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By A. W. McReynolds

One characteristic of plastic deformation which distinguishes it from elastic strain is the essential inhomo-geneity of plastic strains. Elastic strain varies continuously through a material, and average relative displacements of initially adjacent atoms are only small fractions of their initial spacing, (strains of the order of 0.01 or less). On the other hand, plastic flow corresponds to the appearance of discontinuities in strain of the lattice, such as dislocations or slip bands, where local strain, on an atomic scale, is several orders of magnitude higher. These discontinuities are visible on a microscopic scale as the familiar slip lines (Fig 1). In spite of this obvious microscopic inhomogeneity, however, macroscopic measurements almost invariably show a smooth curve of stress vs. strain (Fig 2b) even if measurements of linear strains be made to an accuracy of one part in 107. This macroscopic homogeneity of strain indicates that the discontinuities in strain on slip planes occur in increments too small or too slow to be recorded individually, and further that they occur sufficiently independent of one another so that the small increments add at random to a smooth stress-strain curve. The present paper describes observations of plastic strain in aluminum of commercial purity and in high purity Al-Cu alloys, where there exists a strong coupling between slip in various regions of the specimen such that once initiated it spreads rapidly through a large volume. The total effect is that of relatively large, rapid, and regularly spaced steps of strain followed by periods of only elastic strain. Fig 2a illustrates the type of "stair-step" stress-strain curve which results. The properties of this cooperative slip phenomenon will be described further in the section on results: in par- ticular it will be shown that each step corresponds to the propagation of a wave of plastic deformation through the specimen. Some interpretations of the mechanism by which it occurs will be made in the following section. Although the type of plastic wave phenomena to be described has not previously been reported, there are numerous cases of related effects in the plastic yielding of metals: YIELD POINT PHENOMENA The most familiar of such effects is the "yield point" observed in low carbon steels, brass, duralurninum, and the like. It consists in the sudden termination of the elastic portion of the stress-strain curve by a large plastic strain. Since the usual tensile machine is such that yielding of the specimen relieves the load, the resulting curve is as shown in Fig 3. As the strain continues, deformation occurs at a lower stress for some time, then follows a rising curve, but with no further sudden yielding. This effect has been observed in brass by Sachs and Shojil and later by many others. Edwards, Phillips and Jones2 made extensive studies of the effect in steel, and of the role of various alloying elements. Although there seems to be fairly clear evidence that the yield point is caused by a hardening of the material by precipitation of impurities, no satisfactory explanation for the sudden yielding has been given. Winlock and Leiter3 have shown that the strain. level of the upper yield point depends strongly on the rate of loading, the yield point increasing by almost a fac- tor of two as the strain rate goes from 0.002 in. per in. per min. to 4.4 in. per in. per min. This effect would seem to imply an incubation period before yielding is initiated at a certain stress. On the other hand, by going to very slow loading rates, Edwards, Phillips and Jones2 showed that the yield point does not become lower and eventually disappear as might be expected, but, on the contrary, begins to rise at loading rates below about 25 Ib per in. per min. becoming much higher than at rapid loading rates. STRAIN AGING If, instead of continuing straining of a specimen after occurrence of a yield point, the load is removed and the specimen aged, resumption of the test results in occurrence of another yield point as shown by the dotted curve of Fig 3. The new yield stress is generally higher than the previous maximum applied stress. This hardening of the material by straining and subsequent aging is undoubtedly related to quench age-hardening resulting from the aging of a specimen quenched from high temperature. Since neither effect is observed in pure metals, it is generally accepted that quench-aging in all cases is the result of hardening by precipitation of a supersaturated alloying element, and that strain-aging is probably a similar precipitation, accelerated by disruptions of the lattice by previous strain. Pfeil4 has shown that strain-aging does not occur in iron from which all of the carbon has been removed, but that only a very small carbon content, around 0.003 pct, is necessary to cause strain-aging. In accord with this observation is recent work by Dijkstra5 in this laboratory showing that the solubility limit of carbon in iron is extremely low, less than 0.001 pct at 400°C. Edwards, Phillips and Jones2 have shown that the strain-aging effect is also removed by the addition of small quantities of elements such as Mo, Mn, Ti, and the like, which readily form carbides. Their results demonstrate the

