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By J. W. Powell, F. H. Spedding

A complete review of the use of chelating agents in the sepa ration of rare earths by ion-exchange is given as well as a concise description of the recent pilot-plant operations of the Ames Laboratory. The two chelating agents which show the greatest promise are ethylenediamine-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid and N'-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediarnine-N,N,N '-triacetic acid. The first successful separations of rare earths by ion exchange were reported in a collection of papers which appeared in the November, 1947, issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.1'9 Some of this work was performed at the Ames Laboratory of the A.E.C., the remainder at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The processes developed at Oak Ridge, as well as some of the early Arnes methods, employed 5 pct citric acid-ammonium citrate eluant at low pH and were carried out on either H+-state or NH:-state resin beds. These techniques were successful for the separation of small quantities of either naturally occurring or radioactive rare earths and are still used for the isolation of rare-earth activities from fission products. Concentrated citrate is not economical, however, for use in moderate or large-scale rare-earth separations. For this reason, the Ames Laboratory turned its attention to lower concentrations and higher pH's in order to make more effective use of the eluting agent.10-14 Although elutions have been performed successfully over a wide range of conditions, 0.1 pct citrate at a pH of 8.0 is highly recommended for use on H+-state resin beds.15,16 Elu-tion with 0.1 pct citrate in the pH range from 5 to 9 brings about the separation of the constituent rare earths into a series of flat-topped elution bands which progress down the resin bed, head to tail, without actually pulling apart as do the rare-earth peaks which develop when trace quantities are eluted with 0.25M (5 pct) citrate at low pH's. Because of this, elution with 0.1 pct citrate at pH 8.0 do not produce pure rare earths unless sufficient quantities are present to provide developed bands which are at least several inches long on the columns. Although other eluting agents have proved more effective than citrate solutions, articles concerning the use of citric acid for separating rare earths still appear in the literature occasionally. For example, Ketelle and Boyd17 reported some further studies on the separation of rare earths with 5 pct citrate in 1951. They used 270 to 325 mesh Dowex-50 columns at 100°C and a pH of 3.28. vickery18 compared the effectiveness of a number of eluants for the separation of rare earths on NH+4 state Dowex-50 in 1952. He found that citric acid was more efficient than acetic, malic, tartaric, and aminoacetic acids. In 1953, Mayer and Freiling18 reported that citrate was inferior to malate, glycolate, lactate, and EDTA for the resolution of Sm-Eu and Y-Tb mixtures on 250 to 500 mesh, NH+4-state, Dowex-50 at 87°C. pinta20 used 5 pct citrate in the pH range 2.8 to 3.4 to obtain some rare earths for analytical work the same year. Trombe and Loriers21 reported the use of citric acid in their laboratory to separate rare earths in kilogram quantities. Lariers and Quesney22 reported some separations with citrate in 1954. They used 5 pct citrate at pH 2.8 to separate yttrium and the yttrium-group rare earths from the cerium-group rare earths. briers23 used 5 pct citrate at pH 3.2 and 90°C as late as 1956 to isolate thulium in fair purity. For the separation of tracer quantities of rare earths, Mayer and Freiling19 have recommended pH 5.00, 0.24M lactate at 87 °C on 250 to 500 mesh, NH+4-form Dowex-50. Freiling and Bunney24 have also employed lactic acid for the separation of fission-product rare earths. Cunninghame, Size-land, Willis, Eakins, and Mercer25 have reported a 4-hr separation of Y, Eu, Sm, Pm, Nd, and Pr with 1M lactic acid at pH 3.25 on Zeokarb-225 at 87°C. Stewart, et al.,26 reported separation factors for rare earths distributing between Dowex-50 and 0.25M glycolic acid. stewart27 also reported a 30-61 separation of Y, Tm, Er, Tb, and Lu tracers with buffered, 0.25M glycolic acid containing 0.05 pct Aerosol OT. The resin bed was 400-mesh Dowex-50 (X12). The pH of the ammonia-buffered eluant was 3.5. Various aminopolyacetic acids have also been used to obtain varying degrees of separation of the rare earths. In 1951, Fitch and Russell28 investigated iminodiacetic acid (IDA) and nitrilotriacetic

