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By Wolfgang Pietsch

Direct Reduced Iron is a product obtained during solid state reduction of iron oxides into metallic iron. General chemical and physical characteristics of all direct reduced iron materials result in a noticeable reoxidation tendency and a relatively low ignition temperature. As most of the chemical reactions are exothermic, normally heating occurs and if water is present hydrogen evolves. Dry direct reduced iron deactivates quickly in air but is still reactive if it comes into contact with moisture. Because of these characteristics, special requirements are necessary for safe storage, shipment, and handling. In an effort to improve this situation passivation techniques were and still are being developed. The paper discusses the properties of direct reduced iron, presents past experience with storage, shipment, and handling of MIDREX® Iron, a direct reduced iron material produced in the MIDREX® Direct Reduction Process, and evaluates benefits derived from different passivation techniques.

Jan 1, 1978

By John M. Warde, Raymond M. Richardson

What to do with atomic wastes is one of the major problems of the atomic age. Unlike other waste materials, these cannot be burned, evaporated, or filtered, and the transfer of radioactive material from one physical or chemical state to another is not a complete answer, because only time diminishes radioactivity. Rate of decay of radioactive materials varies from a few seconds to several thousand years and cannot be altered by known economic methods. At present the Atomic Energy Commission and its contractors are coping with the situation adequately. Intensification of private development of atomic power could, however, pose problems in the nation's nuclear energy program.

Jan 5, 1955

A mine that staggers the imagination is Chuquicamata, the granddaddy of them all. In 1968 production exceeded 300,000 tons of copper. Production began in 1915 and mining proceeded solely on oxide ores until 1953 when the first treatment of sulfides began. Today the company has mined about 1.2 billion tons of all types of material since inception. The accelerating rate of output can be gauged by the comparable 1946 figure of production-to-date which was 350 million tons. No single mine comes close to touching Chuqui for productivity at its high annual metal yield mining only 90,000 tpd of ore at the luxurious waste-to-ore ratio of 0.6 to 1. However, the complexity of the operation is enormous and the experience required to synchronize the various processes is masked by normal operations and only becomes apparent in times of emergency such as when the slide took place in the pit in February.

Jan 11, 1969

By A. Arrott, G. S. Ansell

A model is proposed to account for the observed strengthening behazlior of ferrous martensites. me model is based upon the inheritance of carbon-rich regions by the martensite which were present in the FERROUS martensite is formed by a nucleation and shear mechanism when austenite is cooled, at a rate which is fast enough to suppress the formation of pearlite, below a critical temperature (Ms ). Although the mechanism of the transformation process appears to be well understood,1,2 the mechanism re- austenite prior to transformation. These carbon-rich regions strengthen the martensite in a manner analogous to the strengthening effect due to a finely dispersed second phase. sponsible for the observed high strengths exhibited by ferrous martensites is uncertain. In this paper, a model is proposed to account for the strengthening of ferrous martensite. MODEL The maximum solubility of carbon in austenite is 1.98 wt pct as compared with a maximum solubility of 0.025 wt pct in ferrite. Prior to transformation, the carbon in the austenite is nonuniformly dis-

Jan 1, 1963

By W. Rostoker, S. A. Spachner

STUDIES of precipitation phenomena by use of X-ray diffraction effects have shown that atoms of the precipitating phase initially form lattices of limited periodicity in two or three dimensions.1, 2 Such diffraction effects are usually plotted in reciprocal space to facilitate identification. Atomic chains, or gratings possessing unlimited periodicity in only one dimension, cause uniform intensity planes in reciprocal space. Platelets, or gratings possessing unlimited periodicity in two dimensions, cause uniform intensity rods in reciprocal space. Such studies have been accomplished by use of white radiation (Laue technique) or characteristic or monochromatic radiation used with rotating single crystal or Weissenberg cameras. Each one of these techniques have associated drawbacks. If the Lque or rotating single-crystal technique is used, the results which are obtained may be ambiguous.3 Diffraction photograms made with a WeisSenberg camera do provide a direct but distorted representation of the variation of diffracted

