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By G. R. M. Del Giudice

The term "slime-coating" is not new in the art of flotation; the phenomenon has been observed and described by Taggart;(l)† Taggart, Taylor, and Ince;(2) and by Ince.(3) Notwithstanding that flotation was introduced for the treatment of finely crushed ore, the adverse effects of slimes have been recognized since the earliest days of the process, and the Elmore, Delprat, Potter, and other processes actually specified desliming of the ore prior to treatment. The cause of this trouble has been studied and described by Taggart;(1) Taggart, Taylor, and Ince;(2) Ince;(3) Morrow and Griswold;(4) and by Gaudin and Malozemoff.(5) Old Theory of Slime-coatings At present, so far as published work shows, there seems to be but one theory for the mechanism of slime-coatings. Ince(3) states that they are due to attraction between electrostatic charges of opposite sign on the sulfide and on the slime particles, supporting this theory by migration experiments in the Burton tube. He also used the microscope in conjunction with a glass cell employed by Beans and Eastlack(6) in studying migration, but met with interference from endosmosis. Several attempts have been made in the Department of Mineral Dressing at Columbia University to duplicate Ince's experiments with the Burton tube, but the results have never been convincing. Formation of precipitates which settled through the pulp levels, and evolution of gas at the electrodes, which disturbed the interface between the pulp and the distilled water above it, seriously interfered with observations. However, by use of the migration cell shown in Fig. 1, endosmosis effects and the disturbances due to precipitation and gas evolution were avoided, and distinct and reproducible migrations or absence of migration were observed. The cell was made of bakelite and had platinum electrodes. Objectives were employed which had a working distance of at least three millimeters,1 and the parts of the mounting which came in contact with

Jan 1, 1935

By J. L. Brimhall

Slip-line formation during bending has been studied on neutron-irradiated molybdenum single crystals. For equivalent strains, the slip lines are coarse and distinct in the irradiated molybdenum and not resolvable in the unirradiated molybdenum. The slip lines have been directly correlated with dislocation channels present in the irradiated and deformed thin foils. The heterogeneous distribution of the dislocations during deformation in the irradiated material results from dislocation interaction with the dejects produced during irradiation. Impurities , in the form of' carbides, affected the dislocation channeling Principally by acting as dislocation sources. ALTHOUGH the mechanical behavior of irradiated materials has been studied extensively, the precise mechanism of irradiation hardening has not been established. Some information on the microstructural species responsible for hardening of irradiated materials has been derived from direct and indirect observations. The direct observation of the structure of deformed irradiated metals, particularly by transmission electron microscopy, is a relatively new and unexplored area. Slip-line studies in fcc metals have been restricted primarily to copper.1-3 Very coarse slip lines, representing slip on many closely spaced planes, have been observed in deformed, irradiated copper. Coarse slip lines have also been observed in irradiated aluminum.4 Clear channels in irradiated copper caused by dislocation motion through the defect structure have been seen by transmission electron microscopy and correlated with slip lines.5-6 To date, little work has been reported on the irradiated bcc metals. Eyre described the slip lines around hardness indentations on irradiated iron and found them to be more distinct than lines in unirradiated material.' Mastel et al.' have observed channels in deformed irradiated molybdenum similar to those reported in copper. As part of a program concerned with the effect of neutron irradiation on metals, the slip-line

