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By J. R. Thompson

It is common practice, and certainly good business as all of us know, to take care of plant operating equipment. Machinery of any type requires periodic inspection and planned maintenance. With this thought in mind a plant operator should at the end of every shutdown period make regular belt inspections and plan for later appropriate care and maintenance. The points mentioned below are understood well by all of us but are sometimes forgotten because belt conveyors are comparatively easy to operate. Maintenance of any conveyor belt is dependent upon the fundamental characteristics of the two component parts-cover and carcass.

Jan 6, 1950

By M. A. Grossman

THE hardenability of most steels can be predicted within 10 to 15 per cent provided the complete chemical composition is known, including "incidental" elements; and provided the as quenched grain size is known; and provided, finally, that the composition and heating temperatures for hardening are such as to result in austenite free from carbide particles. In method proposed herein, the steel is considered as having a base hardenability due to its carbon content alone (the hardenability of a "pure steel" of the given carbon content, without any other elements), and this base hardenability is multiplied by a multiplying factor for each chemical element present. After multiplying all these together, the final product is the hardenability. Grain size may be taken into account either in the base hardenability or after the multiplication. Hardenability is stated in terms of "ideal critical diameter"; namely, the diameter of bar, in inches, that will just harden all the way through (absence of unhardened core) in an "ideal" quench, and the calculation may also be related to the Jominy test. The data bring out certain features rather clearly. For example: I. It is quite useless to attempt to predict hardenability unless all elements, including "incidentals," are known; thus an "incidental" chromium content of o.-2o per cent increases the hardenability by about 50 per cent. 2. The relative effectiveness of different alloys is sometimes unexpected; thus molybdenum when calculated in this way appears to be of the same order of effectiveness as manganese, rather than much more powerful as would appear to be common experience; observe that an increase from no manganese to 0.20 per cent Mn provides a multiplying factor of 1.67, and an increase from no molybdenum to 0.2o per cent Mo provides a factor of 1.63, an increase of over 6o per cent in each case. However, if to a steel containing 0.50 per cent Mn there is added "20 points of manganese," the factor is raised from 2.65 (for 0.50 per cent Mn) to 3.35 (for 0.70 per cent Mn), or an increase of only 26 per cent. Thus the first small addition of an element has a much more powerful percentage effect than an equal further addition when some is already present, and in most cases the effect of molybdenum is considered in relation to a steel in which molybdenum is absent. 3. If two elements are equally effective, a greater harden ability will be obtained by using, for example, o.5 per cent of each than by using 1.0 per cent of either of them alone. 4. A knowledge of the as-quenched grain size is essential for precise work, since a difference of only one grain size number (say No. 7 instead of No. 6) makes a difference of almost 10 per cent in hardenability (in these units); this, however, does not apply to certain steels of high hardenability. It should be emphasized that in chromium steels (over 0.30 per cent Cr) and chrome-molybdenum and chrome-vanadium steels, undissolved carbides are likely to be present in the steel as quenched, and that in such cases the charts can indicate only a maximum possible hardenability, whereas the extent of hardening actually obtained may be much less. Thus tests on a number of chrome-molybdenum steels have indicated a degree of hardening amounting to only 50 to 65 per cent of the maximum possible, and in chromium steels from full hardening (100 per cent) down to as low as 70 per cent. On the other hand, when the amount of such elements is small (Cr under 0.30 per cent, Mo up to 0.25 per cent in the absence of Cr, and V up to 0.04 per cent), the charts provide reasonable approximations. The precise figures on the charts are suggested as tentative, subject to some modification as more data accumulate, but the fundamental concept appears to be supported by tests made on a wide variety of steels, a few of the correlations being shown in Fig. I.

