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By G. N. Maniar

G. W. Healy (union Carbide Metals Co.)-The author's paper is a useful contribution to the store of maps of chemical activities of oxides in multi-component slag systems. It is also a good example of the utility of the Gibbs-Schuhmann technique for calculating activities in a system where that of one of the components has been measured. This paper Koh and Caugherty. This plot is reproduced by alor in X-ray Metallography. Because of this nonlinearity, preparation cf suitable standards and/or correction for absorption and enhancement are essential in microanalysis. However, our objection is not the conclusion that Dr. Aaronson has arrived at nor the technique he has used; but only to the foot-note credited to V. Macres. The level of chromium that he was concerned with (less than 3 pet) is so low that the deviation of uncorrected Cr-curve will be negligible. Besides Dr. Aaronson has used chromium intensity from martensite and set it equal the bulk chromium content of the alloy. Using this chromium-intensity as a reference, he has calculated the amount of chromium in the ferrite. This amounts to the same as using an internal standard. Since the chromium content in austenite and ferrite are almost the same, enhancement due to iron in both will be the same and therefore does not need to be corrected. together with the author's recently published one1 on the CaO-FeO-Fezo3 system will be most helpful to others learning to apply Schuhmann's method, which merits a far wider application than it has received to date and should greatly aid our understanding of equilibria between metal and oxide phases. As shown by okcen" its use may even be extended to sections of systems with any number of oxides. I have some questions as to the selection of equilibrium constants made by Dr. Turkdogan. He has chosen one for the formation of Fe2O3 from FeO and oxygen which gives Fea3 activities 50 pct higher

Jan 1, 1963

ZAY JEFFRIES, who has been awarded the Douglas medal, established in 1922 by a group of the friends of the late James Douglas for distin-guished achievement in non-ferrous metallurgy, is one of the most notable graduates of the South Dakota School of Mines where he took his B. S. degree in 1910. The following year he was manager of the Ideal Mining Co., at Custer, and in 1911 he became instructor in metallurgy at the Case School of Applied Science, Cleve-land, where he remained until 1917, and in 1918 he took his D. Sc. degree at Harvard. During all this period he was engaged in experi-mental and consulting work for the Electric Railway Improvement Co., t h e Cleveland Steel Tool Co., the W. S. Tyler Co., the Lincoln Electric Co., the Aluminum Castings Co., and the Cleveland wire di-vision of the General Elec-tric Co. He is now en-gaged in general consulting work, especially for the Aluminum Co. of America, the General Electric Co., and the National Tube Co. He has contributed to the Transactions papers on the determination of grain size in metals (with A. H. Kline and E. B. Zimmer) LIV, 594; grain growth phenomena in metals, LVI, 571; the tungsten-molyb-denum equilibrium diagram and system of crystalliza-tion, LVI, 600; grain size inheritance in iron and carbon steel, LVIII, - 669; effect of temperature, de-formation and grain size on the mechanical properties of metals, LX, 474; metallography of tungsten, LX, 588; physical changes in iron and steel below the thermal critical range, LXIII, and LXVII, 56; and the trend in the science of metals, LXX, 303. In addition to participating freely in the discussion of other papers before the Institute he has found time to contribute notable papers to the Institute of Metals (Great Brit-ain), the principal technical journals, and to write a book on "The Science of Metals" in collaboration with R. S. Archer.

