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Cycle, automatic, in mine hoists, LV, 17. Cylindrical furnaces, repairing partly collapsed, XXXVI, 215-222. Dacite-porphyry, San Jose, Tamaulipas, Mex., percentage composition, XXXVI, 186. DAGGETT, ELLSWORTH: The Extraordinary Faulting at the Berlin Mine, Nev., XXXVIII, [liii], 297. Daiquiri, Cuba: geology, LIII, 3, 43. iron deposits, LIII, 40. Magdalena mine, LIII, 9, 23, 24. mines, bibliography, LIII, 59. situation of mines, LIII, 42. [ ]

Jan 1, 1918

By L. L. Wyman

SINCE the presentation, by the writer, of the initial paper on the embrittlement of copper,1 the subject has been investigated further along two separate lines. The first series of investigations involves the "double-deoxidized" copper, while the second series is devoted to single deoxidizers other than those used in the investigations reported upon last year. The object of these experiments is to develop a type of copper that will show the minimum of detrimental effects after having been exposed to alternate oxidation and reduction. The fabrication of this material necessitates the use of alternate oxidizing and reducing atmospheres, at temperatures ranging up to 900° C. Following this treatment it is essential that the soundness and strength of the copper be unimpaired, even in sections of only a few thousandths of an inch in thickness.

Jan 1, 1932

By R. L. McCarron, G. R. Belton

The diffusivities of oxygen and sulfur in liquid iron have heen determined hy a capillary technique in which the surface concentrations of the solutes were established by means of appropriate H2/H2 and H2S/H, gas mixtures. Total diffusate and concentration profile results are shown to be in good accord, yielding for- 1560 and Supporting results at 1660°C are also presented. The conditions necessary to avoid gas transport control in this type of experiment are discussed. IN spite of their importance in understanding the kinetics and mechanisms of refining reactions, the dif-fusivities of oxygen and sulfur in liquid iron are not well established. Accordingly, as a first step in studies of rates of solute absorption from the gas phase into liquid iron, new measurements of these diffusivities have been made and are presented in this paper. The only published results for the diffusion of sulfur in pure liquid iron are those of Kawai.' He used a diffusion couple technique in which two cylindrical specimens, one containing sulfur and the other with negligible sulfur concentration, were joined together and held in a refractory capillary. After an experiment, the sample was quenched and the concentration distribution of the solute determined. Kawai recognized that significant changes in solute distribution occurred during melting and freezing and he attempted to correct the concentration profiles for these effects to give a sulfur diffusivity of 4.6 x 10-6 sq cm per sec at 1560°C. The method of correction, however, was not rigorous and the uncertainty in this result cannot be easily assessed. Koslov et a1.2 have reported the diffusivity of oxygen in iron as 7.8 x 10"3 sq cm per sec at 1660°C. This value appears to be unreasonably high but, unfortunately, details of their experiments are not available. Shurygin and Kryuk have used the rotating disc method for a study of oxygen diffusion in liquid iron. In their experiments a silica disc was rotated in liquid iron containing oxygen, and the rate of formation of liquid iron silicate was determined by measuring the decrease in weight of the disc. On the assumption that the rate of dissolution was controlled by the diffusion of oxygen in the iron, the diffusion coefficient was computed to be 5.2 x sq cm per sec at 1550°C. However, the Levich equation, which was used to interpret the rate data, was originally de- rived for the case of mass transfer between a solid disc and a single-phase liquid. The hydrodynamic and diffusion boundary layers in the iron stirred by a disc, via coupling of the silicate melt, may be appreciably different from those predicted by Levich's equations. Recently, Novokhatskiy and Ershov, using an identical experimental method to that of Shurygin and Kryuk, obtained a diffusivity for oxygen in liquid iron of 1.22 x 104 sq cm per sec at 1550°C: no reasons were offered for the disagreement. Schwerdtfeger5 has also recently studied the diffusivity of oxygen in liquid iron. He reacted shallow melts of liquid iron, 0.5 to 1.0 cm deep and contained in high-purity alumina crucibles, with appropriate H20-HZ-He mixtures. The total sample was analyzed, without sectioning, to obtain the average concentration of diffusate. A value at 1610°C of D = 12(3) x 10-5 sq cm per sec was obtained from the results of twenty experiments.= Oxygen profile measurements, which were carried out in three additional experiments using long capillaries and the semiinfinite boundary conditions, indicated a diffusivity about half that computed from the shallow bath experiments. Possible sources of error in Schwerdtfeger's study will be discussed later in this paper. EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUE The essential arrangement of the diffusion cell is shown in Fig. 1. The liquid iron was contained in an alumina capillary, 3 to 4 mm diam and 3 to 9 cm long, which was supported by a hollow alumina pedestal and this whole assembly was held within a movable alumina reaction tube. This tube, which was about 7 mm in bore