Jan 1, 1942

By M. A. Grossmann

THE hardenability of most steels can be predicted within 10 to 15 per cent provided the complete chemical composition is known, including "incidental" elements; and provided the as-quenched grain size is known; and provided, finally, that the composition and heating temperatures for hardening are such as to result in austenite free from carbide particles. In method proposed herein, the steel is considered as having a base hardenability due to its carbon content alone (the hardenability of a ''pure steel" of the given carbon content, without any other elements), and this base hardenability is multiplied by a multiplying factor for each chemical element present. After multiplying all these together, the final product is the hardenability. Grain sue may be taken into account either in the base hardenability or after the multiplication. Hardenability is stated in terms of "ideal critical diameter"; namely, the diameter of bar, in inches, that will just harden all the way through (absence of un- hardened core) in an "ideal" quench, and the calculation may also be related to the Jominy test. The data bring out certain features rather clearly. For example: I. It is quite useless to attempt to predict hardenability unless all elements, including "incidentals," are known; thus an "incidental" chromium content of 0.20 per cent increases the hardenability by about 50 per cent. 2. The relative effectiveness of different alloys is sometimes unexpected; thus molybde- num when calculated in this way appears to be of the same order of effectiveness as manganese, rather than much more powerful as wouldappear to be common experience; observe that an increase from no manganese to 0.20 per cent Mn provides a multiplying factor of 1.67, and an increase from no molybdenum to 0.20 per cent Mo provides a factor of 1.63, an increase of over 60 per cent in each case. However, if to a steel containing 0.50 per cent Mn there is added " 20 points of manganese," the factor is raised from 2.65 (for 0.50 per cent Mn) to 3.35 (for 0.70 per cent Mn), or an increase of only 26 per cent. Thus the first small addition of an element has a much more powerful percentage effect than an equal further addition when some is already present, and in most cases the effect of molybdenum is considered in relation to a steel in which molybdenum is absent. 3. If two elements are equally effective, a greater hardenability will be obtained by using, for example, 0.5 per cent of each than by using 1.0 per cent of either of them alone. 4. A knowledge of the as-quenched grain size is essential for precise work, since a difference of only one grain size number (say No. 7 instead of No. 6) makes a difference of almost lo per cent in hardenability (in these units); this, however, does not apply to certain steels of high hardenability. It should be emphasized that in chromium steels (over 0.30 per cent Cr) and chrome- molybdenum and chrome-vanadium steels, undissolved carbides are likely to be present in the steel as quenched, and that in such cases the charts can indicate only a maximum possible hardenability, whereas the extent of hardening actually obtained may be much less. Thus tests on a number of chrome-molybdenum steels have indicated a degree of hardening amounting to only 50 to 65 per cent of the maximum possible, and in chromium steels from full hardening (100 per cent) down to as low as 70 per cent. On the other hand, when the amount of such elements is small (Cr under 0.30 per cent, Mo up to 0.25 per cent in the absence of Cr, and V up to 0.04 per cent), the charts provide reasonable approximations. The precise figures on the charts are suggested as tentative, subject to some modification as more data accumulate, but the fundamental concept appears to be supported by tests made on a wide variety of steels, a few of the correlations being shown in Fig. I.

Jan 1, 1942

By Michael Tenenbaum

THE importance of semikilled steel as a high tonnage grade has long been recognized. The increasing severity of the applications for which semikilled steel is used makes it desirable to obtain further information regarding the features of open hearth practice and ingot structure that can affect steel performance in subsequent rolling and fabricating operations. Accordingly, an investigation is being carried out studying the structure of various types of semikilled steel ingots. This paper reviews some of the observations made and information gathered in this investigation. By definition, semikilled steel may be considered to include all nonrimming steels in which the natural shrinkage occurring during ingot solidification is offset to an appreciable degree by gas formation. Accordingly, this type of steel includes the entire range intermediate between rimmed and fully killed steel. The resultant ingot structures range from those of steels that have been capped to suppress a weak rimming action to those steels that have been killed in the furnace or ladle to the extent that no mold deoxidizer is required. A survey reported to the 1946 AIME Open Hearth Conference' reviewed the practices being used at 28 major plants for the deoxidation of semikilled steel. It was found that most plants divide the deoxidizing additions between the ladle and the mold many of the plants adding only minor amounts of deoxidizer to the bath or none at all. Silicon, aluminum and titanium were the only elements used for ladle and mold deoxidation. Mold deoxidizers were added as capping additions or as uniformly fed additions. Several practices were reported in which the steel was deoxidized in the ladle to the extent that little or no mold deoxidation was needed. No reference was made to grades capped by using special mold designs or special closures over the top of molds. Accordingly, specific examples of this type of practice will not be considered in this paper. It appeared from this survey of deoxidation practice that semikilled steel can be divided into three types, namely, capped semikilled, in which aluminum is added near the end of pour or after shut-off, intermediate semikilled steels, in which aluminum is fed uniformly throughout the pour, and semikilled steels requiring no mold deoxidation. In an attempt to cover the ingot structures obtained by the range of practices reported in the preceding survey, three series of experimental heats were made using increasing amounts of aluminum, silicon and titanium for ladle deoxidizers. The ladle deoxidizers were added as stick aluminum, 50 pct ferrosilicon and 20 pct ferrotitanium (4 pct carbon), respectively. Two methods of studying ingot structures were used. Ingots were removed from production, burned longitudinally and machined to allow observation of the central pipe and coarse blowholes. During the machining operation much of the finely porous subsurface structure was obliterated. Accordingly, observations were also made

Jan 1, 1947

By J. J. Van Nouhuys

THE economics of aerial survey and the technical processes by the aid of which vertical and oblique aerial photographs are turned into line maps showing the most profuse topographical detail such as contours, rivers, roads, plantations, habitations and cultivated lands do not concern us here. They have been ably and exhaustively described in the publi-cations of the British War Office, handbooks on surveying methods and on photogrammetry and in the South African mining, engineering and geological press. Suffice it to mention that for geological interpretation vertical photo-graphs are used on such scales as soon to 1/5,000 to 1/10,000, overlapping each other by 55 to 60 per cent in the direction of flight and some 10 to 20 per cent sideways on to the next sequence or strip. Through this duplication in the overlap the stereoscopic examination becomes possible. The standards by which monochrome aerial photographs are inter-preted can be grouped under the following headings: 1. Continuity.-The continuity of topographic relief not obtainable on the ground owing to the smallness of man relative to that relief. Here lies the greatest value of aerial survey with relation to geology. An immediate alignment can often be made of drainages running in different directions on each side of a hill; saddles and gorges in the mountainsides; abrupt termination of outcrop or indubitable signs of faulting. Most conclusive evidence is thus often obtained about faults which may be perfectly visible at one place on the ground but cannot elsewhere be identified because of decreased throw. Similarly, dikes can often be followed notwithstanding frequent interruption and disappearance under the soil. Scattered outcrop in scrub-covered or bush-covered country can be conveniently located and often correlated, with a large saving of time compared with field work. The same applies to geological contacts. Once these have been established at a few points on the ground, the intervening stretches can be drawn in.