Jan 1, 1950

By J. J. Jakosky

A REVIEW of the progress in applied geophysics during the recent depression years reveals marked advances over the methods employed several years ago. Of late, geophysical work has been curtailed to a Con-siderable extent in the fields of oil and base-metal exploration, its especial domains a few years ago. Greater attention has been directed toward the use of geophysical technique in other engineering problems. Constantly maintained research programs have developed new instruments and per-fected better field, laboratory and interpretation techniques based on experience and skill acquired from years of application in the older geophysical field. During the past two years, geophysical methods have been employed in problems that required information on thickness of fill materials and subsurface bedrock contours. Considerable success has been attained, with subsequent drilling checking the predicted depths within one to five per cent. In general, these problems were similar as far as the fundamen-tal physical and geological conditions were concerned, but they have varied widely in specific detail and in engineering aspects. Character-istic of the different problems are: (1) yardage and bedrock profile in gold-placer mining; (2) water supply, involving underground drainage and storage conditions; (3) bedrock contours in dam-site and other structural investigations; (4) gravel and fill yardage, and other structural features along rights of way and in rock and gravel quarrying. Of particular interest, perhaps, to mining men are the problems of gold placer deposits and water supply. Geophysical work on gold placers is of especial interest because of the present expanded activity in all phases of gold mining. The development of a suitable water supply at an economical cost is often of prime importance in insuring a successful mining venture. Particularly is this true in the arid Southwest. How-ever, the use of geophysical work in water supply is not confined to the needs of mining development.

Jan 1, 1933

By ALFREDO INTZAUGARAT, MIGUEL BERRO

During the years 1943 through 1945, there was a decrease in the total oil production in Argentina. In the fields of Comodoro Rivadavia (Chubut Territory) and Mendoza and Salta Provinces, the production obtained was as shown in Table I. The only place where there was a small increase was Plaza Huincul, in the Neuquen Territory and Lunlunta, in the Mendoza Province.

Jan 1, 1946

By Andrew Fletcher

AS good health is the most important asset in life, the development of healthful conditions should be the one common meeting ground of agreement between management and labor. Health should not be a subject to be pulled apart, shoved around, or bargained about. Differences of opinion may exist in the procedure and techniques employed in approaching the goal of maintaining the health of workmen, and in the method of increasing the ultimate profit of the employer by improved working and living conditions. Such matters are doubtless appropriate subjects for discussions between the interested parties, but techniques are only tools. If an employer fails to remedy a hazard or a menace which contributes to poor working condlions, this constitutes a legitimate grievance. It should not be necessary, however, nor is it desirable that fundamentals of health maintenance become matters of collective bargaining, any more than should the principles of management and engineering. I have been especially concerned during the last few months with the propaganda in collective bargaining negotiations throughout the country for including in union contracts a given number of days of sick leave with pay. We all

Jan 1, 1946

By ALBERT P. J. BORDEAUX

THIS paper briefly describes the general outline of cyaniding silver-ores in Mexico, with special reference to personal experiments made in the Temascaltepec district. The most important papers on the subject deal with cyaniding gold-silver-ores, the gold predominating in value, so that the treatment is nearly the same as for gold-ores, the losses of silver being considered of little importance. I describe here the treatment of silver-gold-ores containing very little gold, which is more general in Mexico than elsewhere. The cyanide treatment, which was so successfully applied to gold-ores, did not succeed immediately with silver-ores on account of their varying composition. Gold occurs in nature usually in the native state, while silver occurs generally in combination with sulphur (argentite), and various combinations of sulphur, antimony, and arsenic. In former times there was a complete difference in the treatment of gold-ores and silver-ores. Amalgamation, which was successful with gold-ores, was generally inadequate with silver-ores. The usual treatment in Mexico for silver was the patio process, the theory of which was satisfactorily explained only quite recently by Mr. Ortega and others. GENERAL OUTLINE OP THE CYANIDE TREATMENT. The general tendency of the present practice is to slime the silver-ore as much as possible, and in order to obtain a higher efficiency, with less loss of cyanide, and greater speed, the following lines are observed 1. Crushing by stamps with 30- or 40-mesh screens, then crushing by Huntington or Chilean mills, through 60- or 80-mesh screens. 2. Concentration upon vanners.