Jan 1, 1960

By A. U. Seybolt, V. A. Phillips

Binary iron alloys containing 1 pct of Al, Cr, Mn, Mo, Si, Ti, or V, and 0.4 pct C, 1 pct Cr steels with and without 1.2 pct A1 or 2.0 pct Ti additions, were ion-nilrided at 550° to 600° in N-H mixtures. Nitriding increased the inicrohardne ss of all the binary alloys except those containing manganese or molybdenutn, and also hardened the heat-treated steels if aluminum or titanium urns present. Transmission electron microscopy revealed particle formation in all casts where hardening occurred. Electron diffraction gare positive identifications for ALN, CrN, and a, Si3N4 in the binary alloys, and AlN and CrN in the aluminum- cold chromium-bearing steels, respectil&apos;uly. Cubic VN with a, = 4.13A was tentatively identified. Particles, apparently of CrN, also formed in the base steel but did not increase the hardness very much. Chromium and vanadium formed nitride platelets on {001}° matrix planes, while titanium gave clusters <15A diam. Aluminum nitride precipitated at grain and subgrain boundaries, and within the grains. Silicon gave profuse precipitates of several Morphologies at grain boundaries and cubical particles within the grains. No effect of the alloy carbides on nitride precipitation was observed in the heat-treated steels. THE nitriding of steel has been a well-established commercial process for about 40 years, but in spite of this comparatively long period of use there have been few studies aimed at understanding the process. Most studies, like the early but very competent work of Jones and organ&apos; and nones.&apos; were concerned with establishing the pertinent engineering variables of steel composition, gas composition, temperature, and time. As far as the present authors are aware, there have been no studies of the composition, size, shape, or distribution of the nitrides formed in the nitriding of steel. Noren and Kindbom3 did, however, examine a few nitrided steels by surface replica electron microscopy, and were able to show the presence of car-bonitrides and AlN and TiN nitrides. pitsch4,5 and Hrivnak6 examined nitrided pure iron by transmission electron microscopy. Baird7 found manganese nitrides in Fe-1.6 pct Mn when nitrided at 650°C, using the same technique. In the present work, emphasis was placed on transmission electron microscopy because of its inherently better resolution, using principally binary alloys of iron containing 1 pct of alloying element. In addition, a few simple 0.4 pct C steel compositions were examined to investigate possible carbonitride formation. It was not anticipated that all of the added elements would form nitrides under the conditions used, but it was considered desirable to obtain direct experimental evidence on this point. It would be considerably easier to ascertain the presence of alloy nitrides by examining appropriate binary alloys in preference to relatively complex steels. The work reported here could have been done using orthodox ammonia-nitriding procedures, but an operating ion-nitriding equipment was available, and was therefore used for specimen preparation. EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS 1) Materials. Binary alloys were made up from vacuum-melted electrolytic iron with 1 wt pct additions of Cr, Ti, V, Al, Mn, Mo, and Si of about 99.9 pct purity. In addition, three steels were similarly made up—a basis steel with 1 wt pct Cr and 0.4 wt pct C and two steels with further additions of 1.2 wt pct A1 or 2.0 wt pct Ti, respectively. The materials were vacuum-melted and cast as 11-lb heats into tapered square molds of about 2 by 2 in. average cross section. The castings were forged and hot-rolled to 11/4 in. rounds. Discs of 4 in. thickness by about 1 in. diam were machined from the rods. Some of these discs were hot-forged and hot-rolled to about 0.020 in. thick, sand-blasted, and then cold-rolled to about 0.003 in. thick. At this point, the surface was cleaned by light etching with HC1, then washed, dried, and vapor-degreased prior to nitriding. 2) Ion-Nitriding Procedure. The type of ion-nitriding equipment used here is similar to that described by Jones and Martin.8 Briefly, a mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen at 5 mm total pressure is placed in a vacuum chamber with a dc potential of 450 to 500 v applied between the work (cathode) and the grounded metal vacuum enclosure (anode). Nitrogen ions are accelerated to the work where a thin layer of Fe4N forms on the surface and thus sets up a nitrogen concentration gradient. This causes nitrogen atoms to diffuse into the surface layers of the alloy forming a finely divided dispersion of alloy nitrides, causing hardening of the surface. In the work to be reported here. the nitriding was carried out at 550° to 600°C to be consistent with commercial nitriding practice. The temperatures cited are those measured by a thermocouple located under a platform on which the work was sitting. Except where otherwise stated, the mixture used in nitriding the binary alloys contained -2.0 pct N, balance hydrogen. The nitrogen concentration in the nitriding gas mixture used for the binary alloys was purposely kept lower than normally used in nitriding steels. 10 to 20 pct, in order to minimize Fe4N formation. In this way only the alloy nitrides would be present as a second phase. However, in the case of steels which would contain a- carbide phase along with as

