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By Sidney Fischler

Large striation-free single crystals of bismuth have been grown from the melt by rapid freezing. Zone-refined bismuth, together with doping impurities if desired, is placed in a shallow flat-bottomed graphite boat and melted in air with a propane hand torch. The torch is then withdrawn in a manner which causes the melt to freeze direction-ally. Crystallization, which resuires only a few minutes, usually results in the formation of a single crystal even when a seed crystal is not used. Crys -tals of any desired orientation may be grown by using oriented seeds. Undoped crystals grown by this method have residual resistivity ratios greater than 200. THE growth of large single crystals of bismuth by either the Czochralski or horizontal zoning technique is not entirely satisfactory. Specifically, difficulties are encountered in producing single crystals of the required dimensions in all desired orientations, and striations caused by low-angle polysynthetic twins are frequently present in the crystals. In addition, both methods are time-consuming and require special apparatus of some complexity. A simpler method has now been developed for growing large striation-free bismuth single crystals of desired orientation in a short time. Fig. 1 shows a typical setup consisting of a rectangular graphite boat which contains zone-refined bismuth, a 1/8-in.-thick flat quartz plate which covers the entire inner bottom of the boat, and three additional quartz plates about 1/4 in. thick which are used to separate the bismuth from the graphite everywhere except at a small area at the left of the boat. The graphite boat is 1 in. high, and its sides and bottom are about 1/8 in. thick. The quartz plates should be smooth and clean. The graphite boat is heated from the right with a propane torch, as shown in Fig. 1, until the bismuth is completely melted. The melt has the shape of a triangle with a narrow neck at the apex farthest from the torch. The melt is frozen direc-tionally by gradually moving the torch toward the right, away from the boat. The bismuth in contact with the graphite, at the left end of the neck, freezes first. The freezing interface then moves down the neck into the main bulk of material, where it develops a convex shape ideal for the continuation of single-crystal growth. The interface continues to move through the melt until the entire bulk is solid. The entire procedure may be completed, in air, in a matter of minutes. The technique described almost always yields a single crystal whose basal plane is nearly perpendi,cular to the bottom of the graphite boat. In earlier experiments, in which the bottom of the melt was in direct contact with the graphite boat, single crystals were grown with basal planes parallel, perpendicular, or at some intermediate angle to the bottom of the boat. At times the orientation of the bulk of the material differed from the orientation of the material in the narrow neck. In these cases, a nucleation site initiated the growth of a differently oriented crystal, and the thermal conditions favored the new orientation over the initial one. The thermal conditions depend on a number of factors, including the heating technique, the placement, shape, and thickness of the quartz plates, the thickness of the walls and bottom of the graphite boat, and the quantity of bulk bismuth employed. All of these factors, plus the initial orientation and the presence and effectiveness of nucleation sites, will determine the orientation of the final large single-crystal slab. When a crystal of specific orientation is desired, an oriented section of a rapid-freeze crystal is shaped by spark cutting and grinding for use as a seed. To grow a doped crystal, the desired impurity is placed in the graphite boat together with the bismuth chunks and seed. Crystals doped with mercury, cadmium, lead, and selenium have been grown. The rate of freezing is so great that the distribution coefficient of any impurity approximates unity. On a gross scale, therefore, impurities should be more homogeneously distributed in rapid-freeze crystals than in Czochralski or zoned crystals. Because of the possibility of constitutional supercooling, however, it is quite possible that impurities are not homogeneously distributed on a microscopic scale in the rapid-freeze crystals. Generally the single crystal slabs which have been prepared are initially 5 to 7 mm thick. Thicker crystals may be obtained by using one of these slabs as a seed. The slab is placed in a graphite boat resting on a large aluminum block, either air- or

Jan 1, 1964

By W. E. Brigham, P. W. Reed, J. N. Dew

By O. J. Hassel, W. T. Maidens, J. H. Calbeck

The rotary gas fired reheating furnace used by the American Zinc Oxide Co. at Columbus, Ohio for Therotarygasfiredreheatingfurnacerefining lead-free zinc oxide is described. The outstanding features of this operation are that the color of the zinc oxide is greatly improved, sulphur is eliminated, and cadmium arethatrecovered without densifying the product to an objectionable degree. IN 1919 Leland S. Wemple obtained a patent for a process of reheating zinc oxide wherein the "coarsening of grain due to excessive heating was avoided." He taught in his specification that if solid carbonaceous material, such as lamp black, was added to the zinc oxide in proper amounts prior to reheating, objectionable sulphur compounds could be removed and the color would accordingly be improved and no objectionable densification would occur because of the relatively low temperature required. The situation that made this invention imperative was the newly opened zinc oxide plant of the American Zinc, Lead & Smelting Co. in Hills-boro, Ill. This was one of the early Western Type American Process zinc oxide operations. Characteristic of all of these early Western operations using Tri-State and Western ores was the great difficulty encountered in obtaining a product low enough in sulphur to compete with the Eastern Type American Process zinc oxides which were made from ores containing very low sulphur percentages. Wemple demonstrated that the refining process of his invention produced a superior color and although this was true and a most welcome feature, the primary purpose of the early refining operations at Hillsboro was to reduce substantially the high sulphur content of the crude zinc oxide. Although many and varied attempts had been made for refining zinc oxide none of the processes had a commercial history of any consequence until Wemple's invention became standard practice for the American Zinc, Lead & Smelting Co. in 1919 and their operations have been unique in that substantially all of their lead-free zinc oxide has been reheated since the first installation at Hillsboro. This process has become known in the industry as refining. The furnace developed by Wemple and continued in use by the company from 1919 until 1943 was unusual and merits some consideration by way of review in this paper. The furnace was essentially a double hearth coal-fired muffle furnace with a mechanical raking system consisting of a central shaft supporting six rabble arms in each muffle. The untreated or "crude" zinc oxide was fed onto the outer rim of the top muffle, moved to the center where it dropped to the lower muffle and progressed to the outer rim where it was discharged into an alloy screw conveyor. The retention in this furnace was extremely short, about 5 min, and the shallow zinc oxide bed on the hearths of the muffles was being continuously turned by the fast moving rabbles. Soft coal was burned on the grates below the lower muffle and the long yellow flame necessary to carry the heat around both muffles resulted in a very inefficient combustion of the fuel. The temperature of the top of the lower muffle seldom exceeded 65 °C although the oxide itself often reached 700°C before discharge. The capacity of this furnace was approximately 1/2 ton per hr. In our plant at Columbus it was necessary to keep four of these furnaces running in parallel to take care of the production because, as mentioned above, every pound of zinc oxide produced during these 24 yr passed through one of these refining furnaces. An essential part of this refining operation was the use of carbonaceous material admixed with the zinc oxide fed to the furnaces. Between 1 and 2 pct of a bran produced in the processing of cotton seed was added to all zinc oxide charged to the furnaces. The bran ignited on the top hearth and was still burning when the charge fell from the top hearth to the bottom hearth making a cascade of sparks. The rapid turning of the zinc oxide caused these particles of bran to flash on the hearths behind each rabble; but the combustion, of necessity, had to be complete by the time the charge reached the outer rim of the bottom hearth, otherwise the finished product would be contaminated with the charred particles of bran which would give the zinc oxide an unsatisfactory color. Although this operation was initiated to reduce objectionable sulphur percentages, as time went on new properties of the product were appreciated which made advisable continuing the refining process long after other methods of sulphur reduction became known in the industry. The particle size and particle size distribution, the absence of colloidal fines and perhaps a unique surface condition gave this product an outstanding performance when used in paints. The Wemple furnaces installed in Columbus in 1919 had to be rebuilt frequently and were extravagant in the use of fuel. The raking mechanism and the muffles required excessive maintenance expense and as the furnaces wore out the problem arose whether to continue along this line or to explore the possibilities of obtaining similar or better results in the simpler and more commonly used rotary furnace. To this end special research was initiated in 1941 on a small laboratory rotary