Jan 2, 1927

By Alfred E. Hunt

In a paper written for the Boston meeting of February, 1888 (Trans., xvi., 693), on "Some Recent Improvements in OpenHearth Steel Practice," the writer described the reducing agent used by the Carbon Iron Company as "a peculiar graphite from Cranston, near Providence, R. I." Upon an application pending at that time, a patent has since been issued as number 259,795, to Mr. Matthew Graff, for the use of solid carbonaceous matter in the form of coke, charcoal, gas carbon, bituminous or anthracite coal, ground to the size of coarse sand and then coated with a mash of lime, magnesia, clay, or other material of a like character, as an agent to reduce metallic oxides. An amount of this prepared carbonaceous matter equal to from 25 to 30 per cent. of the weight of the ore treated is required to perform the complete reduction. The idea is that the carbonaceous matter is protected against rapid combustion by a suitable coating of some inert material, so that, in effect, its action as a reducing agent will be similar to that of the Cranston graphite previously used, allowing the solid carbon to remain without combustion in intimate mixture with the iron oxide at a temperature sufficiently high to reduce the ore and in some cases to melt the matrix in which the iron is held. In the present practice of the Carbon Iron Company, the use of graphite, except for the formation of bottoms of the reverberatory furnaces in which the reduction is performed, has been entirely abandoned, and " retarded coke," as it is called at the works, has taken its place. Five hundred and fifty pounds of Connellsville coke is ground in a pan to 16-mesh fineness, or is taken in the form of ordinary coke-dust, and made into a hollow basin on the mixingfloor ; and seven bucketfuls of a wash composed of equal parts of lime and fire-clay, mixed in water to the consistency of thin cream,

Jan 1, 1889

By C. M. Young

BITUMINOUS coal piled in heaps or bins frequently undergoes a process of spontaneous heating as the result of the absorption of oxygen. It seems probable that the first absorption of oxygen by coal which has not previously been exposed to the air may occur as a condensation or a combination of oxygen in some form which does not result in the production of carbon dioxide, but slow combustion soon begins. The absorption of oxygen is accompanied by an increase of temperature, and this by in increased rapidity of absorption; hence the dangerous condition proceeds from bad to worse, until the kindling point is reached, unless the process is interrupted. A dangerous rise of temperature can be prevented by excluding oxygen, by increasing the bulk of coal in proportion to its surface exposed, or by circulating enough air to dissipate the heat produced. The storage of coal, in practice, varies from almost complete exclusion of oxygen, by storing under water, to such freedom of access as exists when the coal is stored in open piles. Oxygen available for absorption by coal is supplied by the air in the interstices between lumps and by additional air which may enter the pile through circulation. The size, of the coal largely affects both of these supplies; for if the fragments a re small the spaces between them constitute a small percentage of the total volume, and little oxygen will be available unless the circulation of air brings in a fresh supply, while with large fragments the percentage is relatively large; circulation also is much easier through a pile of coarse lumps. In the case f lump coal, although a large amount of air may be present, the exposed surface is comparatively small and there is little opportunity for the absorption of oxygen to so rapid as to cause dangerous heating. Attempts have been made to prevent heating by allowing a sufficient circulation of air to carry off the heat generated; obviously this method cannot be applied to fine sizes nor mixed sizes.

Jan 2, 1918

By A. D. Hughes

C. W. MERRILL*—Mr. Hughes' paper not only is very well presented but is most timely in that it covers a subject of vital interest to the United States. Tin is one of the strategic metals which has not been found here in appreciable quantities. The total United States tin output since the first recorded production over 100 years ago would not supply current consumption for a fortnight. On the consumption side, tin is extremely important in national defense because of its use in tin plate which, in the form of tin cans, makes it possible to feed properly the armies that the United States recruits from its civilian population in emergencies. Moreover, the internal combustion engines so important in powering tanks, planes, and other war machines, require large quantities of tin alloys for bearings and for soldering. These considerations, along with the fact that Malaya, historically, has been the leading source of tin to the United States, make the kind of information that Mr. Hughes has presented so ably. a matter of vital interest. Your Chairman, Mr. Romanowitz, in his introduction, referred to the fact that I had been a member of the United States delegations to the three meetings of the International Tin Study Group. Some cominents on the Group's objectives and deliberations may be of interest. When it appeared that the International Tin Committee, the prewar producer's cartel, might soon revive its operations and extend its control agreement beyond the expiration date of Dec. 31, 1946, the United States Government became interested in some kind of an international trade organization concerned with tin which would give the consumers' interest equal representation with the producers' interests. An international meeting was called in London in October 1946 to consider this problem. I did not attend that meeting hut the result of the meeting was the organization of the International 'Tin Study Group which