Jan 1, 1937

By L. W. Rowe, S. S. Cole

A laboratory bench scale unit is described whereby finely divided chlorinatable residues are held for a short period by a restraining bed of a coarse-grained ore of comparable composition to permit 'flash' chlorination of the high surface area powder. Results on chlorinating a finely divicled titania residue using rutile sand as the restraining bed showed that 92 pct utilization of chlorine and equivalent conversion of TiO2 in the fine residue to Ticl4 were attained with a dust loss of about 3 to 4 pct and an equivalent amount of ch1om'nation of the titanium values in the restraining bed. THE chlorination of coarse grain titaniferous ores; i.e., 20 to 150 mesh sizes in fluidized beds is practiced commercially.' One effective method found for the chlorination of a very fine material in a fluidized bed is the "flash" chlorination technique.' By charging the finely divided charge material into the bottom of an established bed of optimum sized rutile, ilmenite, titanium beneficiate, or even an inert material such as sand, chlorination occurs before the dust can pass through the bed. The major requirement is that the bed be less chlorinatable than the charge. In this process, the charge consists of a finely divided (between one and 50 µ) titania residue obtained from a titaniferous ore beneficiation process. The charge is blended with a 20 pct wt basis addition of 20 to 60 .mesh size low volatile coke (to minimize hydrogen chloride formation) and fed to the bottom of the bed with the chlorine gas stream. A ball check device is used to permit entry of the charge and prevent the bed from discharging when the gas flow is cut off. The coarse pieces of coke serve to reduce compaction in the charge mixture and permit sat]sfactory feeding without plugging or jamming. Feed and gas rates are adjusted to provide for complete reaction of the charge material, with 90 to 95 pct chlorine efficiency, and maintain a gas flow in the range of 0.4 to 0.6 ft per sec. The equipment consisted of a 3-in. diam mullite tube enclosed in an electric furnace. A bow-shaped 3/4 in. Saran tube fed the charge from an air lock type of feed hopper (to prevent the escape of the chlorine gas into feed bin) to the bottom of the bed. The charge rate was set by providing a small awiliary hopper below the feed hopper where a weighed portion of the charge could be discharged in a specified time interval into the main chlorine stream. The chlorine rate was measured by a flowmeter. The reaction tube was filled with a bed of Australian rutile ore, this restraining bed serving two purposes; i.e., it rapidly heated the fresh charge to the reaction temperature and retained the particles in the bed for a sufficient time for selective chlorination to proceed. Due to the fine particle size and open, porous structure of the charge, this reaction was almost instantaneous, and, with proper adjustment of feed and gas rates, very little fine material passed through the bed without reacting and only a very small fraction of the restraining bed was chlorinated. A typical reaction procedure was to fill the bench scale fluidized bed unit with a 1 kg charge of Australian rutile ore analyzing 95.5 pct TiO2, 0.6 pct FeO, a beach sand deposit 40 to 150 mesh size. When fluidized, the bed was approximately 2 ft in depth. The ore was fluidized with a 1:l mixture of chlorine and nitrogen at a rate of 0.40 ft per sec. This gas mixture was necessitated by the comparatively short bed depth; a larger unit, with a deeper bed, could be fluidized with chlorine alone without significant free chlorine loss. Feed rate was 8.0 g per min of beneficiated ilmenite analyzing 85.0 pct TiO2, 2.6 pct FeO plus 1.6 g per min of 20 to 60 mesh petroleum coke. The

Jan 1, 1962

By S. W. Miller

DURING the examination of welds made in steel by the oxy-acetylene and electric-arc processes, the writer has met with some unusual structures, which he has not encountered elsewhere. They seem to be quite closely associated with the welding methods used, and characteristic of them, and would seem to be worth noting, especially as the references to them in the literature are few, and their explanation not clear or complete. An introductory word or two about fusion welding may not he out of place. The oxy-acetylene process is based on the great and very local heat generated by the burning of acetylene in the presence of commercially pure oxygen, the two gases being thoroughly mixed before combustion. The theoretical temperature is somewhat under 4000° C., but on account of various losses, the actual maximum temperature is probably about 3000° C. 1 The electric-arc process, using a metal electrode, which is also the filling rod, generates a still higher and more local temperature. The actual temperature of the positive crater of the carbon arc is given as 3500° C.2 No figures have been found for the temperature of the arc using a metal electrode, but it would probably not be very different from that of the carbon arc, and probably higher than that of the oxy-acetylene flame. The greater localization of the electric arc is due to the fact that it is not surrounded by a large envelope flame as well as to its higher temperature; while the oxy-acetylene white cone, or welding flame, in which the carbon of the acetylene is burned to CO, is surrounded and preceded by -a long envelope flame, itself of quite high temperature, in which the CO is burned to C02, and the hydrogen of the acetylene to