Jan 1, 1969

By E. G. Leonardon

THE first to appreciate and foresee the value of applying electrical measurements to structural studies was Prof. Conrad Schlumberger, Professor of Physics at the School of Mines in Paris. One of his earliest practical undertakings in this line was carried out, in the field, at Fierville-la-Campagne, Normandy, in 1912. His book, published in 1920,1 still stands as an authoritative, fundamental treatise on the use of the electric current in geological studies, in spite of the rapid evolution of geophysics during the last seven years. A remarkable feature of this book is that, even then, it stressed the role of electricity in structural investigations and made public the first successful results obtained therewith. Stratigraphic studies have been pursued continuously by Conrad Schlumberger and his associates since 1912, the only interruption being the World War. The results attained demonstrate the wide possibilities of electrical exploration in structural work. This field of activity is, at the least, as varied and valuable as the search for ore. It is curious that until very recently it has so slightly attracted the attention of geophysicists and geologists on this continent. The purpose of this paper is to present briefly some examples of the practical application of the potential methods to geological studies. These examples are chosen from a number of problems solved in the field by our firm, in the course of its consulting practice. Certain fundamental points are briefly stated before the field operations and interpretations are described.

Jan 1, 1928

By L. W. Kempf

A BALANCED system of internal stress is set up in any metallic structure by plastic deformation below the annealing temperature. The internal stress induced by cold rolling or other fabricating processes is generally recognized and its magnitude is known to be, within certain limits, a function of the degree of cold deformation. The plastic deformation that may accompany rapid cooling from elevated temperatures may not materially change the form of the product. The internal stresses so induced are not, therefore, so evident and nonrecognition of their presence has at times led to engineering failures. The heat treatment of aluminum alloys is a relatively new art and little information is available regarding the magnitude of stresses induced luring the commercial heat treatment of aluminum alloy products is the industrial use of aluminum increases, it is inevitable that products of increasingly large volume be required. It has become necessary in the present commercial utilization of aluminum to heat-treat castings and forgings weighing hundreds of pounds. One of the factors governing the magnitude of internal stresses arising from rapid cooling at elevated temperatures is that of the, size of the structure being treated. Some of the other factors are: cooling rate, elastic properties of the alloy, thermal expansivity, thermal conductivity, and the presence or absence of phase changes. Practically all aluminum alloys have a high coefficient of thermal expansion and some are capable of developing relatively high

Jan 1, 1934

FRIENDS of the late Charles F. Rand presented in 1930 a sum of money from which the income is available to support various phases of the work of the Institute in which Mr. Rand was so deeply interested. At present the fund amounts to $10,900. The specific terms of the deed of gift are as follows: "The fund collected to establish a memorial to the late Charles F. Rand shall be placed in the custody of the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, to be set up as a trust to be known as the `Charles F. Rand Foundation,&apos; the income of which shall each year be applied to a distinct purpose to be decided upon in that year by vote of the Board of Directors. This purpose shall be such as to promote the general welfare of the Institute and to constitute a permanent memorial of the usefulness of Mr. Rand, who for many years gave unstintingly of his time and talents in its service. "It shall be within the discretion of the Board of Directors to establish a medal to be known as the Charles F. Rand Memorial Medal to be awarded at such a time and under such rules as may be determined by the Board of Directors, for Distinguished Achievement in Mining Administration." The establishment of this medal was announced at the annual meeting in February, 1932, the term "mining" being defined in its broad sense to include metallurgy and petroleum. Robert Linton is chairman of the Charles F. Rand Foundation Award Committee.