Jan 1, 1965

By R. V. Norris

It was stated in a former paper1 that an intensive study of anthracite costs was being made by the engineers of the United States Fuel Administration. The results of this study are now available and are offered as a supplement to the former paper. Anthracite costs as reported for the 6-months period, December, 1917, to May, 1918, inclusive, as compiled by the Federal Trade Commission, were used as a base, and charts similar to those described in the former paper were made for the standard white ash anthracite and for red ash and Lykens valley coals. Adjustments The adjustments of cost from a reported to a price-fixing basis, as described for the bituminous methods, were applied but showed only minor adjustments as necessary. The great spread in anthracite prices on the varyingsizes, which for the 6-mo. period under review ranged in average from $5.244 for nut to $2.074 for barley coal, makes the question of the percentage of sizes produced at the different collieries a vital one. The realization with the same prices for each size must be within very wide limits, when it is considered that the percentage of prepared coal reported from different collieries varied from over 80 per cent. to below 30 per cent. for fresh-mined coal. Hence, as the spread in prices for the various sizes must be predicated on some percentage, it is essential to find some method of adjustment to allow for this variation. The logical method of adjustment is to calculate actual costs to costs as of the standard percentage of sizes, so that the margin between the adjusted costs and the average realization shall be the actual margin for each colliery between its actual costs and actual realization due to its particular percentage of sizes. As a base for realization the actual percentage of sizes for fresh-mined coal for the 6-mo. period was adopted. This percentage is given in Table 1.

Jan 1, 1920

By James W. Halley

"Fine-grained" steels have been standard products for many years. This paper describes an investigation of the effects of some of the more common grain-growth inhibitors used to produce these steels. The properties, response to heat-treatment, and the deoxidation practice necessary to produce "fine-grained" steels have been the subjects of numerous papers. It has been shown that a substantial quantity of aluminum is necessary to produce this type of steel, and it has been indicated that titanium and zirconium produce a similar result. For some time there was a lively argument between those who felt that aluminum refined the grain and those who felt that aluminum oxide was the effective agent. This argument subsided with an apparent victory for those promoting aluminum oxide. Most of the work on grain size has divided steels into two broad classifications based upon McQuaid and Ehn's original carburizing test at 1700°F or some similar test at this temperature. If the steel coarsened at this temperature, it was coarse grained, while if it did not it was he grained. Quantitative data concerning how much a certain amount of aluminum raised the coarsening temperature and affected the properties, all other factors being constant, are very meager. Similar information regarding titanium and zirconium is practically nonexistent. The published information on aluminum yields some quantitative information. Epstein, Nead and Washburn' gave the first quantitative information on the amount of aluminum necessary to prevent grain growth at 1700°F. They showed that the addition of a pound to a pound and a half of aluminum per ton (0.05 to 0.075 per cent) would assure steel that would not coarsen during a McQuaid-Ehn test at 1700°F. Herty, McBride and Houghg reported that a steel containing 0.020 per cent acid-soluble aluminum coarsened between 1742° and 1832°F., while steels containing 0.016 per cent and 0.017 per cent acid-soluble aluminum coarsened between 1652° and 1742°F. compared with similar aluminum-free steels that started to coarsen at 1580°F. Herty3 also showed a marked improvebent in low-temperature notched impact resistance with increasing acid-soluble aluminum up to 0.030 per cent. McQuaid4 compared the coarsening of steels containing 0.011 to 0.204 per cent total aluminum and found a maximum coarsening temperature at 0.098 per cent aluminum. He had no samples between 0.015 and 0.098 per cent aluminum. Houdrement6 found a marked decrease in coarsening temperature with aluminum contents above 0.50 per cent. Kinzel, Crafts and Egan6 found that aluminum and zirconium improved the low-temperature impact resistance of a low-alloy steel, while titanium was detrimental. Sims7 shows that sulphur increases the coarsening temperature and that the maximum coarsening temperature is between 0.04 and 0.06 per cent added aluminum. The fact that the coarsening temperature passes through a maximum with increasing aluminum content appears to be well established. The aluminum content that