Jan 1, 1951

By Robert D. Pehlke, Robert G. Blossey

The solubility of nitrogen in liquid iron alloys containing chromium and nickel has been measured in the temperature range 1550° to 1700°C at nitrogen pressures to 1 ah. The solubility surface has been determined for the iron corner of the liquid metallic ternary to 21 pct Cr and 11 pct Ni. The nitrogen solubility increases markedly with increasing chromium concentration. The effect of nickel and the bilinear effect of chromium and nickel are less pronounced. The solubility data are presented, and interaction coefficients are determined from them. THE solubility of nitrogen has been determined in liquid Fe-Cr-Ni binary and ternary alloys. The work in this laboratory has been directed toward a relatively limited composition range, that is to 20 pct Cr and 10 pct Ni. Humbert and Elliott1 studied the entire ternary; but their investigation was, understandably, limited in this region. The region considered here is of the greatest commercial interest. Knowledge of the solubility in these alloys is important for accurate control of the nitrogen levels in various stainless alloys. Also, the solution behavior is of theoretical interest because of its deviations from ideal dilute solution rules at moderate chromium levels. The nitrogen solubility in the iron binaries has been reviewed extensively by Pehlke and Elliott,2 particularly with respect to the dilute solution interaction parameters. More recently, there has been some interest in accurate descriptions of solute interactions in non-dilute solutions. Most of the investigators have adopted a power series fit to accommodate any non-linearity of the data. The Taylor series expansion is adopted here, using Scimar's notation3 for the interaction coefficients. An alternate method, instead of requiring higher-order expansions, is to restrict the range of the composition variables. A planar solubility surface may be fitted to the data and its range of validity determined. If the axes of this region are displaced from the usual origin—the solvent pure iron—a change in standard state is required for the solution reaction. The standard state for nitrogen in iron is commonly taken as the hypothetical 1 wt pct solution of nitrogen in pure iron. However, for an alloy of appreciable solute concentration, e.g., 13 pct Cr or 18 pct Cr-8 pct Ni, it would be convenient to use that base composition as the solvent and redefine the solution reaction in terms of that particular solvent. A brief derivation follows, defining the free energy of solution in an alloy solvent. Following the treatment by Darken and Gurry,4 for a nitrogen pressure of 1 atm: N (pure component) = N (1 wt pct in solvent) [l] AG=RT ln100/ wt pct N in solvent Taking this reaction for an alloy solvent less the same reaction for a pure iron solvent the relation between nitrogen in pure iron and an alloy is: N (1 wt pct in Fe) = N (1 wt pct in alloy) [2] AG = RT[ln(wt pct N in Fe) - ln(wt pct N in alloy)] Adding ½ N2(g) to each side and subtracting N (1 wt pct in Fe) = ½N2(g), the total free energy for solution of nitrogen in an alloy, referred to nitrogen at infinite dilution, is given by: ½N2 (g) = N (wt pct in alloy) L3] AG°3 = -RT ln(wt pct N in alloy )PN =1 atm Interaction parameters have their usual meaning when ?G°/RT is differentiated with respect to the proper composition coordinate. If desired, the dilute alloy treatment may be utilized with the new reference composition as the solvent. This has. indeed, been done by Small and pehlke5 in their analysis of nitrogen solution in liquid 18-8 alloys. The Sieverts' technique was used for this investigation on an apparatus previously described.6 The materials used in this program were: Ferrovac-E iron, 99.95 pct, Crucible Steel Co.: chromium, 99.95 pct, Union Carbide Metals Co.; nickel, 99.9 pct, International Nickel Co. Recrystallized alumina crucibles were used with no evidence of crucible-melt reaction. RESULTS The locations of the ternary compositions investigated are shown in Fig. 1. The data of Turnock7 and small8 have been alluded to in other papers.5'6 There were no departures from Sieverts' law observed for

Jan 1, 1969

By Earl Hunner

IT is common knowledge that the iron orebodies of the Mesabi range lie nearly horizontal and are of trough or blanket-like types. These orebodies are from a few feet to several hundred feet thick and vary from a few acres in extent to the size of the largest one, at Hibbing, Minn., which is over 1 mile wide and 3 miles long. They are covered with sand, boulder and clay overburden and occasionally, shallow depths of ledge material, varying in total depth from about 20 to 200 ft. Large areas are not capped with overlying ledge material; the top of the ore lies directly underneath the surface material. Because of the comparatively great tonnage of ore, open-pit mining has made tremendous strides since the first open-pit ore was shipped from this range by the Merritt brothers, from the Mountain iron mine in October, 1892, and along with the great development of open-pit mining on the Mesabi range has gone a tremendous change in the character of equipment used.

