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By Arthur Boynton

IN THE preparation of this paper the writer has been influenced by the fact that descriptions of various means of cleaning blast-furnace gas have been published and that further descriptive treatment of the subject will probably be less interesting than a statement of conclusions with regard to preferable methods which have been reached by him as a result, of experience and observation in this country and also as a result of somewhat detailed investigation of the subject made toward the end of the year 1927 on the Continent of Europe and particularly in. Germany. Owing to various circumstances, including a cost of fuel that is extremely high in relation to the wages of labor, the German iron and steel industry has accumulated experience in gas washing which is as yet in part lacking in the United States of America. The paper begins with a statement regarding the economics of the use of blast-furnace gas, then considers the principle's and practices employed in its purification. USES OF BLAST-FURNACE GAS For many reasons having to do with the utilization of coke-oven and blast-furnace gases in steel manufacture and with the use of hot metal, the blast furnace is now usually a part of a steel-producing unit, which also includes coke plant and rolling mill. Therefore both blast-furnace and coke-oven gas are usually applicable to any of the iron and steel-making processes, including the generation of power, and their allocation in any given works should be considered as a single problem. The uses to which blast-furnace gas, either alone or mixed with coke-oven gas may be put, include the following: Regenerative Heating of Air for the Blast Furnace.-This is the oldest and metallurgically the most important of all uses. It is universally performed with unmixed blast-furnace gas and under proper conditions should require not over 23.5 per cent. of the total gas generated for a blast temperature of 1350° F. For Steam-raising Purposes.-This is almost universally done with unmixed blast-furnace gas. From the standpoint of quantity used, it is at the present time the most important application in American steel-works practice.

Jan 1, 1928

By William Phillips

THE possible sources of potash salts in the United States have been considered from many points of view during the last several years, but it is only within the last two or three months that the situation has become acute. We import from Germany, the only source of large supply, more than $10,000,000 worth of potash salts annually, and this business has been badly crippled by the European war. If there was ever a time in our industrial existence when the necessity of providing for our own needs was more acute than it is now, we are not aware of it. One has only to study the price, lists of chemicals sent out by the large supply houses to see the change wrought within a very short time. Whether or no these prices are to maintain for a considerable time, no one can say; but it appears to be probable that we shall not see prices materially lower for a period of uncomfortable length, to say the least. It is not my purpose at this time to discuss the various sources of supply of potash salts that have been suggested or recommended. Some of them might afford a pleasing relief but all of them combined would not affect the situation seriously. If we are to have our own sources of potash salts, they will have to compare, in some efficient manner, with the sources upon which we have drawn during the last 20 or 30 years; i.e., they must exist-in minable quantities. It seems to me to be quite idle to speculate upon our domestic sources of potash if those sources are not of a character similar to those upon which we have so long depended. A few thousand or, perhaps,, a few hundred thousand dollars' worth of chemically derived 'potash may be produced under the stress of present conditions, but when we consider that each year demands more than $10,000,000 worth, we must look to underground sources; we must look to mines similar to the famous Stassfurt and Halle deposits. If we cannot mine potash salts, we shall have to do without them for a while.

Jan 2, 1915

By M. G. Corson

UNTIL recently, the characteristics of cast copper have seldom been studied and such study as has been made has been inadequate. The prevailing idea seems to be that since pure copper is infrequently used in the cast state, there is no reason for trying to establish precise data regarding the properties of the metal in that condition. On the other hand, wrought copper either in the shape of sheets or wire rarely fails in service, except as a result of the action of reducing gases at the annealing temperatures, so there is little incentive to study the properties of the cast shapes -cakes, bars, ingots and billets-for the sake of tracing the causes of failures of the wrought metal to the cast stock. However, about a decade ago, wirebars of American origin often cracked badly while being hot-rolled in mills in Germany. This led to four investigations: by E. Seidl and E. Schiebold,1 by P. Siebe,2 by 0. Bauer and G. Sachs,3 and by G. Welter.4 These authors came to the conclusion that failures in hot-rolling were due essentially to the presence of a' wide zone of columnar crystals between the thin layer of fine crystals near the surfaces of the bars and the large but more nearly: equiaxed grains of the central core. This macrostructural defect was explained in turn by the probable upward deviation in the temperature of the metal while it was being poured into the molds of the casting machine. More recently, cast shapes of copper were investigated by N. P. Allen5 and by C. Blazey.6 Allen examined vertically cast wirebars and horizontally cast wedge cakes of electrolytic tough-pitch copper, but only for the distribution of densities; i.e., porosity. Blazey was interested mainly in the mechanism of the variations in electrical conductivity due to cold-work and anneal, but gave introductively an account of the composition and average densities of the tough-pitch horizontally cast wirebars used. As far as the present writer can tell, no investigation was undertaken for the sake of presenting a picture of the distribution of mechanical characteristics in the wirebars of copper, tough-pitch or otherwise.