Jan 1, 1910

By John B. Myers

VERMICULITE is a name used to describe micaceous material that exfoliates when heated. It is hydrated magnesium-aluminum-iron silicate. The chemical composition, color, physical appearance, and degree of exfoliation vary. COMPOSITION, PROPERTIES, AND ORIGIN Vermiculite has the characteristic micaceous structure of basal cleavage and readily splits into thin laminae, which are soft, pliable, and inelastic. The monoclinic crystal faces are often marked by triangular lines at 60° and 120°. Hardness is 1.5; specific gravity, 2.2-2.7; luster pearly to greasy; colors, amber, bronze, reddish brown, dark green, and black. Feel is soapy, particularly when wet. When heated it exfoliates by expanding at right angles to the cleavage into long wormlike pieces (the name vermiculite is from the Latin veamiculari, to breed worms). This important characteristic of expansion is believed to be a mechanical separation of the layers when the contained water is converted into steam. Warping of the unit layers may also contribute to the expansion. The increase in bulk volume of commercially prepared material is 8 to 12 times but individual flakes may increase in size more than this. Pure vermiculite is a distinct mineral and has the structural formula (OH), (Mg,Fe)3 (Si,Al,Fe)4 010.4H20. It rarely occurs in this pure form, but generally as a mixed mineral of varying structure. One explanation is that the mixed material is composed of unit layers of inter-stratified pure vermiculite and biotite. The essential difference between the two is that unit cell structure of vermiculite contains a layer of water molecules whereas the biotite cell contains potassium instead of the water. The water content of the mixed vermiculite is less than that of pure vermiculite but more than that of biotite. Pure biotite does not expand when heated. If the proportion of biotite layers in a vermiculite is too high it will adversely affect the degree of exfoliation. Within a given deposit, the great mass of material may approach a definite com-position with local areas of greater biotite content. It is not uncommon to find also small pockets of pure biotite but these are generally segre-

Jan 1, 1949

By JOHN JERMAIN

In my opinion, the explanation of the fuel-requirements involving the conception of heat available and necessary above a critical temperature, as advanced by Johnson 1 and elaborated by Howe, Raymond and others,2 affords a theoretically correct basis for such an accounting. It is the purpose of this paper to set forth a first crude attempt to construct a formula which shall show quantitatively the relation between the various factors affecting fuel-economy, and afford a means of comparing the enormous amount of data on the fuel-consumption of various blast-furnaces, at various times and under various conditions of operation. I have also applied this formula to a large number. of individual cases, and have, by its means, compared the furnace-practice of several important iron-making districts. II. DERIVATION OF FORMULA FOR FUEL-REQUIREMENTS. The general expression for the fuel-requirements of the blast-furnace, which I believe to be theoretically correct as to form, is as follows Carbon per ton of iron = Heat per ton of iron necessary in hearth above Tc./Heat per pound of carbon available in hearth above Tc. XFactor of rate of driving. +Carbon dissolved by CO2 of flux. +Carbon dissolved incidental to reduction of ore. + Carbon dissolved in pig-iron. (NOTE.-Tc = critical temperature.) Since, according to Johnson's theory, fuel-economy is usually limited by heat available and necessary in the hearth, rather than by the total heat supplied and necessary, we may write Carbon needed in hearth = Hn/Ha in which Hn is the heat per ton of iron necessary in the hearth above some critical temperature, and Ha is the heat per pound of carbon available in the hearth above this same critical tem¬perature. 1 Trans., xxxvi., 454 (1906). 2 Trans, xxxvi., 792 to 798 (1906) ; Trans, xxxvii., 216 to 237 (1907).