Jan 1, 1930

By Charles J. Moore

It seems a duty incumbent on the older members of the Institute to set forth in permanent form some of the results of their experience for the benefit of the younger members; this is the principal object of the present paper, which is the result of a recent examination requiring somewhat unusual geologic investigation. History. The London vein mas first discovered by float and occasional outcrops in the year 1873, four years before the great lead carbonate discoveries of Leadville, but the mine was not definitely located and opened until two years later, when the present locations, Mother, Paris, London, and Hard to Beat, were surveyed for patent. Since 1875 the London mine has been worked almost continuously until 1911, when the force was reduced to a few men only. In its early life the ore was assumed to be free-milling gold-quartz, although lead was a constituent of the vein throughout, and much useless expenditure was made in the erection and operation of a free-gold stamp-mill, with plates and tables for saving concentrates. The vein then opened was in the porphyry-limestone contact, a siliceous lead-ore, clearly most amenable to reduction by lead-smelter. The losses due to this process led in time to the close of the mill. For 20 years past, the mine has been worked under lease and the ore shipped to the lead-smelters in Denver or Salida. In January, 1912,I examined the mine to ascertain whether it was advisable to run a cross-cut tunnel some 4,200 ft. in length to intersect the main vein at a depth of 650 ft. below the present lowest workings. Finding a greatly-faulted zone, a close determination of the geological conditions became necessary to the solution of the problem.

Jan 1, 1914

OFFICIAL INSTITUTE REPORTS FOR THE YEAR 1924 Report of the Secretary TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGICAL ENGINEERS Gentlemen -To a Board of Directors keeping in as close touch with all of the affairs under their care as do the Directors of the A -I M. E, through their monthly meetings, a report of the year's progress is almost superfluous To the members who read the monthly reports of the Board Meetings and of the various activities of the Institute as published each month, a yearly report cannot carry much fresh infor¬mation, yet for both it may be well, as is the custom, to glance over the field of our activities during the past year, and to make an estimate for the year to come The beginning of 1924 was not propitious for the members of the mining profession, though tonnage, production for 1923 had been high and the gross value higher than for several years The margin of profit had been narrow, prospecting and development were limited, and many of our members were unemployed or were working in other industries Toward the end of the year, higher metal prices were in sight Old-time optimism began to grow, and it now brightens the outlook for 1925 An excellent barometer of the prosperity of the industry, and that of the Institute, for they go hand in hand, is the work of our Employment Bureau During the past few months, the percentage of our members for whom openings have been found has been increasing to a marked extent, and many members who had fallen in arrears are placing themselves in good standing The number of new members joining has remained about as it was in 1922 and 1923 The Directors have reason to congratulate themselves on the interest maintained during a dull period, for it is not humanly possible to take a keen interest in the technology of an industry when our hands and minds are not actively engaged in it Now, with a much brighter outlook, we can look forward to a year of increasing prosperity for the industry and for the Institute

Jan 1, 1923

By William P. Jones

THE consumption of sulphuric acid, one of the most important commodities in our modern industrial world, is often used as a barometer for industrial activity. The economics of acid manufacture are largely dependent upon the location of the place of consumption and the availability of raw materials in that locality. Sulphuric acid is made from SO,, oxygen from the air and water. Therefore the sulphur dioxide is the only raw material to be considered in an economic study. SO, can be obtained from almost any material containing inorganic sulphur, such as elemental sulphur, pyrites, coal, sour gas and oil, metallurgical gases, waste gases, or gypsum and anhydrite. Many tons of acid can also be reclaimed by the recovery and concentration of spent acids. The aim of this paper is to present a guide to the economic aspects to be considered when the installation of an acid plant is contemplated. It must be remembered that 1 ton of elemental sulphur produces 3 tons of sulphuric acid and that the shipping of sulphuric acid by tank car is very costly. The size of the plant must also be given careful consideration. For instance, operation of a plant producing 5 tons of acid per day might be warranted in Brazil or Pakistan, whereas economics usually favor buying quantities up to 50 tons per day for use within the United States. Elemental sulphur, when available at the low price of 1M4 per lb delivered at an acid plant, has always been the raw material most frequently used for sulphuric acid. All conditions favor its use at this price. The so-called sulphur shortage has been the subject of so many technical papers, magazine articles, and newspaper items during the past y6ar that it hardly seems necessary to mention it again, but a very brief review of the matter will serve as a foundation for the discussion that follows. There is no shortage of sulphur. Only a shortage of low-cost Frasch-mined brimstone exists today. Other more expensive sulphur-bearing materials are plentiful, both in the United States and abroad. The low cost of Frasch-mined brimstone has discouraged the development of higher cost sources. However, the approaching depletion of Gulf Coast dome deposits and the greatly increased demand for sulphur here and abroad have made it necessary for industry to prepare for conversion to utilize sulphur in other forms. For future planning this situation must be considered permanent and not temporary. This conclusion is based on the fact that although sulphur demand will continue to rise, the production of Frasch-mined sulphur probably will not increase greatly beyond its present level of about 5,000,000 long tons per year. The International Materials Conference in Washington estimates 1952 requirements of the free world at nearly 7 million long tons; and the Defense Production Administration has recently set a new goal for 8,400,000 long tons annual domestic production by 1955. The total sulphur equivalent produced in this country in 1950 was 6 million tons. What, then, are the alternatives for the manufacture of the vital chemical, sulphuric acid? Today about 85 pct of this country's sulphur, and nearly 50 pct of the world supply, comes from our Gulf Coast salt domes and is extracted from the earth by Frasch's hot water process. The Gulf Coast salt dome deposits have been the most important known natural deposits in the world, producing 90 million tons of sulphur during the past 50 years. However, at the present rate of extraction these deposits cannot be expected to last indefinitely. Pyrites Pyrites are, and have been for many years, the source of more than 50 pct of the world's sulphur requirements. The principal use, of course, is in the manufacture of sulphuric acid. The use of pyrites in the United States has diminished greatly because of the availability of low cost native sulphur, but pyrites have continued a major source of sulphur in many other countries. The most available pyrites for use in this country are in the form of lump pyritic ore and in mill tailings from flotation of other minerals such as lead, zinc, copper, gold, and silver. An important factor, when the use of pyrites for acid manufacture is being considered, is the disposal of calcine. A ton of sulphuric acid requires approximately ton of high-grade pyrite and results in 1/2 ton of calcine. If the calcine is a fairly pure oxide, free of harmful impurities, it can be used, after sintering, in an iron blast furnace burden. Its value might be as high as 15d per unit of Fe at the blast furnace; or possibly $10.00 per ton of sinter, if it assays 65 pct Fe. This might result in a credit of $4.00 per ton of acid if the sintering plant and blast furnace are both located adjacent to the acid plant. On the other hand, several factors must be considered before this credit can be realized, i.e., freight to blast furnace, availability of sintering facilities, methods of eliminating impurities, and the removal of valuable metal values. In some locations it would be most economical to dump the calcines.