Jan 1, 1950

By Earl A. Trager

The broad picture of world petroleum production at the present time is one of an excessive supply. In any consideration of corrective measures to be applied in the future, it will be necessary to include all the producing areas of the entire world. To illustrate, United States production during 1931 was 48 million barrels1 less than 1930, whereas world production exclusive of the United States increased, owing principally to increases in Russia, Rumania and Persia. Domestic Peoduction Let us first consider the domestic production situation. Due to the fact that United States production was maintained below current demand, about 40 million barrels of oil were withdrawn from storage during 1931. Consumption increased about 1.5 per cent over 1930, which is less than the recent annual rate of increase of 8 to 11 per cent. If the machinery to prevent waste in the petroleum industry operative for more than a year will continue during the coming year and drilling is held to the 1931 level, there will be a decided improvement in the domestic situation by the close of 1932. This will be due in large measure to the drastic reduction in exploratory work and drilling which has been in effect for more than a year. Looking ahead for two or more years, probably there will be a shortage of domestic production in relation to domestic demand, unless there are discovered several large pools comparable to Oklahoma City or East Texas. Were the United States isolated, our problems in so far as petroleum production is concerned might be considered well along the road to recovery. To maintain this perspective will require the cooperation of foreign producers in the future, or protection of United Statcs markets from foreign invasion. Let us review briefly the present situation in the United States. East Texas has been the most important factor during 1931. The large initial production of individual wells and the rapid rate of drilling

Jan 1, 1932

By Albert R. Ledoux

I am indebted to The Kaolin Co. of West Cornwall, Conn., and particularly to its engineer, Mr. M. Wanner, for permission to make public, through the Transactions of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, the interesting results of his experiments, having in view the winning of kaolin from deep deposits without shaft-sinking or removing of the overburden. So far as I am aware, nothing like it has been accomplished heretofore, although it reminds one of the methods successfully employed in Louisiana for the winning of sulphur from deep beds by the sinking of pipes one within another, injecting superheated steam under pressure through one pipe, the heat of the steam liquefying the sulphur and the pressure forcing it up through the other pipe to bins at the surface. The kaolin-deposit at West Cornwall is an alteration in situ— that is, it is not sedimentary. A series of clay-veins, dipping about 50" from the vertical, lie between a foot-wall of' limonite and a hanging-wall of gneiss and hornblende schist. The clay-veins alternate with veins or seams of more or less broken quartz, and unaltered feldspar. The deposit, which occurs at a point about 600 ft. above the Housatonic river, was opened five years ago, and about 5,000 tons of a superior grade of washed kaolin have been extracted from open pits, and sold. It soon became evident that this mode of extracting the product would prove unremunerative, by reason of the dip of the vein and the intercalary strata and lenses of quartz, and a more satisfactory method of working the deposit was sought. It is well understood that, in the preparation of all clays for market, especially residuary kaolin, the most important as well as the most difficult step is the washing of the crude product. The dificulties increaee with the percentage of foreign matter, especially quartz and mica, contained in the product. Hence, a system

Jan 1, 1907

By Thomas D. West

A short time ago, I had occasion to cast iron plates 1 in. thick, direct from metal containing Si, 0.51; 8, 0.045; Mn, 0.75; and P, 0.094 per cent. Much to my astonishment, I found that there was no trouble in planing them; whereas, if cupolaimetal of like composition had been used,*the planing would have been a difficult operation. I have often noticed a greater fluidity or " life " in furnace-metal, as compared with the cupola-product. Iron can be seen flowing down the furnace-runners from 50 to 100 ft., and reaching the last pig-bed in satisfactory condition, while cupola-metal might have solidified before it had flowed so far. I have seen Bessemer iron, which, on account of its low phosphorus-content, does not have the " life " of ordinary foundry-iron, held in a 30-ton ladle for nearly an hour and a half; and after skimming off the coke-dust, it still had to be cooled off' considerably before being cast. As a general proposition, it is known that the lower sulphur-content and the frequently higher temperature of direct-metal, compared with the same iron remelted in the cupola, has much to do with its greater life; yet some problems connected with this phenomenon seem to call for further study. For instance, furnace-metal containing more than 1 per cent. of silicon holds carbon, which is separated later as "kish." This separation does not take place to any great degree while the metal is very hot; but during its gradual cooling, at times, the kish is given off in such large quantities as to cover the ground from 20 to 30 ft. around the ladle. In making castings of direct-metal, especially with a high content of silicon, the separation of kish becomes an annoyance. Perhaps this throwing out of the excess of carbon makes the life of the metal shorter, after it has been remelted in a