Jan 1, 1960

J. B. MCGRAW, New York, N. Y. (written discussion*).-In Mr. Burke Baker's description of the process of the American Briquet Co., he speaks only of the attractive features, but every process which uses a compound or emulsified binder has certain undesirable features which must be considered. In making an emulsion, the success of which depends upon the introduction of the various ingredients at certain fixed temperatures and the complete intermixing of a soluble solution with an oil which has absolutely no affinity for it, considerable difficulty is found in keeping the various factors in strict accordance with the formula. To serve its purpose properly or, in other words, to be right for easy mixing with the coal, it should be of a certain predetermined density. Among the controlling factors of this ate the proportion of moisture contained and the temperature of the oil when introduced. If the latter is higher than intended, a greater proportion of moisture will be evaporated than is proper, and if the oil is not sufficiently hot the process of emulsification is retarded. These various factors can be controlled with more or less certainty where working in a laboratory or in a small experimental way, but when it is attempted on a large commercial scale, certain obstacles not otherwise apparent are likely to be encountered.

Jan 5, 1918

By Spruille Braden

My attendance at this seventy-fifth Anniversary banquet of the A I M E is for me a homecoming, It means renewing associations with old friends, breathing again 'the invigorating mining atmosphere in which I was born and reared, and being among those who remember with affection and esteem the man from whom I inherited a name so intimately linked to-the mining profession Tonight, like a prodigal son strayed from mining into the far countries of diplomacy, I return, to eat and be merry over the fatted calf on this pleasurable occasion , While there is no riotous living in modern diplomacy, you are no doubt convinced that neither did I suffer a mighty famine in those far lands When I entered the Foreign Service, a few mining friends, viewing diplomats as sartorial perfectionists, or "striped pantsers" preoccupied with the art of cookie pushing, no doubt thought me a lost soul Conversely, some of my new colleagues at first looked upon me captiously and later as a reformed character, because they believed all miners to be rough customers, attired in muddy boots and given to direct action and equally direct or even explosive speech In point of fact, these two professions have much in common I do not have in mind the parallel cynicisms that "a miner is a liar with a hole in the ground" and "a diplomat a man sent abroad to lie for his country " I do

Jan 1, 1947

NEW MEMBERS The following list comprises the names of those persons who became members during the period Aug. 10 to Sept. 10, 1914: Members ALLEY, HARRY MCCAMMON, Mill Foreman .... Churchill Mining Co., Wonder,2 Nev. AMBLER, J. OWEN, Met..; ... Calumet and Arizona Mining Co., Douglas, Ariz. ANDERSON, JAMES WILLOUGHBY, Duell, Warfield and Duell, 2 Rector St., New York, N. Y. ANTISELL, FRANK L., Asst. Supt Raritan Copper Works, Perth Amboy, N. J. CARRINGTON, FRANK GAMBLE, Sec'y and Asst. Mgr., Standard Foundry Co., Anniston, Ala. CONKEY, CHARLES ROLLAND, Structural Draftsman, Barnett McQueen Co., Ft. William, Ont., Canada. COOK, PAUL RICHARDSON, Mill Shift Boss, Buckhorn Mill and Cyanide Plant, Buckhorn. Nev.

