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By Norman Lamont

The evaluation of certain reser-voir properties, such as porosity and fluid saturation, from electrical well surveys has been widely accepted in petroleum engineering. Various investigators have established relationships between these properties and certain parameters which affect the response of the electrical log. Among these are the resistivities of the mud, its filtrate, and its filter cake. In 1949, Patnode1 established a relationship between the resistivities of the mud and filtrate. The well logging service companies have contributed relationships for the mud-mud cake resistivities2,3 These have been valuable since it was the practice to measure only resistivity of mud at the well site. During the mid-1940's the industry began drilling wells with oil-emulsion drilling fluids. These were conventional aqueous muds with a dispersed oil phase. Since 1950, oil-emulsion muds have been used on an increasing number of wells each year. However, the practice of measuring only the resistivity of the mud at the well site has continued, and the mud filtrate and mud cake resistivities have been determined by the above-mentioned relationships. Service companies are now equipped to measure all three resistivities at the well site. An investigation was conducted on the resistivities of oil-emulsion muds, mud filtrates, and mud cakes to determine if these values conformed to the relationships for aqueous muds. TYPES OF MUDS Fifty-one oil-emulsion mud samples were prepared in the laboratory following a standard manual' published by a leading mud company. The diesel oil in the samples varied from 5 to 50 per cent, the majority of the samples being in the 10 per cent region. The basic aqueous mud types which were converted to oil-emulsion muds were commercial clay and bentonite muds, low pH and high pH, caustic-quebracho treated muds, and lime treated muds. The emulsions were stabilized by dispersed solids, lignins, lignosulfo-nates, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, or sulfonated petrolatum. It is worthy of note that after a quiescent period of two weeks at room temperature all samples, regardless of emulsifying agent, remained stable. The make-up water for the muds was from the laboratory tap. Resistivities were varied by the addition of table salt to the water. A range of mud resistivities from 0.44 to 3.9 ohm-m was obtained in this way. Twenty-three field muds were tested. These covered the same range of mud types as did laboratory muds. Oil provinces of the Gulf Coast, South Texas, West Texas, Oklahoma, Montana, and Canada were represented. MUD TEST PROCEDURE Each mud was tested for density, viscosity, pH, and filter loss by standard testing techniques. The resistivity measurements were obtained with a Schlumberger EMT meter. This meter required small volumes of sample, e.g., 2 mm. Filtrate was obtained from a Standard Baroid fil-ter press at the end of a 30-minute test. The filter cake from the same test was used for cake resistivity measurements. Mud, filtrate, and cake samples were heated to 100" F in a constant temperature water bath prior to measurement of resistivities. RESULTS The relation between mud resistivity (Rm) and mud filtrate resistivity (Rmf) is shown in Fig. 1. The solid line represents an average for the data. The equation of this line is Rmf =0.876 (Rm) 1.075 . . (1) Arbitrary limits, indicated by the dashed curves, have been set. The majority of the data falls within these limits, but some points do lie outside the limits. The approximate equation Rmt = 0.88 Rm , . . . . (2) will give satisfactory results within these limits. The data on mud cake resistivity Rmc is shown in Fig. 2. The solid line is an average for the data. The equation for the line is Rmc = 1.306 (Rm)0.88 The dashed lines are arbitrary limits on the data. Within these limits, Eq. 3 may be simplified to Rmc = 1.31 Rm . . . . (4) DISCUSSION The limiting curves in Figs. 1 and 2 represent maximum deviations of ±25 per cent. Thus the use of the average curves can introduce considerable error. There is no substitute for accurate measurements of mud, mud cake, and mud filtrate resistivities at the well site. The mud sample tested should be representative of the mud opposite the formation being logged. The average mud filtrate resistivity curve of Fig. 1 is reproduced in Fig. 3 with two curves which have been published for clay-base aqueous muds2,3. The latter curves were determined from average values of a large number of drilling fluids. The three curves have essentially the same slope and the differences between them are from 7 to 22 per cent. Comparison is made only to illustrate the possibility of error

