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By James O. Lewis

Gravity drainage is the self-propulsion of oil downward in the reservoir rock. Under favorable natural and operational conditions, it has been found to effect recoveries comparable to water displacement. With modern technical knowledge, the operator can often make a choice between dissolved gas drive, water drive and gravity drainage as the principal recovery agent in a reservoir. It is desirable that the opeator be able to determine which of the three agents will be most effective under each set of conditions. So far, gravity drainage has received less consideration than the other two. In this paper. an endeavor is made to set forth some of the principles of gravity drainage, to point out the types of reservoirs favorable for it, and to show how it may be applied in them. Field examples are described and discussed. Introduction Since early in the history of the oil industry, it has been recognized that gravity is one of the three important natural forces for expelling oil from the reservoir rock. As knowledge of the technology of oil recovery progressed, ideas changed with respect to the relative importance of the three forces and with respect to the manners in which they functioned. For a time, disproportionate emphasis was placed on the importance and function of gas and the need for conserving gas pressures. More recently, disproportionate emphasis has been placed on encroaching edge water. Only lately has there been evidence that the function and importance of gravity was to receive due consideration. Study of this neglected phase of oil recovery is needed to round out our knowledge of reservoir behaviors and to gain a balanced viewpoint of the interplay of forces that may operate in varying importance in reservoirs. The purpose of this paper is to discuss mainly in a qualitative way, the functions of gravity, to present some concrete instances where it has been important and to raise some questions that should be investigated further. Oil-recovery Agents The important natural agents for effecting oil recovery that may be originally available in a reservoir are gas, both dissolved in the oil and free in gas caps, encroaching edge water and gravity. Each of these agents can act in a dual capacity—physically to overcome the surface energies that hold the oil within the pores and mechanically to overcome viscous . resistance and to propel the oil through the porous reservoir rock to the wells. Advancing edge water displaces the oil from the pores and lifts it updip to structurally lower wells. Gravity drains the oil from the pores and flows it downdip to the wells. Gas displaces oil from the pores, entrains it in the gas stream and flows it to the wells, but gas in solution also affects the physical properties of the oil and thus can influence oil recovery by the other agents, whether or not the mechanical energy in the gas is utilized. Of the two functions of these agents, the more important is the ability to dis-

Jan 1, 1944

By James O. Lewis

Gravity drainage is the self-propulsion of oil downward in the reservoir rock. Under favorable natural and operational conditions, it has been found to effect recoveries comparable to water displacement. With modern technical knowledge, the operator can often make a choice between dissolved gas drive, water drive and gravity drainage as the principal recovery agent in a reservoir. It is desirable that the opeator be able to determine which of the three agents will be most effective under each set of conditions. So far, gravity drainage has received less consideration than the other two. In this paper. an endeavor is made to set forth some of the principles of gravity drainage, to point out the types of reservoirs favorable for it, and to show how it may be applied in them. Field examples are described and discussed. Introduction Since early in the history of the oil industry, it has been recognized that gravity is one of the three important natural forces for expelling oil from the reservoir rock. As knowledge of the technology of oil recovery progressed, ideas changed with respect to the relative importance of the three forces and with respect to the manners in which they functioned. For a time, disproportionate emphasis was placed on the importance and function of gas and the need for conserving gas pressures. More recently, disproportionate emphasis has been placed on encroaching edge water. Only lately has there been evidence that the function and importance of gravity was to receive due consideration. Study of this neglected phase of oil recovery is needed to round out our knowledge of reservoir behaviors and to gain a balanced viewpoint of the interplay of forces that may operate in varying importance in reservoirs. The purpose of this paper is to discuss mainly in a qualitative way, the functions of gravity, to present some concrete instances where it has been important and to raise some questions that should be investigated further. Oil-recovery Agents The important natural agents for effecting oil recovery that may be originally available in a reservoir are gas, both dissolved in the oil and free in gas caps, encroaching edge water and gravity. Each of these agents can act in a dual capacity—physically to overcome the surface energies that hold the oil within the pores and mechanically to overcome viscous . resistance and to propel the oil through the porous reservoir rock to the wells. Advancing edge water displaces the oil from the pores and lifts it updip to structurally lower wells. Gravity drains the oil from the pores and flows it downdip to the wells. Gas displaces oil from the pores, entrains it in the gas stream and flows it to the wells, but gas in solution also affects the physical properties of the oil and thus can influence oil recovery by the other agents, whether or not the mechanical energy in the gas is utilized. Of the two functions of these agents, the more important is the ability to dis-

Jan 1, 1944

By Reynold Q. Shotts

The small domestic underfeed stoker as now designed is unusually sensitive to the coking and plastic properties of coals, and when the attempt is made to burn the high rank coking and caking coals of the Appalachian fields, serious trouble may occur. Part of the trouble may be caused by the ash content and clinkering characteristics of the particular coal in use, but more often it is the result of an excessive ac-in of coke in the form of ''trees,, or masses in the fuel bed. Often the zone of burning becomes so restricted that the fire goes out, and in extreme cases the fire may be lifted completely out of the fuel bed and away from the air ports. Even if the fire is preserved, excessive coking may cause response to subsequent heat demand to be slow and irregular. Coke trees seem to grow most readily during periods of hold-fire operation, so that in order to preserve the fire in mild weather it is often necessary to set the timer for such a long operating period each hour that much unneeded and unwanted heat is developed, causing discomfort. During demand periods the fire may pick up so slowly that the intense burning which develops just before stoker cut-off causes a serious overshooting of the thermostat. Stoker coal performance tests which have been made in a number of labora- tories1,2,3,4,5 are one method of approach to the problem Of selecting stoker coals- As yet these tests have not been standardized and they are expensive and time-consuming. The value of the results probably increases with the length of the test. Sherman and co-workers at Battelle Memorial Institute believe that even a one-week test is not too reliable a trial2 and it is quite likely that Others will agree. A great advantage of such tests is that characteristics of coals, other than the tendency to form coke masses, may be evaluated from them. The selection of stoker coals would be greatly facilitated if there existed some simp1e measure Of the tendency Of a a to form coke in a fuel bed. Although possessing all Of the disadvantages Of any small-scale laboratory test, the test for the free-swelling index of coal has been found useful for evaluating the probable effects Of swelling properties upon combustion.7 Ostborg, Limbacherand Sherman, have shown that the test can Predict, roughly, the tendency Of coke to accumulate in the fuel bed Of a domestic stoker. They also gave instances of its value in predicting combustion behavior in some large installations. The use of the test for free-swelling index has become well established and has been adopted as a standard by the American Society for Testing Materials.8 When domestic stoker coal investigations began at the State Mine Experiment Station in the summer of 1944, it was decided