Jan 10, 1914

By J. M. Neilson

The occurrence of iron ore deposits in the State of Western Australia has been known at least since the 1930's,3 but the true significance of the deposits has only come to light within the past four years. Although they are widely distributed throughout the State, it is now known that more than 90% of the available iron ore reserves are located in the "Hamersley Iron Province". Western Australia may well contain the world's largest known reserves of iron ore. Recent reports place this reserve at 15 billion tons and an even higher figure may appear in the future. LOCATION, CULTURE AND COMMUNICATIONS It is difficult to comprehend the immense size of Western Australia (Fig. 1). The State occupies almost one million sq miles and it is more than 2000 miles from north to south. More specifically, it stretches from the 14th to the 35th parallel of latitude south. The Ophthalmia Region in the Hamersley Iron Province is barely halfway up the long dimension of the State. Nevertheless, the region is 800 miles north of Perth, a distance comparable to that from New York to Chicago or to that from Chicago to New Orleans. The Hamersley Iron Province (so named in 1963 to distinguish it from the Pilbara mineral district adjacent to it on the north) covers an area of approximately 30,000 sq miles in the northwestern part of the State. It extends in a roughly oval form from the Indian Ocean to the Gibson Desert of the interior, a distance of about 300 miles. With the exception of the small coastal towns of Onslow, Roebourne and Port Hedland and a few other communities such as the asbestos-mining town of Wittenoom, the region is very sparsely populated. Sheep and cattle stations are scattered thfough the region and these and the main towns are connected by truck tracks and a few main highways. Voice communication is almost entirely by the short-wave radio net operated by the Royal Flying Doctor

Jan 1, 1965

By Edgar M. Dunn

Part I. Determination oF Gases in Smelter Flues. General considerations. Regular methods for carbon monoxide, oxygen, nitrogen, moisture. Sulphur oxides-—Methods of Lunge and Hempel tried, and either modified or discarded, with reasons therefor. Gravimetric method developed at Anaconda. Description of apparatus used. Brief notes on Richter and Hawley methods for the direct cietermination of sulphur trioxide. Carbon dioxide, with complete notes on same. Arsenic trioxide. Table of percentages of flue gas constituents found at a Western smelter. Some final notations as to the value of flue gas analysis, in connection with an intelligent log of furnace operations. Part II. Notes on the Determination oF Dust Losses at the Washoe Reduction Works, Anaconda, Mont. Discussion of problem, with description of flue system. Various places and methods for determinations of velocity. Instruments used. Procedure in making determinations for velocity. Soundings of cross-section for depths of dust. Calculation of velocities and areas. Daily volume of gas, and plant operations during tests. Place for dust determinations. Apparatus and methods of 'sampling. Results obtained, with table of daily amount of dust losses. Analysis of dusts for values, from various sampling stations. Complete analysis of composite sample of stack emanation. Last analysis totaled to show form in which present. Discussion of recovery as a commercial proposition. References on Pitot tube and calculations.

Jan 1, 1914

By George W. Powel

IN the nation's effort to raise its magnesium metal supply to meet the ever increasing demand, the Government is relying not only on standard established practice but has extended its support to developments not so well proved-at least, not commercially proved. Within the past few months considerable progress has been made, not only in the definite output of metal but in the exploitation of new processes, the successful adaptation of which should, in a reasonably short time, assure an adequate supply of magnesium. Recent months have also witnessed a reshuffling of the favored methods as well as of the likely raw materials, with the mineral dolomite gaining in interest over its richer but less abundant competitor, magnesite, while the lowly sea water appears to be losing ground to the higher magnesian brines of Michigan and western Texas. Every month sees a new alignment and there are signs that still newer methods or raw materials will be in use before the industry finally stabilizes itself.

Jan 1, 1942

By Walter S. McKee

Discussion of the paper of WALTER S. McKEE, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1916, and printed in Bulletin No. 108, December, 1915, pp. 2399 to 2411. J. W. RICHARDS, So. Bethlehem, Pa.-I regret that the author has overlooked the great usefulness of the electric furnace for the melting of ferromanganese in the manufacture of manganese steel. WALTER S. MCKEE, Chicago, Ill. (communication to the Secretary*)-In an article as brief as mine it was not possible to .fully cover the metallurgical field; this accounts for my not mentioning the electric furnace for the melting of ferromanganese in the manufacture of manganese steel, although the advantages of such an apparatus are fully appreciated by me. FREDERICK LAIST, + Anaconda, Mont. (communication to the Sec-retary?).-Manganese steel has proved very serviceable in our plant.. We are using manganese steel for the jaw plates on the 5-' by 15-in. crushers in the concentrator instead of cast-iron jaw plates which we formerly used. The manganese steel wears five times as long as the cast iron. We are also using manganese steel in our 8- by 20-in. crushers. In our primary crushers, which are 12 by 24 in., we still use cast iron because the manganese-steel plates wore unevenly and left shoulders which caused trouble in setting up the crusher. Another reason for preferring cast iron in these crushers is that they grip the ore better on account of wearing of the rougher surface. The surface of the manganese steel becomes polished and large pieces of ore fail to be drawn in. We recently tested 8- by 16-in. manganese-steel elevator buckets working on 2-in. undersize against malleable-iron buckets and found that manganese-steel buckets lasted two and one-half times as long as the malleable-iron buckets. We use manganese-steel screen plates on our 2-in. trommels and have found that they last about five times as long as cast iron. We also used manganese-steel wheels and rails under the 20-deck round table in our slimes-treatment plant. We first used cast-iron rails and wheels and found that these wore badly at the end of two or three weeks, while the life of the manganese steel seemed to be almost indefinite; we never had occasion to change any of the manganese steel rail sections or wheels in the year and nine months that the plant was in operation.