May 1, 1911

By Krahmann, Rudolf

THE following is an account of a survey undertaken to test the possibility of outlining a kimberlite pipe by magnetouietric methods. Kimberlite is a basic igneous rock closely related to melilite-basalt or alnoite, which occurs either in the form of volcanic plugs or as dikes intruded into rocks of various types and geological ages up to and includ¬ing the Lower Cretaceous. The famous diamond mines of South Africa are all in kimberlite pipes and these pipes are probably the original source as well of the vast alluvial deposits found in various parts of the country. The pipe chosen for this experiment is one that ' occurs on the farm Goedgevonden No. 20, about sixteen miles north of the village of Klerksdorp and ninety miles southwest of Johannesburg. Some prospecting has been done on this pipe and diamonds were produced from it but not in paying quantities. The magnetometric survey was made in June, 1932, by R. Krahmann and H. Wallisch and the results are shown on the accompanying plan. On the plan are shown also the boundaries of the pipe as exposed at the surface and details in regard to the surrounding foundations. These are taken from a geological survey made at a later date by W. Beetz, of Johannesburg.

Jan 1, 1935

By James E. Harding

AT just about the geographical center of the peninsula of Lower California is the El Arco gold mine. It is small and spotty, and three separate attempts to operate it in the past have failed. The only reason the present operation is possible is because of the higher price of gold and because the previous operators had spent about $300,000 developing the property with shafts, four levels, machinery, and a complete mill, all of which was acquired at a bargain price. All the known ore in the mine, to say nothing of the cost of recovering it, is

Jan 1, 1937

By Charles A. Ashburner

At the Philadelphia meeting of the Institute, held in February, 1881,I had the honor of reading a paper on "A New Method of Mapping the Anthracite Coal Fields of Pennsylvania."* At that time the State appropriation for the Second Geological Survey had just expired, and, as a new appropriation was not assured, no detailed plan had been adopted by Professor Lesley, State Geologist, for the practical examination of the mines, and the solution of the geological structure of special localities, or the representation in sections, vertical and columnar, of the general structure of the coal basins and coal beds. I had merely proposed a plan of mapping, as the material for the construction of maps was most available, and it was at that time uncertain what money the Survey would have to enable it to extend the surface and underground explorations, in order to make the examinations complete. After a continuation of the Survey was authorized until January, 1884, by the legislature, in May, 1881, the Anthracite Survey was regularly organized, and a plan adopted for a systematic and exhaustive geological and mine examination of the region. This plan provided for such work, other than that of mapping, as was necessary for a complete and practical geological and mining survey of a coal field. To do any geological work, of however general a character, it was absolutely. necessary that the members of the Survey Corps should obtain unrestricted access to all the mining records of the operators, which have been made with great care and accuracy and at an enormous expense during the past thirty years and more. The unanimous and generous support of the individual and corporate coal operators, of the plan of carrying on the Survey, was promptly assured, on condition that the results should be of such a character as to render them of practical utility to the property-owners and those directly interested. It was hoped

Jan 1, 1883

By Jackson M. Langton

Substantial evidence supports the theory that high-angle faults and overthrusts in the Morenci-Metcalf region were initially caused by a Late Precambrian-Early Paleozoic stress field. These faults were reactivated in Late Paleozoic-Early Mesozoic time which completed the structural framework prior to the Laramide Orogeny. Excluding an interruption by diabase dikes and sills, Paleocene-Eocene magmas invaded the pre-existing structures and became progressively more sialic in composition and nearer to the surface with each subsequent injection. The last sialic intrusion was highly explosive, rendering the country rocks more permeable for hypogene and supergene activity. Widespread dilation, instigated by uplift and subsequent magma intrusion, caused extension to the northwest and southeast. A major locus of hypo gene alteration and mineralization appears to be centered around the south and southeast periphery of the youngest granite porphyry stock. A potassic, sulfide-deficient core is telescoped by a pyritic, phyllic zone which in turn is enveloped by widespread propylitic alteration.