Jan 1, 1938

By N. A. Rose, E. L. Spain

THIS study was undertaken primarily to determine the reasons for certain variations in the soundness of gravel aggregate taken from a number of widely separated points on the Tennessee River. Under laboratory tests, concrete made with these various aggregates in some cases exhibited marked differences in specific gravity crushing strength and durability. Gravel was studied in detail from Chattanooga to the mouth of the river and to a lesser extent from Chattanooga to Knoxville. The causes of variation were determined, and variational curves were constructed, which accurately predict the composition of aggregate at any point on the river and therefore its relative suitability for use in concrete. The aggregate at any point is suited for making sound concrete; the variance of suitability is due to varying percentages of sandstone and weathered material, which are less sound than other constituents. INTRODUCTION When it is stated that the aggregate from one point is inferior to that from another, it must not be construed to mean that the gravel is unfit for use. The classification upon which such aggregate ratings are based is largely arbitrary, thus inferiority or superiority is merely relative. Samples of gravel were selected from stockpiles at the dams of the Tennessee Valley Authority under construction, from the stockpiles of private companies along the river, and from samples taken by the gravel- exploration barge of the T. V. A. One hundred or more gravels of each size studied were selected at random by taking small handfulls while walking around the piles. These were separated according to the different mineral or rock constituents present, and the percentage of each constituent was obtained by counting. At least three such samples were taken from each size, and all checked with one another within a few per cent. The results were then averaged. In order to check on the accuracy of such sampling, a whole sample was taken from one point after the gravel was thoroughly mixed. The two methods gave approximately identical results. SOURCES AND TYPES OF MATERIALS The sources of gravel found in the Tennessee River are numerous and varied. The river itself traverses several geologic provinces, each

Jan 1, 1937

By E. L. Spain Jr. N. A. Rose

This study was undertaken primarily to determine the reasons for certain variations in the soundness of gravel aggregate taken from a number of widely separated points on the Tennessee River. Under laboratory tests, concrete made with these various aggregates in some cases exhibited marked differences in specific gravity. crushing strength and durability. Gravel was studied in detail from Chattanooga to the mouth of the river and to a lesser extent from Chattanooga to Knoxville. The causes of variation were determined, and variational curves were constructed, which accurately predict the composition of aggregate at any point on the river and therefore its relative suitability for use in concrete. The aggregate at any point is suited for making sound concrete; the variance of suitability is due to varying percentages of sandstone and weathered material, which are less sound than other constituents. Introduction When it is stated that the aggregate from one point is inferior to that from another, it must not be construed to mean that the gravel is unfit for use. The classification upon which such aggregate ratings are based is largely arbitrary, thus inferiority or superiority is merely relative. Samples of gravel were selected from stockpiles at the dams of the Tennessee Valley Authority under construction, from the stockpiles of private companies along the river, and from samples taken by the gravel-exploration barge of the T. V. A. One hundred or more gravels of each size studied were selected at random by taking small handfuls while walking around the piles. These were separated according to the different mineral or rock constituents present, and the percentage of each constituent was obtained by counting. At least three such samples were taken from each size, and all checked with one another within a few per cent. The results were then averaged. In order to check on the accuracy of such sampling, a whole sample was taken from one point after the gravel was thoroughly mixed. The two methods gave approximately identical results. Sources and Types of Materials The sources of gravel found in the Tennessee River are numerous and varied. The river itself traverses several geologic provinces, each