Jan 5, 1916

By Joseph F. Shirley

A froth flotation plant to recover byproduct molybdenite must be designed specifically for the selected separation process and the type of ore being treated. However, some general rules concerning byproduct molybdenite plant design can be suggested that would be valid for most processes. The term byproduct molybdenite in this paper is limited to the recovery of molybdenite from copper porphyry ores, which essentially amounts to selectively separating molybdenite from copper and iron sulfide concentrates. In addition, most of the discussions would apply only to the almost universally used approach of floating the molybdenite and depressing the copper and iron sulfide minerals. Thickener It is considered essential that the feed to a byproduct molybdenite plant be thickened prior to being treated for molybdenite recovery for the following reasons: 1) Thickening allows the rougher and any preconditioning stages to be operated consistently at the optimum percent solids. 2) Generally, the size of equipment used for pretreatment and the rougher flotation is considerably smaller and less expensive than if the copper flotation concentrates were treated directly. 3) The removal of as much water as practical by thickening removes flotation reagents added in the copper flotation circuit, especially frother which can be quite troublesome in a byproduct molybdenite plant. Although thickening of the molybdenite plant feed has long been recognized as necessary to optimum metallurigcal results, very often this area has been designed poorly. The thickener should be sized so that it can produce a consistent thickened product containing 60 to 65% solids without the use of flocculants. Some plants are only able to thicken to 45 to 50% solids consistently while other plants let the percent solids vary from 45 to 60% over a 24-hr period. While the former is more desirable than the latter, in many cases better metallurgical results could be obtained if the percent solids could be held consistently close to 60%. Probably the simplest and most satisfactory system of handling the thickener underflow is to spigot it into a sump, using a sphincter type valve for the orifice, controlled by a density meter. Another satisfactory approach is to use an ODS type pump to meter the underflow. There are other methods of handling thickener underflow which work satisfactorily as long as the amount of copper concentrates entering the thickener is relatively uniform. However, they often fail to operate satisfactorily when there are large fluctuations in the thickener feed rate due to fluctuations in ore tonnage and/or copper grade. If the percent solids in the plant feed could be held close to 65%. There is the possibility the molybdenite plant tailing would not have to be thickened prior to the copper filter plant. This means that the molybdenite rougher float would have to be conducted at 45 to 50% solids with all the cleaner tailings returned to the rougher for dilution. Admittedly, in some situations this approach would be impossible, but if capital or plant area is limited, it should be considered.