Jan 1, 1974

By W. A. Tiller, W. C. Johnston

A high-temperature electromagnetic stirrer is described in which heating and stirring are accomplished by independently controlled power sources. The appavatus is suitable lor use at temperatures up to 1700°C in a variety of ambient atmospheres. Some typical examples of the homogenizatimz capabilities of the system are given. THERE are few processes in solidification that are not markedly affected by motion in the melt during freezing. In many instances, the mechanisms are diffusion-controlled, and the transport in the melt may be greatly accelerated by deliberately stirring the melt. In zone-refining, stirring1 assists the removal of rejected impurities from the interface, so the process proceeds at a faster rate. The transition from a planar to a cellular interface is caused by constitutional undercooling in the melt ahead of the interface: and stirring delays its onset. Stirring is valuable for homogenization of melts: and chemical reaction with sluggish kinetics may be accelerated. Finally, it has been observed that grain refinement is related to motion in the melt. Fine grain castings are usually produced by the addition of catalysts to the -melt,' catalysts which are thought to act simply as hetereogeneous nucleation centers. Even here motion is important. Richards and Rostoker 5 applied ultrasonic vibration to a solidifying A1-Cu alloy which had been innoculated with a catalyst and found that the grain diameter fell linearly with the amplitude, the peak acceleration and the power input to the melt from the transducer. Finally, mechanical and electrical stirring alone have been used to generate a fine-grained structure.6,7 Johnston ef a1.' have carried out a series of systematic investigations of grain refinement by electromagnetic stirring in a number of low melting point alloys. They found, for example, that the number of grains per unit volume in Pb-Sn alloys could be increased several orders of magnitude by stirring an undercooled melt at the moment of recalescence. In general, a relation AT .H = constant prevailed for a given grain size, where AT was the undercooling of the melt and H the field strength. In more recent work, deliberate homogeneous nucleation of slightly undercooled melts established that the mechanism of refinement must be one involving crystal fragmentation and subsequent multiplication, rather than a "shower" of nuclei effect.9 It is the purpose of this note to describe a stirring device suitable for use up to 1700°C. At low temperatures mechanical stirring and direct-current methods are feasible, but at high temperatures the problem of a protective atmosphere and of electrode corrosion rules out such procedures. The most convenient method for high temperatures is to use externally generated ac fields for both stirring and heating. With rf induction heating alone, considerable stirring and agitation can be achieved, but in general the penetration of field into the melt is small, and the stirring cannot be controlled independently of the heating. In the present experiments, separate power sources of different frequencies for heating and for stirring were used. A susceptor design was chosen so that the 450 kc rf heating field was completely absorbed in the susceptor. The stirring frequency, 400 cps, hereafter called the af field, was chosen so that a high penetration of the melt proper was achieved. EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS The apparatus, Fig. 1, consists of a quartz tube and end plates, surrounded by an rf induction coil and six equally spaced af stirring coils, four of which are shown in full and a fifth in section. Each af stirring coil is a transformer of which the secondary is a single-turn water-cooled copper loop and the primary is composed of two 10 amp-117 v Variac cores as shown. These cores are cooled by forced air, as each of the six pairs will carry maximum currents of 15 amp for short periods. Each set of Variac windings are connected in series, but opposite sets are connected in parallel with a three-phase 400 cps 400-v source. By properly phasing the coils in this way, a rotating field is produced. Capacitors C1, C2, and C3 in Fig. 2 are used to match this inductive load to the generator. Fig. 3 shows a cutaway view of the quartz tube. The sample (1 in. diam by 1 in. high) is placed in a tapered alumina crucible. An axial W-26 pct Re thermocouple, enclosed by a protection tube, is provided. The cruci-