Jan 1, 1953

By William P. Jones

THE consumption of sulphuric acid, one of the most important commodities in our modern industrial world, is often used as a barometer for industrial activity. The economics of acid manufacture are largely dependent upon the location of the place of consumption and the availability of raw materials in that locality. Sulphuric acid is made from SO2 oxygen from the air and water. Therefore the sulphur dioxide is the only raw material to be considered in an economic study. SO2 can be obtained from almost any material containing inorganic sulphur, such as elemental sulphur, pyrites, coal, sour gas and oil, metallurgical gases, waste gases, or gypsum and anhydrite. Many tons of acid can also be reclaimed by the recovery and concentration of spent acids. The aim of this paper is to present a guide to the economic aspects to be considered when the installation of an acid plant is contemplated. It must be remembered that 1 ton of elemental sulphur produces 3 tons of sulphuric acid and that the shipping of sulphuric acid by tank car is very costly. The size of the plant must also be given careful consideration. For instance, operation of a plant producing 5 tons of acid per day might be warranted in Brazil or Pakistan, whereas economics usually favor buying quantities up to 50 tons per day for use within the United States. Elemental sulphur, when available at the low price of 1 ½ ¢ per lb delivered at an acid plant, has always been the raw material most frequently used for sulphuric acid. All conditions favor its use at this price. The so-called sulphur shortage has been the subject of so many technical papers, magazine articles, and newspaper items during the past year that it hardly seems necessary to mention it again, but a very brief review of the matter will serve as a foundation for the discussion that follows. There is no shortage of sulphur. Only a shortage of low-cost Frasch-mined brimstone exists today. Other more expensive sulphur-bearing materials are plentiful, both in the United States and abroad. The low cost of Frasch-mined brimstone has discouraged the development of higher cost sources. However, the approaching depletion of Gulf Coast dome deposits and the greatly increased demand for sulphur here and abroad have made it necessary for industry to prepare for conversion to utilize sulphur in other forms. For future planning this situation must be considered permanent and not temporary. This conclusion is based on the fact that although sulphur demand will continue to rise, the production of Frasch-mined sulphur probably will not increase greatly beyond its present level of about 5,000,000 long tons per year. The International Materials Conference in Washington estimates 1952 requirements of the free world at nearly 7 ½ million long tons; and the Defense Production Administration has recently set a new goal for 8,400,000 long tons annual domestic production by 1955. The total sulphur equivalent produced in this country in 1950 was 6 million tons. What, then, are the alternatives for the manufacture of the vital chemical, sulphuric acid? Today about 85 pct of this country's sulphur, and nearly 50 pct of the world supply, comes from our Gulf Coast salt domes and is extracted from the earth by Frasch's hot water process. The Gulf Coast salt dome deposits have been the most important known natural deposits in the world, producing 90 million tons of sulphur during the past 50 years. However, at the present rate of extraction these deposits cannot be expected to last indefinitely. Pyrites Pyrites are, and have been for many years, the source of more than 50 pct of the world's sulphur requirements. The principal use, of course, is in the manufacture of sulphuric acid. The use of pyrites in the United States has diminished greatly because of the availability of low cost native sulphur, but pyrites have continued a major source of sulphur in many other countries. The most available pyrites for use in this country are in the form of lump pyritic ore and in mill tailings from flotation of other minerals such as lead, zinc, copper, gold, and silver. An important factor, when the use of pyrites for acid manufacture is being considered, is the disposal of calcine. A ton of sulphuric acid requires approximately ¾ ton of high-grade pyrite and results in ½ ton of calcine. If the calcine is a fairly pure oxide, free of harmful impurities, it can be used, after sintering, in an iron blast furnace burden. Its value might be as high as 15¢ per unit of Fe at the blast furnace; or possibly $10.00 per ton of sinter, if it assays 65 pct Fe. This might result in a credit of $4.00 per ton of acid if the sintering plant and blast furnace are both located adjacent to the acid plant. On the other hand, several factors must be considered before this credit can be realized, i.e., freight to blast furnace, availability of sintering facilities, methods of eliminating impurities, and the removal of valuable metal values. In some locations it would be most economical to dump the calcines.

Jan 1, 1952

By William P. Jones

THE consumption of sulphuric acid, one of the most important commodities in our modern industrial world, is often used as a barometer for industrial activity. The economics of acid manufacture are largely dependent upon the location of the place of consumption and the availability of raw materials in that locality. Sulphuric acid is made from SO,, oxygen from the air and water. Therefore the sulphur dioxide is the only raw material to be considered in an economic study. SO, can be obtained from almost any material containing inorganic sulphur, such as elemental sulphur, pyrites, coal, sour gas and oil, metallurgical gases, waste gases, or gypsum and anhydrite. Many tons of acid can also be reclaimed by the recovery and concentration of spent acids. The aim of this paper is to present a guide to the economic aspects to be considered when the installation of an acid plant is contemplated. It must be remembered that 1 ton of elemental sulphur produces 3 tons of sulphuric acid and that the shipping of sulphuric acid by tank car is very costly. The size of the plant must also be given careful consideration. For instance, operation of a plant producing 5 tons of acid per day might be warranted in Brazil or Pakistan, whereas economics usually favor buying quantities up to 50 tons per day for use within the United States. Elemental sulphur, when available at the low price of 1M4 per lb delivered at an acid plant, has always been the raw material most frequently used for sulphuric acid. All conditions favor its use at this price. The so-called sulphur shortage has been the subject of so many technical papers, magazine articles, and newspaper items during the past y6ar that it hardly seems necessary to mention it again, but a very brief review of the matter will serve as a foundation for the discussion that follows. There is no shortage of sulphur. Only a shortage of low-cost Frasch-mined brimstone exists today. Other more expensive sulphur-bearing materials are plentiful, both in the United States and abroad. The low cost of Frasch-mined brimstone has discouraged the development of higher cost sources. However, the approaching depletion of Gulf Coast dome deposits and the greatly increased demand for sulphur here and abroad have made it necessary for industry to prepare for conversion to utilize sulphur in other forms. For future planning this situation must be considered permanent and not temporary. This conclusion is based on the fact that although sulphur demand will continue to rise, the production of Frasch-mined sulphur probably will not increase greatly beyond its present level of about 5,000,000 long tons per year. The International Materials Conference in Washington estimates 1952 requirements of the free world at nearly 7 million long tons; and the Defense Production Administration has recently set a new goal for 8,400,000 long tons annual domestic production by 1955. The total sulphur equivalent produced in this country in 1950 was 6 million tons. What, then, are the alternatives for the manufacture of the vital chemical, sulphuric acid? Today about 85 pct of this country's sulphur, and nearly 50 pct of the world supply, comes from our Gulf Coast salt domes and is extracted from the earth by Frasch's hot water process. The Gulf Coast salt dome deposits have been the most important known natural deposits in the world, producing 90 million tons of sulphur during the past 50 years. However, at the present rate of extraction these deposits cannot be expected to last indefinitely. Pyrites Pyrites are, and have been for many years, the source of more than 50 pct of the world's sulphur requirements. The principal use, of course, is in the manufacture of sulphuric acid. The use of pyrites in the United States has diminished greatly because of the availability of low cost native sulphur, but pyrites have continued a major source of sulphur in many other countries. The most available pyrites for use in this country are in the form of lump pyritic ore and in mill tailings from flotation of other minerals such as lead, zinc, copper, gold, and silver. An important factor, when the use of pyrites for acid manufacture is being considered, is the disposal of calcine. A ton of sulphuric acid requires approximately ton of high-grade pyrite and results in 1/2 ton of calcine. If the calcine is a fairly pure oxide, free of harmful impurities, it can be used, after sintering, in an iron blast furnace burden. Its value might be as high as 15d per unit of Fe at the blast furnace; or possibly $10.00 per ton of sinter, if it assays 65 pct Fe. This might result in a credit of $4.00 per ton of acid if the sintering plant and blast furnace are both located adjacent to the acid plant. On the other hand, several factors must be considered before this credit can be realized, i.e., freight to blast furnace, availability of sintering facilities, methods of eliminating impurities, and the removal of valuable metal values. In some locations it would be most economical to dump the calcines.