Jan 1, 1942

While mining silver at Butte in 1882, Marcus Daly is reputed to have told his partners in The Anaconda Silver Mining Co., "It looks rather gloomy. The vein is running into copper." Recently, The Anaconda Co. authorized an $11 million expenditure to be made over the next five years to ensure their "running into copper" at deep levels for many more years. The new development program is designed to permit both deeper and more widespread selective mining in "the richest hill on earth" by means of additional shaft-sinking, reactivating closed mines, and establishing new haulageways and centralized hoisting facilities. Historically a deep level selective mining camp, Butte will now continue its uncommon use of three main types of mining methods at one camp-selective mining, block caving, and open pit mining. It was thought by some people that the construction of the Kelley shaft and the subsequent beginning of block caving operations in 1952-outgrowth of the Greater Butte Project-signaled the end of stope mining of high-grade ores at depth. This feeling became more pronounced when, in 1957, the Berkeley open pit commenced operations. During recent years, the tonnage of ore mined selectively underground has decreased, but the new program will maintain the position of selective underground mining in the overall picture of the Butte operations for many years to come.

Jan 7, 1960

By R. A. Foos

During the radium boom in the early part of the twentieth century, the basic chemistry of uranium was fairly well defined. Uranium production has progressed from the status of a radium by-product to a very important industry. With the ever increasing need for more efficient and cheaper methods of processing uranium ores, new techniques are being developed. Since uranium and vanadium often occur together in nature, the latter element will also be considered. As production rates, costs, and certain aspects of uranium chemistry are still classified by the Atomic Energy Commission, these will not be discussed. Domestic uranium deposits, in general, are composed of the minerals carnotite, which contains hexavalent uranium, and to a lesser extent, pitchblende and uraninite, which contain tetravalent uranium. Carnotite also usually contains vanadium. The uranium and vanadium contents of these ores vary considerably. The ores currently processed on the Colorado Plateau assay from 0.2 to 0.4 pct U and from trace amounts to 5.0 pct V. On the other hand, the phosphate rock deposits of the southeastern U. S., from which uranium is also recovered, contain only about 0.01 to 0.02 pct; processing of the

Sep 1, 1956

By H. E. Rowen

As high grade iron ore deposits dwindle and costs rise, sintering becomes more and more important. The steel industry is now faced with beneficiation problems once peculiar to nonferrous work. Succeeding articles describe recent advances in this field. Here is presented the first chapter of a history still being written. SINTERING, for the purpose of this discussion, is defined as the art of burning a solid fuel with 90 to 95 pct ash content. Considering problems of combustion involved in keeping a home furnace burning properly with 12 to 20 pct ash in the fuel, it is evident that combustion represented by the definition has to be right or nothing is going to happen. Our forefathers discovered that many ores containing metals essential to the steadily rising standards of living were associated with elements such as sulfur and arsenic, which had to be removed before refining. This they did by utilizing the solid fuels they had available-the sulfur or other readily combustible components-to create roasting heat. One of the early methods is demonstrated in an old woodcut of the roast heap, Fig. 2. Ore was broken into chunks, piled on an ignition layer of solid fuel-logs in this case-and then. ignited. The sulfide ores roasted as the sulfur burned out. As shown in the background, the countryside was rapidly denuded of all vegetation by the great quantities of SO2 and other liberated gases.

Jan 1, 1961

By Samuel M. Cassidy

The exact date of man&apos;s first use of coal is lost in antiquity. The discovery that certain black rock would burn was undoubtedly accidental and probably occurred independently and many times in the world over thousands of years. It is quite likely that these independent discoveries were made when primitive man chanced to build camp fires on exposed ledges of a black stone, then was amazed when it caught fire. The Chinese recorded the use of coal 1100 years before the Christian Era. And, from the Bible we learn that King Solomon was familiar with coal in what is now Syria. In Wales, there is evidence that the Bronze Age people used coal for funeral pyres, and it is known that the Romans used this fuel. There are other ancient references. So the knowledge that coal would burn, and even some uses of that knowledge, goes back for thousands of years. However, practical and consistent use of coal seems to date to England in the Middle Ages. COAL IN AMERICA In the Americas, there is evidence here and there of a slight use by the Indians. However, the first recorded discovery of coal, in what is now the U.S., was by French explorers, who reported a "cole mine" on the Illinois River in 1679. Following this, other discoveries were made by French and British explorers, but the first recorded actual usage was in Virginia in 1702, where a French settler was granted permission to use coal for his forge. Earliest recorded commercial mining was in 1750, from the James River coalfield near Richmond, Va., a deposit now abandoned. Besides local consumption from this field, shipments were made to Philadelphia, New Pork, and Boston. During the Revolution this coal was of importance in the manufacture of shot and shell; so important, in fact, that the British sent an expedition in 1781 to destroy the iron works and