Jan 1, 1970

Jan 1, 1931

By Arthur Knapp

The practical application of mud-laden fluids in wells has been the subject of many papers.' However, there seems to have been little investigation of what actually happens when mud-laden fluids are applied to a loose porous sand. The assumption is that the fluids penetrate the sands and that there is some plastering action. The degree of penetration and the relation of plastering action to wall stability is not generally known. This paper describes a series of experiments made in an attempt to observe, in laboratory apparatus, the action of mud-laden fluids under conditions simulating those to be found in a well. For the purposes of this discussion all fluids containing solid matter in suspension are mud-laden fluids. Series I: Penetration of the Pores of Uncemented Sands The subject of the penetration of porous formations by water is discussed in detail in Water-Supply Paper No. 67 of the U. S. Geological Survey. No attempt was made to repeat the experiments described therein. The results of the first experiment of this series are given simply to show the capacity of the apparatus used. The conditions in this first experiment were maintained throughout the remainder of this and the second series, except where noted. The experiments of Mills, McCoy, and others on subsurface flows, adjustments, migrations, etc., deal with the oil, water or gas within the porous beds.V he experiments described herein deal with the conditions immediately surrounding the bore hole.

Jan 1, 1923

By Arthur Knapp

The practical application of mud-laden fluids in wells has been the subject of many papers.' However, there seems to have been little investigation of what actually happens when mud-laden fluids are applied to a loose porous sand. The assumption is that the fluids penetrate the sands and that there is some plastering action. The degree of penetration and the relation of plastering action to wall stability is not generally known. This paper describes a series of experiments made in an attempt to observe, in laboratory apparatus, the action of mud-laden fluids under conditions simulating those to be found in a well. For the purposes of this discussion all fluids containing solid matter in suspension are mud-laden fluids. Series I: Penetration of the Pores of Uncemented Sands The subject of the penetration of porous formations by water is discussed in detail in Water-Supply Paper No. 67 of the U. S. Geological Survey. No attempt was made to repeat the experiments described therein. The results of the first experiment of this series are given simply to show the capacity of the apparatus used. The conditions in this first experiment were maintained throughout the remainder of this and the second series, except where noted. The experiments of Mills, McCoy, and others on subsurface flows, adjustments, migrations, etc., deal with the oil, water or gas within the porous beds.V he experiments described herein deal with the conditions immediately surrounding the bore hole.

Jan 1, 1923

By Charles Barrett

RECRYSTALLIZATION textures-the orientations of grains after recrys-tallization-have been studied extensively not only because of their metallurgical importance but also because of the information they yield regarding the atomic movements during recrystallization. Recrystallized grains must possess the same orientations as the submicroscopic nuclei from which they have grown, and thus they offer a direct road by which experimenters can penetrate the submicroscopic realm. Many perplexing results have come of these studies, but one of the most striking has been the apparent difference in behavior between single crystals and polycrystalline grains. For example, Burgers and Louwerse have shown' that when single crystals of aluminum are deformed by compression and are recrystallized (at 600° C.) the new grains appear with orientations that are different from the orientations of the deformed crystal in which they grew; but polycrystalline specimens, on the other hand, appear to have a [110] fiber texture both before and after recrystal-lization and thus to retain their texture during recrystallization. This apparent difference between the habits of single crystals and small grains is the subject of the first part of the present research and has been explained by findings reported herein. A similar situation appears to exist for aluminum when elongated or drawn into wires, for single crystals alter their orientation2,3 and polycrystalline wires retain their texture 4,1 6 upon recrystallization after elongation (at least with high-purity alumi-num), and it is possible that the explanation found in this paper for compression can be extended to cover elongation and other types of deformation as well. The second part of this paper deals with the theory of recrystallization textures. In the most successful theory for aluminum recrystallized after compression,1 much weight is given to the orientation of highly stressed nuclei in the deformed material. Taylor's "local distortions" are assumed to exist along the slip planes where displacement has occurred, consisting of fragments rotated in a specific way with reference to the slip plane and slip direction; namely, about an axis lying in the slip plane perpendicular to the slip direction. 1,7,8,9