Jan 1, 1953

By J. S. Hardison

In the fall of 1912, the appearance of water in the oil of the Nevada Petroleum Co., Coalinga, Cal., made necessary the installation of a dehydrating plant to reduce the water below the 3 per cent. limit prescribed by the agency. Unlike the mining industry, technical literature of the oil industry is limited and extremely unsatisfactory. Until the recent efforts of the Petroleum and Gas Committee of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, no concerted movement has been instituted to secure publication of papers dealing with the problems of the oil business, and because of the additional fact that dehydrating of oil has not been practiced in California to any extent up to comparatively recent time, it was found necessary to experiment in order to determine the most satisfactory plan for this purpose. It is easy to write regarding successful enterprises, but, while not SO pleasant, it is equally desirable to write of failures so that others may be saved the loss incident to such investments. The water in this oil occurs both free and as an emulsion. Free water easily settles out, but the emulsion requires treatment. So far as can be determined, the emulsion consists of globules of water surrounded and enveloped by a film of oil. Starting with this hypothesis the theory has been evolved that in order to break up this emulsion the water must be heated at least to boiling point, when an explosion takes place destroying the globule. Unfortunately, this condition was not recognized in the installation of the first plant, which was planned on the following lines: A heater was arranged so that all the oil from the wells could be heated before reaching the shipping tanks, these being already fitted with coils for steam heating. Tanks were filled with about 4 ft. of water, live steam was turned into the coils and the water brought nearly to the boiling point, when the heated oil was run in. This for a time was partly successful, but the length of time necessary to apply this heat was too great for practical operating.

Jan 1, 1915

T.B.King (Depaytment of Metallurgy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)— A valuable contribution of the authors is in the factual information which they have been able to gather; this type of information is quite difficult to obtain. In many respects, however, it would have been better if they had not subsequently embarked on a discussion of the chemistry of the converter process. It seems inconceivable that the authors do not refer to the papers of Schuhmann and his associates14 which have set the thermodynamic foundation for the whole copper smelting operation. In addition, a very useful review on the physical chemistry of copper smelting by Ruddle 5 appeared as long ago as 1953. An examination of this literature would have convinced the authors that there is no cause to be surprised at a correlation between the magnetic content and the silica content of converter slags, though they rightly point out that one should distinguish between the total magnetite content of the slag and the amount of magnetite which may be considered to be in solution. It is not true that the lowest melting converter slag is that corresponding to the eutectic between ferrous oxide and silica. The simplest slag system which can be considered is a three-component system, since both ferric and ferrous iron are present. As Schuhmann, Powell, and Michal have shown, there are lower melting compositions than this eutectic in the ternary system. The most unfortunate impression given by this paper is that the driving force for chemical reaction is determined by the heat of reaction: of course the entropy change must be taken into account. It would have been more correct to list, in Table VI, values for free energies of formation. Nor can it be said that the data in Table VI represent the "best available data." They do not corregtond with any of the recent, acknowledged sources. F. E. Lathe and L. Hodnett(author's reply)— We are pleased that Dr. King finds the factual information in our uawer of some interest. Dr. King suggests that it would have been better if our analysis and discussion of the data had been omitted, largely because our list of references is so. incomplete. If he will carefully read our introduction, he will see that the questionnaire was sent out in the hope of obtaining data which would throw light on certain questions relating to the use of converter refractories. We did not attempt (nor would the AIME have published!) a complete review of the literature on copper converting, as Dr. King has apparently assumed, nor indeed a complete analysis of the data submitted, but tried only to find a sound basis for the choice of refractories, taking into consideration common variations in converter practice. We hope our paper indicates that, by raising the silica content of the converter slag and operating at a higher temperature, the normal circulating load of magnetite can be greatly reduced, and the whole reverberatory-converter operation improved to a major degree, with resultant important savings. Under such operating conditions, chrome-magnesite brick may be expected to stand up better than those of straight magnesite. Regardless of the choice as between these brick types, however, we find the cost of converter refractories to be so low in comparison with other converter costs as to justify operation under the more severe conditions suggested. Valuable as are the papers by Schuhmann and associates and the book by Ruddle, we make no apology for omitting reference to them, nor for using heats of reaction without mention of entropy changes or free energies of formation. Our primary object was to interest the practicing copper metallurgist, with whose language we may claim to be fairly familiar; we think it would have been unwise to include the highly theoretical phases of the subject which Dr. King suggests. The interest shown in our preliminary paper presented at the New York meeting in 1956, and the trends in practice whtat we have observed since that time, suggest that we did not wholly miss the target. In conclusion, we sincerely hope that Professors King and Schuhmann will independently review the data obtained in our questionnaire and submit a paper giving their own recommendations as to the choice of refractories and the particular converter operating conditions which will result in the lowest overall cost of copper smelting and converting.