Jan 1, 1958

By Arthur R. MacPherson

The development of a simple method to predict the autogenous grinding possibilities of new ore deposits is attained. This method employs a 45-cm (18-in.) dry grinding Aerofall mill to grind small quantities of core or crushed samples in the top size range of 2 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in.). An extensive program has been carried out to correlate the data obtained in the 45-cm (18- in.) test mill with the actual results obtained in large commercial plants or autogenous test plants. Enough evidence now exists from these correlation programs that the 45-cm (18-in.) mill can be used to grind small samples from a new deposit and correctly predict the autogenous grinding mill requirements of a commercial plant to treat this ore.

Jan 1, 1978

By Lewis Smith

CHROMIUM is one of the new metals, but considerable research has been required to determine an approximate record of its production from 1827 until the present. Its use in the form of pure metal is not extensive; of the chromite mined, about one-half is required for making ferrochromium, about two-fifths goes directly into refractories and the remainder is absorbed chiefly by the chemical trades. The industries that demand chromite for such uses are mainly in countries that produce little chromite, while the important chromite-producing countries are not generally consumers. The international flow of chromite is therefore of interest, as yell as the political and commercial control of resources of the metal.

Jan 1, 1931

By W. B. Frank

Events of the mid-1970s have materially affected US coal production and transportation by railroad. Coal, as a replacement or substitute for petroleum fuels, has been hauled in significantly increased tonnages. Concurrent with the new demand, the railroad regulatory environment has undergone major changes, especially in deregulation activity. Those two events have produced considerable litigation regarding coal rates. This paper discusses the factors involved with railroad rates and topics such as revenue adequacy, Ramsey Pricing, stand-alone cost, and differential pricing. In addition, an update on the western railroad merger situation and the implications for coal transportation are presented. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the current regulatory climate and future prospects.

Jan 1, 1985

By P. Sanchez-Mejorada

GEOLOGISTS who are acquainted with the mines of northeastern Mexico realize that the most important lead-silver replacement deposits of the province are confined to a single formation. But since the formation is several hundred meters thick, the author has determined the relative position of the lead mantos in the belief that this information will prove useful in the search for new mines. This article describes the stratigraphic location of lead-silver replacement deposits known in several mines situated in a region comprising part of the states of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon. The area studied extends for 200 km* (125 miles) from east to west and 70 km (45 miles) north to south.

Jan 1, 1958

By Frederick Prime

IN this supplementary list no titles to which an * is prefixed have been seen by the compiler; and he will be most thankful to have any omissions or inaccuracies in the list sent to him to be published as a second supplement in the next volume of the Transactions. The author is indebted to Messrs. Robert Clarke, of Cincinnati ; Thomas Macfarland, of Towanda; Professor F. W. Simouds, of Chapel Hill; and Professor J. J. Stevenson, of New York, for valuable assistance. CEDAR POINT IRON COMPANY, BALTIMORE, July 31st, 1880. ALABAMA. Geological Survey of Alabama. Report of Progress for 1877 and 1878 ; by Eugene A. Smith, State Geologist. Montgomery, 1879. 8vo., 139 pp., and 4 maps.

Jan 1, 1880

By AIME AIME

BUSINESS forecasting may be an inexact science, if it is a science at all, but in the opinion of the statisticians of the American Telephone & Telegraph Co. it is a valuable aid to the making of future business plans, whether it be used by a telephone system, a manufacturer whose distribution is country-wide or, one whose trade is confined to certain sections. Whatever the defects of business forecasting may be; the American Telephone & Telegraph Co: has employed it since 1921, not only for charting the probable; course of telephone traffic over long-distance lines, but' to determine the needs for new plant and equipment: caused by shifting tides in business or increases in population or general industrial expansion.