Jan 1, 1940

By Clarence E. Jackson, George G. Luther

The ever increasing array of information concerning the measurement of the effect of the welding process on the properties of a steel is an indication of the tremendous effort that is being expended in this field. The methods that have been considered may be divided into two groups: first, those that measure directly the effect of welding on the ductility of a steel, and, second, those that observe the change in some property, such as the hardness of the heat-affected zone, and assume a direct correlation between this change and the resultant ductility. The nick-bend test is a direct method designed for studying the effect of welding on the ductility of a steel. The test specimen (Fig. I) consists of a bar cut from a plate with a bead weld on the surface. The specimen is prepaxed with a saw-notch placed so as to restrict deformation to the heat-affected zone under the bead weld when tested as a static bend. Failure is caused by rupture of the low-ductility metal in the heat-affected zone. The angle at maximum load is used as an index of the effect of the welding process on the material. In the development of the nick-bend test considerable scatter was noted in some of the results, although the agreement of duplicate specimens welded at the same time and tested consecutively was excellent. Upon further investigation it was found that the change in ductility was dependent upon the interval of time between the welding operation and the testing of the specimen. For the six steels of Fig. 2, the angle at maximum load in lour cases was doubled and in one case was tripled. All steels that have been studied show an improvement in the angle of bend for longer intervals between welding and testing. This same behavior has been found in weldability tests using the Navy T-bend

Jan 1, 1945

By Frances Jane Cromwell, D. J. McAdam, G. W. Geil

In a series of papers, the authors and their associates have shown that the technical cohesion limit is affected by the same four factors that affect the flow stress, namely, the stress system, plastic deformation, temperature, and the strain rate.16-28 Moreover, each of these factors affects the technical cohesion limit in the same way that it affects the flow stress,t The influence of any one of these factors may be represented by a curve of cohesion limits, although only one point on the curve may represent actual fracture. As the term ilfracture stress' has come into use with the same significance as 'ctechnical cohesion limit," the authors are here using the shorter term with the understanding that it does not always refer to actual fracture. This paper presents the results of an investigation of the flow of notched and unnotched specimens betqrcen yield and fracture, A study has thus been made of the flow and fracture of metals as affected by the stress system, and of the ductility of metals as affected by the stress system throughout plastic deformation. Since two of the principal stresses were equal (S2 = S3), the stress systems can be represented in terms of the radial stress ratio, the ratio of the transverse radial stress s3 to the longitudinal stress S1.* The results of the experiments are represented by a series of their flow-stress curves for each Of the metals investigated, and these diagrams have been used for the development Of Other diagrams Of various types. Ludwik was the first to suggest that fracture occurs when the flow stress becomes equal to a technical cohesion limit. Although Ludwik was incorrect in his view that the technical cohesion limit depends only on the amount of plastic deformation and not On the stress system, he was 'Orrect in his view that the flow-stress curve for any stress system terminates at a point representing a technical cohesion limit. The authors have seen some recent references to assertions by other investigators that a point representing the fracture stress need not be on the flow-stress curve. The Ludwik principle, however, "auld Seem to be axiomatic, provided that the flow Stress and fracture stress are properly defined and that the fracture stress is properly determined. Disregard Of this principle has led to some untenable theories Of criteria for fracture. When a metal is very ductile, the conventional method of determining the ductility and fracture stress by dividing the breaking load by the sectional area after fracture, generally gives values that are much too high. With some metals and in some conditions, the fracture stress thus determined may be two or more times the

Jan 1, 1949

By H. Kenyon Burch

INTRODUCTION THE Inspiration Consolidated Copper Co.'s plant at Miami, Ariz., was designed and built to make possible the profitable working of a low-grade, finely disseminated copper deposit containing 100,000,000 tons of ore averaging 1.64 per cent. in copper. From the-beginning it was evident that the-plant could not, be kept integral but that a break would have to be made somewhere in the flow-sheet, removing at least the concentrator to a site more suitable than any available near the mine. It was finally decided, after considering numerous arrangements, to do the coarse crushing at the mine, to store the crushed ore in a bin from which it could be loaded into railroad cars and to haul it to the concentrator, an excellent site for which was available about 1 ¾ miles from the mine. The original intention was to equip a plant to treat 7,500 tons of ore per clay, but through the acquisition and proving up of additional ore reserves, the introduction of the Ohio caving system, and the excellent results obtained in the test mill (which made it possible to treat a lower-grade ore than had been thought possible) it was evident that a plant of much greater capacity should be supplied. It was, therefore, decided to treat approximately 15,000 tons of ore per day, the duties of the four main divisions to be as follows:

Jan 9, 1916

By J. E. Sherborne, P. H. Jones, E. C. Babson

A study of the Chapman zone in the Richfield field, Orange County, California, indicates that the quantity of oil recovered by present methods will be only a small portion of the oil originally in place. Since the volume of residual oil is believed to be of large magnitude, an experimental water-flooding operation has been initiated in order to determine whether water-flooding offers promise as an economical method of recovering some of this residual oil. A single injection well was drilled between old producing wells, and a water-treating plant using alum flocculation and chlorination was designed and built. Water has been injected into the input well for six months at rates in excess of 100 bbl. per day. Production from one of the neighboring wells has increased materially, the oil production having risen from 7 to 30 bbl. and the water From I to 40 bbl. per day. While definite conclusions regarding the economic success of water-flooding in the Chapman zone are not justified at this time, it has been demonstrated that water can be injected into the zone on a sustained basis and that this water will displace appreciable quantities of oil from the sand. Introduction As a result of an investigation of subsurface conditions in the Chapman zone of the Richfield field, it was concluded that ultimate oil recovery from this zone would probably be low and that natural water encroachment was so localized as to be of little importance from a recovery stand- point. Furthermore, it was found that in many portions of the zone the wells were approaching an unprofitable level of production. When these data were presented to the management of the Union Oil Co.; their reaction was that an attempt should be made to develop methods of recovering at least a portion of the large quantity of oil remaining in this zone. After some investigation, it was decided that wafer-flooding offered the most likely means of accomplishing this end, but reservoir conditions in the Chapman zone differ so widely from those encountered in any of the flooding projects described in the literature that it was difficult to evaluate the probability of success. Despite encouraging results from laboratory tests, it was not even certain that water would displace an appreciable volume of oil from the Chapman sand under reservoir conditions. Therefore, it was decided to initiate a small-scale project, for two purposes: first, to determine whether water would displace oil from the Chapmall sand and, second, to obtain information and experience for future operations if water-flooding appeared to be a promising method of secondary recovery. Reservoir Data The Chapman zone is the upper of the two producing zones in the Richfield field, being found at depths from 3000 to 3700 fi.. The productive portion of the zolle consists of a large irregularly shaped sand body, which is more than 400 ft. thick at the top of the structure. As the margin of the field is approached, the sand is replaced

Jan 1, 1945

By R. F. Marande, R. S. Busk

THE magnesium-aluminum-zinc system contains most of the magnesium-base alloys used commercially, although in practice the ternary, alloys are usually modified by the addition of a small amount [ ] of manganese. Table I contains the magnesium-base commercial sand-casting alloys most widely used throughout the world, together with their typical tensile properties. These alloys may be regarded as a single family of varying aluminum and zinc content, disregarding manganese. A concise means of presenting data for them is by means of iso-property lines plotted on triangular coordinate paper. Constitutional, casting, and mechanical properties are presented in this manner. The data are given with the object of providing reference material, and to aid in the choice of a commercial alloy to serve a particular purpose. Detailed, critical analysis of the commercial alloys has been covered in a previous paper.1 [ ] All alloys reported were made in 15-lb. melts, superheated to 1700°F. for 15 min., cooled to 1400°F. and poured in sand molds. The test bars produced had a ½ in. reduced section and were about 6 in. long. Except for the data represented in Figs. I and 3 the alloys used were of commercial purity and contained 0.1 to 0.2 per cent Mn in addition to the aluminum and zinc. CONSTITUTIONAL DATA Under the heading of Constitutional Data are included all known data on con-

