Search Documents

By G. D. Cremer, J. J. Cordiano

Aluminum powder is a well-known article of commerce and in various forms has been marketed widely for use in paint, for pyrotechnic purposes and for exothermic mixtures. For a number of reasons, however, aluminum powder has not been employed extensively in powder metallurgy, although a great many proposals along this line have been offered. Aluminum and alumiuum-alloy powders oxidize readily upon exposure to air and the thin film of oxide (or hydroxide) thus formed is highly refractory, in that ordinary gaseous reducing agents such as hydrogen or carbon monoxide do not reduce the oxide to metal at temperatures below the melting point of aluminum. It has been thought that the presence of these films of oxide on aluminum particles would interfere markedly in powder metallurgical work and a number of suggestions have been made, either for preventing the formation of the film through the production of the powders in inert or reducing atmospheres, or for the removal of the oxide by means of powerful reducing agents, including "nascent" or atomic hydrogen released from metal hydrides. A second and more serious difficulty in the use of aluminum and aluminum-alloy powders in powder metallurgy resides in the fact that during compression such powders tend to adhere or cold-weld to the die walls, thus interfering with the formation and ejection of a compact. A third difficulty, which has been encountered only with aluminum-alloy powders, is their hardness when compared with elemental aluminum. Certain of these powders are susceptible to age-hardening, which further hinders the formation of strong green compacts. These conditions are particularly true of atomized aluminum-alloy powders. Even in the annealed condition, plastic deformation of alloy powders under pressure is low when compared with unalloyed powders. This fact, coupled with the lower corrosion resistance of the alloy powders. is probably the significant factor in our failure to obtain strong sintered pieces. Methods of Puoducing the Powder Many methods have been proposed for manufacture of aluminum powder, only a few of which are used commercially. Several of the more important processes include: (I) atomization of the molten metal; (2) mechanical pulverization and other types of comminution; and (3) graining, in which molten aluminum is stirred during freezing. For pigment and certain pyrotechnic uses aluminum flake powder is desirable, because of its greater proportion of surface to volume; and large quantities of such material are made by a procedure that involves stamping or ball milling. In making flake intended for use as pigment,

Jan 1, 1943

By Roy McLellan

THE slags derived from the smelting of lead and copper ores are composed essentially of silicates. The problems arising from the smelting of these ores consequently involve the study of silicate fusions. In the absence of specific knowledge concerning the compounds occurring in slags, it has been the practice of metallurgists to treat them in terms of their total chemical composition. Slags have been classified as monosilicates, bisilicates, sesquisilicates, and subsilicates according to the relative amounts of oxygen in the acid and basic radicles of the hypothetical salt produced. While this has been a useful guide to metallurgists in computing the furnace charges, it falls far short of a basis for the scientific investigation of slags. In order to understand the nature of a slag as a whole it is necessary to learn the physical and chemical properties of the mineral compounds which go to make up that slag. The efficiency with which an ore is smelted in a furnace depends primarily on the physical properties of the compounds formed during the operation. When the melting points and fields of stability of each of the mineral compounds in slags have been established, it will be possible to determine the properties of any given slag by examining the nature and amounts of its mineral constituents.