Jan 1, 1947

By L. C. Graton

Civilization did not begin until metals became the material of tools, implements and machines. - RICKARD, Man and Metals. HISTORY is no more an end in itself than is a backsight the sum total of a survey. This Institute may view with satisfaction the remarkable development of the mineral industry since its founding three score and fifteen years ago, its own enlarging service to that industry, and the contribution thus made toward the enhanced welfare, opportunity and mutual understanding now in greater or less degree reaching and benefiting all peoples of the globe. But neither this professional society nor the dynamic mining industry as a whole wishes on this anniversary to direct its gaze chiefly toward the past. The foremost purpose of historical review should be to throw into clear perspective the strong points and the defects in the forward march thus far, primarily as the basis for conceiving and designing a still sounder progress henceonward. At various times since the Institute's founding, the theories of ore deposition have been considered from the historical view point.l-7 For the present occasion it seems fitting to lay prime emphasis on the practice and utilization of geology in its varied relations to the problems of the mining industry. It is hoped that the reader will understand and accept the degree to which the whole is sampled by parts familiar to the present writer, and the disproportionate attention to thought and achievement within the United

Jan 1, 1947

By C. C. McDermond

In reviewing petroleum development in Venezuela during the year 1936, it is well to bear in mind certain factors that affected progress, although not directly connected with the oil industry itself. At the start of the year, when the present Federal Administration took over the reins of government, reaction against the former regime resulted in some popular uprisings. Although these were entirely political in character, they were not without their effect on the oil industry itself. Such popular agitation really ended with a short general strike in Caracas, Maracaibo and other cities during June, these strikes being based on demands for certain changes in government policies. The strikes were duly investigated and their motives taken into consideration by the executive power or by Congress, and during the year many of the civil, political and administrative laws have been revised. In June and December, however, it was necessary to suspend activities in drilling and production work, particularly in the Lake Maracaibo Basin area. In June a strike caused a five-day shutdown in the main producing fields and on Dec. 14 labor difficulties resulted in a shutdown that continued to the end of the year, which necessitated suspension of all drilling and production in the Lake Basin area and curtailment of shipments to deep-water terminals. Actually, the strike lasted for a period of 42 days, until Federal intervention brought the dispute to a close with minor wage increases to workers hut with no loss of initiative or independence on the part of the oil companies. Operations in eastern Venezuela were not affected by the labor disturbances, production and exports having been reduced in December only in the Lake Basin fields. Well Completions On Jan. 1, 1937, a total of 3384 wells had been completed throughout Venezuelan fields, as compared with 3094 on Jan. 1,1936. Of these wells, 2005 were producers. The 290 completions effected during 1936 were by the following operating companies: Lago Petroleum Corporation, 123 completions; Dutch Shell group, 104; Standard Oil Company of Venezuela, 46; Mene Grande Oil Co., 15; British Controlled Oilfields, Ltd., 2.

Jan 1, 1937

By G. Derge, M. Bourgon, G. M. Pound

A STUDY of electrical conductance in molten Cu-Fe sulfide mattes' has shown that pure molten Cu,S behaves like a semi-conductor in that it is an electronic conductor and its specific conductance, of the order of 100 ohm-' cm-', increases with increase in temperature. On the other hand, pure molten FeS, another electronic conductor, behaves like a metallic conductor in that its specific conductance, about 1500 ohm-' cm-', decreases with increase in temperature. Molten solutions of Cu,S and FeS follow a roughly additive rule of mixtures with respect to both specific conductance and temperature coefficient. The behavior of molten Cu,S may be understood, by analogy to the situation in solids, in terms of semiconductor theory.' It is thought that, although the melt consists of cuprous and sulfide ions, the bond between these atoms has a certain degree of cova-lency. According to the simplest concept the electrons in the partially covalent bonds are thermally promoted to a conduction band. In another concept, small amounts of impurities (undetermined) provide donor or acceptor levels in the forbidden zone between the valence and conduction bands and thus facilitate semi-conduction in the usual way. However, the metallic behavior of molten FeS is difficult to explain, because one might expect from similar reasoning that it too should act like a semi-conductor. It was suggested that the apparent metallic behavior of molten FeS might be explained by a large negative temperature coefficient of density. Thus if molar conductance instead of specific conductance were plotted versus temperature, the slope might prove to be positive, indicating semi-conduction instead of apparent metallic conduction. Accordingly, density measurements were made in order to answer this question in regard to molten FeS and also to provide data for conversion of specific conductance to molar conductance for molten Cu,S and a molten 50-50 wt pct Cu-Fe sulfide matte. Experimental Diagrams of the apparatus are given in Figs. 1 and 2. A 3 x 8-cm dense alundum crucible containing the prefused specimen is positioned in the uniform temperature zone of an induction furnace tube and melted under a helium atmosphere. Then the cell assembly, consisting of two 3-mm spectro-graphite rods, one of which is in a 1-cm ID open