Jan 1, 1949

By D. W. Mitchell

While pure magnesium does not corrode rapidly the presence of even very small quantities of certain other metals accelerates corrosion remarkably. Because magnesium is such an electropositive metal (E° = +2.34 volts)' the presence of substances that permit galvanic activity is extremely undesirable. It is stated that as little as 0.017 pct of iron in magnesium causes a marked increase in the corrosion rate.2 Magnesium and its alloys are commonly melted in iron or steel pots; consequently the commercial metal has the opportunity to pick up iron if it has that tendency. Quantitative data on the solubility of iron in magnesium are of practical as well as of academic interest. Some magnesium alloy castings tend to have large grain size unless suitable treatment is given to the liquid metal just prior to casting. One method of grain refinement consists of "superheating" the metal just prior to casting. "Superhcating" is heating to a temperature 100 to 200°C above the casting temperature and holding for a short period of time. Superheated metal has a much finer grain than unsuperheated metal. A satisfactory explanation of this phenomenon has not been forthcoming. One hypothesis attributes the grain refinement in the superheated metal to precipitation of some phase that is mis-cible at the temperature of superheat but not miscible just below the casting temperature and which is thought to provide nucleating centers for crystallization. This phase, if the foregoing hypothesis is correct, would probably be a metal or an intermetal-lic compound. Of the metals likely to be found in magnesium alloys, iron is one of the most likely candidates for the role of grain refiner for iron occurs in small quantities in all commercial magnesium and magnesium alloys. A. Beck³ states that magnesium, in either the liquid or the solid state, cannot dissolve iron and that iron exists as a finely divided suspension which does not settle out because of its extreme fineness. Beck also presents a micrograph showing a large iron dendrite in magnesium but does not comment on the crystallization of iron from a solution supposed to contain none. It is doubtful that dendrite formation from suspended iron -would be possible. This suspension theory is the basis of patents4 covering the removal of iron from magnesium by allowing the iron particles to act as nuclei for the formation of primary magnesium crystals which can be separated by segregation. Also covered by patents is the removal of iron by the addition of another metal to form an intermetallic compound with the iron which, because of its increased particle size, is able to settle out of the molten metal. Here, too, quantitative information on the extent of iron solubility in liquid magnesium is of more than theoretical interest. M. Hansen,5 in his critical collection of the data on binary alloys, states that iron is not soluble in liquid magnesium. W. R. D. Jones% ho studied the physical properties of low iron magnesium alloys observed a 57°

Jan 1, 1949

By M. King Hubbert

In 1856 Henry Darcy described in an appendix to his book, Les Fontaines Publiques de la Ville de Dijon, a series of experiments on the downward flow of water through filter sands, whereby it was established that the rate of flow is given by the equation: q= - K(h2- h2)/I1 in which q is the volume of water crossing unit area in unit time, I is the thickness of the sand, h1 and h2 the heights above a reference level of the water in manometers terminated above and below the sand, respectively, and K a factor of proportionality. This relationship, appropriately, soon became known as Darcy's law. Subsequently many separate attempts have been made to give Darcy's empirical expression a more general physical fornzulation, with the result that .so many mutually inconsistent expressions of what is purported to he Darcy's law have appeared in published literature that sight has often been lost of Darcy's own work and of its significance. In the present paper, therefore, it shall be our purpose to reinform ourselves upon what Darcy himself did, and then to determine the meaning of his results when expressed explicitly in terms of the pertinent physical variables involved. This will be done first by the empirical method used by Darcy himself, and then by direct derivation from the Navier-Stokes equation of motion of viscous fluids. We find in this manner that: q = (N4(p/p)[g - (l/p) gradPI = WE, is a physical expression for Darcy's law, which is valid for liquids generally, and for gases at pressures higher than about 20 atmospheres. Here N is a shape factor and d a characteristic length of the pore structure of the solid, p and IL are the density and viscosity of the fluid, a = (Nd2)(pip) is the volume conductivity of the system, and E = [g - (l/p) grad p] is the impelling force per unit mass acting upon the fluid. It is found also that Darcy's law is valid only for flow velocities such that the inertial forces are negligible as compared with those arising from viscosity. In general, three-dimensional space there exist two superposed physical fields: a field of force of charucteristic vector E, and a field of flow of vector q. The force field is more general than the flow field since it has values in all space capable of being occupied by the fluid. So long as the fluid density is constant or is a function of the pressure only, curl E = 0, E = - grad F where F = gz + dp/p The field of flow, independently of the force field, must satisfy the conservation of mom, leading to the equation of continuity div pq = — f ap/at , where f is the porosity, und t is the time. For steady rnotion ap/at = 0. and div pq = 0 .

Jan 1, 1957

By R. B. Hoy, Stanley J. LeFond, K. Reckling

Reported world production of natural diamonds approximates 40,000,000 carats a year (1980). The Republic of Zaire is the leading producer, with an output which is primarily industrial rather than gem grade. The USSR ranks second, the Republic of South Africa third, and Botswana, fourth. Diamonds are also mined in South-West Africa (Namibia), Angola, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and other African countries. In the western hemisphere, Brazil and Venezuela are the principal producers (Fig. 1). A very small output of diamonds is mined today it India, which was the first source of commercial production. In the US, efforts at commercial diamond mining have been confined to a small area near Murfreesboro, AR. The first diamond was found in a kimberlite pipe there in 1906. Small-scale trial mining has not, however, proved economical. Since diamonds were first discovered over 2,000 years ago, only about 260 tons have been mined. In order to obtain I g (5 carats) of diamonds, it is necessary to remove and process approximately 25 tons of rock. Recovering this small percentage involves a combination of highly developed techniques in mining, quarrying, and earth-moving, and extremely sophisticated recovery processes. End Uses Diamonds are used for two unrelated end uses; gem diamonds are jewels of great beauty while industrial diamonds are essential materials of modern industry. Although imitation stones are substituted for the gem diamond, none of these matches its properties sufficiently well to offer real competition. Synthetic industrial diamonds are now of a quality and size that permit them to be substituted for natural diamond in numerous industrial applications. For example, synthetic diamonds are available today in sizes up to 100 stones per carat (14/16 US mesh size). In addition, polycrystalline synthetic diamond inserts, such as De Beers Syndite®, General Electric's Compax® and Stratapax® and Megadiamond's Megapax® have replaced natural diamond in turning tools, mining and oil drilling bits and dressing tool applications. Gem Diamonds A diamond is a natural prism. It has the ability to bounce light rays (reflection), to bend them (refraction), and to break them into all colors of the rainbow (dispersion). This ability to modify light gives the diamond three characteristics for providing beauty. First is brilliance, the reflection of light back to the eye. Second is fire, dispersion of light into the colors of the spectrum. Third is scintillation, the "twinkling" that occurs when the diamond is moved (Bauer, 1969). The skill of the diamond cutter is required to unlock the brilliant, fiery beauty of a gem diamond (Fisher, 1966). Diamond-cutting skills have gradually developed over the centuries. The first cutters, in India, learned how to grind one rough diamond against another to remove their "skins" and to give them various shapes. This revealed some fire and beauty, but little compared to that of the diamonds that are cut today.