Jan 1, 1968

By ROBERT R. ABUOTT

(Cleveland Meeting, October, 1912.) THE practice of carbonizing steel for the purpose of case-hardening has assumed great commercial importance within the past, 10 years. Formerly, case-hardened steel was held in more or less contempt, since it. was considered a cheap substitute for tool-steel. This is no longer the case. The development of the motor-car industry, and coincidentally that of modern alloy-steels, has resulted in overcoming many difficulties formerly experienced in case-hardening. This result has been accomplished by increased knowledge regarding the analysis of the steel which would respond most readily to case-hardening, and by more careful methods of treatment of the carbonized steel. The ordinary method of carbonizing consists in packing the steel with the carbonizing-material in cast-iron boxes and placing them in a furnace at a temperature of from 1,500° to 1,900° F. for a time sufficient to give the required depth of cc case." The steel is then either quenched directly from the box, or is allowed to cool without unpacking, and finally given a single hardening-heat., or, for special work, two or three heats. During the year 1911, more than 100,000 tons of carbonizing-material was sold in the United States, at an average price of probably $55 per ton. More than 85 per cent. of this material consisted of granulated bone. Within the past four years, many manufactured compounds have been placed on the market, consisting largely of some form of carbon or carbonaceous material, with or without the addition of chemicals. Steel will absorb carbon placed in contact with it at the temperature of the atmosphere. The reaction is exceedingly slow, but. increases rapidly with increasing temperature. Below * Metallurgical Engineer, The Peerless Motor Car Co.

Dec 1, 1912

By Oliver Bololes

UNDER the able leadership of Samuel H. Dolbear, the Committee on Nonmetallic Minerals furnished a program of sixteen papers comprising three sessions. An outstanding accomplishment in technology presented at the first session by Benjamin L. Miller and C. H. Breerwood is the application of flotation to the purification of limestone used in cement manufacture. In place of selective quarrying to provide high-grade raw material, the quarry-run stone is pulverized and treated in froth flotation cells for removal of free silica and mica. Some advantages are cheaper quarrying, more complete utilization of quarry rock, avoidance of purchasing high calcium stone, lower fuel cost and improvement in the finished cement. Paul M. Tyler presented the general subject of milling methods as applied to nonmetal lies. He pointed out the importance of some of the more recent refinements in ore dressing, and urged the need of a wider appreciation of their possibilities. The gypsum industry of Canada was described by L. H. Cole. Crystal growth during the setting process was illustrated by moving pictures. The Coastal Plain and interior salt

Jan 1, 1935

By Paul M. Tyler

NOW that the dust of World War II has settled and we and our allies are faced with extravagant losses of men, money, and materials, virtually the only hope that the United States and Britain have in the way of reparations lies in the capture of industrial, technical, and scientific secrets. Even during the war American and British scientists and technicians gained access to German factories, questioned German personnel, studied German documents, and endeavored generally to keep pace with new discoveries in science, industrial technology, and process development. Under various agencies this work continued for two years after the war. Altogether at least 600 American scientists and industrialists have gone to Germany and brought back reports and several times as many British, Canadian, and. Australian investigators have been similarly engaged under co-operative arrangements designed to assure the maximum of coverage with a minimum duplication of effort. As a result of these investigations and document studies, about 500 or 600 reports have been prepared on metallurgical and allied subjects. Those by American authors or joint teams have been listed in the annotated Bibliography of Scientific and Industrial Reports, issued by the Office of Technical Services in the U. S. Department of Commerce. Many of the British reports are also available in this country through the same office or through a British representative in New York. Since it was my duty to read most of these reports for

