Search Documents

On Feb. 16, 1948, the Board of Directors of NME authorized the publishing of "Technical Notes" in METALS TECHNOLOGY. The purpose is to provide prompt publication of very short items of the following general types: I. Results of short investigations which do not warrant a paper. 2. The conclusions of extensive investigations of insufficient general interest to justify a regular paper. 3. Conclusions arising in the course of an investigation, which, because of interest to others in the field, the author wishes to present prior to completion of the investigation. 4. Pertinent factual comment (not mere argument) on the subject matter of previous "Notes." Such Notes will be subject to the approval of the Auxiliary and AIME Publications Committees, but can be handled more promptly than regular papers because they need not be referred to readers. The recommended maxi- mum length is 500 words; notes in excess of 1,000 words will not be considered for this type of publication. A graph or photograph may be included as part of the note when particularly illustrative. As with regular papers, contributions to the new section should be submitted to the Secretary of the AIME. Please furnish two copies each complete with illustrations.

Jan 1, 1948

By J. R. Thoenen

The Bureau of Mines has used various sizes of core barrels above 2 in. and below 10 in. in diameter to core manganese, potash, coal, brown iron ore and bauxite. The paper describes in some detail the methods and types of equipment used to obtain maximum sampling accuracy. Introduction On December 11, 1946, R. D. Longyear, in his capacity as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Exploration Drilling, wrote the author requesting him to prepare a paper presenting the collective ideas of engineers in the Bureau of Mines on the design, standardization and application of core barrels using diamonds or other hard cutting media for drilling holes larger than two inches and less than ten inches in diameter. In subsequent correspondence it was indicated that similar papers covering the experience of other government agencies would be solicited and all such papers received would be combined in a symposium on the subject for discussion at the March 1947 meeting of the Mining Methods Committee AIME. In soliciting such information from other Bureau engineers, it developed that most Bureau experience had been confined to standard core size, two inches or less in diameter, and that larger sizes had been used only for special purposes. It is hoped the data contained herein will be of help to other operators in solving problems encountered in the field. Acknowledgments This paper was made possible by the request of Lowell B. Moon, Chief, Mining Division, Bureau of Mines, to all Division engineers to send to the author any data they had on the subject. Engineers of the Mining Division contributing were: M. H. Kline, Chief, Raleigh Branch. Paul T. Allsman, Chief, Salt Lake City Branch. J. H. Hedges, Chief, Tucson Branch. C. H. Johnson, Chief, Rolla Branch. A. M. Evans, Mining Engineer, College Park Branch. Wing Agnew, Engineer in charge, Mount Weather, Virginia. Andrew Brown, Mining Engineer, Tus-caloosa Branch. In addition Albert L. Toenges, Supervising Engineer, Bituminous Coal Mining Section, Pittsburgh, contributed his experience in coring coal beds. The author's experience in the use of cores within the limits stated has been confined to the brown iron-ore work described by Brown and coring bauxite and clay in Arkansas. Design and Standardization of Core Barrels Bureau engineers are primarily interested in obtaining core that will best represent

Jan 1, 1949

By H. J. French

Within the past few years, particularly because of the rapid growth of the airplane industry during the war, considerable attention has been paid to the manufacture of light-wall cold-drawn seamless and welded steel tubing for structural purposes. While the manufacture of such tubing is not, in itself, a difficult matter, some difficulties have been encountered in producing the same under specifications requiring definite physical properties. It is the purpose of this paper to describe the methods of manufacture and the properties that may be obtained by such methods for tubing coming within about 1/2 to 2 in. (12.7 to 50.8 mm.) outside diameter and 10 to 22 Birmingham wire gage (0.134 to 0.028 in. wall thickness). Such tubing is largely used as structural material in the aircraft industry, and it is of the utmost importance that the physical and chemical properties should be known, and also that the various factors entering into the manufacture should be under such control as to allow these properties to be varied and held within definite limits. In general, tubing may be divided into four classes: namely, specialty tubing, such as riveted-sheet or plate, lock jointed, etc.; brazed tubing; welded tubing; and seamless tubing. Welded tubing may be divided into hot product, such as lap welded and butt welded, and cold product, such as acetylene and electric welded. Seamless tubing may be hot rolled or cold drawn. Specialty Tubing The first two classes present mainly mechanical or structural engineering problems. A simple form of tube is made by riveting together the overlapping edges of rolled sheets or plates formed into a cylinder. Because of the nature of its construction, such a tube is necessarily limited to relatively large sizes. Lock-jointed tubing is produced by passing low-carbon strip through a forming machine having suitable rolls and dies, its manufacture is almost entirely a question of design of the forming machine and its satisfactory operation. The chief application of such tubing is in the manufacture of bedsteads.