Jan 1, 1983

By Herbert H. Uhlig

Although the mechanical properties of high-carbon manganese-iron alloys, particularly the Hadfield manganese steels, have been established, the literature discloses discrepancies in the reported properties for the low-carbon alloys. Hadfieldla summarized the existing data up to 1927, including the investigations of Guillet, Arnold, Strauss, Burgess and Aston, and reported his own values for alloys containing for the most part from 0.06 to 0.I5 per cent carbon. He noted: From these comparisons it wil! be seen that while there is a broad and general agreement as to the character of the alloys at the different manganese percentages, there are disparities in individual cases, especially as regards the degree of toughness or brittleness displayed by an alloy with certain percentages and with particular types of treatment. These differences are not always readily explainable.lb His data showed that alloys containing 4 to 10 per cent manganese water-quenched from Iooo°C. were brittle and hard with maximum brittleness at about 7 per cent. Slight improvement in ductility was obtained with compositions from 10 to 17 per cent manganese. Alloys containing up to 17 per cent manganese slowly cooled rather than quenched from 87o°C., he found, were slightly improved in ductility with significant improvement in alloys analyzing 4.1 and 4.8 per cent manganese. Recently Walters, Kramer and Loring2 reported mechanical properties for alloys made up from electrolytic manganese and ingot iron and containing from 0.02 to 0.04 per cent carbon. They showed that a tempering treatment at 54o°C. (Iooo°F.) for one hour significantly improved the ductility of compositions ranging from 6.7 to &apos; 20.7 per cent manganese. The differences of these compared with Hadfield&apos;s results they considered to originate in this tempering treatment plus the fact that Hadfield&apos;s alloys contained higher carbon and phosphorus (0.06 to 0.I5 per cent C; 0.06 to 0.07 per cent P compared with 0.02 to 0.04 per cent C, <o.ooI per cent P). In this paper it is shown that of the low-carbon alloys (0.02 to 0.03 per cent) containing from 3.3 to 21.5 per cent manganese moderately or rapidly quenched from IOOO°C. some are brittle or ductile, depending on presence or absence of hydrogen. Hydrogen is readily absorbed at high temperatures, and much of it is retained when the alloys are cooled to room temperature. The presence of hydrogen in the range of composition from 10 to 18 per cent manganese is a major factor in determining relative ductility. At 22 per cent manganese, and also at compositions below 10 per cent manganese, factors other than or in addition to hydrogen play a role. These are discussed. Also data are presented to show that hydrogen absorbed by the high-carbon alloys of Hadfield composition is without effect on their mechanical properties.

Jan 1, 1944

By Herbert H. Uhlig

Although the mechanical properties of high-carbon manganese-iron alloys, particularly the Hadfield manganese steels, have been established, the literature discloses discrepancies in the reported properties for the low-carbon alloys. Hadfieldla summarized the existing data up to 1927, including the investigations of Guillet, Arnold, Strauss, Burgess and Aston, and reported his own values for alloys containing for the most part from 0.06 to 0.I5 per cent carbon. He noted: From these comparisons it wil! be seen that while there is a broad and general agreement as to the character of the alloys at the different manganese percentages, there are disparities in individual cases, especially as regards the degree of toughness or brittleness displayed by an alloy with certain percentages and with particular types of treatment. These differences are not always readily explainable.lb His data showed that alloys containing 4 to 10 per cent manganese water-quenched from Iooo°C. were brittle and hard with maximum brittleness at about 7 per cent. Slight improvement in ductility was obtained with compositions from 10 to 17 per cent manganese. Alloys containing up to 17 per cent manganese slowly cooled rather than quenched from 87o°C., he found, were slightly improved in ductility with significant improvement in alloys analyzing 4.1 and 4.8 per cent manganese. Recently Walters, Kramer and Loring2 reported mechanical properties for alloys made up from electrolytic manganese and ingot iron and containing from 0.02 to 0.04 per cent carbon. They showed that a tempering treatment at 54o°C. (Iooo°F.) for one hour significantly improved the ductility of compositions ranging from 6.7 to &apos; 20.7 per cent manganese. The differences of these compared with Hadfield&apos;s results they considered to originate in this tempering treatment plus the fact that Hadfield&apos;s alloys contained higher carbon and phosphorus (0.06 to 0.I5 per cent C; 0.06 to 0.07 per cent P compared with 0.02 to 0.04 per cent C, <o.ooI per cent P). In this paper it is shown that of the low-carbon alloys (0.02 to 0.03 per cent) containing from 3.3 to 21.5 per cent manganese moderately or rapidly quenched from IOOO°C. some are brittle or ductile, depending on presence or absence of hydrogen. Hydrogen is readily absorbed at high temperatures, and much of it is retained when the alloys are cooled to room temperature. The presence of hydrogen in the range of composition from 10 to 18 per cent manganese is a major factor in determining relative ductility. At 22 per cent manganese, and also at compositions below 10 per cent manganese, factors other than or in addition to hydrogen play a role. These are discussed. Also data are presented to show that hydrogen absorbed by the high-carbon alloys of Hadfield composition is without effect on their mechanical properties.

Jan 1, 1944

By L. D. Clark, S. S. Saluja

A physical law, governing the rupture of rock by confined explosive charge correspondent to current expressions for determining weight of charge to rupture rock burden, W, was developed in the form Q = cVw3 by two early investigators performing unique experiments with ice. The coefficient C, is found by trial blast. Recent physical tests conducted with rock, synthetic materials and ice to establish the validity of the theory on which it and other related formulae are based indicated: (a) that failure under hydrodynamic impact pressure is by tension rather than shear as was assumed; (b) that the fundamental law of mechanics, enabling the determination of Q = cvw3, modified to the form P = R x Sa x Wb is valid when low velocity explosives are used; (c) that rock breakage under the action of low velocity explosives is entirely due to explosion gas pressure, as was believed; (d) that under the action of high velocity explosive it is due to the joint effects of scabbing and gas pressure; and that further possible modification could make the above equation also applicable to these joint mechanisms. shape could be easily frozen and because large loads would not be required. They found: (a) that the not unfamiliar shearing equation for metals was applicable to ice where P = load in lb; S = periphery of pressure surface, in.; W = burden, in.; K = modulus of rupture by shear in lb per in.2; and (b) that "the form of cavity produced by the application of gradual pressure is similar to that obtained by blasting in rock under similar conditions of free face and pressure surface!" This similarity in crater shapes leads to the conclusion that rock would rupture by shear, as did ice, and its behavior under the force of a blast could be governed by such a relationship as P = S x W x K. Three important interrelated empirical expressions were derived and rock, charging and spacing coefficients C,, C, and e were established and substantiated by trial blasts. In checking the accuracy of the main assumptions, duplication of the ice tests, substituting rock, suggested that K is not constant and that P = K x W x S, though valid for ice, does not necessarily hold for homogeneous limestone.&apos; Conclusions from this later work raised questions making continued investigation desirable because such conclusions do not destroy the practical value of the empirical equations or theory. Further study for the establishment of the relationship between load, burden and periphery of the pressure surface and possible application of these to the mechanism of rock blasting was undertaken by the authors of this paper. MECHANICAL TESTING - EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Certain inconsistencies in the results of the aforementioned tests repeated on three types of limestone suggested these inconsistencies be attributed to rock inhomogeneity. It was also suspected that the loading speed, which could not be held uniform, may have contributed. The earlier work with both rock and ice