Jan 1, 1905

By J. P. Hammond, C. J. Sparks, C. J. McHargue

IN a study of the effects of solid solution alloying on the deformation texture of titanium, an alloy containing 3.8 pct A1 was found to develop a (0001) [1010] texture instead of the texture characteristic of pure titanium.ls2 A short investigation has been made of the change in texture with aluminum content. Alloys containing 0.27, 0.47, 1.05, and 1.43 pct A1 were prepared by vacuum arc melting, using iodide titanium as the base material. Homogenized ingots were reduced 90 pct in thickness by cold rolling. Pole figures were obtained using the usual film techniques. Fig. 1 shows that the change from the tilted to the nontilted (0001) position is gradual. The dashed contour lines in Fig. 1 indicate the extent to which data was collected. The addition of 0.27 pct A1 resulted in a decrease in the transverse spread of basal poles. With increasing aluminum content, the amount of the tilt becomes less and the region of highest intensity takes the shape of a ring about the center of the pole figure. For aluminum contents greater than 1 pct, the (0001) [1010] texture is definitely present—the sharpness increasing as the amount of solute is increased.* It is interesting to note that Williams and Eppel-sheimer9 eported for commercial grade titanium a high intensity region 20" toward the rolling direction from the rolling plane normal in addition to. one 30" toward the transverse direction. Their basal pole figure was similar to Fig. 1, row inree. The observation that the texture changes gradually with solute concentration is similar to the results of similar studies on copper." At the present time these effects are not clearly understood. Acknowledgments This work was sponsored by the Aeronautical Research Laboratory (WCRRL), Wright Air Development Center, under Contract NO. AF' 33(038)-19574. The authors are grateful for the aid received and permission to publish these results.

Jan 1, 1958

By G. S. Farnham, D. A. Scott

Partition of certain elements, particularly nickel, was determined for slowly cooled steels, the greater number containing from 0.30 to 0.35 pct C. Approximately 3 pct of the nickel, 18 pct of the manganese, 33 pct of the molybdenum, and 35 pct of the chromium occur in the carbide phase. Partition of one element is not much affected by the presence of another. THE object of this investigation was: 1—to determine the partition of nickel between cemen-tite and ferrite in a medium and high carbon series of annealed steels; 2—to evaluate the effect of chromium and/or molybdenum or both on the partition of nickel in medium carbon annealed steels; 3— to determine the partition of chromium between ferrite and carbide in a series of medium carbon annealed steels; and 4—to study the chemistry of the carbides formed in an AISI 2330 steel during both isothermal transformation, and quench and draw experiments at 1150°F (620°C). The partition of alloying elements between ce-mentite and ferrite in annealed steels has been the subject of many investigations, a summary of which has been given by Austin1. However, there is no satisfactory data available concerning the partition of nickel. It has generally been assumed that virtu- ally all of the nickel concentrates in the ferrite phase in annealed steels. Two investigators"." have reported the finding of nickel in extracted carbide residues. Recently, it has been shown4 that nickel substitutes up to 40 pct for iron in the lattice of cementite produced by the low temperature carburization of iron-nickel powders. In addition to the lack of data on nickel partition, the literature also fails to make reference to the effect of other elements on the nickel content of the carbide in nickel-bearing steels. The partition of molybdenum between ferrite and carbide has been reported"-' for hypoeutectoid steels, isothermally transformed at 1300°F (705°C) and