Jan 1, 1973

By A. B. Young

In the original design of the flue system, the flues from the roasters delivered their gases to a large brick dust chamber which discharged into another flue with stack connection, as shown in Fig. 1. The treater is so situated that the gases are taken by it directly from the chamber and discharged again into the flue. The complete installation comprises two treater units, only one of which has been installed at present. The treater is essentially a flue 1.0 ft. high, 12 ft. wide, and 61 ft. long. (3 by 3.6 by 18.5 m.). Suspended inside, vertically and running lengthwise, are four banks of No. 20 corrugated iron plates; each bank is 10 ft. long, making an effective treater length of 40 ft. The spacing from center to center of the rows of plat,es is 9 1/8 in. (23 cm.) giving six-

Jan 1, 1921

By D. W. Fuerstenau, S. Raghavan

This paper presents a brief summary of some of the thermo- dynamic aspects of flotation processes. Thermodynamic considerations that control interfacial and wetting behavior in mineral/water/air systems are discussed. Particular attention is given to the thermodynamics of collector adsorption.

Jan 1, 1976

By John A. Graves

Anaconda&apos;s Jackpile-Paguate mine, located between Albuquerque and Grants, N.M., is situated at an elevation of 6000 ft in a semi-arid desert region. The original Jackpile deposit was discovered by Anaconda air and ground exploration parties in Nov. 1951. A large percentage of the uranium mined in New Mexico comes from the Jackpile-Paguate, which is one of, if not the largest, open pit uranium mines in the world. From 1953 to the present, 120 million tons of overburden, mining waste, and low-grade material have been removed to produce approximately 10 million tons of merchantable uranium ore, having an average grade of about 0.25% uranium oxide. Identifying the Orebody Surface drill holes delineate the ore bodies on a predetermined grid which varies in dimension but usually affords 100-ft control. These holes are probed immediately after drilling by geophysical logging trucks, resulting in a gamma log and digital readout from each hole. From this information it is possible to arrive at an almost immediate conversion to percentage of U3O8 on 6-in. intervals. Initially a hole is probed at a reconnaissance speed of 10 fpm with a time constant of 8 sec. Wherever the gamma recording goes off scale on an initial run, that particular zone is rerun at 2 fpm and at a time constant of 2 sec. This time constant is the interval that emissions are counted and accumulated for recording purposes. The search radius of the Geiger probe is approximately 18 in.

Jan 8, 1974

By Otis Hutchins

IT is intended to discuss in this paper the protection appliances used for high-temperature pyrometer installations involving the use of platinum couples and describe some of the characteristics of a new carborundum protection tube. Of all the components that go to make a complete pyrometer installation, the one given the least attention and the one about which there is the least exact information is the outer protection tube. This condition is unfortunate as much, and in some cases even the success of the equipment as a whole, depends on the proper type of protection. In the majority of cases, the installation is allowed to operate without attention until some part of the apparatus breaks clown. The outer tube is the component that usually fails and, more often than not, the failure causes breakage of the porcelain protection and ruin of the couple. This condition should be recognized and studied as it has a very important bearing upon the upkeep cost of pyrometer equipment. The cost of the outer protection tube is small compared with the cost of the platinum couple and procelain protection and it would well repay users of this type of equipment to replace their outer protection tubes at certain definite periods, which experience shows is necessary to prevent destruction of the platinum. Speaking generally, platinum thermocouple equipment is used for measuring temperatures over 2000° F. (1094° C.), and is used extensively for the control of brick and pipe kilns, glass pot furnaces, glass tank furnaces, heat-treating furnaces, open-hearth furnaces, and forge furnaces. A satisfactory protection tube must be sufficiently refractory not to soften at the maximum temperature within the furnace. It must be resistant to cracking clue to temperature changes, should be as nearly gas-tight as possible, and should be made of a material with a high thermal conductivity and great resistance toward erosion by the furnace atmosphere.