Jan 1, 1938

By T. R. Schermerhorn, Samuel L. Hoyt

The hardness of annealed copper has been given in the literature and is easily obtained by any of the standard methods of hardness testing. It is not our intention to correct published values or to add to them, but to describe tests of two bars of annealed electrolytic copper in which the methods of Meyer's analysis were employed. Meyer's Analysis of Ball Indentation Test The ball indentation test is probably the most valuable hardness test we now have but, as it is carried out in the Brinell or Rockwell test, the result may be seriously in error without the operator suspecting such to be the case. This condition results from the isolated and uncontrolled nature of the measurement. The accuracy depends on the accuracy of the equipment and the care and skill used in the operations; there is nothing in the impression diameter, which is all that is measured, to indicate the presence of error. Meyer's analysis supplies a control of the measurements that goes far toward eliminating unsuspected errors. The principles of this work may be obtained from elsewhere.' As this subject has not received the attention of this Institute, it may be well to summarize the more important points as follows. The chief difference between the usual ball indentation hardness test and Meyer's test is the use of a number of loads, instead of one, covering the range from small to large loads. The reason for this may not be obvious; the resistance to penetration may, and generally does, vary with the penetration of the ball; consequently a single determination can give only the resistance at that particular load. At some other load, the resistance may be quite different. For example, a test on annealed copper at 250 kg. gave a resistance to penetration of 39.5 kg. per sq. mm., while a similar test at 3000 kg. gave a resistance of 56.8 kg. per sq. mm. For the purpose of finding some figure that might be used to represent the hardness of the sample of copper, there is no reason for selecting one of

Jan 1, 1926

By G. F. Comstock

A serious disagreement as to the effect of titanium on the hardenability of steel exists in published references to this subject. Kramer, Hafner and Toleman reported' that acid-soluble titanium decreased creased the hardenability, with multiplying factors less than unity according to [ ] Grossmann's system for calculating hardenability from the composition. Crafts and Lamont, on the other hand, showed2 how titanium increased the hardenability, with multiplying factors up to nearly 1.7 for about o.' per cent titanium, though reducing the hardenability with higher titanium. Their data, however, were obtained almost exclusively from steels containing more than 2.4 per cent manganese, and thus should be considered as applying mainly to manganese steels. Likewise, the results of Kramer, Hafner and, Toleman regarding titanium are subject to the limitation that although they eliminated the effect of the insoluble titanium compounds from their calculations, they did not make a similar correction for the carbon that was combined with titanium and therefore occurred in a similarly ineffective form. It is suggested by the literature referred to that titanium may have different effects on hardenability, depending on the mode of its occurrence in the steel. The different effects on strength, ductility, etc., have already been discussed by the author.3 In the present discussion some comparisons, on the basis of hardenability as revealed by the Jominy end-quench test, are given between three titanium and two non titanium steels heat-treated in the same ways, and between other titanium steels heat-treated in several different ways. COMPARISON OF PLAIN-CARBON, VANADIUM AND TITANIUM STEELS The five steels used for these experiments were commercially melted and rolled products received in the form of 1.5-in. rounds from three different mills. Their analyses are given in Table I. Steels 2, 3, and 4 are from the same basic electric heat, containing 0.009 per cent of phosphorus and the same amount of sulphur. They were made by, adding aluminum and low-carbon ferrotitanium to different ingots. No. I is a plain-carbon coarse-grained S.A.E. 1040 steel made by the basic open-hearth -process. No. 5

Jan 1, 1945

By Raymond Mancha

The number of installations of propeller mine fans completed during the years of 1936 and 1937 is evidence of the increasing popularity of the propeller fan with the American mining industry. During the period from 1931 to 1936, there were several different low-pressure, low-efficiency propeller fans available, which filled a definite need in replacing inefficient centrifugal fans operated at comparatively low pressure by means of purchased power. Since 1936, however, the trend toward the propeller fan has greatly increased, as propeller fans are now available practically without pressure limitations and capable of efficiencies high enough to warrant replacement of efficient centrifugal fans in many instances. Few manufacturers of propeller mine fans base their fan-operating characteristics upon similar test methods, primarily because of inadequate facilities for testing in the factory and the need of a test code incorporating a calibrated duct or nozzle that makes possible the testing of large propeller fans quickly, accurately and without prohibitive expense and space requirements. As a result, fan manufacturers have resorted to various methods for testing large propeller fans in the factory, and different yardsticks have produced uncomparable and often inaccurate performance data. It is the purpose of this paper to describe and discuss in detail the test procedure of the Jeffrey Manufacturing Co., which has been proved both accurate and practical. Fig. 1 shows a plan, a side elevation and two end elevations of the test duct with a propeller fan of the exhaust type in place. Testing propeller fans exhausting permits greater accuracy than testing these fans blowing, because in the former uniform flow conditions are more easily established at Pitot tube stations where fan pressure and air-volume measurements are desired. Any residual rotation remaining in the air discharged from a propeller fan blowing into a test duct must be removed before an attempt is made to obtain accurate pressure and volume readings. Although various devices for straightening the air may be placed between the blowing fan and the volume-measuring station without resulting complications, uniform flow so obtained at the pressure-measuring station necessitates corrective calculations to compensate for duct resistance

