. Algebraically, [ ] How well does this simple model explain the change in prices during the last five years? Table I shows the LME cash price and the estimated marginal cost of producing consumption during the second quarters of 1980 through 1985. The figures in the table show that price and the marginal cost of supplying demand both fell between 1980 and 1982, rose in 1983 and by 1985 had fallen again. Only in 1984 is the direction of change different. And during the 1980 to 1985 period, marginal costs fell by approximately $560/tonne while the LME cash price fell by $678/tonne. There is a correspondence between the fundamentals of cost and price over most of the individual years and the period as a whole.

Jan 1, 1986

By Nathaniel Herz

(San Francisco Meeting, September, 1915) THE use of zinc dust for precipitating the precious metals from cyanide solutions is well established now in many places, and has many advantages over the shavings method of precipitation. Although much work has been clone on methods of testing zinc dust, as yet no absolutely positive test has been devised to determine the value of the material. Certain facts are known, but often it happens that results on a working scale are not as expected from the laboratory tests. The purpose of this paper is to record some observations made while testing. a large variety of zinc-dust samples in the laboratory. W. J. Sharwood1 has described standard analytical methods, which have been followed, with the changes noted. The regular determinations include zinc oxide, by solution in ammonia and ammonium chloride, lead, and precipitating efficiency. In some cases cadmium was determined by a method similar to that described by J. E. Clennell.2 I will discuss the precipitating-efficiency test in detail. The procedure is as follows: "A solution of potassium silver cyanide is prepared by dissolving 10 grams of silver cyanide (AgCN) and 5 grams of `99 0' potassium cyanide in a little water and diluting up to 1000 cc. It is then adjusted by addition of a little more KCN or AgCN until the solution indicates from 0.12% to 0.15% free KCN by titration with standard silver nitrate. The titration is best made by using a 10-cc. or 20-cc. sample, adding 1 cc. of 2 % potassium iodide, and a slight excess of ammonia, as the end point is then sharper. Or 15 grains of pure crystallized KAg(CN)2 may he dissolved in a liter of water and 1.5 grams KCN added. "Weigh out 0.5 grain zinc dust into a 300-cc. beaker. Add a few cubic centimeters of water and stir until, zinc is well mixed, then pour in 250 cc. of the prepared solution, stirring vigorously. See that all lumps are broken up, and continue stirring for fully five minutes. Stir occasionally (at least every 10 minutes) until the end of two hours from the addition of the solution. Then filter upon an 11-cm. filter, wash precipitate thoroughly, sprinkle with test lead, wrap it carefully in the paper, plaice in a scorifier with about 20 grams test lead, burn paper cautiously in muffle, scorify five minutes, cupel at low temperature and weigh silver. Milligrams silver obtained from 0.5 gram zinc X 0.0606 = percentage precipitating efficiency."'

Jan 8, 1915

By F. W. McQuiston

INTRODUCTION IDARADO Mining Company's mill and surface plant are at the portal of the Treasury tunnel at elevation 10,625 ft, 12 miles south of Ouray, Colo. In 1943 and 1944 this tunnel was extended in a westerly direction to tap the Black Bear vein, and, together with the recently completed 1100-ft inclined Treasury raise, provides access to the Black Bear mine. In 1945 a 250-ton mill was placed in operation to process development ores containing much needed copper, lead and zinc for war requirements, and to serve as a pilot testing unit for larger scale milling operations. In the years 1902 to 1927 some 329,000 tons of ore were produced from mine workings on the Black Bear vein that extended downward from elevation 12,325 ft at the Black Bear tunnel portal to elevation 11,618 ft, the lowest level of the mine. The ores were taken to the Cascade and Smuggler-Union mills near Telluride over two aerial tramways. Gold bullion, a copper-lead concentrate, and a zinc concentrate were produced. ORES The Black Bear is a compound fissure vein that has undergone several stages of mineralization. The first important stage is represented by complex ores of copper, lead and zinc in a quartz gangue. Precious metal content in this stage is low. The galena is argentiferous and varying amounts of tetrahedrite, freibergite and bornite tend to increase the normal copper content represented in chalcopyrite. The zinc occurs as a true sphalerite with little or no iron. Later re-openings of the fissure took place more or less co-extensively with the successive introduction of (1) abundant quartz gangue containing minor amounts of chalcopyrite, galena and sphalerite; (2) free gold in a fluoritic quartz gangue; and (3) barren, low-grade quartz with minor amounts of pyrite as the only important sulphide. The sulphides show practically no oxidation and little mineralogic intergrowth. Because of the common overlapping of these successive stages of mineralization within a given mining area, considerable dilution of the base-metal content takes place, thus lowering the average mill-head grade. PLANT PRACTICE Metallurgical testing was started shortly after the Black Bear vein was encountered on Treasury tunnel level in 1944. Laboratory tests showed good flotability of the minerals in the ore and indicated an economic separation could be made of the copper, lead and zinc minerals into their respective concentrates. The success of the separation is close reagent control to maintain a balance between promotion and depression of the sulphides. To maintain this balance reagent consumption for the three metal separation is considerably higher than in ordinary lead-zinc flotation.