Jan 1, 1954

By John Hall

THE recently announced run of three years, nine months and eleven days made by a. crucible steel melting furnace of the Columbia Tool Steel Co., which is claimed as a. world's record, brings forcibly to our attention the great improvements that have been made in the design, construction and operation of the Siemen's regenerative crucible- melting furnace since its introduction in this country. Credit for this advance should be given to the furnace designer, the manufacturer of refractories, and the operators of the furnaces, whose persistent efforts and intelligent co-operation in attacking the problem have resulted so satisfactorily. There are three factors that determine the life of a crucible furnace, or any other furnace for that matter : Design, nature of refractories and conditions of operation; (including the nature of steel melted) and to some extent these factors are interdependent. Thus, for instance, if a crucible furnace is to lie operated single turn and allowed to cool off considerably at night, in order to save fuel, the use of clay-brick melting holes may be advisable, since silica brick is not well adapted to endure rep eated heating and cooling. But the total life of a clay-brick melting hole is necessarily short. Again, if local conditions such as danger of flood make necessary the building of the furnace largely above ground, so that the radiation of beat is promoted, the cooling down of the furnace over the week ends, when no steel is melted, will be considerable-and the contraction of the furnace that results tends to wrack it to pieces. The character of the metal being melted affects the life of the furnace to a great extent. Low-carbon steels and steels made from iron and charcoal require higher temperatures and much longer melting tune than high-carbon steel or steel made largely from scrap; the life of the furnace will be shorter, and the number of heats melted will be much less, when such materials are melted.

Jan 9, 1913

By M.A. Hunter

This paper gives the results of an investigation of the specific resistance and temperature coefficient of the electrical resistance of nickel and its important alloy, monel metal. For most of the pure metals, the temperature coefficient of resistance is approximately 0.004 per degree centigrade at 20" C. Nickel and iron, however, are exceptions. This property is important as it gives us good material for the construction of thermometers and other instruments involving electrical control. A summary of information on this subject has been publishcd by the Bureau of Standards.l The present experiments antedate this publication by several years and as the information obtained is not contained in it, the results of the experiments arc published as additional information. Electrical Properties of Pure Nickel It is generally conceded that the lowest values for electrical resistance are obtained in the purest metal. In the case of nickel, the best material obtainable is electrolytic nickel, which contains approximately 99.80 per cent. nickel, 0.15 per cent. iron, and 0.05 per cent. copper. Any cobalt that may be present is included in the nickel figure. If the elcctrolStic sheet has been deposited without intermission, it is possible to cut a section from the sheet and roll it into wire without melting. By this means a nickel wire may be obtained that is uncontaminated by any of the impurities always taken up by nickel during melting. Two samples of nickel wire obtained from different electrolytic nickels had the follolving electrical resistance and temperature coefficient of electrical resistance: Specific Temp. CofEE. Sample MateRial ReSISTance peR Deg. C. NO. 1 Electrolytic nickel.................... 7.55 0.00550 NO. 2 Electrolytic nickcl ................... 7.60 0.00553 * Rensselacr Polytechnic Institute. Director of Research, Driver-Harris Co. Russell Sage Laboratory, Rensselaer Polyt,ecllnic Institute. 1 U. S. Bureau of Standards, Circular 100 (March, 1921).