Jan 1, 1930

By Donald W. Scott

Generally speaking, there is nothing very difficult about taking good microgrztphs of photogenic thin sections or grains with a petrographic microscope-camera setup. However, sometimes it is desired to show some detail that cannot be illustrated satisfactorily by the usual micrographs taken with parallel polarized light, with crossed nicols, or even with two micrographs. A simple procedure giving good results has been used at Battelle Memorial Institute for subjects falling into this classification, and it is believed to be of interest, especially to research people who must sell a point to executives through the medium of well-illustrated reports. The following problem illustrates a typical application: It is desired to photograph a thin section of an iron ore to illustrate the character and association of the iron oxides and the individual quartz crystals. A magnification of 75 dia. is acceptable. A micrograph of the field in question (Fig. Ia) was taken with parallel polarized light. Due precaution was taken to provide critical illumination, correct exposure, a sharp focus, a good darkroom technique, and other essential conditions. It illustrates correctly the iron oxides, but it fails to show the individual quartz crystals. A micrograph of the identical field (Fig. Ib) was taken under the same precise conditions, but with crossed nicols. It gives a better idea of the character of the individual quartz crystals but is likely to be misinterpreted unless accompanied by a lengthy descriptive note. This micrograph suggests that the centrally located, large black area is composed entirely of iron oxides. That this' is an incorrect interpretation is evident by reexamining the micrograph of Fig. Ia. The correct interpretation is that the dark area contains quartz crystals oriented with their optical directions parallel to, or nearly parallel to, the vibration directions of the polarizer and analyzer of the microscope. Thus, the executive, or anyone who had not done the work personally, would get no more than a fair interpretation, even if two micrographs were included; and in the interests of both brevity and clarity, one micrograph usually is more desirable. Exactly how many quartz crystals occur in this region cannot be told from the two micrographs, and a printing of the two negatives in register would likewise not show the detail desired. Thus, it is evident that some subjects cannot be satisfactorily illustrated by the usual procedures. In photographing Fig. Ic the light was subdued and, during the entire exposure of 75 sec., the analyzer nicol was rotated uniformly in its mounting from a crossed position to 45° uncrossed position to introduce the desired amount of contrast in the various individual quartz crystals. The true reproduction of the character and association of the iron oxides, and the additional structure and detail in the quartz areas, is apparent. It might be

Jan 1, 1949

By Donald W. Scott

Generally speaking, there is nothing very difficult about taking good microgrztphs of photogenic thin sections or grains with a petrographic microscope-camera setup. However, sometimes it is desired to show some detail that cannot be illustrated satisfactorily by the usual micrographs taken with parallel polarized light, with crossed nicols, or even with two micrographs. A simple procedure giving good results has been used at Battelle Memorial Institute for subjects falling into this classification, and it is believed to be of interest, especially to research people who must sell a point to executives through the medium of well-illustrated reports. The following problem illustrates a typical application: It is desired to photograph a thin section of an iron ore to illustrate the character and association of the iron oxides and the individual quartz crystals. A magnification of 75 dia. is acceptable. A micrograph of the field in question (Fig. Ia) was taken with parallel polarized light. Due precaution was taken to provide critical illumination, correct exposure, a sharp focus, a good darkroom technique, and other essential conditions. It illustrates correctly the iron oxides, but it fails to show the individual quartz crystals. A micrograph of the identical field (Fig. Ib) was taken under the same precise conditions, but with crossed nicols. It gives a better idea of the character of the individual quartz crystals but is likely to be misinterpreted unless accompanied by a lengthy descriptive note. This micrograph suggests that the centrally located, large black area is composed entirely of iron oxides. That this' is an incorrect interpretation is evident by reexamining the micrograph of Fig. Ia. The correct interpretation is that the dark area contains quartz crystals oriented with their optical directions parallel to, or nearly parallel to, the vibration directions of the polarizer and analyzer of the microscope. Thus, the executive, or anyone who had not done the work personally, would get no more than a fair interpretation, even if two micrographs were included; and in the interests of both brevity and clarity, one micrograph usually is more desirable. Exactly how many quartz crystals occur in this region cannot be told from the two micrographs, and a printing of the two negatives in register would likewise not show the detail desired. Thus, it is evident that some subjects cannot be satisfactorily illustrated by the usual procedures. In photographing Fig. Ic the light was subdued and, during the entire exposure of 75 sec., the analyzer nicol was rotated uniformly in its mounting from a crossed position to 45° uncrossed position to introduce the desired amount of contrast in the various individual quartz crystals. The true reproduction of the character and association of the iron oxides, and the additional structure and detail in the quartz areas, is apparent. It might be

Jan 1, 1949

By James W. Lower

IN developing the orebody on lower levels of the Star mine at Burke, Idaho, Hecla Mining Co. is faced with a serious problem in driving raises. Levels are at 200-ft intervals. As a raise is being driven between levels, at points about 70 and 130 ft from the sill, heavy pressure arches develop and the raise becomes extremely hazardous. Eventually, following a blast, caving occurs, making it impossible to recover the raise. In February 1957 it was decided to attempt sinking a small winze on the vein from the 5500 to the 5700 level. This shaft (winze-raise No. 2) was to be used as a raise prior to stoping. It was assumed, and correctly, that the heavy ground pressure could be controlled by timbering close to the bottom after each advance.