Jan 1, 1981

William B. Cogswell, member of the Institute since 1872, died on June 7, 1921, at his home in New York City, after an illness of about six weeks occasioned by an infection of the middle car. Mr. Cogswell is survived by his wife, Mrs. Cora Brownell Cogswell; a son-in-law, and three grandchildren. His first wife died in 1877. William Cogswell was born at Oswego, Sept. 22, 1834, and was taken to Syracuse by his parents when he was four years old. He attended Hamilton Academy and private schools in Syracuse and Seneca Falls. In 1843, he visited England with his parents and brought back a set of drawing instruments, which led to a series of lessons in architecture under Luther Gifford, the only architect in Syracuse at the time. The boy drew many building plans and one set was used for the old Globe Hotel in Syracuse, erected in 1846 and 1847. In 1848, when only 14, he spent a year with a party that was surveying the route of the Syracuse & Oswego R. R. and relaying the tracks of the Utica & Syracuse R. R. He studied civil engineering at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, for three years, but left that institution in 1852 without receiving his degree. Many years later, in 1884, the degree of C. E. was conferred upon him. During the three years following 1852, Mr. Cogswell served as an apprentice in machine shops at Lawrence, Mass., under the superintendence of John S. Hoadley. About 1856, he was made manager of the machinery department of the Marietta & Cincinnati R. R., at Chili-cothe, Ohio, and three years later became superintendent of the Broadway foundry at St. Louis, Mo. In 1860, in Syracuse, Mr. Cogswell was associated with William A. and A. Avery Sweet in the formation of Sweet Bros. & Co., which later became the Whitman & Barnes Mfg. Co. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Mr. Cogswell received a civilian appointment as mechanical engineer in the United States Navy. During 1860 he was located at Port Royal, S. C., having general supervision over the work of fitting up repair shops at five widely separated stations on the Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of Mexico. In this year his genius and resourcefulness were notably shown. He literally launched a naval machine shop, so that warships could be repaired without leaving, and thereby weakening, blockades against Southern ports. The machine shop was assembled by Mr. Cogswell and shipped by boat to Port Royal. There an old whaler was made over for machine shop purposes and Mr.

Jan 1, 1922

William B. Cogswell, member of the Institute since 1872, died on June 7, 1921, at his home in New York City, after an illness of about six weeks occasioned by an infection of the middle car. Mr. Cogswell is survived by his wife, Mrs. Cora Brownell Cogswell; a son-in-law, and three grandchildren. His first wife died in 1877. William Cogswell was born at Oswego, Sept. 22, 1834, and was taken to Syracuse by his parents when he was four years old. He attended Hamilton Academy and private schools in Syracuse and Seneca Falls. In 1843, he visited England with his parents and brought back a set of drawing instruments, which led to a series of lessons in architecture under Luther Gifford, the only architect in Syracuse at the time. The boy drew many building plans and one set was used for the old Globe Hotel in Syracuse, erected in 1846 and 1847. In 1848, when only 14, he spent a year with a party that was surveying the route of the Syracuse & Oswego R. R. and relaying the tracks of the Utica & Syracuse R. R. He studied civil engineering at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, for three years, but left that institution in 1852 without receiving his degree. Many years later, in 1884, the degree of C. E. was conferred upon him. During the three years following 1852, Mr. Cogswell served as an apprentice in machine shops at Lawrence, Mass., under the superintendence of John S. Hoadley. About 1856, he was made manager of the machinery department of the Marietta & Cincinnati R. R., at Chili-cothe, Ohio, and three years later became superintendent of the Broadway foundry at St. Louis, Mo. In 1860, in Syracuse, Mr. Cogswell was associated with William A. and A. Avery Sweet in the formation of Sweet Bros. & Co., which later became the Whitman & Barnes Mfg. Co. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Mr. Cogswell received a civilian appointment as mechanical engineer in the United States Navy. During 1860 he was located at Port Royal, S. C., having general supervision over the work of fitting up repair shops at five widely separated stations on the Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of Mexico. In this year his genius and resourcefulness were notably shown. He literally launched a naval machine shop, so that warships could be repaired without leaving, and thereby weakening, blockades against Southern ports. The machine shop was assembled by Mr. Cogswell and shipped by boat to Port Royal. There an old whaler was made over for machine shop purposes and Mr.