Jan 2, 1918

By W. R. Crane

The support of roof in mines is dependent largely on the character of the top rock and its occurrence. The formations overlying the orebed in the Birmingham district are sandstone and slate. The sandstone occurs in beds of sufficient thickness to constitute important elements in the system of support; the slate is relatively strong but is thinly stratified. The alternating beds of sandstone and slate furnish an excellent combination in that the former are strong and the latter are impervious; however, their continuity is broken by jointing or slip planes. The thickness, and consequent weight of the overlying formations, is important in so far as the size and arrangement of pillars are concerned but may be relatively unimportant, temporarily at least, as a factor in the support of the roof. The position of the respective beds of sandstone and slate, their relative thickness, and their inherent weakness because of the occurrence of faults and folds, may exert a predominating influence on their support in place, which is affected only in part by the weight of the cover. The only mine in this district that operates under a cover of approximately 2000 ft. (1900 ft.) is the Shannon so-called "twin slope," situated 14,000 ft. southeast of the portal of the No. 7 mine of the Tennessee Coal, Iron, & Railroad Co. The conditions in this mine indicate what may be expected in other mines when the same depth is attained; in fact, the effect of pressure is shown in several mines that have not reached two-thirds of that depth. It is evident, then, that conditions affecting the support of roof will not improve but rather will become more difficult with the extension of the mines into the valley under a constantly increasing weight of cover. Further, the difficulties will probably be augmented by the occurrence of faults and other disturbed ground, the presence and position of which at present are largely unknown.

Jan 1, 1925

By Tenney, J. B.

DEVELOPMENT of complex ores in the south- western part of the Rocky Mountain region has been retarded by the prohibitive distance to the nearest suitable zinc treatment plants. In the north- western and central Rocky Mountains the building, cluring tlie past decade, of electrolytic zinc plants at Anaconda, Great Falls, Trail, and Burke has tremendously stimulated the mining and exploiting of such .ores, greatly increasing the production of lead, zinc, copper, gold, and silver. Selective flotation permits the making of high-grade led, copper, and zinc concentrates. If the zinc concentrates could be made free from lead, copper, gold, and silver, they could be shipped economically to Mid- Western retort plants designed for such concentrates. Unfortunately a considerable proportion of the precious metal content accompanies the zinc blende in the ores of this region. Although some of it is saved in 'retort residues, the treatment cost is thereby increased so materially and the proportion saved so small, that .concentrates of ordinary grade cannot stand treatment charges and freight.

Sep 1, 1928

By Albert F. J. Bordeaux

(Cleveland Meeting, October, 1912.) THE immediate vicinity of the sea-shore, affording special facility for the exportation of ores, makes it possible to work certain mines in the Vladivostok district, which, in more remote places of Siberia, would remain unproductive. Outside of the city of Vladivostok the population is small and the country is very little prospected. Additional discoveries of valuable deposits like the large body of calamine which has recently been opened in the neighborhood of earlier worked lead-silver ores, in the Tetiuhe valley, are still in the field of possibilities. For many years gold alone was produced, in part from the coastal rivers and in part from a quartz-vein on Askold island near Vladivostok. But the production is diminishing, and prospectors are looking for other rivers in the interior, such as the tributaries of the Ussuri. These rivers are now more accessible than formerly, due to the slow but gradual development, of colonization by the Russian peasants. The few natives of the country, called Orodjones, are of the Chinese race. They resemble the North American Indian and are hardy fur-hunters. They have given some attention to placers and have already shown good specimens of gold-dust from the rivers Iman, Bikin, Noto, etc. Coal-mining was begun in the Vladivostok region more than 20 years ago, but in a somewhat irregular way. The industry is not as yet important and the best coal-seams are badly prospected, or ire even neglected. Copper, lead, and iron exist in several places. The amounts give some encouragement to the anticipation that the discoveries will give rise to important metallurgical works. I here present a review of the various deposits, based upon such safe information as is in hand, when I have not drawn upon my personal observations. Fig. 1 is a snap of Eastern Siberia, showing the mineral deposits.

Oct 1, 1912

By C. H. Chou, A. Sauveur

The senior author of this paper has expressed the belief that when gamma iron transforms into alpha iron on reaching the A3 point, each gamma grain does not change bodily into one or more alpha grains but that the alpha phase forms first at the boundaries and along the crystallo-graphic planes of the austenite grains.1 To quote: On cooling through the point As, at about 900° C, iron passes from the gamma condition to a new allotropic form generally designated as alpha. This transformation, however, is not instantaneous. There are good reasons for believing that it begins at the grain boundaries and along the octahedral planes of the crystals and that it progresses until each grain of gamma iron is changed into a grain of alpha iron, the resulting structure being similar to that of gamma iron. Were it possible to retain

Jan 1, 1929

By Charles W. Bloomquist

The profitability of miscible flooding in a hypothetical target oilfield is examined. The major costs, including Windfall Prof it Tax, are identified and their re1ative importance are discussed. The sensitivity of profit to important physical and economic variables is evaluated and discussed, including variance in oil recovery, oil price, injectant requirements, injectant cost, and capital requirements. Economic sensitivities to important development and operating decisions such as timing, Spacing, Slug size, and gas recycling are also analyzed. The Windfall Profit Tax (WPT) as it applies to gas miscible EOR projects is reviewed. The effect of WPT on each of the various project cases is analyzed and the effect of reduced WPT on remaining production from existing operations is evaluated. Tax implications are compared for integrated vs. "independent" controlled projects and the alternative of expensing vs. capitalizing tertiary injectants is also evaluated. The impact of the Net Income Limitation in reducing WPT. during early and late project life is determined and discussed.