Jan 1, 1929

By G. E. Karantzavelos

Anew flotation process to recover alunite from low-grade alunite ores is described. The process begins with run-of-mine ore, reduced to less than 5 mm (0.2 in.), being preconditioned with the reagents before grinding and alunite flotation. From the preconditioning step, ore particles, impregnated with reagents, form pellets that subsequently disintegrate into the pulp during grinding. The second step is basically a standard alunite flotation step. Pilot plant test results show that an alunite concentrate assaying at least 85% alunite and less than 5% silica can be produced. Laboratory and pilot plant results were in excellent agreement, indicating that the new process is a viable means of alunite beneficiation. Plant results, using the new process, were superior to results from conventional alunite flotation procedure.

Jan 1, 1986

C. W. WASHBURNE, New York, N. Y. (communication to the Secretary *).-We are indebted to Mr. Pack for his detailed description of a rapid method of estimating the oil reserves in large fields. Although his method will give only a rough approximation of the reserves, nevertheless it is much more reliable than the saturation method. The saturation method should not be used when any other method is available. The paper describes a generalized method, which is especially useful in estimating the total resources of a Nation or State. Properly it is a method of estimating the oil that can be extracted by common methods within a given period of time. It does not account for

Jan 10, 1917

By H. E. Cline, D. F. Stein

A fine lamellar structure with interlamellar spacings ranging from 0.I to 3.7 was Woduced by high-speed directional solidification and used to study the interaction of dislocations with an array of bimetallic bound-am.es. The tensile flow properties were measured at elevated temperatures and the results interpreted in terms of an image force model. As the width of the plates decreases the strength increases according to a Hall-Petch relation, suggesting pile -ups. Considerable strengthening was also observed at elevated temperatures. In recent years composites containing a strong but brittle phase and a ductile but weak phase have been studied extensively in the search for a high-strength material with adequate ductility.' However, the strength of these composites has been limited to a volumetric average of the strengths of the component phases. In this paper we will show that a composite made by directional solidification of a Cu-Ag eutectic has strength properties that substantially exceed the strength of either of the metals in the composite, and an explanation for this increased strength will be presented. The Cu-Ag eutectic is a near ideal material to study for several reasons. The eutectic structure is made up of alternate plates of silver-rich and copper-rich phases with the same crystal structure.2'3 In addition, the mechanical and elastic properties of silver4 and copper5 are known over a wide range of temperatures and the eutectic microstructure is stable to nearly the melting point.6'7 Therefore, the properties of the eu-tectic are readily comparable to various theories involving the mechanical properties of copper and silver. The experiments consisted of producing directionally solidified Ag-Cu eutectic material, determining the structure and performing tensile tests at different temperatures and strain rates. EXPERIMENTAL A) Solidification and structure. A cylindrical ingot 2.2 cm in diam and 15 cm long was prepared from 99.999 pct pure materials and cast in argon. The ingot was placed in an alumina crucible and was direc-tionally solidified at 7 x 10"4 cm per sec in a Bridg-man apparatus in argon. Metallographic examination at both ends and along the length of the ingot showed a uniform structure that consisted of fine alternate plates of silver- and copper-rich phases. The plates were aligned parallel to the growth direction, as shown in the longitudinal section, Fig. 1, and were in small randomly oriented domains of parallel plates as viewed in a transverse section, Fig. 2. Four smaller ingots 0.175 in. in diam were solidified at speeds of 2Xlo-', 4.4 xlo-', 4.4 x 10-3, and4.4x10-4 cm per sec to produce a range of lamellar spacings. Replica electron micrographs were taken to resolve the individual plates as shown in Fig. 3. The copper-and silver-rich plates in the larger ingot were about

Jan 1, 1970

By C. McDermid

At the request of Mr. C. McDermid, Secretary of the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, Salisbury House, London, E. C., England, the following reports of standardization committees are here republished. Mr. McDermid invites members of-the American Institute of Mining Engineers to write him and express their opinion of the various proposals made by the committees. COPY OF THE REPORT OF THE WEIGHTS AND MEASURES STANDARDIZATION COMMITTEE OF THE INSTITUTION OF MINING AND METALLURGY, as adopted by the Central Standardization Committee; Dec. 20, 1906, and submitted to the Council, Jan. 16, 1907.