Jan 1, 1959

By E. F. Kingsbury

One of the well-known and important uses of the noble or precious metals has been for electrical contacts. In fact, the elements of this group, comprising gold, silver and the six platinum metals, have been called "noble" because of their ability to resist heat and corrosion, properties which were early found to be of importance in good contacts. Of these, platinum and its iridium alloys, palladium, and silver, have been extensively used. In recent years the electrical industry has been responsible for about one-eighth of the total consiimption of the platinum metals in the United States. Information is not available as to what part of this one-eighth has been used for contacts but it is certainly an important one. Substitutes for Platinum During the past 20 years a considerable number of contact alloys have been proposed in the patent literature largely with the aim of more or less replacing platinum by gold or silver, and some of these alloys are finding increasingly widespread application as the reliability of their performance becomes established. From even the partial data at hand it appears that this substitution by the less precious metals has replaced at least one-half of the amount of platinum that the entire electrical industry would otherwise be consuming at the present time. While the subject is of considerable interest to the metallurgist it is even more so to the electrical engineer and it is surprising that the literature records no systematic and comprehensive investigation along these lines. Practically all the scattered work on noble metal contacts has centered around platinum as a standard and has had two more or less distinct aims. One of these has been the replacement of platinum by cheaper matcrials, and the other, the dcveloprnent of materials of superior electrical performance. The merit of a contact metal has been assumed to be dependent on its infusibility, and since thc more precious metals have the higher melting points there has naturally been an association of the two qualities in the sense that the more precious were

By D. G. F. Hedley, D. F. Coates, K. Barron

INTRODUCTION Preceding papers presented in this symposium have considered the influence of various parameters, such as geologic structure, groundwater, etc., on the stability of rock slopes and have given some analyses and guide lines for slope design. To carry out such analyses it is necessary to put numbers to these parameters; where possible, this is best done on the basis of in- situ observation and measurement. Since none of the design analyses can be considered exact and since conditions vary during excavation, it is also desirable to monitor the behaviour of the slopes as the excavation proceeds. In this manner a feedback of information on the actual excavation conditions can allow a continuous reassessment of the design parameters to be made and can give early warning of incipient failures. The purpose of instrumenting rock slopes is thus to provide information which fits into one of two categories: (a) To give basic data to assist on-site assessment and design of the rock excavation. (b) To provide data for the control and assessment of safety during excavation. The purpose of this paper is to review briefly some of the instruments and measuring techniques available for gathering this data and to indicate where such data may prove useful. This is not a comprehensive review of all available instrumentation but, rather, is a survey of some of the instruments and techniques with which the authors have had some experience and which have proven useful. STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENT Whilst most structural assessment of a site is done on the basis of geologic mapping and core examination, there exists some instrumentation which can, in particular circumstances, assist in this assessment. Seismic instruments can be used to determine the geometry of formations and to give an indication of the relative competency of rocks. These instruments operate using seismic reflection or refraction techniques and, although mainly confined to shallow sub-surface exploration, can be useful in distinguishing between soil/ bedrock contacts and, in some cases, the extent of weathered surface rock.