Jan 1, 1947

The Tuscarora mining district, which has been highly productive of gold and silver ores in past years, is situated about 50 miles north- west of Elko, Nevada. The town of Tuscarora lies at an altitude of about 6,000 ft on the west side of the Independence Valley. Precipitation, particularly the winter snowfall, is considerably greater than in many other parts of Nevada, and temperatures are lower. From Tuscarora can be seen-across Independence Valley in the mountains to the east, a distance of about 12 miles, the Freeport Minerals Jerritt Canyon mine, which seems to be-destined to become one of the great gold mines in the western hemisphere. Tuscarora, a gold and silver camp, was active from the early 1870s to 1903 and produced about $10 million in those 30 years. Ten major mines and several smaller ones were operated in an area of about 1.45 square kilometers (one-half squaremile). The deepest shafts were only 230 m (750 ft) but most of the ore came from about the 105 m (350 ft) levels. Mineralization above the water table, at about 30 m (100 ft), was mostly native silver and cerargerite with free gold. Below the water table the ore was rich in sulfides including argentite, stephanite, proustite, pyrargyrite, enargite, arsenopyrite, bornite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, sphalerite and galena. A number of the properties contain sizeable dumps of what was con- sidered waste rock when it was mined. These dumps aggregate over 408,000 mt (450,000 st) with one dump, the Navajo, containing over one-third of the total. A few grab samples taken in the summer of 1978 from some of the dumps indicated interesting silver values with minor gold content. AgAu Exploration Ltd., was organized to explore and develop these dumps into a heap leaching operation. In the fall of 1978 a campaign was started to lease, with front money payments on a royalty basis, three groups of claims on which were located a few hundred thousand tons of dumps. In September and October of 1978, a systematic program of sampling was started on the Navajo dump which was most favorably situated in that it was near to an area which would furnish good sites for heap leaching pads. At the time it was fully recognized that sampling of dumps was a most difficult problem. Because of the topography on which they were situated and the manner in which they were formed, each dump required its own special sampling technique.

Jan 1, 1981

By P. C. Schutte, A. J. Kielblock

INTRODUCTION Certain activities, such as emergency work and rescue operations, often have to be undertaken in environments where heat loads often exceed limits prescribed for routine work. This is particularly relevant to the South African mining industry where heat stress-induced fatalities are not uncommon during rescue operations. In this regard an excessively hot environment is defined as one where either the dry-bulb temperature exceeds 37,0°C or the wet-bulb temperature exceeds 32,5"C, and it is therefore not surprising that heat stroke mortality escalates rapidly when these limits are exceeded. A review of both local and international standards indicated that the available information on safe exposure times under abnormal heat stress conditions is very limited. Where available, such standards are aimed at the general population, including both sexes, irrespective of age and also the least heat tolerant worker, and not at a medically-screened, all-male population free of grossly heat intolerant individuals, as is the case in the South African mining industry. It is suggested that available norms and limits are too conservative for local application and, therefore, unrealistic. In view of the definite need to protect workers when exposed to abnormally high environmental temperatures, the present study was undertaken to establish a scientifically derived data base. applicable to local conditions, to determine safe exposure times: Any exposure limit, especially in an emergency situation, should be easy to administer, valid and reliable. These aspects, there- fore, form an integral part of this paper. FORMULATION OF HEAT STRESS LIMITS The formulation of heat stress limits was based on the criterion that a heat exposed individual should experience a negligible risk of developing dangerously elevated body temperatures. In order to provide a database for risk assessment, certain physiological responses of heat tolerant men were determined at various combinations of thermal conditions and work rate in a climatic chamber. These physiological responses were analysed statistically in order to predict safe survival and tolerance times as a function of thermal conditions and work rate. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN A total of 202 randomly selected, medically fit mine workers volunteered for the study on the basis of informed consent. These men were considered to be inherently heat tolerant in as far as they had successfully completed a heat tolerance test (Anon., 1991) or the standard climatic room acclimatisation procedure used on many South African gold mines (Anon., 1989). The subjects were allocated randomly to 14 experimental groups and each group was exposed in a climatic room to one of