Jan 7, 1958

By J. Wright, R. J. Tyler

Changes in the pore structure of hematite pellets during reduction to iron were investigated under a variety of experimental conditions. Pore structures were determined by a mercury penetration technique. The reduction temperature was found to be the major influence on structure, the pore system being bimodal below 7.50°C and unimodal above 900°C. Pore sizes ranging front 0.04 to 20 m were observed in complete metabolized pellets produced over the temperature range 650 - 1050°C. Gas composition and reduction rates also influenced the pore structure of the metabolized pellets, although to a lesser extent than the reduction temperature. An apparent activation energy of 24 kcal/mole was derived for the pore formation process.

Jan 1, 1979

By AIME AIME

THE portrait of Herbert Hoover, President of the United States, recently painted by Philip A. de Laszlo at the request of the four Founder engineering societies, was unveiled at a special meeting in the Engineering Societies Building on Feb. 15. The portrait was delivered by Gano Dunn, chairman of the Hoover Medal Board of Award, who said, in part:,

Jan 1, 1932

By Frederick Becket

DOCTOR Albert Sauveur, distinguished scientist and Honorary Mem-ber of this Institute, predicted in the first Howe Memorial Lecture that the privilege of delivering this annual address would be considered a highly significant honor. The intervening years have well borne out Sauveur's prophecy. I wish to assure the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers that I also deeply appreciate this honor, recognizing at the same time the present and even more the future respon-sibilities with which it is accompanied. Several of the previous lecturers had the good fortune to attend the classes of Professor Howe and to work in his laboratories. I was similarly favored, although in my instance and to my great regret the period was all too short. However, Howe's book, published in 1903, "Iron, Steel and Other Alloys," afforded me abundant opportunity to continue these studies. How well I remember the inspiration I derived from this famous book by Howe, the metallurgical master, pioneer, and educator! Remembering that Professor Howe contributed numerous papers to The Metallographist, a magazine supported from a technical point of view by the world's pioneers in metallography, I was curious a few days ago to learn the nature of Howe's early contributions to this magazine. The first paper by Howe in the first year of The Metallographist (1898) dealt with the allotropic theory; the second also treated of allotropy, and I quote the first sentence. of that paper: The allotropic theory of the hardening of steel may, like so many other important theories, have to be accepted or rejected not on direct proof or disproof, but on the accumulation of circumstantial evidence for or against it.

Jan 1, 1938

By E. O. Lilge, H. Siebert

A design of a multiple-bomb leaching unit particularly suited for the study of heterogeneous reactions, i.e. sol id-liquid-gas interfaces at high temperatures and pressures is presented. The component parts and overall design are described and illustrated in detail. The system has been tested by a limited number of experiments and found to work satisfactorily. Heterogeneous reactions at solid-liquid-gas interfaces, at high temperatures and pressures, are studied in either autoclaves1'4 or bombs5'9. Autoclaves are usually fairly large vessels which have a stirring arrangement incorporated in the design. Mechanical design limits the use of these vessels to relatively low temperatures and pressures. They are particularly well suited to rate or kinetic studies. Bombs can be designed to be operated at high temperatures and pressures, and are smaller vessels; because of this, stirring arrangements are not easily incorporated. In this paper a multiple-bomb system is described, that has been designed to incorporate the desirable features of both the autoclave and the bomb. The described unit has flexibility for an over all study of leaching. Most of the component units in this assemblage are standard equipment, designed and produced by well known manufacturers. No claim is made to the design of this equipment, and although described in some detail, this is done merely for clarity in the elucidation of the system presented. The general layout of the multiple-bomb assemblage is shown in Fig. 1A and 1B. The basic units in this system are: 1) 6 stainless steel 100 ml bombs (Fig. 4)

Jan 1, 1964

By Thomas V. Falkie, Robert Stefanko

Recently The Wall Street Journal featured a series of articles titled "The Dirty Work-Brutal, Mindless Labor Remains a Daily Reality for Millions in The US.-Mining Coal, Shoveling Slag, Gutting Hogs Pays Bills But Can Drain Spirit, Hope." The article was devoted to describing how tough and dangerous is mining (and some other jobs) and how rough life is for miners and their families. Similarly during the past few years some psychiatrists and sociologists have devoted increased attention to the attitudes and life styles of miners. Unfortunately most of their approaches have been neither scientific nor objective, and very little good clinical research has been done on the subject.