Jan 1, 1971

By Thomas L. Kesler

IF all of the 14 million tons of kaolin produced in Georgia through 1949 had been mined from a single deposit 20 ft thick, it would represent a mined-out area of less than 1 sq mile. This measure of depletion is in such strong contrast with the large size of the area shown in Fig 1, from which most of the output has come, that there has developed an optimistic outlook concerning future supplies of kaolin equal in grade to that already mined. Dozens of mines are widely but not evenly distributed within this area, which consists mostly of parts of Twiggs, Wilkinson, and Washington Counties. There are scarcely half a dozen kaolin mines elsewhere in the state that have been appreciably productive, although the areas in which they occur may have good possibilities. Most of the efforts to find new deposits, therefore, will be confined to the area shown in Fig 1, for it is here that the industry has established its facilities, and prospecting is encouraged by relatively numerous outcrops and opened deposits of kaolin. The Ounulgee and Oconee Rivers drain the area. They and their main tributaries have flat, swampy flood plains covered with alluvium and for the most part thickly wooded. The divides between these streams are intricately dissected by the minor tributaries, which are spring-fed in steep-walled, cirquelike heads. Gullying and undercutting are active along the streams but are partly controlled by unusually dense vegetation. The mean altitude is about 350 ft above sea level and locally the relief ranges up to 200 ft. The area is near the inner margin of the Coastal Plain, and is underlain by Cretaceous and Tertiary formations. Its general location is shown in black in Fig 1. The division between the Coastal Plain and the Piedmont Plateau is actually a very sinuous line, the fall line, marking the extent to which erosion has stripped the Coastal Plain sediments from the southeastward- sloping surface of the crystalline rocks of the Piedmont.

Jan 1, 1952

By S. A Weigand, J. W. Bolton

Production of sound bronze castings is a matter of great practical interest to users and manufacturers of high-grade non-ferrous engineering specialties. Although there has been much excellent research in this field, there still remains some confusion regarding the fundamental principles underlying production of really sound bronze. The literature of the past 20 years on this subject indicates that the prevailing opinion of metallurgists and foundrymen has been that unsoundness in bronze is due generally to oxidation. The following references are typical. Review of Literature Carpenter and Edwards1 state that when gun metal is melted the alloy dissolves gas, the amount increasing with rise in temperature and duration of the melting. The solubility of the gas diminishes during the fall in temperature and it escapes through the liquid metal. At the moment of incipient solidification there is an evolution of gas. Sperry2 says that by using charcoal a reducing atmosphere is supplied whereby oxidation is prevented, and this also prevents gases from coming in contact with the metal. Logan3 says that many of the troubles that occur in non-ferrous castings are the direct result of one thing—oxidized material. He mentions how readily copper absorbs oxygen when molten, but does not mention the harmful effects of reducing conditions as observed in overpoled copper. Guillemin and Delachana14 investigated the gases occluded in bronze and found that the better bronzes contained mostly hydrogen while the poorer ones had a larger proportion of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.

Jan 1, 1929

By R. F. W. Pease, R. A. Ploc

A scanning electron microscope with a resolving power better then 100Å has been developed for the direct examination of surfaces. This instrument was used to study iron undergoing oxidation at 500°C. It was found that the electron current in the scanning electron microscope was low enough (about 10-atrzp) to have no observable effect on the growth of the oxide. "Armco " iron, when oxidized, exhibited an oxide film whose thickness and whiskey population varied with pain orientation; but purer iron, when oxidized, exhibited no such pain dependence and whisker occurrence appeared to be caused by impurities. UNTIL recently most surfaces of opaque specimens could either be studied with a light microscope or, if higher resolution was required, by viewing a replica of the surface in a transmission electron microscope. Direct electron microscopy of a surface has, in general, proved difficult owing to excessive foreshortening and the poor image quality obtained. The scanning electron microscope, however, offers an alternative method of directly viewing a surface without these disadvantages. At low magnification it offers a much larger depth of focus than the light microscope, and at high magnifications it offers much higher resolution (about 100Å). PRINCIPLE OF THE SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE A schematic diagram is shown in Fig. 1. The electron optical system consists of a gun followed by a series of lenses which focus the electron beam onto the surface of the specimen. The beam is scanned in a rectangular raster across the specimen surface and, by amplifying the secondary electron current from the 'pecimen, a picture of the specimen surface is built UP sequentially on the face of the display cathode-ray tube. The magnification of such a system is given by the ratio of the scan amplitude on the display cathode-ray tube to