Jan 1, 1920

By C. N. Reid

Slip-line studies on deformed chromium single cvystals showed the usual bcc behavior. At room temperatuve, cross slip was prevalent—slip was not confined to a given plane, but the slip direction was (111). At -10O0K, slip occuvred on (110) planes, twins on(112) planes, and cleavage on (1001 planes. A single-crystal tensile specimen with an axis close to [011] showed a pronounced yield drop and high strain rate sensitivity which zclere used to derive relevant parame tevs in a dislocation dynamics treatment. Transmission electron microscope studies confirmed the existence of (110) slip planes and showed ecidence of loops punched out by precipitates and of grown-in dislocations promoting tangling. OF recent years experimental studies have been made of the deformation characteristics of single-crystal molybdenum and tungsten, but very little has been published on the behavior of single-crystal chromium. During a study of the mechanical properties of chromium, single-crystal studies were made which have already been partially described.&apos; However, additional information was generated which was not directly relevant to the main theme of Ref. 1, and, therefore, was not reported. In view of the need for complete documentation of deformation modes, the experimental observations made on the deformation of single-crystal chromium are summarized here, together with an electron-microscope study of the associated dislocation structures. It was found that, in terms of the deformation modes, chromium is a conventional bcc metal, showing a very pronounced yield-point phenomenon. Further, it was found that the flow strength of these crystals is very sensitive to the strain rate. Finally, the crystals were observed to contain many unidentified precipitates, which often were associated with prismatic dislocation loops. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS Single crystals were grown from rods of wrought chromium by the method of zone annealing. Rods of "1/4in.-diam were supported vertically in an argon atmosphere while an induction coil was moved up the rod at 1 in. per hr. The power was adjusted to just below that required for melting, and the process produced single crystals in about 30 pct of the rods used. The orientations of the crystals, in general, lay near [011] and are summarized in Fig. 1. Before this treatment, the wrought material contained 35 pprn C, 68 ppm O, and 12 ppm N.* An analyzed single crystal *Usual metallic impurities found in iodide chromium are: Al, 5 ppm; Ca, A ppm; Cu, 2 ppm; Fe, 75 ppm; Yg, 0.5 ppm; Yn, < 3 ppm; Mo, < 3 ppm; Ni, 4 ppm; Si, < 20 ppm; Ti, < 1 ppm; V, 4 ppm; Zr, < 3 ppm. contained 10 pprn C, 79 ppm O, and 50 pprn N. Tension and compression specimens were shaped from the crystals by mechanical grinding, followed by the electrolytic removal of about 0.010 in. from the surface in a perchloric/acetic acid bath. All specimens had a gage length of 0.75 in., and tension specimens had a diameter of 0.100 in., while that of the compression samples was 0.200 in. Mechanical tests were carried out at a rate of 1.3 pct per min, and temperatures below 0°C were attained by means of a nitrogen cryostat similar to that of Wessel.2 EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS Modes of Deformation. In addition to the tensile properties of these crystals, which are described in Ref. 1, deformation markings on the surface were studied. Crystals A and F, Fig. 1, were deformed in tension at 300°K to 10 and 16 pct strain, respectively. The surfaces contained visible slip lines, about 1 C( apart, composed of both straight and wavy segments. They did not define a single plane, and so determination of the slip plane was not possible. However, the slip direction was deduced by comparing the axial orientations of the crystals before and after deformation. Fig. 2 is representative, and shows that the axis ro-

Jan 1, 1968

By H. R. Joesting

Geophysical search for minerals is stepped up to meet requirements of expanded defense program - Seismic and electrical surveys become firmly established for ground-water and engineering investigations.