Jan 1, 1922

This discussion of the paper of Chester W. Washburne should have been printed following the remarks of H. A. Wheeler, in Bulletin No. 100, April, 1915, pp. 835 and 836, but was inadvertently omitted. ROSWELL H. JOHNSON:-There is one reason why the hydrostatic interpretation of gas pressure is not wholly acceptable. As we go clown in the sands we seem to get excesses of gas. Particularly in this field it becomes excessive in quantity relative to the amount of water in the sand. If this holds in other fields as well it must mean that there has been an ascension of water, because these sedimentaries when laid down, were filled with connate water. If we do get an ascension of connate water, produced by some such phenomena as its expansion by heat or by the formation of new gas by pressure upon organic materials at great depth, we can hardly expect the pressure to be controlled merely hydrostatically. * In reply to Mr. Wheeler's inquiry as to gas wells with pressure higher than hydrostatic pressure, I would cite the original wells given by Orton on which he based the hydrostatic theory. He used in his calculation a head of 600 ft. above tide, assuming the outcrop of the Manitoulin Islands to be in Lake Superior, whereas the Trenton does not outcrop at Lake Superior. The Manitoulin Islands are in Lake Huron, the level of which is 580 ft. above tide. No allowance is made for the lower density of the fresher water near the outcrop, the weight taken for the whole column being the water of high density found at the wells.

Jan 5, 1915

By W. Tovote

THIS paper is based upon 12 years' experience in the Southwest, including three years that were spent in constant traveling as examining engineer for the Phelps-Dodge Corporation. The material was gathered during rather extensive work in Bisbee, Clifton-Morenci, Globe, and Tombstone, and also on short and rapid trips into most of the mining camps and prospect fields of New Mexico, Arizona, the desert country of California, and as much of Sonora as was safe at the time. My methods of observation and my deductions are not put forward as new or scientific; they are simply rough field methods, based upon short notes, rough sketches, and largely upon memory, which I have found useful for coordinating geological data for the purpose of passing quick judgment on mining possibilities in certain districts exhibiting uniform characteristics. The opportunities for observation have been better these last few years than ever before, clue to the unprecedented activity in mining, which has caused the reopening of hundreds of old mines and the starting of even more numerous prospects all over the mining States. POSSIBLE SYSTEMS OF CLASSIFICATION By Geological Provinces There are a number of well defined geological provinces in the territory under discussion, and a study of their individual features is of interest. The following are a few of those that axe most striking in their uniformity. 1. The "Desert province," extending roughly from. Wickenburg, Ariz., to and beyond Barstow, Cal. In its north-south extent it reaches up to the Colorado River and clown into Sonora, but overlaps other provinces. It is characterized by a worn-down basement of schistose and granitic rocks, on which rest remnants of Paleozoic and pre-Paleozoic sediments, including very old limestones. The sediments are disrupted and contorted. Alteration in the mineralized areas is very prominent, especially in the schists and limestones. Cenozoic volcanic rocks, principally of semi-basic composition, have been intruded into this complex and sometimes cover it as lava flows.

Jan 10, 1918

New York Meets first Wednesday after first Tuesday of each month. DAVID H.-BROWNE, Chairman, JOHN H. JANEWAY, Vice-Chairman. F. E. PIERCE, Secretary, 35 Nassau St., New York, N. Y. P. A. MOSMAN, Treasurer. LEWIS W. FRANCIS. Boston Meets first Monday of each winter month. HENRY L. SMYTH, Chairman. . ALFRED C. LANE, Vice-Chairman. HENRY A. WENTWORTH, Secretary-Treasurer, 60 India St., Boston, Mass. ROBERT H. RICHARDS, ALBERT SAUVEUR. Columbia Holds four sessions during year. Annual meeting in September or October. FRANK A. ROSS, Chairman. RUSH J. WHITE, Vice-Chairman. LYNDON K. ARMSTRONG, Secretary-Treasurer, P O. Drawer 2154, Spokane, Wash. FREDERIC KEFFER, FRANCIS A. THOMSON.