Jan 1, 1940

By W. S. Landis

In brief, this is the story of an attempt to Americanize a process originally developed in Europe. The story will be recited in two sections, the first dealing with the process as developed by the European engineers; the second containing the improvements and modifications of American origin, together with some details of the operating results of the unit as finally assembled. Developments in other directions in this same field have not, up to the present, pointed out an economic future for the process, therefore our record here is largely a report of development progress. Whether some particularly favorable location will be found at some future time for a commercial installation cannot as yet be foretold. The project is now at a standstill. The peculiar tools of the electrometallurgist should be of great interest to the zinc smelter. The low thermal efficiency of the zinc retort, its comparatively small-scale unit and its intermittent cycle as it stood in 1925, should make this art a particularly fertile field for the electric furnace. Yet in spite of years of work recorded in volumes of literature, and an expenditure of large sums of money, there is not a single electrothermic zinc smelter operating anywhere in the world. In this industry the electric furnace plays only a secondary part today. Historical The first serious proposal to use the electric furnace for the smelting of zinc ores was made by the Cowles Brothers in 1885, but their experimental work did not advance the art to any extent. The next investigator of this field was Dr. Gustav DeLaval, a Swedish engineer well known to the industrial world through his development of the centrifugal and the steam turbine. The DeLaval cream separator is a familiar household appliance in most parts of the world. Although Dr. DeLaval commenced his experiments in the field of electric zinc smelting in 1893, it was not until 1898 that he had a practicable furnace, even then operating but intermittently. His work was done at Trollhättan, Sweden. He continued to improve this early fur-

Jan 1, 1937

By Joseph A. Norden, A. R. Willson

Much has been written concerning the hoisting equipment of various mines throughout the country, but most of the literature on the subject, if not all, describes equipment of extraordinary capacity and the small and medium-sized outfits have been neglected. The hoisting equipment here described is capable of handling about 1200 tons per day. It has not been worked to capacity, but 600 to 700 tons, together with men and materials, have been handled in two shifts without any great effort. Only one shaft extends from the surface to the lowest levels of the mine; see Fig. I. It is composed of three compartments, two of which are used for hoisting, and the third for water, air, and electrical lines, and for sinking purposes. In 1909, this shaft was raised from the 1000-ft. (304-m.) level to the 700-ft. There a station was cut and an air hoist installed. At this time all mining operations were confined to the upper levels of the mine; that is, above the 700-ft. The ore was dropped to this level through chutes from the 300-, 400-, 500-, and 600-ft. levels and then lowered in cars on cages to the 1000-ft., which is the main haulage adit, the mill and railroad bins being about 3000 ft. from the shaft. Orebodies were, in due time, developed on the 1000-ft. level and below. Therefore, in 1913,the shaft was sunk to the 1150-ft. level and thereafter sinking was continued at regular intervals until the 1500-ft. level was reached. But, hoisting from the 1300-ft. level was a difficult and slow process with the antiquated air hoist, so, in 1916, it was decided to raise the shaft to the surface and install a modern, electrically operated hoist. This was completed early in 1917 and the hoist was in operation in March of that year. The Hoist Figs. 2, 3, and 4 show various features of the hoist and electrical equipment. A Nordberg engine of the double-drum, geared type, designed for a 10-ton load, including rope, at a speed of 1500 ft. per min., is used. The drums are 7 ft. (2.1 m.) in diameter, with a 54-in. (137-em.)