Jan 1, 1971

By Robert I. Jaffee, Bruce W. Gonser, Eugene M. Smith

There has been little investigation of the gold-germanium binary alloys. Haughtonl does not mention any work on the system. In a review article commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of germanium, E. Einecke2 mentioned a gold-germanium eutectic at 24 atomic per cent Ge (10.4 weight per cent) melting at 359°C., but did not give the source of his information. From measurements of electrical conductivity, J. 0. Linde3 estimated that at least 0.6 weight per cent germanium is soluble in gold. The recent availability of germanium in this country in commercial quantities has led to interest in its properties and its alloys. This study is part of a program of investigation on germanium alloys; work on ternary alloys involving germanium and gold will be reported later. In this investigation, the composition and melting point of the Au-Ge eutectic reported by Einecke has been found to be substantially correct. Eutectic composition has been placed at I2.0 per cent germanium, however. An alloy of 10.4 per cent Ge, Einecke's value, was found to have a few gold dendrites in it. The cutectic temperature has been determined as 356.0 6 ± 0.5°C., slightly less than the temperature of 359°C. reported by Einecke. The liquidus curves and the solid solubility of ger- manium in gold have been determined, and are shown in Fig. I. Materials and Alloying The germanium used in this investigation was prepared by the Eagle-Picher Lead Co. from pure germanium oxide, by reduction in clay crucibles with sodium cyanide. The regulus is quite pure, assaying over 99.9 per cent Ge. High-purity gold obtained from Handy and Harmon was used. Alloying was carried out in graphite crucibles in an atmosphere of purified hydrogen. The temperature was brought up to 1050" to iioo°C., and the metal was allowed to freeze in the crucible. Prepared in this way, the gold dendrites in hypoeutectic alloys were somewhat segregated at the bottom and sides of the ingot, and on the hyper-eutectic side the lighter primary germanium tended to gather at the top. Most of the alloys were made from virgin metal. Low-germanium heats were made by alloying pure gold with the eutectic. Melting losses were consistently a few milligrams or less, and the composition could safely be taken from the intended analysis. The 30 per cent and 50 per cent germanium heats for thermal analysis were made in part from remelted higher germanium heats, and they may be OR composition as much as one per cent. Because of the high cost of materials, the weight of heats for thermal analysis were 15 to 20 grams and heats for metallo-graphic, X-ray, and hardness specimens were 2 to 4 grams.

Jan 1, 1945

By Lawrence Addicks

ONE of the properties of copper, which has done much to give it its present prominent place among the useful metals, is its electrical conductivity, a property which has now become the chief criterion of 'the value of the commerical product. In pursuance of that distinctively American principle that, 1' the best is none too good," metal of the highest conductivity is usually called for even where such extreme purity is of no advantage, for instance, in the making of brass and other alloys. The average brass-founder feels nervous unless his copper is so very pure that it shows a conductivity of 99 or 100 per cent., while the character of the zinc used is usually overlooked in his anxiety. Electrolytic refining has made it possible to produce copper of a' very high degree of purity, the metallic impurities averaging but a few thousandths of 1 per cent.; oxygen, usually present in the form of cuprous oxide, bringing the total up to about a tenth of 1 per cent. The published data bearing upon the relationship between chemical purity and electrical conductivity is, however, very scant,' nearly all the work that has been done having dealt with alloys carrying considerable quantities of the foreign elements. In this paper I have brought together the results of experiments extending over a period of several years that have been carried out with the idea of determining the amount of various elements which would lower the conductivity 3 or 4 per cent.-a series of impure coppers rather than alloys. There are many precautions necessary to keep the conditions

Mar 1, 1905

By I. Iwasaki, P. L. De Bruyn

Electrical double-layer properties of the silver sulfide-solution interface in different electrolytes and the influence the properties exert on the adsorption of dodecylammonium acetate (DAA) were studied using an electrochemical titration technique. The flotation behavior of silver sulfide was observed using DAA as collector and the results were correlated with adsorption measurements. Silver and sulfide ions were identified as the potential determining ions and their adsorption densities were measured as functions of the pAg and of the ionic strength at two different pH values. The point-of-zero-charge (PZC) was observed to be at pAg 10.2, the value being independent of pH and of the nature and concentration of the electrolyte used. The surface charge of silver sulfide in these electrolytes was positive for pAg values less than 10.2 and was negative for pAg values greater than 10.2. The adsorption of amine on silver sulfide surfaces at pH 4.7 was found to be strongly dependent on the pAg. A shift in the PZC towards a lower pAg due to the adsorption of amine indicated a specific affinity of dodecylammonium ion towards silver sulfide surfaces. At pH 9.2 a strong adsorption of the undissociated amine molecule was indicated. The PZC shift towards a higher pAg and the adsorption of the amine was virtually independent of the interfacial electrical conditions.