Jan 1, 1982

By Edna A. Dancy, Gerhard J. Derge

The specific conductance of FeOx,-CaO melts in contact with iron was found to decrease from 200 ohm-1 cm-1 for FeO, to 40 ohm-1 cm-1 for a melt containing 26.3 pct CaO at 1400°C. The temperature coefficient was positive at all compositions, but became smaller at high CaO contents. Current efficiencies for electrolysis increased from 2.5 pct in FeOx to 17.3 pct at the high CaO composition, indicating a change from predominantly electronic conduction to conduction with a substantial ionic contribution. It was shown that Ca++ ions as well as Fe++ ions carry the ionic current. A subsidiary investigation on the apparent effect of atmospheres of argon, helium, and nitrogen on the electrical conductivity showed that this could be correlated with surface temperature losses, which varied with the thermal conductivities of the gases and resulted in precipitation of metal by the reaction 3 Fe++ = 2 Fe+++ + Fe. The work described in this paper is offered as a contribution to the general fund of knowledge concerning metallurgical slags. Measurement of electrical conductivity and electrolysis are comparatively trouble -free methods for investigating molten materials, but, although these methods had been used for complex slags, it was not until the work of Bockris et al.1 that the approach of examining simple binary slag systems was employed, and CaO-SiO2, MnO-SiO2, and Al2O3-Si9 were studied. Two groups have performed work of particular relevance to the present investigation. Inouye, Tomlinson, and chipman2 studied the conductivity of wustite as a function of temperature and of the addition of 5 mol pct of a number of oxides, including CaO. They concluded that molten FeOx in equilibrium with iron is a semiconductor. Simnad, Derge, and ceorge3 demonstrated the ionic nature of liquid iron silicate slags and also concluded that, although the conductivity of FeOx in equilibrium with iron is predominantly electronic in nature, there is a small ionic contribution. The work reported here on FeOx,-CaO slags consists of three main parts, namely, the determination of the specific conductance over a wide composition range, an investigation into the nature of the conductivity through current-efficiency measurements over the same composition range, and an attempt to identify the current-carrying ions, as well as a subsidiary investigation on the apparent effect of the nature of the inert atmosphere on the conductivity. EXPERIMENTAL Materials. The slags, varying in composition from FeOx to 27 pct CaO, were prepared by heating reagent- grade Fe2O3 in an ingot iron crucible with a suitable amount of CaCO3 and, in some cases, powdered iron, in air. This prefused material was then used for the runs. At the end of each run the cell was removed from the furnace and quenched by immersing the bottom half in water. After crushing, the slags were analyzed for calcium and total iron by the usual wet methods. The oxygen content was obtained by difference. Specific Conductance: Apparatus and Method. Fig. shows the experimental setup, with the conductivity cell and leads of ingot iron. The standard four-probe method for measuring high conductivities was used. In this, the potential drop across the unknown resistance is compared with the potential drop across a known resistance connected in series, i .e., same current through both resistances. Thus there are both current and potential leads to the center electrode and to the crucible, which acts as th other electrode. Both ac and dc circuits were available for the measurements; they have been described in earlier work performed in this laboratory.4,5 The geometry of the cell was such that the center electrode was equidistant from the bottom and sides of the crucible. This ensured that the current path was the same irrespective of the magnitude of the conductivity of the material in the cell. Cell constant were measured with KC1 or NaCl solutions, which have considerably lower conductivities (0.0013 to 0.25 ohm-' cm) than the slags, and this precaution in design made sure that the determined cell constants applied to the cells with contents of any conductivity. The cell-constant determinations were made with the ac measuring circuit to prevent polarization. The four-probe method eliminates lead resistance but not the resistance of those parts of the center