Jan 1, 1922

By C. S. Sivil

To modern civilization the platinum metals are of inestimable value. Their distinctive properties, both physical and chemical, render them indispensable in an age in which the processes of the laboratory are becoming an essential part of the daily life of the world. Generally, their function, though vital to particular processes, is not spectacular, and so remains unknown to all except the operators. Early Methods of Manufacture The properties of platinum were recognized as of prime importance for scientific work at a very early date, probably between 1750 and 1760. The difficulty of making articles from it seemed almost insurmountable, because no means of attaining the temperature necessary to melt it were known at that time. It is true that solid platinum could be obtained by fusing the metal with a more volatile metal such as arsenic, which was subsequently driven off by baking, but such a method, at its best, would give only a very brittle product, which was totally unsuitable for the purposes for which it was intended. Little, if any, progress could be made until it was discovered that platinum sponge, heated to white heat and hammered in an iron or clay mold, would metallize and retain the shape of the mold. This was a process that could not be wholly satisfactory but from it developed the method of pressing the sponge in a mold and forging it at white heat into wire or sheet. At present a somewhat similar process must be used for fabricating articles of tungsten, molybdenum and other metals of high fusing point, as with these metals we face today the same problems that the scientists of the eighteenth century encountered with platinum, but possibly the next significant advance in the metallurgy of these metals will be the devising of means to melt and cast them. TO some extent this method of preparing platinum has survived, particularly in Europe. There are one or two objections to it, but they are not serious, as they can be surmounted with proper precautions. In the first place, the material is spongy and its millions of cavities contain entrapped air. Unless this is removed by thorough forging above 1000" C. the resultant sheet shows blisters. To give such a thorough forging,

Jan 1, 1931

By L. C. Raymond

Valuations in the mineral industry differ from those of other enterprises because mines and oil wells have a definitive life so cannot be considered a perpetuity. This requires that in any mineral-property evaluation the recovery of invested capital is necessary during the life of the property. Capital writeoffs for nonextractive industries are assumed to be continuously plowed back to sustain the operation and produce yields on the capital invested. The extractive or mineral industry, however, generally attempts to return to the investor both interest and principal during the life of a property. Normally this is done currently and the dividend includes both items. Where the mineral properly possesses large reserves and the life factor approximates a perpetuity, the return on investment is generally comparable to that of industrial stocks. The valuation of a mineral property, at best, is based on educated estimates and judgment factors. This is particularly true as it relates to estimating selling prices over a long term or assessing the quality of management. Also, it is possible to make various assumptions as to rapidity of working out the deposit, varying time for start-up of operations, varying earning rates, so as to obtain different results with the same basic facts. Thus it is not surprising that two engineers, irrespective of their abilities, may not agree exactly even when given the same facts, but their results should be close enough to be used in establishing a fair value for trading purposes. The valuation is no better than the source of basic data and the soundness of judgment factors. Fundamentally the basic principles of mineral valuation are similar for base metals, sulphur, oil, or any other mineral. Each mineral, however, requires an engineer to have a knowledge of such factors as its occurrence, distribution, mining and processing methods, and marketing problems in order to gather and analyze all the facts and data that have a bearing on the earning potential of the property. PRESENTVALUEOFAMINERALPROPERTY In essence the present value of a mineral property is a sum of money in today's dollars that future earnings from the property are worth. It differs

Jan 1, 1959

By Walter Rosenhain

In selecting solid solutions for the subject of this lecture I have been guided by several considerations. The bodies known under that somewhat paradoxical name play a most important part in all types of alloys; consequently, a deeper knowledge of their constitution must 'be of fundamental importance to both metallurgical science and practice. Further, having been asked to deal with some of the more theoretical aspects of metallurgy, I have been tempted to describe certain considerations, which I believe to be novel, in regard to the nature of solid solutions. These considerations constitute a theory that requires much experimental confirmation, but they have passed the stage of speculations, for experimental evidence has become available and one inference after another, that can be derived from the theory, is found to be in accord with well-known facts. In putting before you these ideas and inferences, it must be understood that detailed quantitative proof of every step cannot be furnished. Our conclusions must therefore be stated with the reservation that their acceptance must depend on the manner in which the discovery of fresh facts may either confirm or confound them. If we wish to understand the structure of solid solutions we nust carefully realize the manner in which these bodies are formed in alloys. The formation of solid solutions is by no means confined to alloys, but it is desirable to confin5 attention, at the outset, to intermetallic solid solutions. It is not easy to formulate a precise definition of the term "solid solution." It may be said that a solid solution is a crystalline body formed from a liquid solution or from an intimate mixture of solids, or of liquid and solid, that retains in the solid state an admixture of the two substances (solvent and solute) as intimate as that which exists in a liquid solution. The term is undoubtedly paradoxical, for one usually associates solution with a liquid, but the difficulty cannot be evaded by using such a term as solidified solution, for this might refer to a solution that has set, or congealed, without undergoing crystallization. The German term mischkry stall avoids the difficulty and appears to