Jan 1, 1964

By Reynold Q. Shotts

INTRODUCTION THE small domestic underfeed stoker as now designed is unusually sensitive to the coking and plastic properties of coals, and when the attempt is made to burn the high rank coking and caking coals of the Appalachian fields, serious trouble may occur. Part of the trouble may be caused by the ash content and clinkering characteristics of the particular coal in use, but more often it is the result of an excessive accumulation of coke in the form of "trees" or masses in the fuel bed. Often the zone of burning becomes so restricted that the fire goes out, and in extreme cases the fire may be lifted completely out of the fuel bed and away from the air ports. Even if the fire is preserved, excessive coking may cause response to subsequent heat demand to be slow and irregular. Coke trees seem to grow. most readily during periods of hold-fire operation, so that in order to preserve the fire in mild weather it is often necessary to set the timer for such a long operating period each hour that much unneeded and unwanted heat is developed, causing discomfort. During demand periods the fire may pick up so slowly that the intense burning which develops just before stoker cut-off causes a serious overshooting of the thermostat. Stoker coal performance tests which have been made in a number of laboratories 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are one method of approach to the problem of selecting stoker coals. As yet these tests have not been standardized and they are expensive and time-consuming. The value of the results probably increases with the length of the test. Sherman and co-workers at Battelle Memorial Institute believe that even a one-week test is not too reliable a trial2 and it is quite likely that others will agree. A great advantage of such tests is that characteristics of coals, other than the tendency to form coke masses, may be evaluated from them. The selection of stoker coals would be greatly facilitated if there existed some simple measure of the tendency of a coal to form coke in a fuel bed. Although possessing all of the disadvantages of any small-scale laboratory test, the test for the free-swelling index of coal has been found useful for evaluating the probable effects of swelling properties upon combustion. 7 Ostborg, Limbacher and Sherman, have shown that the test can predict, roughly, the tendency of coke to accumulate in the fuel bed of a domestic stoker. They also gave instances of its value in predicting combustion behavior in some large installations. The use of the test for free-swelling index has become well established and has been adopted as a standard by the American Society for Testing Materials.8 When domestic stoker coal investigations began at the State Mine Experiment Station in the summer of 1944, it was decided

Jan 1, 1948

By K. J. Anusavice, R. T. DeHoff, A. G. Guy, T. B. Lindemer

As one oi the approacizes to understanding multicorn-ponent dimsion, an expevinzental sturly is being jnade of tracer diffusion in the copper corner of the CLI-Ni-Zn syste?n, out to 30 at. pct each of nickel and zinc, and in the 150°C range oJ temperature just below tlze solidts te?rlperature. The reslts obtained using the Znm isotope are reported heve, while studies with nickel and copper isotopes are planned for a future paper. The fifteen alloys investigated were melted in sealed wear lubes, sroaged, homogenized, and then analyzed, using the conventional isotope-plating plus lathe- sectiorzing teclzniqlte. The data obtaiued show that the difJusion coeflcient of the zinc isotope increases titlz increase in zinc content, and decreases t&apos;itlz incease in nickel content. The correlation xith solidus temperature is particularly strong. Diffirsiui-ties ranged fro u sq cm per sec nt tlze Iiigh-zinc, low-nickel compositions. The activation energy /or tracer diffusion ravied j.or 31.000 to 54,000 calper mole. It is now generally recognized that diffusion data and theories are needed for multicomponent systems, where extensive practical developments and even some theoretical studies have already been made. For example, much recent work on precipitation from solid solution has been concerned with ternary solid solutions such as A-M-Z&apos; while Zener relaxation has been studied on Au-Ag-Zn alloys,&apos; although adequate diffusion data are available for neither of these systems. Actually, the only ternary systems for which systematic diffusion studies have been begun, in addi- tion to the one reported here, are CO-i-cr3 and Cu-A-Au. Since the theory of multicomponent diffusion is still in the stage of active development5 it is important to distinguish the various kinds of diffusion data that can be determined. An oversimplified approach, widely used prior to 1950, was to determine the influence of a third element, such as nickel, on the diffusion behavior of a binary alloy, such as CU-Z. Later it was recognized7 that four diffusion coefficients can be used to describe ordinary interdiffusion in a ternary system, while as many as six coefficients may be required to include the Kirkendall effect. It is likely that the number of independent coefficients will be shown to be less than four and six, respectively, through the application of the thermodynamics of irreversible processes.5 The simplest type of diffusion in a multicomponent system is tracer diffusion, since each component is characterized by its own tracer-diffusion coefficient in an alloy of a given composition. Thus, in a ternary alloy there are three tracer-diffusion coefficients, each a function of composition and temperature. The present research program is a study of tracer diffusion in the copper corner of the Cu-Ni-Zn system out to 30 at. pct each of Ni and Zn in a 150°C range of temperature just below the solidus temperature. The