Jan 1, 1997

By Glenn A. Marsh, George Bernard

It is often assumed that aerated oil field brines which are to be injected underground contain dissolved oxygen in amounts which will cause appreciable corrosion. Through the use of a new portable dissolved oxygen meter, accurate determinations were made at three brine conditioning plants. At two older plants, dissolved oxygen concentration in the final treated brine was found to he almost zero In spite of aeration during the conditioning process. At a new plant, dissolved oxygen was initially present but disappeared soon after the brine was "inoculated" with oxygen-free brine from one of the other plants. Corrosion tests at the two older plants have substantiated predictions that the brines would lint be corrosive. These results show that mechanical deaeration may not always be required in brine treating plants. INTRODUCTION The present work was undertaken to add to our knowledge of aeration and deaeration of oil field brines in brine conditioning plants. It is commonly assumed that brines which are exposed to the air soon become more or less saturated with dissolved oxygen. Since oxygen-containing brines are known to be corrosive, precautions are often taken to keep air out of brine through the use of closed systems or mechanical deaeration. The study of oxygen in brine has been seriously hampered in the past because of the lack of a suitable analytical tool. The standard Winkler method for the determination of dis-solved oxygen is satisfactory for use in fresh water, but not in many oil field brines. Corrections have to be made for a number of reducing substances such as ferrous iron and hydrogen sulfide which are commonly present in natural brines. Very often the correction factors are much greater in magnitude than the amounts of oxygen which are to be determined, and consequently erroneous results are obtained. Also. erratic Winkler data are obtained when appreciable concentrations of calcium and magnesium salts are present. The first step in carrying out a systematic study involved designing a portable dissolved oxygen apparatus which would operate in natural brines. Subsequently, this apparatus was used in three brine conditioning plants. Dissolved oxygen data obtained here, and certain corrosion rate data, illustrate the interesting behavior of oxygen in these oil field brines. APPARATUS A portable dissolved oxygen meter described in detail elsewhere,' was developed specifically for use with oil field brines. It is a polarographic apparatus employing a small rotating platinum electrode (cathode) and calomel reference electrode (anode). A potential of 0.7 volts is applied across the electrodes while they are immersed in the brine to be tested. 4References given at end of paper.

Jan 1, 1952

By Hiroshi Sasaki, Herman D. Mendoza

"The surface-chemical property of nickel slag fiber was modified in aqueous media in order to act as an active and efficient collector of colloidal amorphous silica from geothermal effluent. Colloidal amorphous silica (0.05 µm) from geothermal wastewater causes operational and ecological problems. It clogs geothermal pipes and waterways, and when disposed to the environment poses hazardous effects on both the flora and fauna ecology. Because colloidal amorphous silica is extremely fine and remains in suspension in aqueous media, conventional solid/liquid processes to remove colloidal silica from its bulk liquid are rendered ineffective.A rapid separation technique is then developed to remove effectively amorphous colloidal silica from its bulk liquid by attaching the extremely fine particles of silica onto a nickel slag fiber coated with magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)2. The nickel slag fiber has the following characteristics: a high surface area and predominantly possesses negative charge in aqueous media with an iso-electric point at pH ~2.5. When soaked and saturated with Mg(OH)2 solution, the surface of the nickel slag fiber becomes coated with fine and compacted Mg(OH)2 precipitates. This modifies the surface- chemical property of nickel slag fiber transforming the negatively charged surface into a positively charged surface in aqueous media with an iso-electric point of around pH 11.8, which corresponds to the iso-electric point of Mg(OH)2. When geothermal effluent containing negatively charged colloidal amorphous silica particles (i.e.p. of silica is pH 2) is passed through a column-bed packed with surface-chemically modified nickel slag fibers under natural pH conditions, the colloidal amorphous silica particles are recovered by attachment onto the surface of the surface- modified nickel slag fiber. The recovery of colloidal amorphous silica by attachment is 97-99%, resulting in the production of a relatively clean and silica free output. Aluminum hydroxide, Al(OH)3, was also used to modify the surface –chemical property of the nickel slag fiber. In the same way, it also exhibited a positive response with the collection of colloidal amorphous silica from its bulk liquid, but yielding a lower recovery of 90%. This may be attributed to the lower surface potential and iso-electric point of pH 9.3 for Al(OH)3. The separation process was evaluated and analysed using existing potential energy theories. Figure 1 shows a micrograph of the surface of an unmodified and the Al(OH)3 –modified surface of nickel slag fiber."