Jan 11, 1915

E. A. H. Tays, San Blas, Sinaloa, Mex. (communication to the Secretary*):—The results obtained by Messrs. Hofman and Hayward in their experiments, proving that a low percentage of copper sulphate with a variable percentage of salt, depending on the ore, gives the best results, confirm practical mill-work which I did in 1895. I have none of my notes, taken at the time, to refer to, so have to rely solely on memory, which precludes the conciseness that is alway desirable. In 1894 I took charge of the plant of the San Rafael Company, near Chinipas, Chihuahua, Mex., which at that time was treating a very refractory ore carrying about $15 in gold and from 20 to 25 oz. of silver per ton, the bullion being about 300 fine in gold. The silver in the ore was in the form of a sulphide. Although carrying an average of 0.75 oz. of gold per ton, free gold could rarely be seen by panning, but upon roasting a sample of the ore the gold became visible at once—a result which was discovered by chance and used to advantage later. In order to utilize the old mill to the best advantage, it was decided to use pan-amalgamation after roasting. The roasting, done in a lime-kiln, was similar to the ordinary " burning " operation. The roasted ore was trammed to the mill-bins and crushed by 10 stamps to pass a 30-mesh screen. The pulp was de-watered and fed to four 1-ton pans. My recollection is that upon starting the mill-work, the charge contained 1.5 lb. of copper sulphate and 5 per cent. of salt per ton. From the start the extraction was unsatisfactory and the loss of quicksilver was very large. Experiments were then carried out on a working scale. First, the quantity of copper sulphate was increased 4 oz. at a time; then it was reduced

Jan 1, 1910

By H. W. Gillett

CLYDE WILLIAMS has reminded me that in the fall of 1929, gave, in MINING AND METALLURGY, an account of the hopes and aspirations of Battelle Memorial Institute, which was then just swinging into initial operation; and that therein I remarked that B.M.I. should stand, as well, for Better Metallurgical Industries, since helping to better them was the Institute's aim. So he has suggested that some of the betterments of the past fifteen years might well be listed. A yearly summary of progress comes pretty close to the ultimate in futility, for everything proved of value in that year had its inception in earlier years, and everything really new has still to be proved. Plenty of things hailed as wonderful achievements for that year, by some enthusiasts invited to contribute to the summary, turn out in later years to be inglorious flops. But over a decade and a half, betterments that are really such become self-evident, and recounting some of them can be done without guesswork or wishful thinking. An inventory of what was known and utilized in 1929 compared to what is now known and used is not too hard to make. Perhaps the most clear-cut picture of what is known and used at a certain date is drawn by the handbooks, textbooks, and equipment catalogs of that date, with scientific periodical literature forecasting what knowledge may later be used when it is verified and assimilated. The tools available for production or for research limit the application of old and the finding of new knowledge.

Jan 1, 1945

By H. F. Webster, C. G. Dunn

Rolling md annealing procedures are described for developing the (110) preferred orientation in tantalum for use as a thermionic-emission materinl where electrodes of a uniform high work function are needed. The development of a (110) [001] annealing texture is also reported. A preferential growth process due to low (110) gas-metal surface energy is considered in explanation of the observed growth of (110) grains. ThE growth of (110)-oriented grains in thin strips of rolled zone-refined tantalum, previously discussed briefly,' is reported together with more recent information on the formation of a (110)[001.] annealing texture, i.e., one where the [001] direction of each grain lies close to the rolling direction. The development of tantalum sheet with a (110) preferred orientation (position of [001 ] directions unspecified) is of importance as a thermionic-emission material in thermionic-energy converters. Since therm ionic-emission properties of cesium-coated crystals vary over a wide range depending on (hkl) a2-7 a single (hkl) preferred orientation is more useful than either several preferred orientations or none. Furthermore, the (110) preferred orientation yields the highest thermionic-emission density for a cesium coverage of less than a monolayer.5-7 A consideration of the stability of the grain structure needed at high operating temperatures suggests that the preferred orientation itself should be produced by annealing processes. Information on annealing textures in tantalum, however, is rather limited. Pugh and Hibbard 8 obtained (111)[112] and (lll)[112] components in a 1400°C recrystallization texture in 95 pct cold-rolled foil; these components were enhanced on annealing at 2500°C. Muller9 rolled 99.97 Ta to 90 pct reduction in thickness in the final stage and noted only a slight sharpening of the rolling texture, with some intensification of the (111)[112] component upon annealing at 1200°C. The experimental procedure followed in the present work stemmed from the idea of using possible differences in (hkl) surface energies to provide a small driving force for growth of grains having the lowest (hkl) surface energy.l0* This would mean using high-purity tantalum processed into thin sheet form and annealed at high temperatures either in a noncontaminating atmosphere or in one producing additional sample purification. EXPERIMENTAL Zone-Refined Tantalum. National Research Corp. tantalum in the form of 1/8-in.-diam rod and of 99.98 purity (53 ppm 0, 15 ppm N, and 8 ppm C) was zone-melted four times. The traversing speed was 4 mm per min. Such treatment increased the resistance ratio, R293k/R20K , where R293K is the resistance of the specimen at 20°C and R20K the re-resistance at liquid-hydrogen temperature, from a value of 25 for the initial rod to 175 for the zone-refined rod (the increase in the resistance ratio provides a measure of purification11,12). Part of a zone-refined rod was rolled unidirec-tionally to a strip 0.003 in. thick and 0.28 in. wide. Samples were given anneals in the range 1300" to 2100°C using ac conduction heating in an oil-free vacuum system. Recrystallization to small grains appeared to be complete at 1300°C. Large grains were formed at higher temperatures, but these were not entirely strain-free, some grains showing asterism in Laue X-ray patterns and some displaying a range in orientation. Part of the difficulty was caused by thermal expansion of the tantalum strip as it was held between fixed supports. However, in a different arrangement with the tantalum freely suspended in a tantalum can, high-frequency induction heating in vacuo at about l0-6 Torr produced