Jan 1, 1923

By John T. Norton, R. E. Hiller

The tremendous increase in the use of metals that have been prcpared by the various cold-working processes during recent years has greatly stimulated the investigation of problems concerned with the fundamental nature of these processes. It has been observed in practice that different methods of bringing about the same dimension changes in a sample result in a rather wide range of properties. Cold working reduces the ductility of a metal, or what is perhaps more nearly correct, its "working capacity," and naturally the manufacturer wishes to produce an article that has as large a working capacity as possible, and to produce it with the smallest number of operations. It has also been known for some time that cold deformation produces a parallel alignment of the crystal grains of a metal, and that the type of this preferred orientation depends to some extent at least upon particular processes employed in the deformation. The present investigation has for its purpose the study of the relations between the various factors of a cold-working process and the preferred orientation of the metjal crystals resulting from this deformation. The work is chiefly confined to a study of cold-drawn seamless tubing. Preparation of Samples The tubing samples used in this investigation were made of steel having a carbon content of 0.10 to 0.20 per cent, and were drawn on a standard type of draw bench. In order to obtain the large reductions, the annealed stock was coated with lead, for purposes of lubrication. The reductions of area stated refer to reduction from the annealed condition without intermediate heat treatment. The cold work was done as nearly as possible at room temperature. The samples of wire and strip used for purposes of comparison were of steel of approximately the same carbon content and were prepared in the manner indicated. X-ray Method of Investigation The condition of preferred orientation in cold-worked samples is best investigated by the X-ray method that employs a small circular beam of * Assoriate Professor of Physics of Metals, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. t Graduate Student, Department of Metallurgy, Massarhusetts Institute of Technology.

Jan 1, 1932

By Walter Rosenhain

In selecting solid solutions for the subject of this lecture I have been guided by several considerations. The bodies known under that somewhat paradoxical name play a most important part in all types of alloys; consequently, a deeper knowledge of their constitution must 'be of fundamental importance to both metallurgical science and practice. Further, having been asked to deal with some of the more theoretical aspects of metallurgy, I have been tempted to describe certain considerations, which I believe to be novel, in regard to the nature of solid solutions. These considerations constitute a theory that requires much experimental confirmation, but they have passed the stage of speculations, for experimental evidence has become available and one inference after another, that can be derived from the theory, is found to be in accord with well-known facts. In putting before you these ideas and inferences, it must be understood that detailed quantitative proof of every step cannot be furnished. Our conclusions must therefore be stated with the reservation that their acceptance must depend on the manner in which the discovery of fresh facts may either confirm or confound them. If we wish to understand the structure of solid solutions we nust carefully realize the manner in which these bodies are formed in alloys. The formation of solid solutions is by no means confined to alloys, but it is desirable to confin5 attention, at the outset, to intermetallic solid solutions. It is not easy to formulate a precise definition of the term "solid solution." It may be said that a solid solution is a crystalline body formed from a liquid solution or from an intimate mixture of solids, or of liquid and solid, that retains in the solid state an admixture of the two substances (solvent and solute) as intimate as that which exists in a liquid solution. The term is undoubtedly paradoxical, for one usually associates solution with a liquid, but the difficulty cannot be evaded by using such a term as solidified solution, for this might refer to a solution that has set, or congealed, without undergoing crystallization. The German term mischkry stall avoids the difficulty and appears to