Jan 1, 1967

By Robert E. Green

Formulae are given for calculating the modes of wave propagation in a single-crystdl specimen possessing a given crystallographic orientation. Such calculations lead to determination of the orientation factor appearing in the Granato-Lucke theory for the attenuation of these waves due to dislocation damping. A detailed treatment is given for the case of an aluminum crystal possessing the orientation having a maximum Schmid fac -tor of 0.5. FOR a number of years the attenuation of ultrasonic waves propagating in metals has been used to investigate various phenomena causing internal friction.Most of the experiments were performed on polycrystalline test specimens and the waves were assumed to be propagating in an isotopic medium. However Alers 6 in 1955 and more recently Hikata et at. Chiao and Gordon,8 and Swanson and Green 10 have used measurements of attenuation of ultrasonic waves to study internal-friction changes in single crystals. These authors were concerned with the energy losses experienced by the ultrasonic waves due to dislocation motion induced by plastic deformation of the crystals. Alers measured the attenuation of 7 mc per sec ultrasonic pulses propagating in zinc single crystals before, during, and after plastic deformation. Simultaneously he measured the time-dependent plastic strain at constant stress in order to study the correlation between this strain and attenuation. The crystals were oriented in such a way that the applied stress provided a direct shear on the slip plane, thus causing the deformation to proceed by slip on this plane. At the same time the high-frequency sound pulses were sent through the crystal perpendicular to the slip plane. He found that the attenuation of transverse waves, the stress vectors of which lie in the slip plane, was very sensitive to the deformation. The polarization of the particle displacements, associated with these waves, relative to the applied static shear stress, and hence the direction of slip, had no obvious effect on the results. The attenuation of longitudinal waves was affected by the deformation only when the slip plane was not perpendicular to the propagation direction. This indicated that the attenuation was caused by dislocations introduced by the deformation and moving only in the slip plane. Hikata et al. made simultaneous measurements of attenuation, velocity changes, and stress-strain relations on aluminum single crystals deformed in tension. Both longitudinal and shear waves were used, at frequencies of 10 and 13 mc per sec. They placed emphasis on the choice of propagation modes and polarization of the ultrasonic waves, such that interactions between these waves and dislocations on selected slip systems could be investigated. They also selected specimens possessing specific crys-tallographic orientations, which allowed investigation as a function of the number of equally favored slip systems under the applied stress. They found that, for symmetrical orientations, the change of attenuation decreases with the increasing number of equally favored slip systems, i.e., in the order

Jan 1, 1964

By H. G. Doll

The S.P. log is shown to be a measurement of the potential drop along the drill hole, caused by ohmic effect in the mud. The notion of static S.P. is brought forward, and its relation to the S.P. log is discussed. Other factors influencing the shape and amplitude of the log are considered; attention is given to conditions encountered in practice. Numerous figures are given illustrating graphically the results; these figures are of particular interest for comparison with field examples. The S.P. log, although indicating permeability, is not an absolute measurement of permeability, nor of porosity, of the formations traversed by a drill hole. It is affected by several parameters, such as resistivity of formations and mud, thickness of formations, and others, which should be appraised carefully. Simple rules have been established for a better distinction of the boundaries of permeabl: sections, particularly in difficult cases, such as those encountered in highly resistive formations. A systematic application of the established principles will assist in obtaining more information from the S.P. log than was possible thus far; for instance, under favorable conditions, presence of oil may be detected, or amount of shale in sands may be estimated. Introduction The S.P. log, or spontaneous potential log, has been known and widely used during the last 15 years for the location of permeable beds traversed by drill holes.1,2 In electrical logging practice, the S.P. log is shown on the left hand side track of the record (as may be seen in later examples) where it can be easily correlated and interpreted with the resistivity curves located to the right. Usually, the S.P. log consists of a base line, more or less straight, having excursions or "peaks" to the left. The base line frequently has been found to correspond to impervious beds, while the peaks are usually found opposite permeable strata. Measurements which will indicate positively the presence of permeability in the formations, and which will give accurately the boundaries of the permeable zones, are of great importance in oil-field practice. Thus far, the S.P. log is the best approach to such determinations; unfortunately, its interpretation is not always evident. With respect to the base line of the S.P. log, it may be noticed that this line is not always at a definite location on the chart. Sometimes it may shift abruptly, while other times a gradual drift is apparent. As far as the peaks are concerned, their shape is not uniform; some are rounded while others are sharp. Also, from other data, it may be found that occasionally the peaks extend appreciably beyond the boundaries of permeable zones into zones which are not everywhere permeable. A comparison with permeability measurements made on cores has often confirmed that there was no definite correspondence between the magnitudes of the peaks and the permeability values. In the same geological horizon, it generally will be found that most of the thick and permeable for-

Jan 1, 1949

By M. Oka, C. M. Wayman

It has been known for some time1 that (110)b twinning is possible in bct martensite.* Any plane of the form (110) not parallel to the fourfold axis of tetra-

Jan 1, 1969

By William P. Blake

The metallic element Nickel, discovered by Cronstedt the mineralogist, in the year 1751, as a peculiar metal in kupfer-nickel, remained for a long time comparatively unknown in its true charac-

Jan 1, 1883

By A. D. K. Laird, John A. Putnam

This paper describes the application of x-ray theory to design procedures in connection with fluid saturation determinations during fluid flow experiments with porous media. A reliable and rapid method for calibrating the x-ray apparatuy is described. Extension of the method to fluid saturation determinations in three-fluid systems is described. INTRODUCTION In rerearch on oil production problems a method is required which will give quickly the quantity of each component of a fluid flow system present at any cross-section of a porous medium. The sample of porous medium under investigation is usually referred to as a core. The ratio of the volume of one component to the total fluid volume is defined as the saturation of the porous medium by that component. This ratio is generally given as per cent saturation. Some means of measuring saturation which have received consideration include: electrical conductivity of the fluids;1,2 emissions from radioactive tracers dissolved in the fluids; the radioactivity of silver caused by reflection of neutrons from hydrogen atoms in the fluids;&apos; the attenuation of a microwave beam. the diminution and phase shift of ultrasonic wave trains.4,5 and the reduction in intensity of x-ray beams in passing through the fluids. X-rays have already been used with some success. Since every material has a different power to absorb x-rays, the reduction in intensity of an x-ray beam as it passes through a core depends on the fluids present. The strength of the emergent beam can be found by converting its energy into a measurable form such as heat or ionic current. or by its effect on a photographic plate or fluorescent screen. The beam strengths could be interpreted as quantities of known fluids in the core if, previously, these beam strengths had been identified with a known combination of the same fluids. With some fluid cornbinations it might be desirable to dissolve powerful x-ray absorbing materials in one or more of the fluids, to increase the differences in the beam strengths for various fluid saturations. Boyer, Morgan and Muskat6 have described a method of measuring two component fluid saturation. One component was air or water; the other. minerat seal oil in which was dissolved 25 per cent by weight of iodobenzene to increase its absorbing power. The x-ray source was a tungsten target tube operated at 43 kv potential. The beam emerging from the core was measured as ionic current flowing across an air-filled ionization chamber by means of an amplifying circuit and galvanometer. Another portion of the beam from the x-ray tube was passed through a metal plate and measured in another ionization chamber. This portion, called the monitor beam, was used as an indication of the performance of the x-ray tube. The galvanometer readings were calibrated against air-oil core saturations, gravimetrically determined. The method was apparently established by experimental means. In the present investigation the available theory of x-radia-tion was surveyed with a view to extending the usefulness of the method and to developing design procedures for its application to measurement of fluid saturation in porous media. Application of the theory permits prediction of relative meter readings to be expected for any combination of porous matrix, various saturating fluids and auxiliary filtering media. It is thus possible to calibrate the equipment in terms of fluid saturation by an indirect but rapid technique. The results of calculations based on x-ray theory indicate. and results of the saturation calibration technique confirm. that a valid measurement of the saturation of the core can be made for any two components and in some cases for three components. THEORY The strength of an x-ray beam, after it has passed through a distance. 1, of matter of density, p, and mass absorption coefficient, µ at a given wavelength, A, may be expressed by the absorption formula I = I0 e ...........(1) where I, represents the intensity of the incident x-ray beam and I is the intensity of the emergent beam. The expression e is called the transmission factor of the material. The variation of I,, with wavelength depends upon the materials through which the x-ray beam has previously passed and upon the spectral distribution of energy at the source of the x-radiation. A group of curves. called spectra. which show the variation of intensity with wavelength and x-ray tube voltage are given in Fig. 1. These curves represent the general radiation from a tungsten target tube. When the tube voltage is greater than 69.3 kv, the characteristic radiation of the tungsten is emitted and is superposed on the general radiation. At a given voltage the minimum wavelength A,,,,, at which energy can be emitted by an x-ray tube is given by the formula 12,340 xml. = ——..........(2) volts where A,.,,.. is in Angstrom units. The wavelength at which the spectra have maximum intensity a1so decreases with increasing x-ray tube voltaue. The area under each curve represents to an arbitrarv scale the total energy emerging from the x-ray tube for that voltage. The variation of µ with wavelength has been determined for many substances and may be found in such references as those by Compton and Allison7 and by Hodgman.8 The phenomenon of absorption is composed chiefly of the capture of photons by the atoms of the absorbing material with associated displacement of electrons, and of the scattering, or the deflection, of the photons by the atoms. Curves of these mass absorption coefficients show jump discontinuities. or absorption edges. at wavelengths which are short enough for the photons,