Jan 1, 1946

By C. W. Macgregor

The observation of the flow layers, or Luders' lines, produced in mild steel when it is stressed into the plastic range often provides considerable useful information for the study of the fundamental mechanism of the plastic flow of metals. It is a commonly observed fact that as soon as the upper yield point in a mild-st'eel tensile-test bar is passed, an unstable condition develops in the equilibrium, the load on the testing machine drops and if the surface of the bar contains a thin mill scale, the latter begins to flake off rapidly along certain "lines." These "lines" are ill reality traces of wedge-shaped flow layers and are formed by the inter-section of the surface of slip and the surface of the bar. The average plane of the flow layer itself has been found by various experimenters to be inclined at an angle of approximately 45" to the axis of the test bar. In a body of more complicated shape stressed in possibly a different man-ncr, the tangent planes to the flow layers at each point seem in many cases to be inclined at an angle of about 45" to the principal stress direct-tions at the point. As examples of the latter may be mentionecl the logarithmic spirals obtained when a rivet hole is punched in a thin plate, or when a tube is subject,ed to internal pressure only, etc. IIencc if the flow layers are observed from an experiment, the shear-st'ress trajectories —the curves indicating the direct,ions of the maximum shearing stresses in the body—may then be approximately determined. Since the latter curves form an orthogonal family inclined at 45" to the principal stress directions, the family of principal stress trajectories, or the curves irldicating the directions of the principal stresses, may be thus obtained Although the discontinuous type of stress-strain curve at the yield point is commonly observed with test bars of mild steel, more recent experiments have shown that this is by no means the only material exhibiting this interesting phenomenon. A similar effect has been observed in zinc and cadmium crystals, by Becker and Orowai~; in duralumin and other aluminum alloys, by Dawidenkow,~Elam,~ Fell4 an(l others; in copper and copper-alloy crystals, by Elam;~ in brass by Elam;3 in brass wires by deForest;" in higher carbon steels, tungsten steel, and

Jan 1, 1939

By C. W. MacGregor

The observation of the flow layers, or Luders' lines, produced in mild steel when it is stressed into the plastic range often provides considerable useful information for the study of the fundamental mechanism of the plastic flow of metals. It is a commonly observed fact that as soon as the upper yield point in a mild-st'eel tensile-test bar is passed, an unstable condition develops in the equilibrium, the load on the testing machine drops and if the surface of the bar contains a thin mill scale, the latter begins to flake off rapidly along certain "lines." These "lines" are ill reality traces of wedge-shaped flow layers and are formed by the inter-section of the surface of slip and the surface of the bar. The average plane of the flow layer itself has been found by various experimenters to be inclined at an angle of approximately 45" to the axis of the test bar. In a body of more complicated shape stressed in possibly a different man-ncr, the tangent planes to the flow layers at each point seem in many cases to be inclined at an angle of about 45" to the principal stress direct-tions at the point. As examples of the latter may be mentionecl the logarithmic spirals obtained when a rivet hole is punched in a thin plate, or when a tube is subject,ed to internal pressure only, etc. IIencc if the flow layers are observed from an experiment, the shear-st'ress trajectories —the curves indicating the direct,ions of the maximum shearing stresses in the body—may then be approximately determined. Since the latter curves form an orthogonal family inclined at 45" to the principal stress directions, the family of principal stress trajectories, or the curves irldicating the directions of the principal stresses, may be thus obtained Although the discontinuous type of stress-strain curve at the yield point is commonly observed with test bars of mild steel, more recent experiments have shown that this is by no means the only material exhibiting this interesting phenomenon. A similar effect has been observed in zinc and cadmium crystals, by Becker and Orowai~; in duralumin and other aluminum alloys, by Dawidenkow,~Elam,~ Fell4 an(l others; in copper and copper-alloy crystals, by Elam;~ in brass by Elam;3 in brass wires by deForest;" in higher carbon steels, tungsten steel, and

Jan 1, 1939

By A. B. Johnson, J. S. Browning

The USBM has developed new and improved physical beneficiation techniques for economically recovering potash minerals from high-clay and low-grade ore from the Permian Basin of New Mexico. With the depletion of the high-grade ores a need for changes in industry's standard methods of recovery is a must. Technology may be improved in the beneficiation of the ore prior to mineral flotation and in brine clarification from the desliming phase to effect a reduction of losses of fine potash and brine in the disposal of the clay slimes. This report summarizes the results of these tests and demonstrates the feasibility of producing products that meet the requirements of the agriculture market, namely, 95% KCl equivalent to 60% K2O with recoveries ranging between 80 and 90%.