Jan 1, 1967

By O. F. Kammerer, W. E. Miller, D. H. Gurinsky, J. Sadofsky, J. R. Weeks

Zirconium and titanium inhibit solution mass transfer of steels by liquid bismuth, mercury, and lead. It is shown that in bismuth and mercury, these adsorb on the surface of the steels and subsequently react with nitrogen and possibly carbon from the steels to form inert, adherent surface layers of ZrN, TiN, or TiN + Tic. Data are presented which describe the condition under which thase deposits form. These inhibitors decrease the solution rate of iron into bismuth, and require a higher supersaturation for precipitation of iron from bismuth. USE of the low-melting heavy metals (bismuth, lead, mercury, and their alloys) as coolants has been limited because solution mass transfer of steels occurs in these liquids; i. e., iron dissolves in the hot sections of the heat transfer circuit and deposits in the colder sections. The rate of solution of iron and the temperature coefficient of solubility are sufficiently great to cause complete or partial stoppage by the deposition in the coldest section of a closed circuit in finite time, even though the actual solubilities are extremely low. In the development of the mercury vapor turbine by the General Electric Co., Nerad and his associates1 discovered that the addition of as little as 1 ppm Ti or Zr to magnesium-deoxidized mercury reduced the mass transfer of ferrous alloys by mercury to a negligible amount. Reid2 reported that titanium was detected chemically on the surface of steels contacted with this mercury alloy in amounts varying from 2.0 to 2.6 mg per sq in., the greatest amount being found in the hottest portion of the circuit. Reid stated that the titanium forms the intermetallic compound Fe2Ti by reaction with iron on the surface of the steels. This compound was presumed to be highly insoluble in mercury. More recently, El-gert and Egan3 have reported a greater than 100-fold reduction in the rate of mass transfer of a 5 pet Cr steel by liquid bismuth upon the addition of titanium (in excess of 50 ppm) and magnesium (350 ppm) in the liquid metal, during experiments performed in thermal convection loops* over the temperature differential 700° to 615° C. Also, Shep-ard and his associates' have reported that the addition of titanium to liquid bismuth and Pb-Bi eutec-tic produced a marked decrease in the rates of solution of both iron and chromium from type 410 steel capsules under static conditions. This inhibiting effect increased with repeated reuse of the capsules. Tests performed in this laboratory under carefully controlled conditions have shown that the addition of zirconium and magnesium, or titanium and magnesium, to liquid bismuth or lead greatly reduces the rate of mass transfer of chromium alloy steels and carbon steels in thermal convection loops with a maximum temperature of 550°C.5-9 The present paper will review the data obtained to date at this laboratory on the behavior of iron and steels in contact with liquid bismuth alloys containing titanium or zirconium, and will attempt to explain the role of the above additives in reducing solution mass transfer. Reaction between the Zirconium or Titanium Dissolved In Liquid Bismuth and an Iron or Steel Surface Reaction between Zirconium Dissolved in Bismuth and the Surface of Pure Iron-—A small pure iron crucible (analyzed by the supplier to contain 0.8 ppm N was contacted with bismuth containing approximately 0.1 pet Mg and varying amounts of a radioactive zirconium tracer. The crucible was then inverted at the temperature of contact. The thin residual layer of adherent bismuth was dissolved in cold, concentrated nitric acid. The crucible surface and the solidified bismuth were then analyzed for radioactive zirconium. An analysis of the activity loss on the crucible surface and the weight loss of the crucible during the nitric acid treatment showed that the acid treatment removed the zirconium that had originally been dissolved in the adherent bismuth, but not any zirconium that may have reacted with the crucible surface. The crucible was then pickled in warm aqua regia to remove all surface activity, hydrogen-fired at 600°C, and recontacted with a new liquid alloy. The results of the experiments contacted 1 hr at 450°C show, Fig. 1, a Langmuir-type adsorption with an adsorption free energy of approximately 17 keal per g atom Zr.5 This deposit was estimated to contain 1 atom of zirconium for each 7 to 8 iron atoms on the crucible surface, assuming a surface roughness factor of the pickled crucibles to be five. Increasing the temperature to 520°C caused consi-

Jan 1, 1959

By Dilip K. Das, Douglas T. Pitman

ONE of the major uses of barium in metallic form is as a getter material in vacuum tubes. Because of the high chemical reactivity of the metal, Ba-Al alloys are extensively used. Numerous methods for the preparation of Ba-Al alloys have been published, a few of which1-4 are cited here. Most of these methods were found to be quite elaborate, involving the reduction of BaO, and not too well adapted for the close control of the final composition of small amounts of alloys prepared for laboratory use. A simple laboratory method for the preparation of Ba-A1 alloys in small batches starting from pure metals was devised, so that it was possible to control the desired compositions to within 1 pct. The pertinent features of the alloy system Ba-Al5 are 1) an intermediate compound BaAl, with the melting point of 1050°C, and 2) a eutectic between aluminum and BaAl4 at 98 pct Al. The accompanying sketch shows the experimental arrangement for the preparation of the alloys. Weighed amounts of aluminum and barium were placed in an alumina and a stainless steel crucible, respectively. According to the supplier's specification, the purity of the metals used in the alloys is as follows: a) aluminum rods—99.9 pct Al, and b) barium rods—99.5 pct Ba. The stainless steel crucible, tapered at the bottom and having a 1/16 in. diam hole, rested on top of the alumina crucible. The assembly was placed inside a graphite sleeve which rested on a refractory platform. The platform moved the assembly up and down through the field of a radio frequency coil. A glass bell jar was placed between the crucible assembly and the radio frequency coil to maintain a steady flow of helium around the melt. A small window was cut out on the wall of the alumina crucible to observe the progress of the re- action and to record the temperature with an optical pyrometer. The platform was first raised high enough to move the barium out of the radio frequency coil field in order to allow only the aluminum to melt. The assembly was then lowered so that the barium began to melt and flow out through the small orifice into the molten aluminum. In order to keep the violence of the exothermic reaction under control, the rate of flow of barium was carefully regulated by raising or lowering the crucible assembly. All the samples prepared by this technique were examined by a Norelco X-ray diffractometer using CuKa radiation, The diffraction specimens were prepared by placing the finely powdered samples in flat specimen holders. The Ba-Al alloys prepared with a high barium content were found to consist mainly of BaAl4. The structure of BaAl4 has previously been reported by Alberti and Andress.8 They found that BaAl4 was body-centered-tetragonal with an a0 = b0 = 4.530Å and c0 = 11.14Å. An alloy whose composition was found by chemical analysis to be almost 100 pct BaA1, was used to determine the relative intensities. The d-spacings were obtained from the same alloy to which a small amount of tungsten had been added as a calibrating material. Accurate values for a, and c, were calculated according to the method proposed by Taylor and Floyd.' The calculated values are: a, = b, = 4.566Å and c0 = 11.250Å. The measured d-values for BaAl4 are shown in Table I along with relative peak intensities above background and hkl indices. Acknowledgment The authors are grateful to L. J. Cronin, the head of the Techniques Dept., for suggesting the problem and for his constant interest. References 1Froges and Camargue: German Patent No. 809107, 1951. French Patent No. 935324, 1949. 2E. Bonnier: Annales de physique, 1953, vol. 8, pp. 259-312. 3M. Orman and E. Zemhela: Prac Institute of Metals; 1952, vol. 4, pp. 437-445. 4E. Fujita and H. Yokomizo: Reports Gov. Chemical Industrial Research Institute, Tokyo, 1952, vol. 47, pp. 291-297. 5E. Alberti: Ztsch. fur Metallkunde, 1934, vol. 26, p. 6. 6E Alberti and K. R. Andress: Ztsch. fur Metallkunde, 1935, vol. 27, p. 126. 7 A. Tnslor and R. W. Floyd: Acta Crystallographica, 1950, vol. 3, p. 285.