Jan 2, 1953

By J. Hunter

DuXing 1942, Louisiana attained the rank of fourth among the great oil-producing states of this country. Its present prominent position is the result of an orderly and systematic program of exploitation with emphasis on conservation. Even before the functioning of M-68, the Federal spacing order, development and production in Louisiana were regulated by various acts of legislation, the most recent of which and by far the most effective is Act 157 of 1940. Under the authority of this act, it has been possible for the Department of Conservation to hold many public hearings and thereby to secure data and evidence regarding the feasibility of issuing rules and regulations for development of various oil and gas fields in the state. As a result of information compiled at such public hearings, many orders have been issued by the Commissioner of Conservation that have in most cases provided reasonable solutions to the problems that arise in the exploitation and development of fields in this state. Probably one of the most effective powers granted the Commissioner of Conservation in the state of Louisiana has been the authority to provide for fieldwide unitiza-tion and pooling of condensate fields. This has led to the erection of huge cycling plants in Louisiana, which permit the most efficient recovery of the liquid content of the reservoirs, and further conserve most of the gas reserve that undoubtedly will be of considerable future value. Many months have passed since various orders of the Department of Conservation were put into effect, and all are accomplishing their purpose; namely, the elimination of waste. Although the effectiveness of these orders provides considerable satisfaction to the members of the Department of Conservation, it is also a tribute to the members of the oil and gas industry in Louisiana, who, in addition to providing carefully prepared technical data, have also given unstinting cooperation and have thereby enabled the Department to cope intelligently with the many problems. Production On Dec. 31, 1942, oil and/or gas was being produced in 50 parishes, or 78 per cent of all the parishes in the state. Thirty-three of the parishes produced oil and gas, 12 produced oil, and 5 produced solely gas. This is indeed an enviable record for any state. However, it is reasonable to assume that eventually all parishes in the state of Louisiana will be productive. From a geological viewpoint, there is no apparent reason to assume otherwise—a point that a11 operators seeking oil and gas production in this state may well bear in mind. Twenty new fields were found during 1942—a rate of discovery that does not compare favorably with the 30 new fields found during 1941. The record of discoveries in Louisiana during 1942 is further disappointing when it is realized that 8 of the 20 new fields discovered were gas fields. During this period of war emergency, there are, of course, many

Jan 1, 1943

By P. E. Fitzgerald, Dana G. Hefley

An apparatus has been developed which permits selective acidizing of producing formations and determination of the relative permeability of a formation by fluid injection. This apparatus, known as the "Electric Pilot," is an electrical fluid-interface locator, the electrical circuit of which is completed when the elec-tcodes in the well are in contact with a conductive fluid, but is not completed when immersed in a nonconductive fluid. Results are given for a number of typical acidizing applications in which the interface locator was used to control the acid. Description of the method used in making a permeability survey and the data obtained are also included. Introduction Early in the development of the acidizing industry it was recognized that one of the most important problems to be solved in the chemical treatment of any well was the determination of what part of the exposed section in the well should be treated and the selection of the technique that would insure treatment of the desired section. One of the first techniques adopted for assisting in proper placement of the acid, which is still widely used, is the method of confining the acid to the producing section by means of a column of oil, which is known as the Carr1 method of treatment, named for its inventor. In the Carr method it is not possible to selectively acidize a specific horizon in a multiple pay zone, so many improvements and modifications of the basic Carr technique were devised to accomplish this result. In order to overcome the possibility of the acid entering an undesirable section at the bottom of the well, organic gel plugs2 were introduced into the bottom of the well, which served to halt the entrance of the treating solution into these zones.3 These chemical gels later liquefied because of bacterial action and were removed from the well with the produced fluid. In fields where a gas cap existed, as in the Goldsmith field of Ector County, Texas) it was imperative that a treating technique be evolved that would confine the acid to the oil-producing zone below the gas cap. By so doing the oil-productive capacity of the wells could be improved without greatly increasing the gas production and this would lower the gas-oil ratio of the well. ~h, technique employed4 to achieve this effect utilized two pumps, one for pumping the chemicals down the tubing, the other to simultaneously force oil down the annular space to confine the acid to the oil pay, thus preventing the chemicals from entering the upper gas-bearing zones. Experience has indicated that gas wells and certain types of oil wells respond better to &apos;&apos;stage treating.&apos;&apos; This technique utilizes the introduction of a certain volume of acid and then allows the well to &apos;&apos;clean up99 before introduction of the next and usually successively larger stages. Where such methods are employed steps must be taken to keep a disproportionate share of the acid from entering the most permeable and previously treated Zones. A special tool