Jan 1, 1923

By P. D. Wilson

The genesis of some orebodies has been explained by the mingling and chemical interaction of water solutions of different compositions and the consequent precipitation of the mineral load of one or both solutions at their confluence. While this process can be proved in the laboratory, rarely can a positive demonstration be found in nature, for the conditions at the time an ore deposit is being worked are usually entircly differcnt from those that existed when the orebody was formed. For this reason, the present deposition of copper carbonate in the southern end of the Briggs mine of the Calumet and Arizona Mining Co. near Bisbce, Ariz., is of great interest. The developed orebodies in the Calumet and Arizona mines are roughly confined to two broad parallel zones separated at the north by a wedge of Copper Queen ground and at the south by an undeveloped block of Calumet and Arizona ground about 2000 ft. (610 m.) wide. The more westerly zone includes the Irish Mag, Oliver, P. and D., and Cole mines, none of which has been operated since 1919. Much of the water from this division is carried from the 1400-ft., or bottom, level at the southern end of the Cole mine in a long water drift through the undeveloped block to the 1300-ft. level of the Briggs mine at the southern end of the more easterly zone. Most of this water comes originally from outlying areas in the P. and D. mine, passing through parts of the lower. levels of the Cole mine, which are heavily mineralized with iron and copper sulfides. This sulfide zone has been opened up and slowly oxidizing for years. Originally a pure, potable water, the analyses of which are shown under A- in Tables 1 and 2, on its way through the mineralized area in the Cole mine it gathers copper, calcium, magnesium, iron, and aluminum sulfates, a load of dissolved mineral salts almost four times as great as that which it formerly carried; analyses B

Jan 1, 1923

By E. M. Norris

In the summer of 1917 it was decided to fireproof the main tramway hoisting shaft of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. at Butte, Mont. The shaft has three hoisting compartments and one pump compartment; it is timbered with 12 by 12-in. (30.5 by 30.5-cm.) fir timber, and is 2475 ft. (754 m.) deep. Subsidence and displacement of the surrounding country rock had produced exceedingly heavy ground, and had carried the shaft out of line, in several places, by as much as 2 ft. (0.6 m.) displacement. Constant repairing and realigning of the timbers had been necessary in order to maintain clearance for the cages. The most feasible method of fireproofing, therefore, seemed to be to cover the timbers with a coat of concrete applied with the cement gun. The cement gun, which is operated by compressed air at ordinary mine pressures, feeds a mixture of sand and cement through a hose to a nozzle having a water connection. The mortar in fluid form is thus sprayed upon the prepared surface in thin layers, which can be built up to any desired thickness. The cement gun can be set up at any convenient point; satisfactory results have been obtained with the nozzle a distance of 500 ft. (152 m.) from the gun. The shaft was thoroughly overhauled and the timbers put in the best possible state of repair. Between the 1000 and the 1400 levels, much loose ground lay against the shaft timbers on the north side; this was breast-boarded back and a 30-in. (76-cm.) reinforced-concrete retaining wall was erected, leaving a space of 12 in. (30.5 cm.) outside the shaft timbers to allow for future movements of the ground. For convenience in handling men and materials; it was arranged to concrete the auxiliary hoisting-cage compartment and the pump compartment first, using the cages of the main hoist to serve the cementing crews. The auxiliary cage was then available while the remainder of the shaft was being concreted.

Jan 3, 1918

By E. T. Dumble

For many years there have been occasional reports of the discovery of gold from a belt of the coast country of Texas which is underlain by deposits belonging to the lower Eocene. For the most part they have been treated as newspaper reports and no examination or record of them has been made. Among such, it may be mentioned that in 1896 there was a flurry over reported gold-discoveries west of Luling and elsewhere in this belt, and in 1903 some prospect-shafts were sunk on the Gon-zales branch of the Galveston, Houston & San Antonio railway, 3 miles below Harwood. During 1912, further discoveries have again brought the matter to our attention, and it may be of interest to record the facts as we have found them. Some years ago specimens were sent me, which were said to have been taken from certain beds on Gazley creek, and concentrated by washing in a rocker. In them were several particles of gold sufficiently large to be visible to the eye. Under the microscope they showed to be, with few exceptions, sharp cornered, and not rounded as is usual with placer-gold. They were not filings, however, but their sharpness seemed rather to be due to a recent freeing from their matrix. One or two grains were rusty, and one copper-hued, but the most of them were tolerably bright. On examining the material of the samples small grains or fragments were found, of a yellowish brown color, which seemed to be of a finely-granular structure—possibly a sandstone. In these fragments I found particles of gold, one of them being large enough to be visible without a lens. Gazley creek empties into the Colorado river just north of Smithville, and for a few miles north of that place its banks show, beneath the deposits of more recent materials, the sands and clays of the Lignitie division of the Eocene, with lignite, shells of iron, etc.