Jan 1, 2003

By Robert B. McCormick

World War II has developed a use for the nonmetal mineral quartz crystal that was unknown in World War I. During the interim period of peace, experimental work in the radio field with the piezoelectric properties of quartz crystal resulted in the almost universal adoption of quartz-crystal radio oscillator plates to control frequency in radio broadcasting, police, commercial and amateur communications equipment. Telephone resonators and filters made from quartz crystal also were developed, which vastly improved the frequency control of long distance telephone circuits. Expansion of the Industry The sudden war demands of the armed services for radio equipment using quartz crystal for frequency control led to an unprecedented expansion of the manufacturing industry. It is estimated that the 1940 peacetime volume amounted to approximately $1,500,000, while today a vast new quartz-crystal industry supplies more than $150,000,000 worth of quartz oscillator plates to the Army and Navy each year. This demand has caused an enormous expansion not only of American manufacturing facilities but also of Brazilian mining output, virtually our only source of raw quartz crystal. Actual figures of imports and consumption cannot be cited, for security reasons, but certain comparisons have been made, which indicate the transformation of quartz crystal from a minor to a major nonmetal. Lundl has shown that the value of quartz-crystal exports from Brazil is now about equal to that of phosphate rock produced domestically in 1941 and actually exceeds the combined value of crude feldspar, gypsum and fluorspar production in the United States in the same year. This great expansion under wartime pressure was not accomplished without some anxious moments, but all the demands of industry have been met and the Government has been able also to accumulate a substantial stock pile of material against future contingencies. Inspection and Grading of Quartz Crystal The swift growth of the quartz-oscillator industry necessitated the simultaneous evolution of methods and criteria for inspecting and grading quartz crystal. It has been found that, generally speaking, it is economically feasible to cut only crystals that are at least 30 per cent by volume free from major defects such as optical and electrical twinning, cracks and fractures. Blue needles, bubbles, "chuva" and other minor imperfections can be tolerated in the usable portion unless present in great excess. The present marketing system in use in both Brazil and the United States, as far as quality is concerned, depends solely on the "usability" of a crystal, which is defined in the Brazilian-American agreement2

Jan 1, 1948

By R. L. White

Classification of Mills Mills may be classified under four categories that relate to the type of action utilized to grind the material: Tumbling. The most important of these to the minerals processing industry are tumbling mills. Grinding media is actuated in a free¬form pattern in a rotating drum causing it to tumble, material being ground passing through the tumbling media. Work is done by a combi¬nation of attrition and impact. Impact. Grinding media is actuated in a distinctive pattern so that it impacts the material being ground. Work is done by impact. Roller. Grinding media is actuated in a distinctive pattern, mate¬rial being ground passing under or between the media. Work is done by compression. Fluid Energy. There is no grinding media as such. Energy is imparted to the material by transfer of kinetic energy from the fluid to the material. Grinding is accomplished by interparticle impact and attrition. Tumbling Mitts The main physical arrangement consists of a lined cylindrical drum mounted on trunnion bearings driven by a ring gear and pinion, in turn connected directly or through a reducer to the electric motor. Variations to this general arrangement include: (1) Drum mounted on rollers instead of trunnions. (2) Bearings on the drum directly, not on trunnions. (3) Utilization of multiple pinions on the gear. (4) Trunnion-type drive arrangement through a gear reducer with¬out the use of a ring gear. (5) Motor rotor mounted directly on the drum with stator around the drum, thus eliminating the gearing. The drum consists of a shell and heads lined with replaceable liners of various types and configurations. Various types of tumbling mills are tabulated; illustrations of some are shown. The types are so designed for specific purposes. Media utilized include steel rods, balls, or rock of the same material as being ground or of special material in the instance where iron contami¬nation is detrimental (see Figs. 9 and 10 and Table 2). Impact Mills Although there may be some overlapping of interpretation of terms, impact mills are considered those in which the media is actuated in a distinctive manner, at relatively high speed, impacting the material to be ground. There is an overlapping also in what may be considered to be crushing equipment rather than grinding equipment. Hammer Mill or Impactor. Material is fed into the equipment; inside hammers of impactors revolve at a high speed, breaking the material on impact with the hammers (see Fig. 11). Material is also thrown against the periphery of the mill, causing impact grinding to occur. Equipment is normally lined with replaceable abrasive resis¬tant metal; hammers are also