Jan 1, 1944

By R. H. Card

The geophysicist is interested greatly in the resistivities of different formations or parts of the earth&apos;s crust; sometimes he is interested in a single figure in the nature of an average, or what may be called the effective resistivity, of all the formations or parts of the crust at a given location to a certain depth. Conversely, the engineer whose work is concerned with the coordination of power and communication lines in such a manner as to avoid electrical interference between these two types of facilities is concerned very much with this effective resistivity; to a lesser extent he is interested in the resistivities of individual formations. In connection with his work the coordination engineer often estimates the effective resistivity of the earth from measurements of the mutual impedances of lines; in other instances he derives from measurements of a different type the resistivities of different layers of the crust and synthesizes these to obtain an estimate of the effective resistivity. In connection with problems concerning the coordination of power and telephone lines, measurements from which earth resistivities can be estimated have been made at many points in the United States by the American Telephone and Telegraph Co. and its associated companies, in cooperation with various power companies and with railroad companies having electrified sections of line. Other such measurements have been made by the Joint Subcommittee on Development and Research of the Edison Electric Institute and the Bell Telephone System. A study has been made of the correlation of these data with the ages and types of materials of the strata of the earth&apos;s crust at each of the test locations. The purpose of this study has been primarily to provide information to assist in predicting the order of magnitude of effective resistivities to be used in the preliminary consideration of problems concerned with the coordination of power and communication lines. To make the results of such a study most useful, it is essential that the geological data to be secured when such a prediction is wanted be readily obtainable. Data on the ages of strata and the types of materials composing geological structures can usually be obtained, therefore particu-

Jan 1, 1940

LIST OF THE MEETINGS OF THE INSTITUTE AND THEIR LOCALITIES FROM ITS ORGANIZATION Transactions Number Place Date Vol Page 1 Wilkes-Barre, Pa May, ?71 1 3 2 Bethlehem, Pa August, ?71 1 10 3 Troy, N Y November, ?71 1 13 4 Philadelphia, Pa February, ?72 1 17 5 New York, N Y May, ?72 1 20 6 Pittsburg, Pa October, ?72 1 25 7 Boston, Mass February, ?73 1 28 8 Philadelphia, Pa May, ?73 2 3 9 Easton, Pa October, ?73 2 7 10 New York, N Y February, ?74 211 11 St Louis, Mo May, ?74 3 3 12 Hazleton, Pa October, ?74 3 8 13 New Haven, Conn February, ?75 3 15 14 Dover, N J May, ?75 4 3 15 Cleveland, 0 October, ?75 4 9 16 Washington, D C February, ?76 4 18 17 Philadelphia, Pat June, ?76, 5 3 18 Philadelphia, Pa October, ?76 5 9 19 New York, N Y February, ?77 5 27 20 Wilkes-Barre, Pa May, ?77 6 3 21 Amenia, N Y October, ?77 6 10 22 Philadelphia, Pa. May, ?78 6 18 23 Chattanooga, Tenn May ?78 7 3