Jan 1, 1913

By Wilbert McBride

Two Alco 3 ½ -ton motor trucks were used by Young Bros. while operating at the Mammoth Collins mine at Shultz, Ariz. One was equipped with an oil tank holding 1,075 gal. and was used for the transportation of "tops." The, other was fitted with a stake body and used to carry machinery, wood, rails, pipe and all classes of miscellaneous supplies. The bodies were made of oak with maple flooring and were attached to the frame of the chassis by U-bolts, to avoid drilling the main members of the frame. Most of the hauling was done from Tucson, a distance of 47;2 miles. During the first. 3 months, part of the road was in very bad condition and the tire cost was excessive. After this part was repaired the road was in fair condition, but never good. There were no excessive grades or bad sand, but wagon ruts, too narrow for the truck wheels and of a different gage, caused heavy tire loss; while chuck holes, sharp curves and stones, both imbedded and loose, were objectionable features. During wet weather the trucks could not get sufficient traction to climb some of the hills and were likely to stick in the mud in certain places, so that no attempt was made to run them unless they were on the road when the rain started. This lost time amounted to about 5 per cent. of the total, but, whenever possible, it was utilized in making minor repairs. The price of gasoline, was from 17 to 21 c. per gal. Rubber tires were used throughout. Drivers were paid $4.50 to $5 per shift, and a return trip to Tucson was counted as two shifts even when made in one day. Drivers were provided with a room in Tucson and were paid for all time lost due to causes beyond their control. Trucks were loaded one way only.

Jan 7, 1916

By J. S. Kasper, R. M. Waterstrat

IN view of the recent findings of a pronounced ordering of atoms in s phase alloys containing elements of the first long row of the periodic table (and including molybdenum),l it is of interest to resolve the question of ordering for s phases containing second and third-row elements. Examples of the latter have been provided recently by Greenfield and Beck2 and two of them, Re-Cr and Ru-Cr, would appear to be favorable for a study of ordering by X-ray diffraction methods because of the considerable differences in the scattering factors concerned. In addition, s phase is found to occur in the Os-Cr system, where the difference in scattering factors is even larger. Accordingly, X-ray powder intensities have been measured in an attempt to learn the nature of the ordering, if any, in these three v alloys. Since there is no reported work on intermediate phases in the Os-Cr system, an exploratory investigation was made in this system, and it was found that, in addition to the s phase, the phase with the A-15 or ß-W structure also occurs. Specimen Preparation—The alloys were prepared by compressing mixed powders of —200 mesh size and sintering in an atmosphere of pure dry hydrogen. All alloys were rapidly cooled from the annealing temperature to room temperature in a stream of cold dry hydrogen in a water-cooled chamber. Table I lists the sources and purities of the starting materials, as well as the details of processing for each of the alloys investigated. Intermediate Phases in the Os-Cr System—In the absence of information on intermediate phases in the Os-Cr system, it was suspected that this system would resemble that of Ru-Cr, where a s phase, RuCr2,2 and a phase with the A-15 structure, RuCr3,3,4 have been identified. Both these phases were found in the Os-Cr system and at compositions