Jan 1, 1973

By J. W. Bolton

THIS paper discusses some fundamental metallurgical principles involved in production of sound cast bronze. In a previous paper the writers advanced the theory that "oxidation" in bronze castings is due to incipient shrinkage, and showed the effect of reducing melting atmospheres. In the present paper the effects of certain impurities and of actual oxidizing conditions are shown. The appendix deals with the appearance of various inclusions. For many years the prevailing opinion has been that unsoundness, dark colored fractures and other phenomena accompanying porosity and weakness in bronzes are due to oxidation. The actual troubles are caused by fissures of intercrystalline type, which are often mistaken for intercrystalline films. These weaken the metal and make it porous. Grave doubt regarding the accuracy of the oxidation theory appears when several research papers presented within the last 10 years are reviewed critically. In 1919, Comstock conducted metallographic researches, attempting to identify "oxides" in synthetically prepared metals. He found that oxides of tin, aluminum, zinc, etc. are different from the intercrystalline films (or cavities) to which porosity is due. Apparently he believed that these "oxide films" may be caused by volatile oxides of zinc or of phosphorus or by dissolved gases thrown out of solution during solidi-fication of the metal. In 1923, Woyski and Boeck3 definitely questioned the accuracy of the oxidation theory and indicated the danger from reducing atmospheres. They say that "oxidation, gassing and shrinkage may produce effects very similar."

Jan 1, 1930

By R. E. Mussler, F. E. Block, T. T. Campbell

An exploratovy study was made to deternzine the feasibility of preparing beryllium by the metallother-. mic reduction of beryllium oxide. The procedure involved heating a relatively nonvolatile metal reductant in contact with beryllium oxide in a vacuum. Beryllium vapors formed in the reaction were condensed as a coherent deposit on a heated surface. Reductants tested included tanthanun, yttrium, thorium, Th-Mg, and Zr- Ti alloys, and the hydrides of lanthaniir~z, yttriunz, and zirconiur?7,. Test ten7pevatures ranged from 1350'to 175O' C, and reaction times ranged frot 30 to 100 lzr. In most cases metal recoveries were lola, although yields close to 90 pct of theoretical were obtained with latzthanum, yttrium, and zirconium reductants. In most cases metal deposits were contanzinated by beryllides, /ls/cally of the Beln M or Bel3 M type. BERYLLIUM has a variety of unique properties including light weight (sp gr 1.85), low thermal neutron absorption cross section, high scattering cross section, excellent dimensional stability, high strength to weight ratio, high melting point (1285"C), high specific heat, and high thermal conductivity. Interest in beryllium as a structural material in aerospace and nuclear-reactor applications is based on these properties. In general, the potential of beryllium has been only partially realized, largely because of the brittleness of poly crystalline forms of beryllium, difficulties associated in its fabrication, and joining problems encountered in its use in structural applications. Several excellent books and monographs are available to those interested in the occurrence, extractive metallurgy, and utilization of beryllium.1"* Although an extensive amount of research on beryllium has been in progress during the past 10 years, much of the work has been concerned either with the so-called "ductility problem" or with the development of methods of fabrication and evaluation of properties of various commercial or purified grades of metal. A recent survey of the literature indicates that only limited efforts are presently being directed toward developing new methods for reducing beryllium compounds to metal. Two major commercial methods now used to produce beryllium are the magnesium reduction of beryllium fluoride and e lec trow inn ing of beryllium from fused sodium chloride-beryllium chloride salt baths. Only a limited amount of work has been done on the direct reduction of beryllium oxide. Major factors which complicate this method are the great stability of beryllium oxide and the reactive nature of beryllium metal. The stability of the oxide necessitates extremely high reduction temperatures and vacuum operation to liberate beryllium metal vapor and cause reactions of the following type to proceed: XBeO(s) +YM(s)-MYOX(s) + XBe(& As early as 1939, roll' used this reaction for the direct reduction of beryllia by zirconium and titanium, and later in 1952 ~a~el~ studied the reduction of beryl-

Jan 1, 1967

By Bradley Stoughton

The regular, bottom-blown Bessemer converter of the present day is a modification of previous forms, and most of the latest proposed modifications of it are merely returns to former types which Ressemer discarded. That he tried almost every conceivable method of blowing iron, with tuyeres at almost every possible position or angle, is well known; and it is to be supposed that he was familiar with the advantages of each type, since he finally settled on that form which has not been improved upon hitherto, for the purposes for which converters will generally be used. Modifications have been tried along two lines: In the arrangement of tuyeres, and in the manner of carrying out the process with tuyeres still blowing vertically upward through the bath. While they have all failed in general competition with the regular modern type of vessel, some of them have found special fields in which they have held their own. The most notable example is in the steel-casting industry, and especially in that part of it concerned with the manufacture of castings which require very hot or very fluid metal, or supply a demand of constantly varying physical or chemical requirements. In this industry the small converters occupy a field between that of the crucible-process and that of the open-hearth process, arid have won a place for themselves in France, England, America, Russia and other countries, which they bid fair to retain until either a new method is discovered of producing cheaply very hot, fluid steel, or the open-hearth process is so improved that very hot steel may be made with it at lower cost of repairs to lining arid roof.