Jan 1, 1951

By John A. Putnam, A. D. K. Laird

This paper describes the application of x-ray theory to design procedures in connection with fluid saturation determinations during fluid flow experiments with porous media. A reliable and rapid method for calibrating the x-ray apparatuy is described. Extension of the method to fluid saturation determinations in three-fluid systems is described. INTRODUCTION In rerearch on oil production problems a method is required which will give quickly the quantity of each component of a fluid flow system present at any cross-section of a porous medium. The sample of porous medium under investigation is usually referred to as a core. The ratio of the volume of one component to the total fluid volume is defined as the saturation of the porous medium by that component. This ratio is generally given as per cent saturation. Some means of measuring saturation which have received consideration include: electrical conductivity of the fluids;1,2 emissions from radioactive tracers dissolved in the fluids; the radioactivity of silver caused by reflection of neutrons from hydrogen atoms in the fluids;&apos; the attenuation of a microwave beam. the diminution and phase shift of ultrasonic wave trains.4,5 and the reduction in intensity of x-ray beams in passing through the fluids. X-rays have already been used with some success. Since every material has a different power to absorb x-rays, the reduction in intensity of an x-ray beam as it passes through a core depends on the fluids present. The strength of the emergent beam can be found by converting its energy into a measurable form such as heat or ionic current. or by its effect on a photographic plate or fluorescent screen. The beam strengths could be interpreted as quantities of known fluids in the core if, previously, these beam strengths had been identified with a known combination of the same fluids. With some fluid cornbinations it might be desirable to dissolve powerful x-ray absorbing materials in one or more of the fluids, to increase the differences in the beam strengths for various fluid saturations. Boyer, Morgan and Muskat6 have described a method of measuring two component fluid saturation. One component was air or water; the other. minerat seal oil in which was dissolved 25 per cent by weight of iodobenzene to increase its absorbing power. The x-ray source was a tungsten target tube operated at 43 kv potential. The beam emerging from the core was measured as ionic current flowing across an air-filled ionization chamber by means of an amplifying circuit and galvanometer. Another portion of the beam from the x-ray tube was passed through a metal plate and measured in another ionization chamber. This portion, called the monitor beam, was used as an indication of the performance of the x-ray tube. The galvanometer readings were calibrated against air-oil core saturations, gravimetrically determined. The method was apparently established by experimental means. In the present investigation the available theory of x-radia-tion was surveyed with a view to extending the usefulness of the method and to developing design procedures for its application to measurement of fluid saturation in porous media. Application of the theory permits prediction of relative meter readings to be expected for any combination of porous matrix, various saturating fluids and auxiliary filtering media. It is thus possible to calibrate the equipment in terms of fluid saturation by an indirect but rapid technique. The results of calculations based on x-ray theory indicate. and results of the saturation calibration technique confirm. that a valid measurement of the saturation of the core can be made for any two components and in some cases for three components. THEORY The strength of an x-ray beam, after it has passed through a distance. 1, of matter of density, p, and mass absorption coefficient, µ at a given wavelength, A, may be expressed by the absorption formula I = I0 e ...........(1) where I, represents the intensity of the incident x-ray beam and I is the intensity of the emergent beam. The expression e is called the transmission factor of the material. The variation of I,, with wavelength depends upon the materials through which the x-ray beam has previously passed and upon the spectral distribution of energy at the source of the x-radiation. A group of curves. called spectra. which show the variation of intensity with wavelength and x-ray tube voltage are given in Fig. 1. These curves represent the general radiation from a tungsten target tube. When the tube voltage is greater than 69.3 kv, the characteristic radiation of the tungsten is emitted and is superposed on the general radiation. At a given voltage the minimum wavelength A,,,,, at which energy can be emitted by an x-ray tube is given by the formula 12,340 xml. = ——..........(2) volts where A,.,,.. is in Angstrom units. The wavelength at which the spectra have maximum intensity a1so decreases with increasing x-ray tube voltaue. The area under each curve represents to an arbitrarv scale the total energy emerging from the x-ray tube for that voltage. The variation of µ with wavelength has been determined for many substances and may be found in such references as those by Compton and Allison7 and by Hodgman.8 The phenomenon of absorption is composed chiefly of the capture of photons by the atoms of the absorbing material with associated displacement of electrons, and of the scattering, or the deflection, of the photons by the atoms. Curves of these mass absorption coefficients show jump discontinuities. or absorption edges. at wavelengths which are short enough for the photons,