Mar 1, 1907

By P. Chiotti, J. T. Mason

Metallographic, thermal, X-ray, and vapor-pressure data were employed in establishing the Ce-Zn phase diagram. Nine compounds and three eutectics were observed. The eutectic compositions in weight percent zinc and temperatures are 10 pct and 495"C, 37 pct and 795°C, and 56 pct and 810°C. Three of the compounds, CeZn, CeZnn, and CeZne.5, melt congru-ently at 825°, 87.505°, and 980°C, respectively; the other six compounds, CeZns, CeZns.67, CeZn4.5, CeZn5.25, CeZn,, and CeZnll, decompose peritectically at 820°, 840°, 870°, 885", 960°, and 795"C, respectively. The compound CeZn5.25 is an AB5 type with a small range of composition which lies on the zinc-rich side of the 1 to 5 stoichiometry. Zinc vapor-pressure data obtained by the dewpoint method were employed in calczilating the thermodynamic properties of both the liquid alloys and solid compounds. The data for the A critical review of the information available on the Ce-Zn system up to 1960 has been given by K. Gschneidner, Jr.' Of particular interest is the work by J. schramm2 who investigated the region between 55 and 100 wt pct Zn and reported a CeZn,, compound which decomposes peritectically at 785"C, a CeZn, compound which melts congruently at 972"C, and five temperature horizontals at 79@, 817", 840", liquid alloys were fitted to the relation from which the relation was obtained by integration. In these relations F XS is the excess partial molal free energy, N is atom fraction, and the constants c and d have the values c = (-22,000 + 7.0T) and d = 6171,000 + 74.0T). Relations for the standard free energy of formation for the solid compounds were derived from the data. At 973°K the enthalpy in kilocalories per gram-atom z)aries from —11.3 for CeZnz to —8.21 for CeZn~l and the free energy in the same units varies from —7.1 joy CeZn, to -3.82 for CeZn11. and 942°C in the region between 55 and 75 wt pct Zn. No attempt was made to identify other features of the system. I. Johnson and R. yonko3 used a fused-salt cell to measure the electromotive force between pure cerium and an alloy consisting of zinc-rich liquid in equilibrium with CeZnll. Solubility data for cerium in zinc has been reported by J. Knighton et u1 .4 Johnson and Yonko give the following equa-. tions for the mole fraction of cerium in zinc and the standard free energy of formation of CeZnll:

Jan 1, 1965

By Raymond Moore

THE oil-producing districts of Kansas comprise the northern portion of the so-called Mid-Continent field. As shown in the accompanying map, these districts are located chiefly in the southeastern and south central parts of the state. A considerable area in southeastern Kansas, extending northward nearly to Kansas City, has long been known as oil territory, the productive wells being distributed in patches or spots' of irregular size and shape, the location of which is controlled by conditions of rock structure, and by the texture and porosity of the "sands" beneath: the surface. In south central Kansas, there are a number of producing fields, the location of which appears to be controlled chiefly by well-defined structure. The most important districts are those in Butler County, especially that in the vicinity of El Dorado, which was for a time the most productive district in the entire Mid-Continent field. Recently new production of importance has been brought in the vicinity of Peabody and present development is active to the north across Marion County. Tests in the western parts of Kansas have not been successful in finding new petroleum fields. HISTORY The first well drilled for petroleum, in Kansas, was near the town of Paola, Miami Co., about 40 mi. southwest of Kansas City, in the summer of 1860, only a few months after the completion of the famous "Colonel Drake discovery well in Pennsylvania. Kansas appears to be the second state to engage in a serious attempt to find oil by drilling. The Civil War caused the temporary abandonment, of attempts at oil development in the state.