Jan 1, 1972

By C. A. Schempp

STUDY of the adaptability of Tintic Standard ores to concentration dates back to somewhat before January, 1921, when the chloridizing mill at Harold, Utah, was put into operation. The operation of this mill has been fully covered in the TRANSACTIONS (Vol. 73). The process consisted essentially of a chloridizing roast followed by a percolating leach with a nearly saturated solution of common salt, acidified with sulfuric acid; precipitation of silver on sponge copper, and of copper and lead on tin-plate cuttings. This mill was built to treat the low grade siliceous ores having an average content of

Jan 1, 1933

By R. T. Hukki

The purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of the unit operation of grinding and the circulating load, of the unit operation of classification and the circulating load, and of the two superimposed into one operation to clarify the overall trend of events relating the circulating load to the capacity of the closed circuit grinding system, to the specific surface area of the final fine product, and to the energy consumption in the closed circuit grinding process. The capacity of the closed circuit is frequently, if not always, determined by the classifier, not by the mill." With these words a startling idea was expressed in 1934 by Dorr and Anable.1 Today, some 30 years later, grinding in closed circuit is universally accepted. The basic curve presenting the capacity factor versus circulating load by Dorr and Anable has obviously been so convincing that not a single authoritative investigation regarding its validity seems to have been conducted. The only major subject of discussion appears to have been the relative merits of the 'high' and 'low' circulating loads. It seems to be universally agreed that much still remains to be hoped for regarding sharpness of classification. BASIC CURVES FOR CONSTANT MILL LOADING Fig. 1 presents a series of basic curves for constant mill loadings in function of new feed rate and circulating load. The mill loading indicated by each curve is the sum of hourly tonnages of new feed and circulating load. For example, at point 0 where the new feed rate is 100 t/h and the circulating load 300%, or 300 t/h, the mill loading is 400 t/h. In closed circuit grinding, the new feed rate corresponds to the rate of finished classified material produced. Although at this stage the effect of classification is excluded in construction of the basic curves, the trend indicated by these curves is strongly in favor of closed circuit operation under relatively small circulating loads. A study of the curves reveals that, e.g., a mill operating under a load of 200 t/h at point P where the new feed rate is 50 t/h and the circulating load 300% will also operate under the same total load at point Q where the new feed rate is 100 t/h and the circulating load 100%. In other words, a reduction of circulating load from 300% to 100% would lead to doubling of the new feed rate and doubling of the rate of production of finished material, without a change in the total mill loading. The obvious question is, is it also possible by a reduction of the circulating load in a closed industrial grinding circuit to increase the production of finished classified material and, if so, how and to what extent? GRINDING TESTS BY DORR AND ANABLE In a series of open circuit grinding tests reported by Dorr and Anable1 limestone was ground at various feed rates in a 3-ft ball mill. The original data are reproduced in Table I. It can be seen that with the increased feed rate production of -65-mesh material increased and the energy consumption per unit weight of the -65-mesh product decreased in the reverse ratio. The data shown in Table I have been reproduced for our purposes in Table II for a scale corresponding to grinding in a large industrial mill. This reproduction