Jan 9, 1919

By L. I. Cothern

THE introduction of mechanized mining has created a demand for long working faces. It has also prompted mining men to contest the old theory that longwall methods can be used only where roof conditions are ideal and where pack-wall material is plentiful. "Longwall" as used in this paper means "modified longwall," "semi-longwall," or any of the various "wall" or "long-face" methods of mining. Many mines are now using long conveyor faces that differ only in their methods of development, types of roof support and method of loading coal onto the conveyor. Some types of longwall operations are being carried on successfully under conditions heretofore considered impossible by men experienced in longwall mining. With possibly one or two exceptions, long-face methods in Alabama are a direct result of the need for lower mining costs. The advantages over room-and-pillar systems were clearly expressed in an article by Messrs. Fies and Lacy of the DeBardeleben Coal Corporation1 as follows: (1) increased tonnage per miner; (2) increased percentage of lump coal; (3) reduction in cost of development; (4) elimination of the cost of room yardage; (5) reduction in the cost of haulage, from ability to use larger cars; (6) reduction in the cost of machine cutting; (7) reduction in cost for tracks; (8) reduction in the cost of deadwork; (9) reduction in the cost of supervision. An attempt on the part of the operator to gain these, advantages by changing from room-and-pillar to longwall requires considerable courage, and credit should be given to those men who have done their bit to meet the competition of rival fuels. The initiatory problems to be solved are in reference to: (1) retreating or advancing system, (2) length of wall, (3) method of roof support, (4) method of entry development, (5) type of conveyor or loader, (6) hand vs. machine loading (onto conveyors), (7) hand vs. machine loading in entries, (8) control of roof pressure,

Jan 1, 1940

By J. C. Mertz, C. H. Mathewson

Accurate knowledge of the solid solubilities of the elements that dissolve in the important base metals is needed for guidance in the preparation and heat-treatment of the alloys derived from these components. While there is still difference of opinion concerning the merits of the X-ray and microscopic methods of determining such solubilities, it is certainly true that the recent extensive use of X-ray diffraction to review the existing constitutional data has revealed many glaring inaccuracies and has brought about a much improved knowledge of phase-boundary locations, which will inevitably come to include all of the important alloy systems. When the work is done with all necessary precautions it appears that in the majority of cases where the solubilities extend beyond a few tenths of a per cent the X-ray back-reflection technique is capable of furnishing the best of information in this field. For the most prolonged and thorough studies it is obviously advisable to combine the results of several methods, in particular, to obtain an agreement between X-ray and microscopic data. This paper reviews the work previously done on the solubilities of phosphorus, arsenic, antimony and bismuth in copper and, in consideration of the uncertainties thus made apparent, presents new X-ray data obtained with the first three members of this group. Copper-phosphorus System Heyn and Baurl found that in slowly cooled alloys phosphorus forms a solid solution with copper up to about 0.175 per cent. Huntington

Jan 1, 1937

By R. O. Williams

The concept of biaxial pole figures which completely represent sheel textures is defined and an iterative least-squares solution given. The method has been applied to rolled copper, aluminum, and brass. The results show that the prior ideal textures are reasonably correct but incomplete. The major components in all three cases consist of a continuous range of orienta-tions roughly described as starting from (211) [111] continuing to (110) [112] to (110) [001], the details dif- THIS paper considers the problem of representing rolling textures in the most useful and comprehensible manner possible. A representation called a biaxial pole figure which completely represents such textures fering in all cases. For brass, in particular, the last part of the range is the most important. A minor cube component is established for the copper and aluminurn. The results were also analyzed by means of sets of three axial (inverse) pole figures to give similar, less-detailed results. The method of analysis is outlined. Such a representation is significantly less powerful than the biaxial method, but it has considerable utility in the calculation of anisotropic properties. is defined and an iterative least-squares solution is given. Such textures may be approximated by treating the principal directions as fiber axes to give three axial (inverse) pole figures. This representation is very useful for calculating anisotropic properties. New data for rolled copper, brass, and aluminum are given by both methods. In an axial pole figure the relative frequency or probability of a given physical direction (normally the

Jan 1, 1969