Jan 1, 1965

Abramovits, Charles, Student. Case School of Applied Science Cleveland, Ohio. '37 Adams, Benjamin C., Jr Address Wanted. '36 Adams, Ernest C., Student, Univ. of Illinois 908 W. Green St., Urbana, Ill. '35 Adams, George H. 4021 Walnut St., Riverside, Calif. '36 Afshar, Hodji Khan ?A. Box 2072, Norman, Okla. '35 Ahlen, Louis S., Student, Univ. of North Dakota Univ. Sta., Grand Forks, N. D. '37 Ahrenholz, Herman William, Jr., Student, Lehigh Univ Bethlehem, Pa. '35 Alger, Robert P., Student, Missouri School of Mines & Met Rolla, Mo. '36 Alkire, Robert L., Student, Univ. of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, Pa. '37 Alleman, Virgil C., Student, South Dakota School of Mines Rapid City, S.-D. '37 Allen, C. G., Student, Case School of Applied Science Cleveland, Ohio. '37 Allen, Eugene S., Student, Univ. of California Berkeley, Calif. '37 Allen, George W., Student, Michigan College of Min. & Tech Houghton, Mich. '37 Allen, Harry Berkley, Student, Univ. of California Los Angeles, Calif. '37 Allen, Henry, Jr., Student. Univ. of Arizona Sigma Chi House, Tucson. Ariz. '37 Allen, Paul W., Student, Mass. Inst. of Tech Cambridge, Mass. '35 Allen. R. M.. Jr.. Student. Virginia Polytechnic Inst., "G" Co Blacksburg, Va. '35

Jan 1, 1937

By J. W. Bolton, S. A. Weigand

Production of sound bronze castings is a matter of great practical interest to users and manufacturers of high-grade non-ferrous engineering specialties. Although there has been much excellent research in this field, there still remains some confusion regarding the fundamental principles underlying production of really sound bronze. The literature of the past 20 years on this subject indicates that the prevailing opinion of metallurgists and foundrymen has been that unsoundness in bronze is due generally to oxidation. The following references are typical. Review of Literature Carpenter and Edwards1 state that when gun metal is melted the alloy dissolves gas, the amount increasing with rise in temperature and duration of the melting. The solubility of the gas diminishes during the fall in temperature and it escapes through the liquid metal. At the moment of incipient solidification there is an evolution of gas. Sperry2 says that by using charcoal a reducing atmosphere is supplied whereby oxidation is prevented, and this also prevents gases from coming in contact with the metal. Logan3 says that many of the troubles that occur in non-ferrous castings are the direct result of one thing—oxidized material. He mentions how readily copper absorbs oxygen when molten, but does not mention the harmful effects of reducing conditions as observed in overpoled copper. Guillemin and Delachana14 investigated the gases occluded in bronze and found that the better bronzes contained mostly hydrogen while the poorer ones had a larger proportion of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.