Jan 1, 1923

By E. W. Newman

DURING 1943 and 1944, there was an urgent need for certain grades of optical calcite (Iceland spar) for instruments for military uses. To find a supply of this material, prospecting was carried out in Montana, California and Colorado. Although some production was obtained by the work in California, the best results were from prospecting the large calcite veins of south central Montana. The bulk of the optical calcite mined during World War II has come from that area. The Bureau of Mines took an active part in the search for optical calcite in Montana. It examined most of the known calcite veins in the 70-mile distance between Wilsall, on the Shields River, and Absarokee, on the Stillwater River, and conducted exploration on several of the deposits. The Geological Survey also took an active part by mapping many of the veins. Actual mining of the calcite was performed at first by Calcite Operators, Inc., and later by the Metals Reserve Co., through an agent. A sorting plant was established at Clyde Park, where custom material could be sold. These activities stimulated mining by private operators. To be suitable for military uses, the calcite mined had to meet rigid specifications as to both size and quality. Individual crystals had to be clear and transparent and if in the form of rhombs had to measure at least 7/8 in. on each edge. Some color and a few inclusions in the calcite were allowable, but material with incipient or developed cleavages, or showing twinning other than parallel to the base, was unacceptable. HISTORY OF DEPOSITS The existence of large veins of calcite in south central Montana has long been known, and for many years the farmers of this region have used the common vein calcite for producing grit for chicken feed. According to reports, the first optical calcite produced from Montana came from the Cartwright deposit near Greycliff,1 but until recently the mining of optical calcite in Montana has been limited to spasmodic searching for small crystals suitable for making nicol prisms for saccharimeters and microscopes, or for mineral specimens. The possible need of substantial amounts of optical calcite for military uses began to appear late in 1942 and early in 1943, therefore the Polaroid company began searching for a source of supply in Montana and California. Work on the Wade property near Clyde Park was started on a small scale in the fall of 1942, by A. H. Hansen, of Clyde Park. During the winter and spring of 1943, a modest quantity of optical calcite was mined and shipped to the Polaroid Corporation, Cambridge, Mass. Most of this was produced from the "Hansen vug," which was found close to the surface. Early in the summer of 1943, mining on the Wade property was undertaken by Calcite Operators, Inc., a company organized for mining optical calcite from the Montana and California deposits. This com-

Jan 1, 1945

By R. S. Wagner, W. C. Ellis

A new mechanism of crystal growth involving oapor, liquid, crnd solid phases explains many observations of the effect of implurities in crystal growth from the vapor. The role of the impuuitq is to form a liquid Solution with the crystalline tnalerial to be grown from the vapor. Since the solution is n prefevred site for deposition firorti the uapor, the liquid becorrles supersaturated. Crystal growth occurs by precipitatzon from the supersaturated liquid crt tlie solid-liquid zntevfnce. A crystalline defect, such as a screw dislocation, is not essetztial for VLS (vapor -liquid-solid) growth. The concept of the VLS mechanism is discussed in detail with reference to tire controlled growth of silicon crystals using gold, platinum, palladium, nickel, silver, or copper as an implurity agent. RECENTLY a short communication&apos; described a new concept of crystal growth from the vapor, the VLS mechanism. In this paper we present a detailed description of the process and its application to the growth of silicon crystals and we discuss its relevance to existing concepts of .&apos;whisker" crystal growth. Crystal growth from the vapor is usually explained by a theory proposed by Frank2 and developed in detail by Burton, Cabrera, and Frank.3 In this theory a screw dislocation terminating at the growth surface provides a self-perpetuating step. Accommodation of atoms at the step is energetically favorable, and is possible of much lower supersatu-ration than required for two-dimensional nucleation. Crystals of a unique form resulting from aniso-tropic growth from the vapor are "whisker" or filamentary ones. Such crystals have a lengthwise dimension orders of magnitude larger than those of the cross section. For most filamentary crystals both the fast-growth direction and directions of lateral growth have small Miller indices. The special growth form for a whisker crystal implies that the tip surface of the crystal must be a preferred growth site. sears4 proposed that, according to the Frank theory. a whisker contains a screw dislocation emergent at the growing tip. Such an axial defect provides a preferred growth site and accounts for unidirectional growth. The hypothesis was extended by Price. Vermilyea. and Webb," still implying the presence of a dislocation at the whisker tip. They postulated that impurities arriving at the fast-growing tip face become buried while those arriving on the surface of slow-growing lateral faces accumulate and thereby hinder growth. These considerations led to a whisker morphology. There is increasing evidence that most whisker crystals grown from the vapor are dislocation-free. Webb and his coworkers6 searched for an Eshelby twist7 in zinc? cadmium, iron. copper, silver, and palladium whisker crystals. They found unequivocal evidence for an axial screw dislocation in only one element, palladium. However, not every palladium crystal examined contained a dislocation. Observations with the electron microscope have failed to show dislocations in whisker crystals of zinc, silicon.9 and one morphology of AlN.10 Since many whiskers are completely free of dislocations, an axial dislocation does not appear to be required for whisker growth of many substances. A significant advance in understanding whisker growth has been a recognition of the need for impurities. This requirement has been clearly demonstrated for copper,11 iron,13 and silicon9-1 whiskers. For silicon, detailed studies proved conclusively that certain impurities, for example, nickel or gold, are essential. Another pertinent phenomenon which has received little attention is the presence of a liquid layer or droplets on the surface of some crystals growing from the vapor. Crystals in which this has been observed include p-toluidine,14 MoO3,15 ferrites,16 and silicon carbide.&apos;" The liquid layers or globules were considered to be metastable phases, molecular complexes, or intermediate polymers originating from condensation of the vapor phase. The possibility has been suggested that the halide being reduced is condensed at the tip18 or adsorbed on the surface11 of a growing metal whisker, for example copper. The literature on whiskers discloses illustrations of rounded terminations at the tips. These appear. for example, on crystals of A12O3,19,20 sic,21 and BeO.22 For BeO, Edwards and Happel suggested that during growth of the whisker the rounded termination consisted of molten beryllium enclosed in a solid shell of BeO. A recent paper9 on the growth of silicon whiskers contains many observations pertinent to an understanding of the mechanisnl of whisker growth. These observations are summarized as follows. 1) Silicon whiskers are dislocation-free. 2) Certain impurities are essential for whisker growth. Without such impurities the silicon deposit is in the form of a film or consists of discrete polyhedral crystals.