Jan 1, 1960

By E. Houdremont

THE different influences exerted by the various alloying elements in iron and iron-carbon alloys give rise to a great number of complexities, which are difficult to grasp. It is important therefore to study any sys-tematic relations that may exist between the effects exerted by the various alloying elements, in order to obtain a general classification and thus a clearer conception of the nature of alloy steels. A systematic survey of the alloys of iron, based on an investigation of the binary equilibrium diagrams, was recently published by Wever. Although his work deals little with properties of importance in works practice, its purpose being rather to point out the theoretical agreement among the types of binary equilibrium diagrams and the position of the alloying elements in the periodic system (atomic radii, etc.), the classifica-tion proposed nevertheless also suggests relationships among the proper-ties of the alloys in question, even though the alloys may contain carbon in addition to iron and the alloying element. Wever divided the alloys of iron into one group exhibiting an open or enlarged gamma field and another exhibiting a closed or restricted gamma field, with both groups capable of further subdivision depending upon whether a continuous series of solid solutions is formed, or, owing to the separation of compounds, etc., only a limited series. Thus all alloying elements which with iron form a closed gamma field, a "gamma loop," produce alloys that beyond the composition correspond-ing to the greatest extent of the gamma loop are composed of ferrite alone at all temperatures. Alloys of this composition accordingly are not susceptible to ordinary heat treatment because of the lack of tran-formations. Steels. of this class may thus be divided into steels that contain less than the critical amount of alloying element, and are subject

Jan 1, 1934

By George T. Bator

If confronted with the problem of pumping a mixture of slime-free sand, gravel and boulders up to six in. in diameter, at the rate of 175 tons per hr in one single-stage pump against a static head of 90 ft and a total head of 140 ft, of which 20 is on the suction side, an engineer might be forgiven for backing away from the job, especially if he were also told that the pump wearing parts must have a minimum hardness of 550 Brinell for the sake of abrasion resistance.

Jan 1, 1950

By R. Webeler

In order to study the role of work hardening in the fatigue process, use was made of the great sensitivty of the resistivity of AuCu to cold work. A change of the resistivity of AuCu of the order of 1 to 2 pct at the temperature of liquid nitrogen was found to occur as a consequence of severe fatigue. ACCORDING to Orowan's theory,' the process of fatigue In metals 1s associated with the production of a number of small regions which have undergone strain hardening. This phenomenon is supposed to occilr even if the stress applied during fatiguing is always smaller than the yield stress. In an attempt to verity the existence of such regions, Welber and Webeler' undertook to detect the stored energy associated with severe fatigue in copper. Previous experiments" had shown that the energy stored in a sample of copper which has been cold worked by torsion is released in the temperature range between 150" and 250°C when the sample is heated from room temperature and that no more energy is released (or absorbed) between 250" and 450°C. In particular the stored energy amounted to 0.41 cal per g for a case in which the mechanical energy expended in twisting the sample was 11.9 cal per g. In the case of fatigued copper, however, no release of stored energy could be detected between 150" and 250°C, so that the experimental error of &0.02 cal per g represents an upper limit for the amount of energy stored in strain hardening., It seemed desirable to attack the problem in a new fashion. For this purpose, it was decided to make use of the fact that, if an alloy capable of undergoing the order-disorder transition is ordered and then cold worked, the resistivity, p, increases very greatly above the value for the ordered state even if the deformation is very small. Some insight into the nature of the fatigue process may be obtained then by measuring the resistivity of an ordered sample before and after subjecting it to fatigue. For reasons which will become apparent from the following remarks, considerably more can be learned by carrying out the resistivity measurements at two different temperatures. In the case of a material containing impurities, vacancies, dislocations, or other imperfections of essentially atomic dimensions, the resistivity, p, according to Matthiessen's rule, can be represented as a sum of two terms p = p, + p, where p, is the (temperature dependent) resistivity of the pure metal, and p, is the temperature independent contribution of the imperfections. Briefly, the physical basis for this rule is the following: The main contribution of the impurities in question to the resistivity results from the fact that they interrupt the periodicity of the lattice and thus scatter the conduction electrons with a probability which is almost independent of temperature. In order that this be the case, it is necessary that the' extension of the impurities be small enough—roughly less than one electron mean free path—so that their main effect on the resistivity occurs for the foregoing reason. If an alloy like AuCu is partly or completely disordered by quenching from an appropriate temperature, Matthiessen's rule also applies to a very good approximation* with p, representing in this case the resistivity po of the ordered sample and p, the additional (temperature independent) resistivity due to the disorder. In general, the disorder can be represented in terms of atoms which are displaced from their "proper" positions in the superlattice and which thus qualitatively represent the imperfections in the superlattice responsible for the term p,. Since the misplaced atoms are distributed at random throughout the super-lattice, their contribution to the resistivity still can be considered in terms of the scattering of conduction electrons by lattice defects. The situation is somewhat more complex in the case of an alloy disordered by cold work because the process of disordering here does not involve a random redistribution of the atoms; however, Matthiessen's rule also holds in this case. Whenever Matthiessen's rule does apply, the values of the quantity /3 = (p? — /(T, — T,), where p, and p, are the values of the resistivity at two fixed temperatures, T, and T,, respectively, is constant (independent of p,) for a given alloy or metal. In particular, if a sample of AuCu is subjected to ordinary cold work, the value of /3 remains equal to Po, the value for the ordered material. According to Orowan's theory,' as remarked before, a fatigued sample contains a large number of isolated severely cold-worked regions, which make up only a small proportion of the metal. Thus, if a sample of AuCu initially in the ordered state is fatigued, more or less disordered regions will be produced within the ordered material. If these regions are small enough so that Matthiessen's rule applies, then it follows from the previous discussion that /3 again will remain equal to Po. If the effect of fatigue is to produce cold-worked regions which are macroscopic—of the order of at least several electron mean free paths—the effective resistivity, p, has to be computed by use of the ordinary laws of large-scale electrodynamics. For the sake of simplicity, it will be assumed here that the cold-worked regions are completely disordered and have a resistivity, p,. For a given proportion A of disordered regions the effective resistivity, p, for the current in a given direction depends on the geometrical configuration of these regions. In any case, the value of p for such