Jan 1, 1923

By Robley D. Evans, Gerald L. Schroeder

Advanced techniques for control of radon (Rn) daughter product concenrrations (working levels, WL) in the uranium mines are discussed. Understanding the physical laws which govern the flux of radon into a mine, the growth and decay of the radon daughters, and the particulate nature of the daughters when suspended in air allows ventilation personnel to improve the quality of mine air with no increase in ventilation rate. The task of controlling, in a mine atmosphere, the short-lived nuclides produced in the decay chain of radon is a unique problem and as such should be approached with ventilation techniques specific to the problem. For most mines this has not been the case. Rather, procedures for removing these airborne radioactive nuclides have been borrowed directly from ventilation experience in mines where dilution ventilation was the traditionally accepted approach for air purification. With radon daughter products, this has often led to frustrating difficulties and expense. Primary origin of the airborne radioactivity is the a-ray-emitting noble gas, radon (222Rn, Rn), a nuclide formed by the decay of radium (226Ra, Ra). Radon, being a gas, may escape from its parent crystal and diffuse through the parent mineral into the interstices of the rock body. In a sandstone structure, about 20% of all the radon formed may find its way into the interstices of the rock. If a cavity such as a mine is nearby, the radon may diffuse through the rock interstices into the mine. While radium is usually highly concentrated in uranium ores, it is also found in varying concentrations in all minerals. Radon is therefore present in all minerals. In normal glacial till, the equilibrium interstitial radon concentration often equals 5000 pCi (picocurie, also uuCi) Rn per liter of pore volume.' In normal granitic rocks, the interstitial radon concentration often approaches 30,000 pCi per 1. Considering these typical, high-radon concentrations, radioactivity from airborne of daughter products is a potential problem unique not only to the uranium mining industry and should be considered as a potential hazard in all underground environments.

Jan 1, 1970

OF THE many categories into which scientific knowledge has been arbitrarily divided, the one which has proved most applicable in our attempts to gain an insight into the details of steelmaking processes is physical chemistry. To the young metallurgist who has only recently survived a college course in this subject, the application of its principles to reactions in liquid steel should not be difficult. To one who has had no such course or whose auld acquaintance with the subject has all but been forgot, such application is all too often thwarted by the abstruse presentations of the subject found in many of the available textbooks. AS a tool for the control of a complex process involving many chemical reactions, physical chemistry can become very valuable. The specialist who is using this tool for many purposes and perhaps contributing to its development will want to know a great deal more about it than can be included in this book. He will be interested in its history, its accomplishments and limitations, and its applications to many and varied problems. To the steelmaker or metallurgist, however, it is only one of a number of tools that he must use. He is willing to forego the detailed study of its inner workings in order to concentrate upon the development of skill in its application. It is the purpose of this chapter to present a simplified view of physical chemistry as a tool of great potential usefulness. This purpose and the desire for brevity have required the elimination of many of the gadgets with which the tool is usually adorned. It is hoped that this simplification will be conducive to clear understanding. The beginner is urged not to overlook the more extended treatments of the standard textbooks.* He is assured at the same time that the basic tool is sound and serviceable and is guaranteed to give satisfaction if regularly lubricated with common sense. Certain parts of physical chemistry require rather formidable mathematics for their complete development, but in the main those applications in which we are here interested can be expressed in fairly

Jan 1, 1944

By H. H. Uhlig

Soon after general use of stainless steels began, it was observed in practice that certain combinations of factors tended to induce corrosion by pitting. For most applications this was a serious drawback, not so much because the structural properties of the metal were impaired but because of the rapidity with which heavy sections of the alloys were penetrated by small elongated pits. These pits seemed to initiate readily in oxidizing metal salt solutions like ferric chloride and in chloride solu-tions like sea water. It was observed that in sea water pitting was more frequent in stagnant or polluted waters than in highly aerated, moving waters. The steels in these chloride solutions were observed to be sensi-tive to long contact with material such as sand grains or attached bar-nacles. At points of attachment or contact it was not uncommon to discover initiation of corrosion. Pits once begun at contact faces were observed to grow rapidly, usually elongating phenomenally in the direc-tion of gravity until the metal was perforated. Hydrochloric acid and other nonoxidizing acids, on the other hand, were observed to corrode stainless steels generally; the weight losses often were higher, but the penetration less than for the pitting type of corrosion. The causes of pitting, a type of corrosion recognized as character-istic not only of stainless steels but of many additional metals and alloys, are important in corrosion studies. A possible explanation bears prac-tical significance, for once it is known why pits begin where they do and continue to grow after initiation, intelligent direction can be given to diminishing corrosion. This can be done either by some alteration in the composition and treatment of the alloy or by some alteration in the environment. It appears foremost in importance to discover the nature of pit foci, for if initiation of pits can be discouraged their growth will be no longer a factor to be considered. In a multi-component alloy containing many impurities normal to production of such an alloy, each of which may play a part in pitting, and whose corrosion resistance is sensitive to heat-