Jan 1, 1965

By Cyril Stanley Smith

THE art of metallography is mature and the forms in which various micro-constituents appear are well known. Investigations almost without end have disclosed the importance of the exact manner of distribution of phases on the physical properties and usefulness of an alloy. Surprisingly, however, relatively little attention has been paid to the forces that are responsible for the particular and varied spatial arrangements of grains and phases that are observed. Like the anatomist, the metallurgist has been more concerned with form and function than with origins. In this paper it is proposed to develop the simple concept that many microstructures result from an attempted approach to equilibrium between phase and grain interfaces whose surface tensions geometrically balance each other at the points and along the lines where they meet. From this follows a number of principles which may prove to be of interest to the metallographer and of practical use in explaining failures and in designing alloys for particular service. In general, the discussion will be limited to structures obtained after full annealing. The simple principles do not apply to structures resulting from Widmanstatten mechanisms in precipitation, or to other structures not in local equilibrium and in which lattice coherency is a determining factor. INTERFACIAL TENSION Much has been written by physical chemists about the free energy of surfaces, which manifests itself as a measurable surface tension. Two- and three-phase interfaces in fluids seek a condition of minimum energy and approach a geometrical configuration in which the various forces are in vectorial balance.* Measurement of the angles established between the interfaces when in equilibrium provides a quantitative value for the relative value of the surface forces involved. The case of two fluids meeting at the surface of a solid (of great importance in connection with the flotation of minerals) has often been studied, but there have been few investigations of the equally definite interface between two or more crystals of a single solid phase, or the more complex cases where crystal grains of more than one phase are involved. The principles are best illustrated by considering first the case of two and three immiscible liquids. If, as in Fig I, a liquid, 2, is dropped into a less dense liquid, I, it will form a sphere-if gravity and viscosity can be ignored-for in this shape the interface has the smallest possible area. If these two phases should together encounter a third phase in which they are both immiscible, the geometry will change to become that which gives the lowest total energy for all three interfaces. Thus, if the spherical drop of liquid, falling through r, eventually reaches the interface between liquids 3 and I (we are assuming that the density of 3 is greater than 2, and 2 than I), it will assume the shape of a lens, the angle