Jan 1, 1948

By N. A. Tiner, Saara Asunmaa

The early stages of nucleation of vacuunz-deposited gold coatings on electropolished surfaces of pure nickel and binary alloys of Ni-A1 and Ni-Ti have been studied, employing carefully controlled temperature and vacuum conditions. The preferential nucleation of gold on slip-plane edges on the crystal surfaces gave rise to a very pronounced decoration effect which was used in studying the morphology of the pain boundaries, etch pits, and slip planes on crystal faces. Characteristic surface patterns were observed with local dimensional variations. Most pronounced geometric patterns were ohserved in the pain boundaries of nickel and on the crystal faces of Ni-A1 alloy. The nucleation behauior of gold indicates contamination on the Ni-T1 alloy and the getter properties of titanium are presented as a tentative interpretation for the detected contamination. The markings and imperfections on cleavage surfaces of crystals have long been observed by optical microscopy.1,2 Surface-replica techniques are also used to detect the smallest steps and structural details on crystal surfaces by electron microscopy. Recently, Bassett3-5 and Sella, Conjeaud, and Trillat 6 have shown that, when gold is deposited onto a rocksalt cleavage surface, there is preferential nucleation at steps and slip-plane edges on the crystal surface. This gives rise to a very pronounced decoration effect which is invaluable for revealing the lattice steps on a cleavage surface. According to Bassett,3 gold atoms arriving during vacuum evaporation at the crystal surface have a certain mobility on the surface after arrival, particularly at elevated temperature. If a significant

Jan 1, 1964

By John Johnston

THIS necessarily brief sketch will attempt to summarize the high lights of perhaps the best meeting so far held by the Iron and Steel Division. All sessions were well attended and the discussion was vigorous and of a high order. The technical sessions opened. on Tuesday morning. "Precipitation Hardening of Copper Steels" was discussed by Cyril S. Smith and Earl W. Palmer, and dealt with steel with a 1 per cent copper content. Discussion brought out that there were no fabricating difficulties, but that the surface might be somewhat checked due to intergranular penetration of copper which could be easily taken care of. Probable advantages of steels of this type for high temperatures were pointed out. "An Improved Nickel-chromium Hardened Chilled Cast Iron," by J. S. Vanick, described a wear-resistant cast iron and evoked a lively discussion.

Jan 1, 1933

By D. H. Baldwin, R. E. Reed-Hill

DURING the course of experiments involving oxygen equilibrations with a high-purity Pd-5 at. pct Rh alloy, the appearance of a subscale was noted. Most of the heat treatments in a pure oxygen atmosphere were performed at 900°C. The presence of the subscale was noted when the oxygen partial pressure was in excess of approximately 95 mm, up to 1 atm, the highest pressure used. According to available thermodynamic information' on the free energy of formation of Rh2O3 (the only reliably reported solid oxide of rhodium), this oxide should not be stable under these conditions, nor, of course, any oxide of palladium. Extraction of the subscale from the matrix was affected by treatment with aqua regia, and the resulting X-ray diffraction powder pattern is shown in Table I. This pattern is not that of Rh2O3, nor that of any known rhodium or palladium oxide. It can be indexed on a hexagonal lattice with a. = 5.22Å and co = 6.0Å. In addition to this unknown material, there was a weak Rh2O3 pattern. An X-ray fluorescence analysis of the powder gave 3214 palladium counts per sec and 5381 rhodium counts per sec, thus indicating the likelihood of a double oxide of palladium and rhodium. In view of the fact that the above result was obtained on a single sample, it is perhaps best not to insist upon the above ratio of about 0.6, but possibly to tentatively assume 0.5 or 1/1. The small amount of Rh2O3 in the X-ray pattern might have occurred on cooling, and it seems possible that the double oxide, below some temperature level, is not as stable as Rh2O3. To examine this point, some of the extracted double oxide was heated on a sheet of pure palladium in air at 900°C, and allowed to furnace-cool over a period of several hours. The X-ray diffraction pattern of the powder showed approximately the same intensity of Rh2O3 and the "hexagonal" oxide as before, but, in addition, a rather faint pattern of another crystalline species made its appearance. This finding again suggests partial transformation of the major (double) oxide to other oxides on cooling from 900°C. Application of the phase rule shows that only one equilibrium oxide (subscale) could have been present at temperature. Vacuum-fusion, oxygen analysis of the extracted subscale showed 7.7 ± 0.7 pct O. Combining this information with that of the X-ray fluorescence analysis suggests the formula PdRhO. This compound should have an oxygen content of 7.07 pct, which is within the range of error of the oxygen analysis. However, until a more careful stoichiometric study is made, it is suggested that the formula be written