Jan 1, 1940

By Sir Robert Hadfield

Introduction.-I esteem it a great honor to be asked by this Institute to give them an address chiefly devoted to metallurgy. While it is with great regret that I find myself unable to be present to deliver this in person, I take this opportunity of wishing your society every success in its continued career of usefulness to the metallurgists of the great Republic. To be elected, eight years ago, along with Dr. J. E. Stead, F. R. S., as one of your Honorary Members, was a privilege which I greatly esteemed, for I consider that no society in America has done so much as ours for the advancement of metallurgy. Those who have Served our Society.-Where many have served so well, it is difficult, without appearing to make unavoidable distinctions, to select names from those of your members who have done so much for the cause we have at heart-the advance and progress of metallurgy. As typical, however, and not in any way meant as a complete list, there are among others the following names which in the past and to-day stand out prominently in this science of ferrous metallurgy. With most of those now mentioned I have personally come in contact, or by correspondence in some few cases, and have exchanged views, since I first came over to America 30 years ago. Holley; Jones; Weeks; Andrew Carnegie; Thomas Carnegie; Fritz; Sterry Hunt;. Egleston; Maunsel White and Taylor, who did so much for high-speed tool steel, and helped to revolutionize machine-shop practice; W. J. Taylor; Robert Hunt; Alfred Hunt of Pittsburg, who did so much in the early history of aluminum, and, alas! did. not live to see the wonderful progress which has been made in that particular branch of metallurgical industry; James Douglas; C. B. Dudley; Birkinbine; Howe; Metcalf; Barus; Langley; Raymond; P. H. Dudley; H. H. Campbell; W. R. Webster; E. D. Campbell; Talbot; Spilsbury; Gayley; Dinkey, under whose supervision and responsibility modern armor has been so successfully produced in this country, which the writer can testify from personal knowledge of , test results possesses very high Figure of Merit; Schwab; Kennedy; Wellman; Garrison; Wood; Moldenke; Webster; Swank; Unger; Richards; Sauveur; Strat-

Jan 5, 1914

By G. Ostberg

OXYGEN has frequently been considered responsible for phenomena in the metallurgy of cast iron which are not sufficiently explained by the presence of other elements. Oxygen and oxides have been regarded as critical factors, particularly for the solidification process, and specifically in the formation of graphite. However, the evidence for an influence of oxygen has mostly only been indirect or qualitative. Furthermore, quantitative data on the oxygen content of cast iron presented in the literature have often been less conclusive as being apparently determined with insufficient regard for the difficulties associated with the sampling and analysis. These problems, experimental and theoretical, have been studied in this investigation. An attempt is made to bring the views on the soluble amount of oxygen in cast iron on a level with the present understanding of the thermodynamics of these types of alloys. Although there are no experimental data on the complete multicomponent cast-iron alloys some conclusions have been drawn from investigations on simpler systems. The order of magnitude of the solubility of oxygen in cast iron is considered in the first part of the paper. The second part deals with the oxygen content actually present under practical conditions. First the possible sources of errors in sampling and analyzing methods are examined. Finally some observations on the oxygen and oxide content of malleable iron during the production process are made. THERMODYNAMICS OF OXYGEN SOLUBILITY When cast iron is saturated with oxygen the saturation phase is essentially carbon monoxide or silicon dioxide depending upon the composition of the iron, the temperature, and the rates of formation of the oxides.* The latter occurs accordiw to the O + C = CO, Kc0 - a COa J 20 + Si = SiO2, Activities are used here instead of weight pct concentrations, since activities are believed to show more sensitively the effects of the interaction of all the alloying elements. Calculations involving activities are, however, seriously hampered by lack of experimental data on the interactions between the components encountered in the multi component cast-iron system Fe-O-C-Si-Mn-P-S- and so on. In order to make an estimate of the oxygen solubility reason-

Jan 1, 1959