Jan 1, 1948

By J. S. Miller

This paper describes the method of mining a steeply pitching anthracite seam on a heavy pitch in the Orchard vein in No. 1 Tunnel of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. The Orchard vein in the Neaquehoning district has a thickness of about 15 ft. on the level of the gangway, which is sufficient thickness for the gangway to be driven full width in coal. Above the gangway, the vein becomes thinner and near the surface is about 8 it. thick. The coal is of good hard quality and carries a fairly good roof. The pitch of the vein is between 65" and 70". Usually the breast-and-pillar method has been employed in the mining of the steeply pitching veins in this section. This method produced good results as far as the mining of the breast was concerned but the recovery of the pillar was difficult as to full extraction and expensive as regards costs. To recover these pillars after the breasts were driven, three methods were commonly employed; they were known as the pillar-breast method, pillar-skipping method, and pillar-chute method. The pillar-breast method consisted in putting a battery in one corner of the pillar (Fig. I), coupling the manways A and B of the two adjacent breasts for two or three lengths ahead of the working face of the pillar being cut, and working the pillar as a breast. This method was used by the more skilled miners of the earlier days but has practically been abandoned. A slight variation of this method is used to some extent. In this case, the pillars are left wider than ordinarily and of sufficient width for the full-width breast to be driven in and a small pillar left on each side of the pillar breast between it and the regular breasts. With the completion of the "pillar breast," the ribs are drilled full of holes, loaded, and fired. In the pillar-skipping method (Fig. 2), the middle breast of three is not driven through and is drawn empty while the outside and inside breasts are kept full. At the corners of the two pillars standing, batteries are put in and a skip of the two pillars started; the coal in the two pillars is blasted over into the empty breast. A small pillar is kept along the

Jan 1, 1925

By Oscar E. Harder, John E. Dorn

The phenomenon of diffusion, according to the most prevalent conceptions at the present time, undoubtedly played an important part in the formation and distribution of metals and minerals in the earth&apos;s crust. Apparently there is good evidence that in the geological rate of cooling diffusion caused numerous materials to separate into individual masses or into duplex structures. As is well known, the early steels were made by cementation; that is, by heating wrought ferrous metal in contact with carburizing materials so as to produce a relatively high carbon content on the surface. If the process was continued long enough, the carbon diffused throughout the piece. A more homogeneous product depended upon further heating and forging, so that the carbon diffused to a fairly uniform concentration throughout the metal. In the modern metallurgical industry, diffusion is the basis for many operations; for example, the production of hard surfaces on steels by carburizing, nitriding, cementing with chromium, silicon, boron and beryllium. Castings or ingots as they solidify do not have homogeneous structures, but these structures are made largely homogeneous by suitable process of heat-treating and the resulting diffusion. It is in modern physical metallurgy, however, that we become greatly concerned about the mechanism of the phenomenon of diffusion. The rates of diffusion, effect of temperature and time on diffusion, and the relation of diffusion to the many properties of the parent metal and the diffusing metal have become important; also, we are concerned with the diffusion of a single metal into a complex alloy. For example, what is the mechanism whereby carbon and nitrogen travel into steel? What is the effect of alloying elements in the ferrous material on the rates of diffusions? What is the effect of simultaneous diffusion of carbon and nitrogen? How does chromium, beryllium, boron, or the like, diffuse into the steel, and what are the effects of alloying elements in the steel previous to the cementation process? These inquiries are by no means limited

Jan 1, 1938

By E. H. Fahmy, L. C. Uren

During recent years, oil producers have observed with interest the practical success which has attended the application of water as a medium for displacement of oil from its reservoir sands in the Bradford field of northern Pennsylvania and southern New York. Here, according to various authorities, additional recoveries of frorn 2,000 to 12,000 bhl. of oil per acre have heen secured by this method, after ordinary flowing and pumping. rnethods of production had practically reached the lower limit of economic operation. Notwithstanding the success which has attended the practical use of the flooding process in the Bradford field, oil producers in other regions are skeptical of its value when applied under physical conditions differing markedly from those which characterizc the Bradford field. Its usc would probably he construed as illegal in most of the oil-producing states. This general relnctance on the part of oil producers in other regions to accept the flooding process is due in large part to lack of infor-n~ation regarding the factors that influence its operation and efficiency. With the purpose of clarifying to some extent the issues involved, and of determining when the flooding proccess may or may not beeffee-tivcly ernployed, the writers have conducted a serics of laboratory exper-imentments under carefully controlled conditions, designed to indicate, the influence of various physical, chemical arid lithologic factors. These experments have not been conducted under conditions identical with those which exist at depths far below the earth&apos;s surface, so that direct quantitative comparisons with field results are not justified, hut it is believed that the experimental results at least warrant qualitative inter-pretations that may he applied to field conditions. The methods employed in the conduct of these experiments are briefly explained, and the results, together with the conclusions based thereon, arc presented. FactoRs Influencing Displacement of Oil froM SaNdS by WAteR- flooding Before presenting the experimental data, it, will he desirable to con-sider the manner in which the residual oil is retained within the oil sand