Jan 1, 1958

By F. Keller, A. H. Geisler

ALTHOUGH the subject of precipitation from solid solution appears to be one of the more profitable fields in metallurgy for study with the electron microscope, few comprehensive studies have yet been made. Occasionally electron micrographs have been published that illustrated alleged precipitation in various alloys, but frequently the apparent size, shape and distribution of the particles do not fully agree with those expected from theory or from observations of the precipitate when the particles have grown to a size resolvable with the light microscope. The presence of a Widmanstätten pattern for submicroscopic precipitate particles has been demonstrated for only a few aged alloys.1 The initial problem has been the development of suitable techniques for applying the transmission-type instrument to a field that has been inherently associated with reflection-type microscopes. The various techniques have been the subjects of numerous publications, and instead of describing them individually here it will suffice to say that the oxide film method has proved to be the most satisfactory method yet found for studying the microstructure of aluminum alloys with the electron microscope. This method has the definite characteristic advantage that the actual surface layer of the specimen is examined and not a plastic or silica replica. Doubtless suitable methods for forming and removing the oxide film could be developed for alloys of other metals. The purpose of this report is to point out the characteristics of the oxide film method that have been observed during the studies of numerous aged aluminum alloys and to present the results of these studies. PREPARATION OF SPECIMENS The oxide film method for preparing specimens of aluminum alloys for examination in the electron microscope has been described in detail previously.1,2 Briefly, the procedure consists of preparing the metallographic specimen, forming the film by anodic oxidation and removing the film from the prepared surface of the oxidized specimen. The specimen is polished according to the usual procedure for microscopic examination.3 The specimen may then be etched to remove flowed metal but etching to attack the alloy constituents or to leave them in relief as in the replica processes is not necessary. Electrolytic polishing is not generally recommended. Deep-etched specimens are used frequently, however, since they provide information that is not revealed by polished specimens and frequently present the same information more clearly than do the polished specimens. The surface preparation of specimens to be deep-etched is not important, since specimens that have been subjected to the first wet polishing operation are generally used, but frequently the as-rolled surface is suitable. These specimens are then etched using a suitable macroetching reagent.

Jan 1, 1946

By C. H. Frick

Before presenting the main topic, as indicated by the title, this paper will give some of the high-spot history of the anthracite industry. Introduction The earliest recorded use of anthracite was in the year 1762, when a company of Connecticut pioneers discovered anthracite near the present city of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. In the early days of the industry, the coal was used only in large pieces, the smaller pieces being discarded to waste piles. As the output of the industry increased during the nineteenth century, uses were developed for somewhat smaller sizes down to and including pea coal. Early in the twentieth century, sizes smaller than pea, such as No. I and No. 2 buckwheat, were developed and used. Accumulations of piles from current mining operations were still increasing; that is, the smaller sizes were still being discarded. It was not until after World War I that preparation of the so-called steam sizes began commercially. This was largely No. 3 buckwheat, which is screened through a 3/16-in. round-hole screen and over a 3/32-in. or a 1/16-in. round-hole screen. Use of Smaller Sizes The earliest recorded experience in burning the small sizes of anthracite for steam production, other than in a previous small experiment, was in the year 1913, when a size known as "boiler fuel" was introduced—a mixture of rice and barley (No. 2 and No. 3 buckwheat). At that time, there was still no method known for burning the still smaller sizes. At the present time, various sizes down to and including No. 5 buckwheat are being prepared (Table I) from current mining and bank-reclaiming operations. The sizes of No. 4 and No. 5 buckwheat and smaller are generally being used for steam production in large boilers. The Pennsylvania Power and Light Co., following World War I, used 680,000 tons of anthracite per year, burned largely on stokers for production of steam, whereas for the year 1943 it used 1,940,000 tons of stoker sizes and 400,000 tons of smaller sizes for grinding and burning in pulverized form. This company has taken a very large part in the research and development of ways and means of burning these smaller sizes of anthracite, including the grinding of the very small sizes. This paper is particularly concerned with the latter feature.