Jan 1, 1903

By M. L. Samuels

DURING the period from 1910 to 1920, there was a lively interest in. the subject of grain growth and many papers were published, followed by interesting discussions. Questions dealing with the fundamentals of grain growth-why and how it occurs-were treated in papers by Howe,1 Jeffries,2 Sauveur,3 Chappell,4 Beilby,5 Mathewson -and Phillips,6 McAdam,7 Carpenter and Elam,8 Stead and Carpenter,9 Ruder,10 as well as others. Since that decade, much indeed has been done regarding the practical control of grain size, and it is now possible to order material having a size specified in the American Society for Testing Materials classification. Also, one hears the term "spliced boundaries" used in connection with certain tungsten lamp filaments" wherein it is important to prevent "sagging" between consecutive turns of the helix.12 This practical use of a certain knowledge as to the things that influ-ence or even control grain growth should not be taken as an indication that the subject has been thoroughly explored and that nothing more can be learned from fundamental studies. It is with this thought in mind that a report of some observations and experiments on abnormal grain growth is believed justified. Abnormal grain growth is met with in heat-treating high-carbon steels in the austenitic range,13 in the harden-ing treatments of high-speed steels,14,15 and in the low-temperature annealing of strained low-carbon steels as in sheet and wire material. Entirely aside from these instances of exaggerated grain growth, which some might consider as freakish, it is thought that abnormal growth is simply a case where the growth forces and the forces tending to prevent growth are almost, but not quite, evenly balanced. Information relative to grain-growth characteristics in general may be obtained from a study of abnormal growth conditions, which may be looked upon as vantage points. Reflection will show at once that if growth forces are great in comparison to inertia or resistance to growth, many crystals start to grow and, for that reason, none becomes very large, whereas if inertia is predominant no growth at all takes place. Under conditions in which

Jan 1, 1938

By G. R. Gardner, D. H. Davis

INCREASING realization of the importance of dust control, and the recommendations of various agencies, have led the mining industry to become actively concerned with this problem. The background and necessity for adequate dust-suppression measures have been discussed in a number of publications, including those of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, and the use of spray water to reduce dust at the face and on roadways has been recommended. The problem resolves itself into obtaining adequate dust reduction at a reasonable cost. Inasmuch as the term "adequate dust suppression" has never been clearly defined, nor have permissible limits of dustiness (in terms of dust count) been established, it is apparent that any method selected may be required to meet additional demands. Until the industry has been given some indication of permissible limits of dustiness, no permanent solution is possible. Progress will be somewhat handicapped until such information is available. In addition, dust reduction must be obtained without the addition of any excessive moisture to the coal, since consideration must often be given to: I. Quality standards, particularly reduction in heat value. 2. Handling characteristics, particularly in regard to unloading from railroad cars and bins. 3. Application of dry methods of coal cleaning. 4. Necessity for fine screening within specified limits of oversize and undersize. Little detailed information is available as to the advantages and disadvantages of the several methods of water distribution, the location and protection of sprays, operating data on pressure, quantity of water, and so forth, and results obtained. In 1940 an investigation was undertaken to determine and evaluate the principal factors involved. This paper constitutes a progress report on this work and cannot in any way be regarded as complete on any one of the several phases. CLASSIFICATION OF DUST SOURCES The various sources of underground dust may be classified as primary or secondary. A primary source is one associated with appreciable degradation of size, that is, where the greater part of the actual fines capable of becoming air-borne dust are produced. A secondary source may be considered as one in which the greater part of the fines have been produced at some previous operation and are in such condition that they can be dispersed as air-borne dust. These conceptions appear to be of practical significance, as experience indicates that when dust is controlled at the primary sources the importance of secondary sources is minimized. For these reasons, investigations to date have been concerned principally with the primary sources of dust, and this paper is concerned particularly with one of these-namely, undercutting. In accord with the foregoing definitions, the sources to which the following opera-

Jan 1, 1942