Jan 1, 1968

By H. B. Pulsifer

ABOUT 15 varieties, or modifications, of the best magnesium available were prepared and subjected to etching tests, then examined for microstructure. Of the 30-odd etching reagents that were tried, nearly half, mostly ammonium salts, etched the metal satisfactorily. The surfacing and etching of magnesium is shown to be a very simple and quick operation. The density and hardness of magnesium were determined. The most interesting new observations relate to the finding of the hexagonal etch figures, the crystal laminations, and the fact that the metal is plastic, cold, when restrained or quickly deformed. Under slowly applied pressure cold metal deforms slightly, then shears to fracture without plastic flow. The chief structural features of magnesium are presented in two reduced photographs and 30 photomicrographs. MATERIALS TESTED There are only two sources in the United States from which new metal can be procured: the American Magnesium Corpn. and the Dow Chemical Co. No pronounced structural or property differences in the metals from these two companies were disclosed by the work of this investigation. The following materials were obtained from the manufacturers: 1. Massive crystals of distilled metal (American Magnesium Corpn.). 2. Rods of hot-extruded metal, ½ -in. squares and 5/8-in. rounds (American Magnesium Corpn.). 3. Sheet magnesium, 0.005-in. thick (American Magnesium Corpn.). 4. Cast stick metal, 1 3/8-in. dia. (Dow Chemical Co.). 5. Magnesium-aluminum alloy, hot-rolled plate, ½ in. thick (American Magnesium Corpn.). From these materials, were prepared: 6. Sections from a furnace-cooled ingot made from distilled crystal. 7. Cold-strained pieces from (6), (4) and (2). 8. Pieces cold-squeezed to fracture from (6), (4) and (2). 9. Hammer-struck pieces from (6), (4) and (2). 10. Steam-hammer struck pieces from (6), (4) and (2). 11. Sections from furnace-cooled ingot of the magnesium-aluminum alloy.

Jan 1, 1928

By J. W. Martin, L. K. Singhal

Grain boundary M23CB precipitates have been shown to form by a process involving the migration of an austenite grain boundary, and each plate of precipitate is in parallel orientation with one of the austenite grains constituting the boundary. The carbide distribution and morphology appear to be sensitive to grain boundary mis orientation. Some areas of austenite grain bowzdary permit the development of an array of M,C, particles, some of which are in parallel orientation with one grain and some with the other grain constituting the boundary. Massive carbide at grain boundary triple points is also shown to be in parallel orientation with one constituent grain. PREFERENTIAL precipitation during aging of carbides of the type (Fe,Cr)23C6, usually written MZ3C6, in grain boundaries of quenched austenitic stainless steels has been widely recognized. M23C6 has a complex cubic crystal structure' which contains ninety-two metal atoms and twenty-four carbon atoms per unit cell. Less energy is involved in forming grain boundary precipitates than in the formation of intragranular precipitates, and the process is further enhanced by the accelerated diffusion rates in the boundaries and by the probability of segregation of chromium atoms and carbon atoms to the region of the grain boundaries during prior solution heat treatment in order to reduce lattice strain. Early electron micrographic studies2, 3 involving either extraction replica or normal replica techniques established the geometric or dendritic form of the carbide particles, although this approach led to dis- pute as to whether the particles grew within the plane of the boundary or grew into the matrix.4-6 More recent thin-foil studies' have claimed to identify a discontinuous precipitation process involving M23C6 at grain boundaries, and the object of the present work was to attempt to clarify the situation using modern electron micrographic and diffraction techniques. 1) EXPERIMENTAL 1.1) Material. The steel selected for this work had a base composition of 24 pct Ni-25 pct Cr-3 pct Ti and contained about 0.04 pct C. The full analysis if given in Table I. This alloy was in the form of strip which had been hot- and cold-rolled to a thickness of 0.6 mm. 1.2) Heat Treatment. Specimens 4 cm long by 1 cm wide were solution-heat-treated for 3 hr in argon at 1150°C, followed by water-quenching. Specimens were subsequently aged in vacuo at 750°C for periods up to 500 hr. 1.3) Preparation of Electron Microscope Specimens. The heat-treated strips were cut bv spark machining into discs of 3 mm diam and 0.6 mm thickness. he-discs were dished on both sides using an electrolytic jet of 15 pct HCl electrolyte at 80 v. Final electro-polishing of the discs was carried out using 10 pct perchloric acid, 20 pct glycerol, and 70 pct ethanol at 10 v. The current density was kept below 300 ma. cm"2 by cooling the electrolyte to 0" to 5°C. As soon as a small hole appeared, the electropolishing was stopped and the specimen was quickly washed with ethanol.