Jan 1, 1985

By Geo. H. Ashley

The following paper is intended to be suggestive only, and to open the way for discussion and further observation. Its preparation was requested only two days before the time limit set for the submission of the papers comprising this symposium. Thus no time existed for detailed studies, so it is largely a memorandum of such facts as have come incidentally to the notice of the writer in the study of coal in the field. The field study of sulfur in coal has received very little special attention or description from coal student's. The presence of sulfur concretions is noted in hundreds of descriptions, and certain benches of a coal bed may be described as "sulfury" or the presence and position of sulfur bands may be noted in coal sections in connection with sampling. It may be accepted that some sulfur is present in all coal. The amount varies greatly in different regions, in different beds, and in the same bed in different areas. The anthracite of Rhode Island comes the nearest of any coal known to the writer of being free from sulfur, several analyses of that coal showing less than 0.1 per cent. Subbitumi-nous coals in Colorado in a few places have close to 0.2 per cent. of sulfur on the dry-coal basis and in other states subbituminous coals approach this lower limit. Bituminous coals seldom run under 0.4 per cent. of sulfur on the dry basis, though in a few places dry bituminous coals in Colorado and Washington have between 0.3 and 0.4 per cent. The better known bituminous coals have almost everywhere over 0.4 per cent. The best of the Pocahontas and New River coals run close to 0.4 per cent., but there is very little commercial coal in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, or the other states, that runs under 0.5 per cent. on the dry basis. From these minimum figures, the amount will range up to 5 or 6 per cent. or higher if visible sulfur is not excluded. It must be remembered that the usual analysis of a coal bed is not intended to give the total proportion of sulfur in the bed but the amount in the coal after the removal of the more obvious and larger sulfur masses. Professor Parr has already pointed out that, chemically, sulfur occurs in several forms: as pyrite, organic sulfur, sulfates, and possibly as un-combined sulfur. Sulfur in the form of sulfates is commonly the obvious result of the weathering of pyrite and may be found in the coal within .

Jan 1, 1920

By Richard McCaffery

THERE has been some discussion among blast-furnace operators regarding the relative merits of tuyeres of the converging type and tuyeres designed in an attempt to produce a diverging jet of air. An article1 on Progress in German Blast Furnace Practice indicates the interest in this subject abroad. This article illustrates a diverging type of tuyere which is shown here in Fig. 1A. The design appears to be rather poor as regards known properties of air flow. The adoption of this. tuyere, the article states, resulted in a decrease of blast pressure of about 4 lb. per sq. in. and an increase of the output of the furnace. If the improvements mentioned are due entirely to the change in tuyere design, the subject of tuyere design seemed worthy of investigation and this paper is a report of such work. Because of the gain in efficiency brought about by the use of a diverging tuyere in the German plant, it was thought desirable to investigate the shape of the air streams issuing from various-types of tuyeres to ascertain whether the gain was due to the tuyere itself or to the distribution of the air in the furnace. Since it is difficult to do experimental work on a full-sized furnace, or even on full-sized tuyeres, and because of the equipment available for the work, it was decided to carry out the work on scale models of tuyeres. Therefore, in this work, single tuyeres were used and the blast discharged into the atmosphere. The shape of the air stream was determined by means of a Pitot tube suitably supported in the air stream at various positions. The air was. furnished by a Roots blower driven by a 10-hp. direct-current motor having field control, and capable of discharging 250 cu. ft. per min. with a pressure on the discharge of 4 in. of mercury. A modern blast furnace with 21-ft. hearth requires about 50,000 cu. ft. per min. of free air at from 16 to 23 lb. per sq. in. pressure, depending upon the type of burden. This pressure is the total pressure required to force the air through the burden and through the tuyeres. Upon computation the pressure drop through the tuyeres is about 1 to 2 lb. per sq. in. By making the tuyeres to a one-fifth scale, and by using a pressure of 1.5 in. of mercury, the shape of the air streams should be