Jan 2, 1920

By R. M. Waterstrat, E. C. van Reuth

BINARY- alloy phases having the A15-type crystal structure have been described as occurring at a simple and more or less invariant stoichiometric composition (A3B) which corresponds to the relative number of atoms occupying each of the two crystallographi lattice sites in this structure.1,2 It is frequently assumed, therefore, that each crystallographic site is occupied exclusively by one kind of atom. In most cases, however, there have been insufficient experimental data to establish whether atomic ordering is, in fact, complete. Recent studies have shown that binary A15-type phases are sometimes stable over an appreciable composition range3''* and, occasionally, the composition range of stability does not even include the "ideal" A3B stoichiometric composition.5-7 We have observed the existence of nonstoichiometric A15-type phases in the binary systems Cr-Pt and Cr-Os. This has not been reported in previous work on these alloy systems.1,8-11 A series of alloys, each weighing approximately 30 g, was prepared by are-melting in an Ar-He atmosphere using 99.999 pct Cr, 99.999 pct Os, and 99.99 pct Pt as starting materials. Each alloy was melted four times with a total weight loss of less than 1 pct. The stoichiometric (A3B) alloys were sealed in evacuated quartz tubes and annealed at 1200°C for periods of time ranging from 3 days to 2 months. Examination of the alloy microstructures revealed that little change had occurred over this time interval and it was therefore assumed that the microstructures were fairly representative of equilibrium conditions. No evidence of contamination was observed although there was apparently some loss of chromium which was confined to a thin layer at the surface of the specimens. The quartz tubes were quenched from the annealing temperature into cold water. X-ray diffraction and metallographic examination of the stoichiometric alloys revealed an estimated 10 to 30 pct of second phases which were tentatively identified as phases previously reported in these binary-alloy systems.8-11 A second series of alloys was prepared by mixing -325 mesh metal powders having a nominal purity of 99.9 pct and compressing these mixed powders in a cylindrical die at a pressure of 43,000 psi. These alloys, each weighing 15 g, and some of the arc-melted alloys were annealed in a high-temperature vacuum furnace heated by tantalum strips at a pressure of 10-8 Torr and were rapidly cooled by turning off the furnace power. X-ray and metallographic examination of both series of alloys served to establish the composition ranges of the A15-type phases. Although some chromium losses occurred during the vacuum annealing, they were largely confined to a thin layer on the outer surfaces of the samples. It was established that the A15 phases occur in the Cr-Pt system at 21 ± 1 at. pct Pt after 1 week at 1200°C and in the Cr-Os system at 28 ± 1 at. pctOs after 1 day at 1400°C (see Table I). We also observed that an arc-melted stoichiometric (A3B) alloy in the Cr-Ir system was single-phase (A15-type) in the "as-cast" condition in agreement with previous work.8,13 In addition we obtained a sample of the Cr-Os A15-type phase from Argonne National Laboratory. This alloy contained less than 1 pct second phase12 and was submitted to a density measurement. The density measurement yielded a value of 11.14 g per cu cm in comparison to a theoretical value of 11.25 g per cu cm calculated using the observed lattice constant (4.6806Å) of this alloy. The uncertainty in measurement was 0.1 pct but the sample may have contained some cracks or minor imperfections which could account for the low experimental value. We have also studied the atomic ordering in these phases by means of integrated line intensity measurements using thick, flat, rotating powder samples and CuK a radiation in an X-ray diffractometer. We have obtained order parameters of 0.90 for the Cr-Pt phase, 0.89 for the Cr-Ir phase, and 0.64 for the Cr-Os phase using the formula: where s is the usual Bragg and Williams order parameter, ra is the fraction of chromium atoms in A sites, and FA is the fraction of chromium atoms in the alloy. The values obtained are estimated to be accurate within ±4 pct. If the unusually small value for the order parameter of the Cr-Os A15 phase were due to the existence of lattice vacancies on the "B-atom" sites, then a density of 10.04 g per cu cm would be expected in contrast to the observed value of 11.14 g per cu cm. We, therefore. conclude that the fraction of lattice vacan-