Jan 1, 1956

By P. L. De Bruyn, R. J. Charles

THE transfer of kinetic energy of translation into other forms of energy by impact is a fundamental process in most crushing and grinding operations. During and after the impact process the original source energy may be accounted for in any of the following possible forms: 1) Kinetic energy of translation of both the impacted and impacting objects. 2) Kinetic energy of vibration of the components of the impact system. 3) Potential energy as strain energy of the components of the system or in the form of residual stresses. 4) Heat generated by internal friction during plastic deformation or during damping of elastic waves. 5) New surface energy of fractured materials. At any instant during the impact process only the strain energy of the components of the system can contribute directly to the brittle fracture process. If fracture is the desired result, as in comminution, it would seem advantageous to choose or arrange the conditions of impact so that a maximum amount of the original kinetic energy could be converted to strain energy at some moment during a single impact. The present work deals with determination of these desirable conditions for a simple case of impact and application of the principles involved to general cases of impact. Experimental Method: Longitudinal impact of a rod with a fixed end was chosen as the impact system for investigation. The rod was mounted horizontally and the fixed end was formed by butting one end of the rod against a rigidly mounted steel anvil. The rod, of pyrex glass, was 10 in. long by 1 in. diam with both ends rounded to a 6 in. radius. The rounded ends permitted reproducible impacts on the free end of the rod and assured a symmetrical fixed end. Pyrex was selected as the rod material because of the marked elastic properties of such glass and the similarity of fracture between pyrex and many materials encountered in crushing and grinding operations. The frequency of natural longitudinal oscillation of the rod was 10 kc, and thus simple electronic equipment could be used for observation of strain changes occurring in the rod at this frequency. As shown in Fig. 1, impacts on the free end of the rod were obtained either by a pendulum device or by a spring-loaded gun. Relatively heavy hammers (100 to 600 g) of mild steel were used in the pendu- lum impacts, while fairly light projectiles (20 to 80 g) were fired from the spring-loaded gun. One of the main objects of the experimental work was to obtain the strain-time history of the rod as a function of the mass and kinetic energy of the impacting hammers. For this purpose a technique involving wire resistance strain gages and a recording oscilloscope was employed. Five gages were applied at equidistant sections along the rod, and by means of a switching arrangement the strain-time history at any section, and for any impact, could be obtained in the form of an oscillograph with a time base. The equation relating strain and voltage change across a strain gage through which a constant current is flowing is as follows: e = ?v/iRF [1] ? = strain, ?v = voltage change, i = gage current, R = gage resistance, and F = gage factor (from manufacturer's data — SRA type, Baldwin Lima Corp.). With the above equation an oscillograph depicting voltage change vs time on a single trace can be converted directly to a strain-time diagram if a calibration of the vertical response on the oscilloscope screen for specific voltage inputs is available. In the present case the calibration was obtained by photographing precisely known audio frequency voltages on the same oscillograph as that on which a voltage-time trace from a strain gage had been made. Synchronization of the beginning of the single trace with the beginning of the impact was accomplished by permitting contact of the impacting objects to close an electrical circuit from which a voltage pulse, sufficient to initiate the trace, was obtained. The struck end of the rod was lightly silvered for purposes of electrical conduction so that it would form one of the electrical contacts. Markers every 100 micro-seconds on the traces served for a time base calibration. Determinations of the kinetic energies of translation prior to impact were made in the case of the pendulum hammers by measuring the height of fall of the hammer and in the case of the projectiles by measuring the exit velocity from the gun barrel by means of an electrical circuit employing light sources, slits, and phototubes.' During the experimental work it became evident that the time of contact between the impacting object and the rod was an important variable in the impact process. Measurements of the times of contact were made, therefore, for every impact for which a strain-time record was obtained. The time of contact was determined by permitting the impacting components, when in contact, to act as a closed switch and discharge a condenser at relatively constant voltage. The discharge was observed and photographed with a time base on the oscilloscope screen.

Jan 1, 1957

By Frederick Laist

I AM APPRECIATIVE of the honor you have done me in electing me to membership in your Society. I value the contacts with men of imagination and ideals which this implies. I am grateful for the recognition of such small contributions as I may have made, or helped to make, to the vast fund of scientific and engineering knowledge. We like to think, as we grow older, that our lives have not been purely parasitical, and that through our efforts some forward step, however small, has been taken toward improving conditions under which we live and do our work. In these days of industrial depression, we hear much criticism of our "machine age." Modern engineering, mass production, the complexity of our lives, all come in for some share of blame. The farmer is said to have been spoiled by the tractor and the gang plow, the factory worker has become a slave of the assembly conveyor, the scientific worker is no longer free but has sacrificed much of his individuality to the research organization of which he is a part. We wonder whether our work as engineers has been worth while and whether our striving after more efficient ways of doing things has been a curse to mankind rather than the boon we thought we were conferring.

Jan 1, 1932

By W. W. Anderson, S. Razi

Electroluminescetrce of single crystals of terbium-(loped ZnS prepared by vapor-transport technique shows the sharp line specirum characteristic of the 4f— 4ft,ansitiotzs of the trivalent Tb3 rotz. V-I tt~easuverr~ents give evidence of space-ellarge-lirrlited curvent but the thrveshold for trap-filled law behavior is not iu agreement with Lampert&apos;s theory for. Single injection. Variations of &apos;brightness with applied voltage, the observation of double peaks its brightness because joms, and the spatial distribution oi electroLur?zir~escerrce indicate that the accelet~atiotz-collision mechanism involving the bst lattice and/ov shallow traps is most likely to be responsible fov excitation of&apos; electrolnminescence. Efficiency rtreusuver)~etits show the quantwn efficiency to be about 10 pct and powev efficiency about 0.05 pct. Effect of anr~eallng the crystal in sulfur vapor is to enluztzce llle rare-earth emission. It rs pvoposed tlzat sulfitv anr~ealing crreates acceptorr-lvpe defects with which the donor-type vare-eavtll ion can associate more readily vesulting in enhanced rare-earth emission. A&apos;o such e~zlznr~cerr~etrt is obserued when the crystal is atztrealetl in zinc vapor. Photolianinescence of ZnS doped nith a variety of rare earths also shows tile slurvp l~rze rwve-eavtlz erriission which in sorrretirr~es accompanied by broad band, stvuctureless lattice emission. Photo-atrd electrolutr~itzesce?~ce of ZIIS:Tb slw~rj do!rlit~unt rare-earth emission in the ~ticirzity of 54(3OA corre-sporrdit~g to the transition D* — Fj. Hoz~!el)er, the detailed line structuve of the luo spectvtr is cliffevet~t, irzdicutit~g that different sites are active in the two processes. Decay of rave-eartlr fluorescence in ZnS doped with any of sei!evul vuve eurtlzs car1 be described by a single exporleritial e.scepl joy ZrlS:lIo. Tl~is exceptiotr can be explaitred it~ tevrr~s of tlre closely spaced er~evgy 1e1:els Jov the HO~&apos; iorr. Decay lime measurertzekzts jov ZnS:Tb, using pulsed elect,-ical ar~d pulsed opticcll excitutiorzs, (11-e itz goor1 agrcetrier~t. LUMINESCENCE of rare-earth-doped materials has been a subject of interest for the past 20 years. Within the past few years there has been a considerable increase in rare-earth research motivated in search of new and more efficient laser materials and also due to the use of certain-rare-earth compounds in the preparation of color television screens. The purpose of this study has been to seek an understanding of some of the basic processes involved in exciting the rare-earth luminescence which is associated with transitions within the 4f shell of the trivalent rare-earth ion. Single crystals of ZnS doped with a variety of rare-earth ions have been prepared by vapor-transport technique described elsewhere.&apos; Photoluminescence was excited by a high-pressure short-arc mercury lamp together with suitable glass and chemical filters. For electroluminescence, sinusoidal and pulse excitations were used. 1) ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS 1.1) V-I Measurements. Electroluminescence experiments were performed on crystals of terbium-doped ZnS. The samples were cleaned and etched and indium or In-Ga alloy contacts were alloyed on by heating in H2 atmosphere to 600°C for times ranging up to 10 min. Static voltage-current measurements were made on several samples. Fig. 1 shows the results for a typical sample. For voltage V < 20 v, the V-I relationship is linear giving a resistivity of 2.5 x 109 ohm-cm for this particular sample at room temperature. In the range of 20 to 250 v, I varies as V "3 and at still higher voltages (when electroluminescence is visible to the scotopic eye) current varies as Vs up to 600 v, all at room temperature. At 77"K, for V > 200 v, / I vge5 up to 1000 v. The V-I characteristics at room temperature follow reasonably well the behavior predicted by Lampert&apos; for one carrier space-charge-limited current in an insulator with traps although, as shown later, the expression derived by Lampert2 for the threshold for trap-filled law behavior Vtfl yields an unrealistically low value for trap density if we use the experimental value of 300 v for VtfL. Assuming the case for shallow trapping, the transition from Ohm&apos;s law behavior to space-charge-limited behavior occurs at voltage Vtr given by where no = thermally generated free carrier density, L = length of the sample, e = static dielectric constant, 6 = ratio of free to trapped electron densities, e = electron charge. For the ZnS:Tb crystal, L = 0.5 mm, E = 8.3 €0, Vtr - 20 v, and no = 5 x 10&apos; per cu cm, calculated from the ohmic behavior assuming electron mobility of 100 sq cm per v-sec. This results in 9 = 0= As more and more electrons are injected the Fermi level moves up in the forbidden gap toward the conduction band. If we assume a single-energy level for traps (which is not strictly correct, as we will show later), the current voltage characteristic is profoundly affected when the Fermi level crosses the trap level. The traps are now filled and injected carriers can no longer be immobilized in traps. Hence, current rises sharply with voltage. The transition from space-charge-limited behavior to the trap-filled behavior occurs at voltage VTFL given by