Jan 1, 1931

By David L. Holt, Walter A. Backofen, Anwar-ul Karirn

ANNEALING the binary alloy, Mg-0.5 wt pct Zr in a hydrogen atmosphere results in extensive precipitation of zirconium hydride. The morphology of these precipitates has already been investigated.lm3 Squires, Weiner, and phillips4 found, following creep testing of the hydrided alloy at 450" and 500°C, that hydride denuded zones formed along grain boundaries that were aligned approximately normal to the tensile axis. Zone formation was attributed to diffusional creep by magnesium transport down the prevailing stress gradients.4'5 Recently, electron microprobe analysis by Karim, Holt, and Backofen6 showed the zones indeed to be zirconium-free and furthermore it was shown that in compression, zones formed along boundaries approximately parallel to the stress axis. Thus it was confirmed that the zones are formed by diffusional creep. Typical zone-formation is shown in Fig. 1. Karim, Holt, and Backofen also measured the con- tribution to the total strain, from diffusional flow, slip creep, and grain boundary shear: results showed that diffusional strain tends to saturate with increasing imposed strain, while grain boundary shear eventually becomes the dominant deformation mode. It was suggested in explanation that the precipitate-denuded zones are soft and easily sheared, such deformation contributing to the grain boundary shear measurement. A point to be emphasized is that the Mg-0.5 Zr alloy was not superplastic for the index of strain rate sensitivity of flow stress, m = a log log 6 was only 0.25. It was recognized that diffusional creep in a poly crystalline aggregate must be accompanied by boundary shearing.' The suggestion was that the non Newtonian-viscous character of diffusional creep in the Mg-0.5 wt pct Zr alloy is due to resistance to sliding of boundaries lying approximately parallel to the tensile axis.= The work described in the present note should be seen against the above background for it represents initial efforts to observe in a similar way diffusional creep in a superplastic alloy. Previous work with the ternary-alloy Mg-6 Zn-0.5 Zr, pellet extruded, showed it to be superplastic however it does not contain resolvable precipitates to act as internal markers for diffusional creep. Also the fine grain size of the alloy (0.5 p) made conventional metallography rather difficult. Solubility relationships in the Mg-Zn-Zr system are not well known, however making reasonable guesses about the probable phase diagram of the ternary, Mg-Zn-Zr, various heat treatments were attempted to produce hydride precipitation. Finally a 16-hr anneal at 495' in hydrogen was found to pro-

Jan 1, 1970

By T. N. Rhodin

There can be two types of films on solids, those which are stable in mono-layers and those which tend to aggregate into three dimensional structures. A great number of metal films formed by condensation onto a solid base are unstable in the sense that they will aggregate into crystals providing the atoms possess sufficient surface mobility. The crystalline structure of the film is strongly influenced by the base in many systems and, in some cases, a single orientation prevails when the force fields around the atoms in the supporting crystal are sufficiently strong.' Relatively little is available in the literature about the nature of these forces and the role they play in promoting a preferred orientation of the atoms arriving at the substrate surface. An understanding of their periodicity and magnitude relative to the surface forces characteristic of the film itself should provide insight into the critical dependence of film orientation on the nature and temperature of the substrate. In addition, this effect may be very useful in preparing samples for surface studies. The study of the physical and chemical characteristics of pure metal surfaces has been severely handicapped by the presence of strongly adherent foreign films. Furthermore, the randomness of the surface orientation has obscured interpretation of experimental results. Evaporation of metals in high vacuum onto carefully selected substrates under ideal conditions for preferred orientation appears suited to the preparation of flat, oxide-free, oriented films for surface reaction studies. Many factors influence their structure and some understanding of the mechanism of their formation is a necessary prerequisite for obtaining satisfactory surfaces for study. The dominant factors in defining film structure are film thickness and growth rate and the nature, condition, and temperature of the substrate. GENERAL ASSEMBLY The system was enclosed in an 18 in. bell jar which rested on an L-shaped neoprene gasket on a ground steel plate as indicated in Fig 1. Rapid evacuation of the system to 10-6 mm mercury was facilitated by a 4 in. manifold, 2 in. packless valve, and an extra large diffusion pump. Suitable arrangement of valves on a secondary manifold readily permitted introduction of purified gases

Jan 1, 1950

By Thomas M. Chance

All gravity methods for the separation of ore from gangue, or of slate and other refuse from coal, are based upon differences in the falling velocities, in some fluid medium such as air or water, of the materials to be separated. As all materials falling in a vacuum have the same velocity, independent of the size, shape, weight or specific gravity of their individual particles, it would be more accurate to describe the operation of these methods as depending upon the retardation of falling velocities effected by the resistance of a fluid medium, this retardation being greater for small or light particles than for large or heavy particles. This generalization is true also of those appliances utilizing centrifugal force to replace or to supplement the action of gravity. The separation of materials of different specific gravities by means of a fluid having a specific gravity greater than that of the lighter particles and less than that of the heavier particles has not been applied commercially, or on a large scale, to the separation of ores or to the washing of coal, the method being limited to laboratory experimental work or to laboratory determinations for the purpose of checking up the work of jigs, classifiers, and other types of concentrating appliances. A solution of zinc chloride has thus come into general use in the laboratory to separate coal, bony coal, and slate, both to check up the work of coal-washing plants and for the purpose of making tests preliminary to the designing of coal-washing plants. The use of a heavy solution of some chemical in water has often been proposed for making such separations, especially in connection with the washing or preparation of coal. Practically insuperable difficulties, however, have prevented the commercial development of any such process, the difficulties being both physical and financial. The cost of the chemical used to make high-gravity solutions is usually prohibitive, and the freeing of the coal from all traces of the chemical is found to be practically impossible. Such solutions inevitably penetrate the individual lumps and particles of coal, transfusing into the pores and saturating the joint-planes, and very large quantities of wash water