Jan 1, 1958

By V. F. Marsters

THE main producing oilfields in Peru are located in the department of Piura and province of Thumbes, adjoining Ecuador on the south and west. In the department of Puno, a small field known as the Pirin or Hauncané Area was exploited some years ago by Fred Brown and associates and considerable production obtained. As. shown by the statistical table of production, this area reached its maximum production about 1909; since 1915, operations have been suspended. During the past year, however, the Peruvian Corpn. has acquired some interests in this section. It is reported to have made a few shallow tests with the hope of obtaining sufficient production to supply fuel for its railway lines, which operate between Mollendo on the coast and Puno and Cuzco in the interior. Only partial success has accompanied these efforts; nevertheless, exploitation is being continued. The petroleum of this region contains a paraffin base with small amounts of asphalt. While the gasoline content is small, the kerosene content runs as high as 30 per cent., with the fuel element varying from 50 to 72 per cent. While it is known that the structural conditions of the Huancané area are somewhat complicated, it is believed that exploitation based on a careful interpretation of the geology of the region will eventually yield commercial production of at least modest proportions. In the main fields in Piura and Tumbes, drilling operations were somewhat more active during the first half of the year, than in 1922. The latter half of the year witnessed curtailment, owing to the abnormal situation in the petroleum industry at that time. For the same reason, no attempt was made to obtain the maximum production from existing .wells. Production was pinched down and exportation of crude was correspondingly reduced during the latter half of 1923. Nevertheless, the total production of the Peruvian fields is considerably in excess of that for 1922, as is also the production of the Negritos area alone.

Jan 3, 1924

By E. G. Deane

A METHOD of top slicing has been devised at the Miami Copper Co.'s mine at Miami, Ariz., which differs radically in some ways from the customary methods of top slicing. The area of that section of the orebody in which top slicing is used is about 800 ft. square. The ore, while for the most part soft, is, nevertheless, considerably harder than the capping. The latter is siliceous, seldom containing any clay or other binding material, and breaks into fine particles so that it runs like sand if given the opportunity. Because of these facts, and because the ore is above the average grade of the mine ore, it has been mined by top slicing. Haulage levels are opened up 150 ft. apart, vertically, with two sublevels between at 50-ft. intervals, to facilitate the building of ore chutes. These sublevels are used during slicing for distributing air in the ventilation system. On the haulage level the drifts are spaced on 50-ft. centers, and raises along these drifts are also spaced on 50-ft. centers, except the incline raises as hereafter noted. The raises are cribbed where necessary. Where the wear will be excessive, ¼ -in. iron plates are spiked to the top of every third set of cribbing, for its protection. When top slicing was first used, an attempt was made to carry a slicing face from fifty to several hundred feet long. Timber and other, supplies were brought in through long drifts from an auxiliary shaft. Great difficulty was experienced in keeping these drifts open, the side pressure breaking the posts and the top weight breaking, both caps and posts. Furthermore, the men could not work efficiently while these drifts were .being repaired. The slicing faces advanced irregularly, due to varying conditions, and in many ways the results were not all that could be desired. It was then decided to divide the slicing area into blocks 200 ft. square and this wins later changed to 250 ft. square.

Jan 9, 1916

By Edwin Ludlow

ONE of the most unusual features in connection with the strike of the union coal miners in the bituminous fields, now in its sixth week, is that the public interest seems to have completely died out. There is nothing on the front page and very little on any other page of the daily newspapers in connection with the strike. The United Mine Workers' officials must be rather disappointed to find that the only way in which they are being featured in the papers at present is in the reports of the trial for treason that is going on in Charlestown, West Va., against the local leaders of that organization for their responsibility in connection with the attack of the miners' army last summer against the non-union mines of Logan and Mingo Counties. Recent reports state that there are 13,000 cars of coal standing on the sidings at union mines for which no billing has yet been found. The output of the non-union mines has been gradually increasing but has never reached the maximum that they are capable of producing, owing to their inability to obtain enough orders to make it possible to run full operating time. The, present output is estimated at, 4,500,000 tons a week. It is possible, with a full car supply and full demand, to bring this output up to approximately 6,000,000 tons per week, and it is very doubtful whether, at this season of the year when probably there is less consumption of coal than, at any other season, the requirements of the country are greater than the 6,000,000 tons which the non-union mines are capable of producing. It would appear, therefore, that there is no immediate prospect of any settlement of the bituminous strike, and there is certainly no reason why the operators of the union mines should show any anxiety to begin operations as long as they have unbilled coal standing on their sidings.

Jan 6, 1922