Jan 1, 1969

Discussion Of the paper Of GEORGE K. BURGESS, J. J. CROWE, H. S. RAWDON, and R. G. WALTENBERG, presented at the Pittsburgh meeting, October, 1914, and printed in Bulletin NO. 93, September, 1914, pp. 2433 to 2437. ALBERT SAUVEUR, Cambridge, Mass.-The Bureau of Standards has once more rendered a public service. Manufacturers and consumers of steel rails alike should welcome the important results now laid before them by Dr. Burgess and his co-workers. Personally I welcome these results all the more that in the past, as some of the members may remember, I have never failed, when occasion arose, to call the attention of rail manufacturers to the importance of controlling the finishing temperature of their rails. The pioneer metallographic work conducted at the South Works of the Illinois Steel Co. in the early '90s clearly brought out the close relations existing between the manufacture, properties, and finishing temperature of steel rails and I think I may say without fear of being contradicted that the results of this early investigation had considerable influence in drawing the attention of manufacturers to the importance of finishing temperature and of heat treatment in general. The results now before us should be, it seems to me, of great value to rail manufacturers in their efforts to produce a better and, above all, a safer rail. It seems to be demonstrated in this paper that there is no difficulty in installing in rail mills pyrometric outfits, making it possible to record, without interfering in the mill operations, the temperature of the rails as they leave the finishing rolls, or of the ingots as they are withdrawn from the soaking pits, or at any intermediate point in the process of manufacture. The inference necessarily follows that manufacturers should see to it that such pyrometric installations are made, in order that they may actually know, instead of guessing at, the temperature of their rails;, and, for obvious reasons, rail consumers should insist upon such installations. In the rolling of heavy sections especially should care be taken to lower their finishing temperature, seeing that the present tendency is to finish them at higher temperature, whereas, owing to the slower cooling of their central portions, which makes for coarseness of grain, they should, if anything, be finished at a lower temperature than lighter rails.

Jan 4, 1915

By Nathaniel Herz

The use of zinc dust for precipitating the pecious metals from cyanide solutions is well established now in many places, and has many advantages over the shavings method of precipitation. Although much work has been done o,n methods of testing zinc dust, as yet. no absolutely positive test has been devised to determine the value of the material. Certain facts are known, but often it happens that results on a working scale are not as expected from the laboratory tests. The purpose of this paper is to record some obscrvations made while testing a large variety of zinc-dust samples in the laboratory. W. J. Sharwoodl has described standard analytical methods, which have been followed, with the changes noted. The regular determinations include zinc oxide, by solution in ammonia and ammonium chloride, lead, and precipitating efficiency. In some cases cadmium was determined by a method similar to that described by J E Clennell.2 I will discuss the precipitating-efficiency test in detail. The procedure is as follows: "A solution of potassium silver cyanide is prepared by dissolving 10 grams of silver cyanide (AgCN) and 5 grams of 99 %' potassium cyanide in a little water and diluting up to 1000 cc. It is then adjusted by addition of a little more XCN or AgCN until the solution indicates from 0.12% to 0.15% free KCN by titration with standard silver nitrate. The titration is best made by using a 10-cc. or 20-cc. sample, adding 1 CC. of 2 % potassium iodide, and a slight excess of ammonia, as the end point is then sharper. Or 15 grams of pure crystallized XAg(CN)2 may be dissolved in a liter of water and 1.5 grams XCN added. " Weigh out 0.5 gram zinc dust into a 300-cc. beaker. Add a few cubic centimeters of watcr and stir until zinc is well mixed, then pour in 250 cc. of the prepared solution, stirring vigorously. See that all lumps are broken up, and continue stirring for fully five minutes. Stir occasionally (at least every 10 minutes) until the end of two hours from the addition of the solution. Then filter upon an 11-cm. filter, wash precipitate thoroughly, sprinkle with test lead, wrap it carefully in the paper, place in a scarifier with about 20 grams test lead, burn paper cautiously in muffle, scorify five minutes, cupel at low temperature and weigh silver. Milligrams silver obtained from 0.5 gram zinc X 0.0606 = percentage precipitating efflciency."³

Jan 1, 1916

By D. Kramer

HASEN1 has published a phase diagram for the zirconium-nickel system. This phase diagram has been redetermined by Hayes, Roberson, and paasche2 in the range 0 to 50 at. pct Ni. Recently, Smith and Guard3 have published a tentative diagram for the

Jan 1, 1960