Jan 1, 1929

By Erskine Ramsay

The following description of the Alabama coal-,fields is taken (with slight omissions) from the report " On the Warrior CoalField, by Henry McCalley, A.M., C. and M. E., Assistant State Geologist:" The coal lands of Alabama are of the great coal basin of the Ohio, or of the great Appalachian coal-field, and are estimated at 8660 square miles. They formed one connected field prior to the great Appalachian revolution, when there was pushed up through them long, narrow, anticlinal ridges which have been denuded into the present well-known anticlinal valleys, and thus this great field has been divided up into three more or less distinct parts. These parts were named by Prof. Tuomey, in 1849, the Warrior, the Cahaba and the Coosa coal-fields, respectively, from the names of the rivers which drain them. They are of very unequal size, the Warrior, with an area of 7810 square miles, being nearly ten times as large as the other two combined, and about two-thirds as large as the coal-area of Great Britain. This Warrior field is the most northwestern of the three coal-fields of Alabama, and comprises all of the coal-measnres in Alabama, northwest of the Alabama Great Southern railroad, or all of those drained by the Warrior and Tennessee rivers. The greater part of this field, almost all of it away from the present railroad lines, has never received more than a surface-examination. Still, we have in the Warrior coal-field one of the richest coal-basins of this or any other country. As a whole, the Warrior coal-field is a broad, shallow, tray-shaped depression, sloping towards the southwest, and with its southwest end covered by a newer formation and its southeast side, especially, complicated by folds and fractures. As is the case with all of our Coal Measures. it is composed of a series of sandstones. conglomerates, shales, slates and coal-seams, with some little limestone at several horizontal positions, but contains no thick bed of this last rock like the Measures of Pennsylvania and other States. The thickest conglomerates are near the bottom and top of the series, and hence these coals might be said to belong mainly to the

Jan 1, 1891

By G. K. Williams

The continuous process of lead refining as at present operated at the Port Piric plant of The Broken Hill Associated Smelters Proprietary Ltd. was a development from investigations conducted in connection with the ordinary Parkes desilverizing process. It is not proposed here to discuss the theoretical considerations involved in continuous desilverizing because this aspect has already been dealt with in previous publications.1 Continuous Softening Process For economical desilverization of lead bullion, the bullion must first be subjected to refining processes for the removal of such impurities as copper, sulphur, arsenic, antimony and tin. This refining is effected by first drossing to remove copper and sulphur and then preferentially oxidizing the arsenic, antimony and tin from the bullion in the softening process. The theoretical basis of the continuous softening process is illustrated by the portion of the Pb-Sb-O ternary equilibrium diagram shown in Fig. 1. Under conditions of complete liquefaction, metal of the composition of softened bullion is in equilibrium with an oxide slag containing about 9 per cent antimony. In practice, of course, arsenic also is always present, and while the 0Pb-Sb-As-O quaternary system has not been worked out in detail, it has been found that in softening drossed smelter bullion of the composition produced at Port Pirie, arsenic is always reduced to 0.001 per cent or less when the antimony in the bullion is reduced to a satisfactory figure. In the operation of the continuous softening process, a two-phase system of a bullion low in arsenic and antimony and an oxide slag relatively high in those components exists in equilibrium. To this system is added continuously a bullion containing 0.2 per cent As and 0.8 per

Jan 1, 1937

By Charles Morgan

AN increased demand for brown iron ore in the Birmingham district during the past 18 months has caused renewed activity both in prospecting and mining these ores. In recent years the production in Alabama has ranged from 41,559 tons in 1932 to 639,351 tons in 1928. During the last 9 years about 83 per cent of the total brown ore produced in the United States has come from Alabama (Tables 1 and 2). PROSPECTING Two methods of prospecting are used in this district: (1) test pits, (2) churn-drilling. Usually there is certain quite definite information on an area to be prospected; some of the indications are float ore suck as small gravel or small and large boulders known as "dornicks” scattered over the surface, and ore exposed by erosion in gulleys and ravines, which have cut or eroded through the overburden. Often these natural erosions furnish an indication of the thickness of the ore and to some extent of the area of the ore body. Deposits of brown ore are very irregular both in thickness and extent. Deposits are often lens-shaped or long narrow leads, some of which may be parallel and separated from one another by sand, clay or gravel. The bottom-the footwall-is also very irregular. This footwall is usually lime clay-disintegrated limestone, locally called "white horse," which usually is found at a depth of 6 in. to 20 ft. overlying the limestone. At some places sand and gravel is found under the ore instead of clay. No ore is found under the lime clay, although often the ore has sunk or slumped and is found in the upper portion of this clay, as at some of the Sloss workings at Russellville. The origin of these ores has been discussed by Major E. C. Eckel and Dr. E. F. Burchard in U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 400, and recently the latter has done further work on ores in the Russellville district, of which reports undoubtedly will be published.