Jan 1, 1918

By T. W. Guy

DuRing recent years, tremendous strides have been made in the economical use of coal. This has resulted in, and to some extent has been a result of, making the fuel specifications more and more rigid. For this reason, all producers have found it necessary to improve their preparation materially, both as to sizing and the elimination of impurities, either by more effective preparation underground or at the tipple and cleaning plant, or both. This cause and its effect in all producing fields seem likely to continue for several years at least. The splendid inherent qualities of the Pocahontas and New River coals are known all over the world, but their good reputation is only partly due to inherent qualities, and to natural conditions which generally favor loading coal comparatively free from impurities; it is due in large measure to the care and skill used, either with or without the aid of mechanical devices, to ship products consistently low in ash. The first coal from the West Virginia smokeless fields was mined and shipped near Quinnimont, on New River, in 1871, while the first shipments from the Pocahontas field were in 1883. The development of both fields progressed rapidly. At first activities followed the main lines of the Chesapeake & Ohio and Norfolk & Western railroads, and were extended later as branch lines were built from these roads. The Virginian R. R., about 1907, opened up the Winding Gulf territory, which has since become a large producer of smokeless coals from the Pocahontas and the New River measures. Early Cleaning Methods In the early days, the tipples were simple wooden structures, with bar screens for separating the fines from the lump coal. All cleaning was done by the miners at the face, or by pickers in the railroad cars. Gates were provided in the chutes by which the flow of coal could be stopped when necessary while the pickers raked the surface of the coal in the car and picked out the impurities. A large percentage of the fine coal or slack was used for making coke at the mines in beehive ovens. The

Jan 1, 1932

By Carl E. Swartz

ALTHOUGH a number of articles appeared during the war advocating the use of cadmium in lead-tin solders, very little information of value can be found in the literature regarding the properties of solders containing cadmium. In most of the published articles the cadmium seems to have been considered merely as a partial substitute for tin in a tin-lead alloy rather than as an essential constituent of a ternary alloy. The primary object of the substitution of cadmium for tin was to lessen the amount of tin required, at a time when the latter was scarce and high-priced, and thus to produce a cheaper solder. While this object was accomplished, the new properties resulting from a change from a binary lead-tin alloy to a ternary lead-tin-cadmium alloy were not given proper consideration in many cases. For the past few years, the American Smelting & Refining Co. has been marketing a very considerable amount of cadmium in the form of lead-tin-cadmium alloys for use as solders for certain special purposes, and the successful use of these solders suggested that if more extensive knowledge were available concerning the properties of lead-tin-cadmium alloys of various compositions their field of usefulness might be materially extended. The investigation described in the present paper was undertaken to obtain this information and, by means of tests under conditions approaching those of practical use, to determine the suitability of cadmium solders for various purposes. CHARACTERISTICS AND REQUIREMENTS OF SOLDERS IN GENERAL General Physical Properties.-When cast into bars, solder should present a smooth and bright appearance free from oxide inclusions and bubbles. Ductility should be as great as possible without sacrificing tensile strength, and vice versa. Hardness and specific gravity are not of any great importance. Melting Characteristics.-The melting or solidification range is important. This statement applies both to the extent of the range and to the actual temperature at which complete solidification occurs. A rather narrow solidification range is desirable in soft solders in order that solidification may take place quickly. The solder should have high fluidity at temperatures only slightly above its melting range. For a