Jan 1, 1949

By R. W. M. Lai

INTRODUCTION Manganese nodules were first discovered by the H.M.S. CHALLENGER expedition of 1873-76 and have engaged the interest of oceanographers and natural resources engineers ever since (1-4). Manganese nodules, some of them as large as grapefruit, cover vast stretches of the ocean floor throughout many parts of the world. In some areas the ocean floor is literally paved with nodules. The Pacific Ocean alone is estimated to contain 1.5 trillion tons of nodules which are forming at the rate of about 10 million tons per year (2). An analysis of the principal metal values for Pacific Ocean nodules is shown in Table I (5). [ ] The principal ingredients of the nodules are manganese and iron, but they also contain other important associated metal values such as copper, nickel, cobalt, and molybdenum. These associated metal values,

Jan 1, 1980

By C. R. Austin

THE paper describes an investigation on the pressure welding of low-carbon steels. The work necessitated a reproducible mechanical means of making the weld and also a test that would indicate the nature and completeness of the union. An apparatus including a high-temperature furnace was devised for making the welds, and the ordinary tensile pulling test 'in correlation with macroscopic and microscopic observations was used as a means of examining the result. Initially it was intended to devise some simple test of weldability, but as the experimental work progressed, it soon became clear that with our limited knowledge of the exact nature of the mechanism of pressure welding it was impossible to interpret our results or to devise a simple test of weldability. Hence it was manifestly necessary first to study the mechanism of such welding and attempt to elucidate the fundamentals underlying the so-called welding of steel by pressing together two metal surfaces. It also became evident that it was necessary to define the term "welding." In many early experiments when, two heated rods were pressed together and then pulled in the cold, very high tensile values were obtained, and yet the fracture took place exactly in the line of junction except for a few small scattered areas. In other words, the' rods pulled apart just as they were before being "stuck" together and had certainly not welded completely, despite the high value indicating the strong cohesive force operating. In this paper, welding has been considered as a form of intimate contact between two metal surfaces, so that the units lose their individual identity and there is no change in physical properties in passing through the weld from one unit to the other. This is defined as "true welding." When true welding has taken place completely over the whole section, the probability is that the rupture in tensile test will occur outside the weld.

Jan 1, 1932

By I. R. Kramer

The delay time for single crystals of iron, zinc, and pre-strained aluminum was measured under conditions of high-speed deformation. The delay time of aluminum was found to be affected by the orientation of the crystal. Under the dynamic conditions employed, tile calculated "activated volume" term appears to be very small for the three metals studied. IN a previous paper,1 it was shown that under dynamic testing conditions at 78° K, there was a delayed yield in single crystals of aluminum and copper which had been cold-worked prior to testing. The experimental results also indicated that the delay-time effect was not due to the interaction of dislocations with impurity atoms or vacancies, but rather to a dislocation-dislocation interaction since aluminum which has not been prestrained shows no delay-time phenomenon. In this paper, some data are reported on the effects of orientation on the delay time of aluminum single crystals; the delay time of zinc single crystals saturated with nitrogen and the delay time of iron single crystals also were measured. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Aluminum (99.997 pct) and zinc (99.999 pct) crystals, 1/2 in. in diam and 8 in. long were grown by the Bridgman technique. The iron single crystal was supplied by Dr. R. Maddin. The zinc crystals containing nitrogen were prepared by melting high-purity zinc in a graphite crucible and the nitrogen was introduced by additions of ammonium chloride. The liquid zinc was then drawn up into glass tubes of 1/2 in. diam and allowed to solidify. The rods were cooled to room temperature before the transfer to the mold for conversion into single crystals. The orientation of all specimens was determined by the Laue' back-reflection technique, Fig. 2 and Table I. To prepare for the delay-time measurements, the crystals were cut with a fine jewelers saw and the ends carefully machined. The specimens then were electrolytic ally polished to remove the cold-worked metal, mounted in a special fixture and hand-lapped. As a final step, the crystals were annealed in evacuated tubes. Specimens of aluminum crystals, Nos. 24 and 26, were compressed 0.5 and 2 pct, respectively, in the direction of the later impact. The zinc specimens were aged at 50°C for 15 min, In the case of iron, only two specimens could be obtained. To obtain sufficient data, it was necessary to resort to a reaging treatment. After each delay-time test, the specimens were aged at 65° C for 100 min. This treatment, according to Clark,2 is sufficient to restore the original delay time. It is believed that although the specimens were plastically deformed approximately 10-4 pct, after each test the delay-time values are reliable. The delay-time measurements were made in an apparatus similar to that described previously.' Single crystals approximately 1 in. long and having a diameter of 1/2 in. were placed in a pendulum which consisted of a bar 1/2 in. in diam and 8 ft long, designed with a crystal holder to accommodate the specimen at low temperatures. The crystal was held at a position 2 ft from the front part of the pendulum. This portion of the apparatus was supported on a fine molybdenum wire. A projectile bar of the same diameter and length comprised the other portion of the apparatus. This bar was supported on

Jan 1, 1962