Jan 1, 1967

Andrew Carnegie, America's best-known ironmaster and philanthropist, died at his home at Lenox, Mass., Monday, Aug. 11, after a three days' illness. A pioneer in the steel industry, he introduced into this .country the Bessemer process And formed the plans that have resulted in this country's supremacy in the steel markets of the world. Known throughout the world for his, gifts, he is also known to engineers as the donor of the home of their National Societies and as the founder of the Carnegie Institute of Technology, of Pittsburgh. For many years, also, he was an honorary member of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and of the Engineers Club of New York. What he considered the secret, of his success is shown by the epitaph he wrote for himself, "Here lies a man who knew how to enlist in his service better men than himself." He was buried Thursday, Aug. 14, in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Tarry-town, N. Y., the funeral services being private, in accordance with his wish.

Jan 9, 1919

By MORTON WEBB

Discussion of the paper of Max Boehmer, presented at the Pittsburg meeting, March, 1910, and printed in Bulletin. No. 38, February, 1910, pp. 119 to 122. W. MORTON WEBB, Germiston, Transvaal, South Africa (communication to the Secretary*):-The experience of Mr. Boehmer in the Leadville district and his reputation as an engineer assure the interest of anything he may write on the ore-bodies of that district; and all engineers who have operated in Leadville will agree that the theory of the origin of the Leadville deposits, as given by Mr. Emmons in his famous monograph, does not adequately explain the genesis of all the deposits. The solution of the problem does not, however, appear to be quite so simple as Mr. Boehmer would make it; and the advance pamphlet issued by the U. S. Geological Survey, pending the completion of the main report, shows that there is still much ground for controversy. No doubt the later eruptives had a greater influence on the deposition of the ore-bodies than was thought at the time of the first investigation by the Survey; but it has always appeared to me that the influence exerted by these dikes was more in the nature of a physical than a chemical one. The weight of evidence in recent years is mostly in the direction of ascension rather than lateral secretion; and one of the strongest evidences is the fact that most of the ore-bodies lie under one of the comparatively impervious layers which help to make up the structure of these hills. On Iron hill I have found a very persistent white porphyry sheet, split off from the overlying porphyry and lying from 30 to 60 ft. below the main white porphyry and blue limestone contact. This sheet varies from a few to 50 ft. in thickness, and where found adds another "contact" to that region ; some of the largest ore-bodies on Iron hill lie immediately under this sheet. Above this is the main white porphyry and * Received Mar. 3, 1910.

Feb 1, 1911

By H. A. Bedworth

ALLOYS of copper and silicon have been known for one hundred years or more but the commercial development of this type of alloy has taken place during the past few years. In 1905, Sperry1 proposed the use of copper-silicon alloys for springs and other purposes for which copper-tin bronzes were used. Some attention was given to this proposal at the time but no one succeeded in producing a practical alloy containing more than a fraction of a per cent. of silicon. The equilibrium relations of the copper-silicon system were studied first by Rudolfi2 and later by Sanfourche3 and Corson.4 The constitution of the system has also been recently investigated by Matuyama,5 and in the laboratories of the American Brass Co. by Smith.6 Some of the physical properties of the copper-silicon alloys have been investigated by Norbury7 and by Geiss and Van Liempt.8 Summarizing the results of various investigators of, the constitution of copper-silicon alloys, the solubility reaches its maximum value, 6.7 per cent. silicon, between 721° and 782° C. At 852° C. the solubility is 5.25 per cent., while at 400° C. it is only 4.1 percent. silicon. The copper-silicon alloy begins to get so hard at about 3 per cent. silicon that it is difficult to manage. It was found by Jacobs that the addition of manganese to this alloy considerably improved the working