Jan 1, 1928

By Carl E. Swartz

Although a number of articles appeared during the war advocating the use of cadmium in lead-tin solders, very little information of value can be found in the literature regarding the properties of solders containing cadmium. In most of the published articles the cadmium seems to have been considered merely as a partial substitute for tin in a tin-lead alloy rather than as an essential constituent of a ternary alloy. The primary object of the substitution of cadmium for tin was to lessen the amount of tin required, at a time when the latter was scarce and high-priced, and thus to produce a cheaper solder. While this object was accomplished, the new properties resulting from a change from a binary lead-tin alloy to a ternary lead-tin-cadmium alloy were not given proper consideration in many cases. For the past few years, the American Smelting & Refining Co. has been marketing a very considerable amount of cadmium in the form of lead-tin-cadmium alloys for use as solders for certain special purposes, and the successful use of these solders suggested that if more extensive knowledge were available concerning the properties of lead-tin-cadmium alloys of various compositions their field of usefulness might be materially extended. The investigation described in the present paper was undertaken to obtain this information and, by means of tests under conditions approaching those of practical use, to determine the suitability of cadmium solders for various purposes. Characteristics and Requirements of Solders in General General Physical Properties.—When cast into bars, solder should present a smooth and bright appearance free from oxide inclusions and bubbles. Ductility should be as great as possible without sacrificing tensile strength, and vice versa. Hardness and specific gravity are not of any great importance. Melting Characteristics.—The melting or solidification range is important. This statement applies both to the extent of the range and to the actual temperature at which complete solidification occurs. A rather narrow solidification range is desirable in soft solders in order that solidification may take place quickly. The solder should have high fluidity at temperatures only slightly above its melting range. For a

By F. H. Willcox

In Bessemer-steel practice, air is blown through a bath of iron, or projected strongly upon its surface to burn out silicon, manganese, and cafbon. Toward the end of the blow, when the iron is not protected from oxidation by these elements and the excess of air becomes great, there is oxidation of the iron. In open-hearth practice, the same difficulty is experienced with dissolved gas and oxides in the product, though not to as great or severe a degree as in the Bessemer process because the oxidizing conditions grow less severe as the end of the heat is approached, and if the bath is allowed to boil for a time it undoubtedly frees itself from a large part of the gas and oxides which have been absorbed in the earlier part of the process. Basic open-hearth steel is usually assumed to contain a larger proportion of oxides than acid open-hearth steel, but it may be said that all steel, Besserner and open-hearth, contains more or less oxide of iron dissolved in the fluid metal at the end of the "blow" or "heat." That certain metals are solvents for their respective oxides has been shown, in the case of copper, by Heyn, and, in the case of iron, by Law. It is indicated that the solubility of iron oxide in iron increases with the purity and temperature of the metal. This confirms what is observed and known by operating men, and these observations may be summarized as follows: 1. Cast iron. is rarely subject to oxidation, as is logical from its composition. 2. Normal steel, unless deoxidizers are added, contains blow holes. 3. Steel known to be oxidized is full of blow holes. 4. The addition of deoxidizers prevents, to a greater or less degree, the formation of blow holes in normal steel. With these observations in mind, it is logical to deduce that the cause of blow holes lies in part in the presence of dissolved oxide of iron in the molten steel and its consequent reaction with the carbon of recarburizers, when these are added, to form gases. (Another factor in the origin of blow holes is, of course, the solubility of gases themselves in the steel and

Jan 1, 1917

By O. W. Ellis

In view of the extensive use of the brasses and bronzes in engineering practice it is indeed surprising that so little scientific work has been done on the oxides in these alloys. Recognition of the ill effects of these compounds is universally accorded, both in foundry procedure and in such specifications as cover the melting of these useful mixtures. In the latter, limits, for example, are placed on the proportions of scrap metal In the charge, and clauses governing the use of fluxes are included, the addition of fluxes to the charge being made with the object of avoiding oxidation during the process of melting and of subducing and separating non-metal-lic matter from the melt.1 In the manufacture of brass it occasionally, though rarely, occurs that the virgin metals, copper and zinc, alone arc used. In the event of virgin metals being employed, that of the higher melting point is always melted first. If it is melted under suitable conditions, little or no oxidation will occur. Whether oxidation has occurred or not, however, can best be determined by microscopic examination of a sample taken from the melt. Avoidance of Oxidation in Furnace Practice When melting virgin copper in crucible practice, the avoidance of oxidation is not difficult, nor is it hard to forestall trouble in the electric furnace. In gas-fired furnaces of the barrel type, however, the avoidance of oxidation is almost impossible, no matter what the condition of the flame, the flux employed, or the amount of charcoal included in the charge. Copper melted in furnaces of this type is almost invariably so highly oxidized as to requirc very considerable additions of such deoxi-dizers as, for example, silicon copper to render it free from cuprous oxide. As a result,, the castings produced are decidedly inferior, on account of the. large amount of silica which is engendered in the metal as a result of the reaction, Cu2O + Si = SiO2 + 2Cu. The deoxidation of such oxidized copper could, of course, be effected by means of zinc with, however, even more disastrous results.

Jan 1, 1930