Jan 1, 1937

By James Aston

Three years ago the writer presented a paper on the trend of development in the wrought iron industry,' wherein was described a process in the development of which he has been a factor, which at that time had passed through several years of progressive experimental development but which had not then been put upon a commercial scale of operation. The present paper deals with two years of observation and experience in the commercial operation of a plant by the A. M. Byers Co. at Warren, Ohio. It will not enter into the controversial field of the relative merit of wrought iron and steel in various classes of service, nor will it elaborate upon the characteristic services or fields of utility to which wrought iron is particularly adapted. It is sufficient to state that the wrought iron industry is upon a substantial basis and that the material finds service in pipe, where its advantages are in superior corrosion, fatigue, welding and threading qualities; in bar iron for staybolts, engine bolts, and rivets, demanding maximum service against corrosion and fatigue; in plates for corrosion service; and in chains, because of welding and shock-resisting characteristics. In short, ability to withstand the stresses of shock and vibration, or the ravages of corrosion, to hold protective coatings, and to give maximum efficiency in welding, are its features of relative superiority. If these features were not well recognized, the wrought iron industry would have shrunk to insignificance in the face of high costs and acknowledged limitations in manufacture. To charge that this industry is built upon a structure of assumption, psychology, and improperly weighed evidence is an impeachment of the integrity or belittling of the powers of observation of users through many centuries of service experiences. In a history which extends to prehistoric time, and which is linked up with the earliest records of ferrous products, the dominant method of manufacture, as we have known it for little over a century, occupies a very small niche in the span of years that mark production and use of wrought iron. Puddling, the outstanding manufacturing method of

Jan 1, 1929

By H. W. Young

DEVELOPMENT of high-tension outdoor substations during the past few years has been due primarily to economic reasons. The demand for power in small communities could not be met with the conventional and 1 FIG. 1.-33,000-VOLT STEP-UP OUTDOOR AIR-BREAK SWITCH AND SUBSTATION INSTALLATION OUTSIDE OF A POWERHOUSE GENERATING AT 2300 VOLTS STEPPING UP TO 33,000. TWENTY-ONE COAL MINES ARE SUPPLIED FROM LINES LEADING FROM THIS INSTALLATION. comparatively expensive indoor types unless the rate for service was materially increased. That the various problems incident to development have been solved successfully, it is only necessary to point to the

Jan 9, 1919

By Paul A. Beck

While the recrystallization properties of most of the practically important metals are known in considerable detail, those of lead are still relatively little known in spite of some valuable contributions in recent years. This condition probably is due to the difficulties involved in applying the usual methods of investigation. The microscopic method of discriminating between the elongated deformed grains of the familiar lenticular shape and the equiaxed recrys-tallized grains is not successful with fully refined lead: lenticular grains cannot be seen under the microscope with any amount of deformation whatever. The probable cause of this phenomenon was recognized long ago. With large deformation the time of recrystallization at room temperaturc is shorter than the period of preparation of the specimen for microscopic examination; with small deformation the deformed grains arc not noticeably elongated in the first place. However, with small cleformation the migration of the grain boundaries can be observed. The only systematic investigations yet published on the recrystallization of lead, those by R. S. Russell, 1-3 make use of the conditions just described. Russell considered recrystallization completed when no further migration of boundaries could be observed. A serious objection to this method arises from the fact that there is no evidence to support the view that grain-boundary migration results only from recrystallization. If such migration does result from other sources after recrystallization is completed—after the deformed grains have been replaced by new unde-formed grains—the "time of recrystallization" as determined by Russell may be too long. Furthermore, the method is subject to the above.-mentioned limitation because of the unavoidable period of preparation of the sample. According to Russell, even with the fastest technique 5 min. clapsed before the deformed samples were ready for examination, and consequently no reearystallization time shorter than 5 min. could be measured. The lack of success in detecting the recrystallization of lead by the usual hardness or tensile tests is again caused by the time necessary for

Jan 1, 1940