Jan 1, 1965

By H. H. Hausner, H. S. Kalish

IN recent years zirconium and beryllium have become of great interest because of their special properties. Zirconium is known for its remarkable ability to absorb the gases oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen, has extensive use as a getter in electron tubes and has indeed become the primary metal in the manufacture of photoflash bulbs. Beryllium is of interest because it is light metal and as such could supplement aluminum and magnesium in light metal applications. The late development of zirconium ductile at room temperature produced by both the iodide and calcium reduction methods has stimulated frequent articles on this metal in the recent literature. Beryllium is so closely akin to zirconium crystall-ographically that some investigators are of the opinion that beryllium should be ductile at room temperature if it were pure enough. The crystallographic relationship of beryllium and zirconium, the interest created in Be-Zr alloys where the zirconium is believed to function as a remover of solid solution gas in beryllium and thus increase the ductility of the beryllium rich alloy, and the amenability of these metals to powder metallurgy methods stimulated this approach to an investigation of the system Be-Zr. Preliminary work showed that a zirconium compact melted when pressed in contact with a beryllium compact and sintered at 1250°C, without any apparent final bond between the two. A search of the literature revealed nothing pertinent about the Zr-Be system or about any zirconium - beryllium alloys. In 1936 Misch³ vaguely identified the compound ZrBe2 and reported that it has a deformed cubic structure. Two patents," , were issued to Mach-lett Laboratories in 1943 and in 1946 regarding the addition of small amounts of zirconium to beryllium in order to improve the ductility of beryllium so that it may better be used for X ray windows. In considering the alloy formation of beryllium with other metals Raynor thought it unlikely that zirconium would have any solid solubility in beryllium. From this indefinite information nothing could be ascertained about the possible use of Zr-Be alloys or the use of these metals intimately. A brief preliminary study of the system Zr-Be by powder metallurgy methods was undertaken to provide regions for more intense studies of Zr-Be alloys and as a guide to a formal phase diagram determination. The investigation described in the following pages was completed in less than three weeks. The usefulness of this rapid method to facilitate phase diagram studies and new alloy investigations will be shown. Materials and Procedure Zirconium powder was produced from crystal bar stock of high purity supplied by Foote Mineral Co. The crystal bar was converted to hydride at 730°C, crushed, and the hydride decomposed in purified argon at 850°C. 60 pct of the powder passed through a 325 mesh screen, 40 pct of the powder was —140 mesh, +325 mesh and the average particle size of the total was 8 to 12 microns. The beryllium powder was used as re-

Jan 1, 1951

By Howard N. Eavenson

AN analysis of the bituminous coal situation by an authority who traces the production, mining, safety, markets and labor trends in comparison with other fuels. BEFORE 1918 the production of coal experienced a steady growth, with slight recessions in ouput in only twelve years (1837, 1841, 1852, 1855, 1861, 1874, 1876, 1889, 1894, 1905, 1909, 1914), and in each of these cases the loss was recovered in the following year and the increase continued. In each decade the output was doubled. Prices, while not high, allowed some profit. In 1918 during World War I, an output of 580 million tons was reached and with the exception of 1923 this total was not again reached until 1942, in World War 11. Losses of output in this period were much greater than ever before; in 1932 the total was 270 million tons less than in 1918 or 1923, and the loss after 1923 was not recovered until 1942. The greatest output was 631 million tons in 1947.

Jan 1, 1950