Jan 1, 1964

By Zay Jeffries

OF the new production of non-ferrous metals in 1930 gold will rank first in value. We usually think of copper as the most important non-ferrous metal. The copper industry as a whole, that is, adding copper production to copper fabrication, is the largest non-ferrous metal industry. Prior to the world war; however, gold led in value of new metal produced. During the war copper passed gold in value, but gold regained its position during the 1921 depression. For the past several years copper has again passed gold, but in 1930 gold promises again to regain the lead. The gold producer has at times been called a social parasite, largely because we ' cannot eat or drink gold, or because we cannot use it for clothes or for the construction of buildings. Let us briefly examine this accusation.

Jan 1, 1930

CRUSHING and concentration flow-sheets of western mills have become greatly simplified and more or less standardized of recent years with the introduction of modern grinding methods and flotation. Improvement has not stopped, however, and advancement is continually being made in crushing and milling practice. A case in point, where remarkable improvements in efficiency have resulted from comparatively minor changes in the flow-sheet, is in the New Cornelia mill of the Calumet and Arizona Mining Co. at Ajo, Ariz. This mill, completed in 1924 for the concentration ,of the sulfide ores of the New Cornelia mine, was originally designed for a 5000-ton capacity. Before recent changes and additions were made the five 1000-ton units were handling 6500 to 7000 tons per day, giving a flotation feed of approximately 14 per

Jan 1, 1930

By H. J. Rose

SIXTY-FIVE million net tons of coal were carbonized in the by-product and beehive coke ovens1 of the United States during 1924. This tonnage represented 13.4 per cent. of the bituminous coal which was mined in that year. Table 1 shows production and disposition.2 TABLE 1.-Production and Disposition of Oven Coke in 1924 BY-PRODUCT BEEHIVE TOTAL Coal charged into ovens, tons 49,061,339 15,914,310 64,975,649 Coke produced (exclusive of screenings and breeze), tons 33,983,568 10,286;037 44,269,605 Average yield of coke, per cent 69.3 61.6 68.1 Disposition of coke: PER PER PER CENT. CENT. CENT. Blast furnace 82.5 82.8 82.6 Foundry 4.6 13.3 6.6 Domestic 8.3 1.4 6.7 Water gas manufacture and all other uses 4.6 2.5 4.1 Cokes having somewhat different combinations of chemical and physical properties are desired for the various uses listed above, and these properties depend primarily upon the types of coal used. American coals have a wide range of purity and coking quality, and the chief subject of this paper will be the selection of coals for the manufacture of blast furnace, foundry, domestic, and water-gas coke, in by-product coke ovens. It will obviously be necessary to include a discussion of those physical and chemical characteristics that are generally considered essential or desirable for each type of coke.

Jan 7, 1926