Jan 1, 1951

By E. Mille, R. Geffken

The Mg-Si and Mg-Ge phase diagrams were rede-levtnined by thermal analysis, and the existence of a single congruent melting compound in each system was confirmed. The melting points of the two compounds Mg2Ge and ,Wg2Si were found to be 1117.4° and 1085.0°C respectively. The euteclics for the Mg-Ge system occur at 635.6°C (1.15 at. pcl Ge) and 696. 7°C (64.3 at. pct Ge); for the Mg-Si system the eutectics are at 6376°C (1.16 at. pct Si) and 945.6°C (53.0 al. pcl Si). The phase diagrams and known thermodynamic data were used to calculate activity values for both systems. The activities calculated for the Mg-Ge system agreed very well with those previously published. Partial molar enthalpy values for the Mg-Si systetn were calculated from the phase diagram for the composition region where no experimental values have been reported. THE phase diagram for any system is an important source of thermodynamic data. Steiner, Miller, and Komarek1 have derived equations which permit calculation of the activity in binary systems with an inter-metallic compound! if the liquidus and enthalpy data are known. The thermodynamic properties of the Mg-Ge and Mg-Si systems have recently been determined in this by by an isopiestic method, and it was considered that it would be interesting to compare these directly determined values with those computed from the phase diagram. The basic features of the Mg-Ge and Mg-Si systems are essentially similar. The one intermediate compound present in each system. Mg2X, crystallizes in the antifluorite structure and melts congruently. Raynor4 has accurately determined the temperature and composition of the magnesium-rich eutectic in both the Mg-Ge and Mg-Si systems. Klemm and West-linning5 investigated the entire Mg-Ge liquidus, employing sintered alumina crucibles; the purity of the magnesium and germanium starting materials was not reported. The melt was not stirred, and the temperature was automatically recorded to an accuracy of ±3°C. The authors reported large weight changes due to magnesium evaporation between 50 and 67 at. pct Mg. The Mg-Si system has been studied by a number of investigators, and the results have been compiled by Hansen and Anderko.6 Significant discrepancies exist between the two principle investigations of voge17 and Wohler and Schliephake.8 Two different grades of silicon were used by Vogel, one of 99.2 pct purity and the other quite impure, containing 6 pct Fe and 1.7 pct Al. The magnesium purity was not specified. The melts were contained in graphite crucibles with porcelain thermocouple protection tubes under an atmosphere of hydrogen. Samples weighing 10 g were rapidly heated to 50° to 100°C above the liquidus: held, and then rapidly cooled without stirring. Accuracy was ±1 at. pct which is equivalent to a maximum error in temperature of ±18°C. Wohler and Schliephake used 97.9 pct Mg and 99.48 pct Si. The graphite crucibles contained a stirrer and the 15-g samples were melted under an atmosphere of streaming hydrogen. The samples were chemically analyzed after each run. Because of the scarcity of the data, the impurity of the starting materials, and the resultant uncertainty and inconsistency in the published liquidus values, it was decided to undertake a reevaluation of the Mg-Ge and Mg-Si phase diagrams by thermal analysis. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Alloys were prepared from 99.99+ pct Mg (Dominion Magnesium Ltd.) with impurities in ppm: 20 Al, 30 Zn, 10 Si, <1 Ni, <1 Cu. <10 Fe; 99.999 pct Ge (United Mineral and Chemical Corp.), and 99.999 pct Si (Wacker Chemie Corp.). All graphite parts were machined from high-density (1.89 g per cu cm) G-grade graphite obtained from Basic Carbon Corp. with a total ash content of 0.04 pct. Boron nitride parts were machined from rods of National-grade H.B.N. boron nitride. All graphite and boron nitride pieces were baked out under running vacuum at 1100°C for 24 hr before us Cylindrical graphite crucibles (1; in. OD, 23/4 in. long, l3/8 in. ID) were tightly closed with threaded graphite covers which had 21/4-in.-long thermocouple wells and 1/4-in.-diam off-center holes for stirrers. The cover and thermocouple well were machined from a single piece of graphite. A stirrer was made from a flat cylindrical graphite plate perforated with five 3/16-in.-diam holes and a 1/2-in.-diam central hole, and was held parallel to the crucible bottom by a 1/4-in.-diam. 4-in.-long graphite rod which screwed into the plate and extended up through a tightly fitting hole in the crucible cover. An iron core enclosed in a glass capsule was attached to the stirrer with an 18-in.-long molybdenum wire, so that the stirrer could be magnetically raised and lowered from outside the system. One crucible and stirrer with essentially the same dimensions given above was made entirely of boron nitride. Chunks of magnesium were premelted, cast into 11/2-in.-diam. rods, and then cut into lengths varying from a to 1 in. A 5/16-in. hole was drilled through the center of each piece to accommodate the thermocouple well and the individual pieces were then cleaned and rinsed with acetone. The total weight of an alloy was 50 to 70 g in the Mg-Ge system and 40 to 60 g in the Mg-Si system. The pure components were weighed to an accuracy

Jan 1, 1969

By A. H. Larson, R. J. McClincy

Laboratory-scale decopperizing experiments with multiple sulfur addifions were conducted at 330°C on ternary Pb-Cu alloys containing, as the third elenlent, Sn, Ag, As, Sb, Bi, Zn, and Au, common impurities in lead blast-furnace bullion. For silver and tin, an increased rate and extent of &apos;cofifier removal was obsert3ed. The elements As, Sb, Zn, Au, and Bi had no effect or less effect as compared to sulfur additions with no i)npurily additions. THE production of primary lead in the blast furnace yields an impure lead frequently containing such impurities as copper. antimony. arsenic. tin, gold, silver iron, oxygen. and sulfur. By cooling this lead to a temperature near its melting point. most of the iron, sulfur, and oxygen and part of the other impurities are removed in the form of a dross. With incipient solidification of the lead, the copper concentration wil have been reduced to 0.02 to 0.05 pct. depending upon the concentration of the other impurities. according to Davey.&apos; Since copper interferes with the treatment of silver after the desilverizing process, it is desirable to decrease the copper content of the lead still fur-ther before the lead is desilvered. The decopperizing of the lead is accomplished by stirring a small quantity. approximately 0.1 pct. of elemental sulfur into the lead at a temperature near its melting point, 330" to 360°C. The copper is removed as a copper sulfide which constitutes a small fraction of a voluminous dross consisting mostly of lead sulfide and entrained metallic lead. The residual copper concentration following the decopperizing operation is frequently as low as 0.001 to 0.005 pct. Thi fact has aroused considerable interest because the equilibrium copper concentration of lead in contact with solid PbS and solid Cu2S is at least an order of magnitude greater, 0.05 pct Cu at 330C. 1, 2 Most investigators have suggested that various impurities in the lead bullion are responsible for the very low copper concentrations frequently encountered in practice. There is little agreement, however? as to which of the impurities are helpful and which are not.3"11 Also. few investigators have sought to explain the mechanisms responsible for the removal of copper to very low concentrations. Willis and Blanks9 have proposed that a nonstoichiometric copper-deficient cuprous sulfide forms in place of the supposed Cu2S. Being copper-deficient, this sulfide phase would possess a low copper activity, and the diffusion of copper dissolved in the liquid lead into this phase would be greatly facilitated. Pin and wagner2 have investigated the removal of copper from liquid lead by studying the effect of impurity-doped lead sulfide on the decopperizing of pure Pb-Cu alloys. Samples of the doped PbS were held in contact with copper-saturated lead for 1 week at 33&apos;7°C. They reported a beneficial effect on decopperizing with bismuth and antimony and no effect with tin or silver. which is directly opposite to the results observed in practice and those reported by Davey 3 and this studv. The purpose of this paper is to describe the effects of certain additive elements on the extent to which copper can be removed fro111 liquid lead by successive additions of sulfur. The impurity elements were added individually to prepared Pb-Cu alloys. The resulting ternary alloys as well as a binary Pb-Cu alloy were then decopperized with repeated additions of sulfur. EXPERIMENTAL Materials. Granulated test lead with a purity of 99.999 pct and the additive elements Cu. Ag. Sb. Bi. Zn. Sn. and Au with purities of 99.99 pct were American Smelting and Refining Co. research-grade materials. The major impurities in the lead were 1 ppm each of iron and copper. all others being less than 1 ppm. The arsenic used was a technical-grade arsenic of 98+ pct purity. Reagent-grade flowers of sulfur were melted under argon to provide small pieces free of fines. Apparatus. The decopperizing experiments were carried out in a 25-mm-OD by 375-mm-long Pyrex tube sealed at one end. The tube was mounted vertically in a resistance-heated. hinge-type tube furnace controlled to within ±lcC. Temperature measurement was accomplished by means of a standardized chromel-alumel thermocouple sealed into the base of a silica. paddle-type stirring rod. All decopperizing experiments were carried out under an argon atmosphere. Procedure. A Pb-Cu starting alloy containing 0.05 pet Cu was prepared under carbon and poured into cold tap water to produce shot. The ternary alloys were prepared by melting together 100 g of the starting alloy and a sufficient amount of the impurity element to yield the desired concentration. The resulting alloy was then homogenized in a Pyrex tube at 450C with continuous stirring. The furnace temperature was then lowered to the operating temperature of 330°C. When thermal equilibrium had been obtained at the operating temperature, individual additions of 0.2 pct (0.2 g) of solid sulfur were added to the melt and stirred in. Stirring was continued for a period of 3 min. discontinued for 5 min. and resumed for the remaining 2 min of a 10-min cycle. This cycle was repeated for as many sulfur additions as desired. When the decopperizing experiment had been completed the lead bullion was quenched and samples of the bullion and dross phases were taken for analysis. Results. The results obtained in the decopperizing