Jan 1, 1968

By Gilbert Soler

THIS year&apos;s Chairman of the Iron and Steel Division is a noted member of a small and select group of practical scientists now working in this country and in Canada to improve the production and properties and to reduce the cost of super-quality carbon and alloy steels; he is one of those all-important leavening agents-a man with his feet always on the ground but capable of putting his head into the clouds on occasion-that are so necessary in applying science sensibly to the practical problems of steel production. He is equally at home in a discussion of the free energy of deoxidizing reactions or the entropy of the formation of stable sulphides, and in a consideration of the relative advantages of the basic-electric and the open-hearth furnace for the production of rimming steels in the Detroit area. Gilbert Soler was born of American parents in Havana, Cuba, just forty years ago. He graduated as a ceramic engineer from Ohio State University in 1930 and received a Master of Science degree a year later. In 1940 he received the degree of metallurgical engineer from the same institution.

Jan 1, 1948

By H. Leslie Bullock

From aluminum to zirconium, the quantitative preponderance of quartz as a gangue material is well recognized. lf this material is to be efficiently removed, its variations must be understood. Variations with temperature are especially important. Too little attention has been given to the thermal polarization of quartz. Under closely controlled conditions, electrostatic upgrading is very reliable. For efficient separation, contact charges must be fostered and charges due to radiation, surface coatings, or thermal polarization avoided. This paper lists thermal transition points of quartz and shows their effect on actual separations. Simple separation tests with all factors except temperature held constant are recommended for determining transition points. With silica making up more than 27% of the earth&apos;s crust, its oxides comprising more than 59% of all igneous rocks, and quartz accounting for most of the main free oxides, the mining engineer is in constant contact with quartz, which may occur as a valuable mineral to be purified or, far more frequently, as a gangue material to be removed as completely and economically as possible. As a means of effecting such purification or removal, dry beneficiation is becoming more and more desirable owing to local water scarcities, wet waste disposal problems, or freezing conditions. One method that has been gaining particularly rapid acceptance is electrostatic beneficiation, or the separation of dry free-flowing materials by means of opposite surface charges, differences in potential, or differences in conductivity. Electrostatic beneficiation dates back to the 1870&apos;s, but only in recent years have newly developed methods and apparatus and a growing knowledge of solid-state physics widened the field for its economical application. Because the term "electrostatic beneficiation" has been rather loosely used in the literature, it has come to include both electrostatic and electrodynamic procedures. Attracting type separators, however, in which oper- ation is based on differences of surface charge or potential, are truly electrostatic, because the separation occurs in a substantially static field set up between oppositely charged surfaces. Separations with this type of equipment may occur at potentials as low as 1000 v and seldom require potentials as high as 30,000 v. In the new contact charge dielectric separators1 the variation in charge is produced by continuous contact and separation of the particles in the moving feed stream and these charges are fostered by the use of non-conducting support and feed surfaces and by handling the feed in the form of streams of appreciable depth. This favors uniformity of feed and allows higher production rates. The distinctive surface charge differences are set up on the separation of the particles according to Coehn&apos;s Law,2 which states that equal and opposite charges are generated on the separation of any two materials in contact and that the substance having the highest dielectric constant will be positively charged. The basic contact charge concept is reliable, but all electrical charges are transient and modified by the electrical conditions of the surroundings. Pyro-electric, photoelectric and radiant effects may modify or totally destroy the contact charges necessary for efficient separation, or contact with conducting surfaces may neutralize them. Such hostile conditions must be carefully guarded against, since they have led to many costly failures in the past. The most consistent difference in surface charges to insure good separation is produced by repeated uniform contact and separation of particles in the moving stream. The thickness of the feed stream possible with this method reduces the effect of contact with the supporting surfaces, but as some contact is inevitable, the best results may be assured by having the dielectric constants of the supporting surfaces between the dielectric constants of the substances to be separated. In general, the hard smooth surface of quartz makes it an ideal substance for electrostatic separation from most minerals. For instance, with calcite, starting with a feed containing 1.9% acid insolubles, one can produce a concentrate containing 0.30% acid insolubles with a tailings containing 21.7% acid insolubles and a yield of 92.8%. The color can be held at 92 or above and the tint at 1.7 or lower. Working with specularite iron ore, laboratory work has given a concentrate of 68.8% Fe., with an iron unit recovery of 96.7%. Excellent results are also in pros-

Jan 1, 1969