Jan 1, 1929

By Peter Greenfield, Paul A. Beck

Thirty binary systems of vanadium and chromium group transition elements with second and third long period transition elements were explored in regard to the intermediate phases formed. It was found that the phases predominating in these systems are s, AB type with ordered a-tungsten or C8 structure, close-packed-hexagonal with small unit cell dimensions and, finally, phases isomorphous with 1-manganese. IN recent years, considerable information has become available concerning the intermediate phases in binary systems of the transition elements. Thus, the s phase has been found to occur in most of the binary systems of vanadium, chromium, and molybdenum with the group of elements manganese, iron, cobalt, and nickel.' It was observed that, while the rr phases formed by chromium with manganese, iron, or cobalt possess a considerable temperature range of stability, particularly in the Cr-Co system, the corresponding s phases with molybdenum are limited to a temperature range of less than 400" above about 1200°C. Goldschmidt' reported v phases of tungsten with iron and cobalt, and these are apparently stable only at (and above?) 1400°C." Exploratory work in this laboratory with Fe-W and Co-W alloys of approximately 60 atomic pct W annealed at 1300°C did not produce X-ray patterns suggesting the presence of a phase. It appears then that the phases of iron and cobalt with the chromium group elements decrease in stability as the two components are chosen from long periods further removed from each other. From the available information, it might be concluded that the controlling factor is the increasing difference in atomic radii between the components. In contrast to the a phase, the phases formed by iron and cobalt with chromium group elements' are stable only when the latter have large atomic radii (molybdenum and tungsten); the corresponding phases with chromium do not occur. When the difference in atomic size becomes still larger (r,/r,, approaching the ideal value of 1.225), the u and p phases are replaced by Laves phases (AB,), as in the alloys of iron and cobalt with columbium," tantalum." and titanium."-" However, atomic size certainly cannot be the sole determining factor, since, for instance, in contrast to the very stable (Mo, Co)p phase, no such phase occurs in the Mo-Ni system even though the atomic diameters of cobalt and nickel are nearly the same. Similarly, chromium and cobalt form a a phase in a wide temperature range," but the corresponding s phase in the Cr-Ni system is missing. It has been shown that the composition of the u phase in various binary and ternary systems of transition elements in the first long period may be correlated in a fairly quantitative manner with the number of electron vacancies. The influence of electronic structure is probably present also in binary and ternary phases' and to some extent, apparently, even in Laves phases." " Although the absence of phases in the Cr-Ni and Mo-Ni systems has not as yet been explained on the basis of electronic structure, it appears reasonable to suspect a connection. One of the great difficulties in arriving at well founded rules in regard to the alloying behavior of transition elements lies in the lack of reliable information concerning the details of their electronic structure in the metallic and alloy form. The theoretical penetration of this field appears to be beset by very considerable difficulties, even when the complications due to alloy formation are disregarded. Another great source of uncertainty is the scarcity of phase diagram information even for binary systems of the transition elements so that only a very limited basis is provided for generalizations as to the occurrence of intermediate phases. For instance, very few binary phase diagrams of second and third long period transition element systems have so far been published. The present work was undertaken in order to survey the various types of intermediate phases occurring in 30 binary systems of elements of the group vanadium, columbium, tantalum, chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten with the elements rhenium, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, and platinum. For most of these binary systems phase diagrams are very incompletely or not at all known, as will be further reviewed.*

Jan 1, 1957

By Harold N. Underhill

Larger equipment, more attention to maintenance, new types of bits, radio communication, and advances in jet piercing highlight an active year.

Jan 3, 1951

PLANS for the World's Engineering Congress in Japan are rapidly taking shape. The Congress itself will be held in Tokyo in the week beginning Oct. 30, and will be followed by a second week of short excursions to points of interest, and this, in turn, by a two weeks' excursion through the Inland Sea and to Manchuria. Aside from the time each may desire to spend in Japan, from 30 to 42 days, according to route, must be allowed for travel from New York to Tokyo and return, with correspondingly' shorter time from intermediate points. The American Express Co., which has been appointed official travel agents by the American committee, has fur-nished the following estimates:

Jan 8, 1928