Jan 1, 1970

By David L. Holt

The contribution of grain boundary shear to total elongation, CS/E&apos;, has been measured in an Al-Zn eu-tectoid alloy that was quenched from above the invariant temperature, then annealed at 250° C to a grain size of&apos; 1.8 p. At 250°C, ks/E&apos; is low at both high and low strain rates, but reaches a maximum, estimated as 60 pct at an intermediate rate of 5 X 10 per rnin. Rate sensitivity, as measured by the index m = a log a/a log E&apos;, follows the same trend, and furthermore the maximum values of m and -cur at approximately the same strain rate. This result, combined with the metallographic observation that boundary migration enhances boundary shearing, is interpreted as supporting a previous suggestion that the high rate sensitivity characterizing super-plasticity is the result of combined boundary shearing and migration. It is suggested that the latter event relieves stress concentrations at triple points, and smoothes boundaries so that stress is governed largely by a viscous boundary shear. GrAIN boundary shear has been considered in relation to superplasticity in several recent papers.&apos; The problem has been to explain the high strain rate sensitivity of flow stress, and the variation of rate sensitivity with strain rate (E&apos;) and grain size (L). The requirements for superplasticity, small L and high T, suggest the reasonableness of an approach to high rate sensitivity involving grain boundary shear. Further support came from experiments on the A1-Cu eutectic alloy,&apos; where it was found that strain rate sensitivity of cast material annealed to produce an equiaxed, micron-size grain is always low; taking as an index of rate sensitivity m = a log a/a log <, m < 0.3. However, m in hot-worked alloy of comparable grain size can be as high as 0.7. In the cast and annealed material, each phase is a single crystal, the only boundaries are interphase boundaries, and it is, consequently, geometrically impossible for boundary shear to contribute to deformation in any major way. Other observations (for hot-worked material) were a-L at constant (low) strain rates and indications that the rate of recrystallization was enhanced as strain rate increased. As a result of this work, it was proposed that high rate sensitivity arises from a deformation mode of boundary shear associated with boundary migration. Migration serves to relieve stress concentrations at triple points, and smoothes boundaries so that they assume properties of fluid films. On the other hand, the low rate sensitivity observed at high and low strain rates reflects deformation of bulk material. Measurement of the variation of grain boundary shear with strain rate and m have not yet been made. Such measurements are important, especially in view of a proposal, differing in detail from the above, that high m arises merely from a transition between a grain boundary shear mode of deformation at low rates to a transgranular mode at high rates.2&apos;4 In the present work, the contribution of boundary shear to total deformation is measured and in addition metallographic observations are made on surfaces of deformed specimens to look at the interaction between boundary shear and migration. The Al-Zn eutectoid alloy was chosen for its homogeneous, fine-grained structure, which is obtained readily without hot-working. It has also been the subject of a previous phenom-enologically directed study. EXPERIMENTAL Material. Compression specimens, cross section 4 by + in., length \ in., were machined from a sand-cast ingot of composition 77.5 wt pct Zn, 22.5 wt pct Al. (The melt was prepared from 99.9 pct Zn and 99.99 pct Al.) After homogenization at 375°C for 50 hr, the specimens were quenched in brine and removed before the heat evolution that accompanies de -composition of the high-temperature phase.5&apos;6 The resulting microstructure, see Fig. l(a), was too fine for grain boundary sliding to be easily studied; coarser structures were obtained by annealing for various times at 2 50°C. Annealing was terminated by a brine quench. Final average intercept lengths between all grain boundaries (both interphase and those lying in a phase), L, were: 0.5 p [annealed for 15 min, Fig. (a)], 0.8, 1.1, and 1.8 p [Fig. l(b)l. Testing Procedure. An Instron machine was used for most of the compressive deformation. Tests were of two types: those in which crosshead velocity was changed in steps to measure m as a function of strain rate15 and tests at constant velocity to a fixed (engineering) strain of -0.2 (20 pct). Stress reached a steady-state value (a) which was plotted, on a logarithmic scale, against log strain rate (E&apos;). An alternate and equivalent evaluation of m was to take the slope of the log o vs log 6 curve. Time at temperature before testing was 15 min. Strain rates covered by the Instron (4 x lo-&apos; to 4 x 10&apos; per min) were insufficient; at a higher rate of 5 x lo2 per min a gas-operated testing machine was used, the gas driving a piston to compress the specimen at a controlled velocity.&apos; To obtain points on the log a vs log E&apos; curve at low rates, specimens were compressed by a dead weight. strain rate was an average value computed by dividing strain at the end of test by loading time. In some tests strain was measured at fractions of the loading time; creep rate was found to be reasonably constant.

Jan 1, 1969