Jan 1, 1928

By William Klement

THIS note reports the results of some attempts to metastably extend the primary solid solubilities of tin, antimony, and silicon in silver by rapidly quenching these binary alloys from the melt. The procedures employed for alloy preparation, quenching, and Debye-Scherrer X-ray diffraction measurements have been described elsewhere. The lattice parameters obtained for the fcc structures in Ag-Sn and Ag-Sb alloys are presented in Fig. 1, together with the results of Owen and Roberts.4 Alloy compositions are believed to be within ± 0.2 at. pct on the basis of negligible weight losses during preparation and reproducibility of the lattice spacings. Diffraction lines from hcp phases were also detected: the relative visual intensities of the fcc (200) and hcp (10.2) lines were estimated as shown in Table I. The intensities were m for the (200) and w for the (10.2) in a quenched 13.6 at. pct Sn alloy: a lattice spacing for the fcc structure could not be reliably obtained, however. As seen from Fig. 1, the lattice parameters vary linearly with composition up to 8., at. pct Sb and 13." at. pct Sn, respectively, which may be compared with the maximum equilibrium solid solubilities5 of 7.2 at. pct Sb and 11.5 at. pct Sn, respectively. The presence of the hcp phases, which were found together with the fcc phases, is a consequence of the competition1,3 in the nucleation and growth processes during solidification. Both the fcc and hcp phases must be of the same composition for those alloys in the range where lattice parameters increase linearly with solute concentration. Despite much effort with quenched alloys of several silicon concentrations, it has not been possible to obtain lattice spacings of sufficient precision to establish the variation of lattice parameter with composition or the maximum metastable solid solubility: the equilibrium data5 suggest little primary solid solubility of silicon in silver. For alloys containing less than 16 at. pct Si, the Si (111) diffraction line was not observed. For alloys containing 10 to 25 at. pct Si, faint low-angle lines were detected and these could be indexed as the (10.0), (00.2). and (10.1) reflections of an hcp structure with a = 2.87 + 3A. c = 4.52 ± 3A, and c/a = 1.57 ± 2. The 16 at. pct Si alloy was quenched to, and examined at. liquid nitrogen temperatures without any change observed in the proportion of the hcp phase. These experiments were jointly supported by the Atomic Energy Commission and Office of Naval Research under a program directed by Professor P. Duwez. The assistance of H.-L. Luo and A. Abu-Shumays is acknowledged. as is the support afforded

Jan 1, 1965

By I. Lowthian Bell

THERE has been probably no improvement introduced into the manufacture of iron which created more surprise in the minds of practical smelters and of scientific men than Neilson&apos;s discovery of the hot blast. In 1829, Messrs. Dunlop & Co. consumed at the Clyde Works, near Glasgow, nearly 79 tons of coal to make a ton of pig iron, of which about 20 cwts. was employed under the boilers of the blowing engines, leaving nearly 7 tons for the consumption of the furnace itself. In the year 1833, by heating the air to 612&apos; F. (322&apos; C.), they redoccd the 79 tons to 3 tons by the mere burning of 8 cwts. of coal in the apparatus for raising the blast to this temperature. The statenlent just given is strictly true in a commercial sense, but when we come to consider the question as one of physical science, it is necessary to eliminate some of the conditions which conduced to so extraordinary a result. Anterior to Neilson&apos;s time the fuel employed in smelting iron was coke, and it was supposed at that period, erroneously, however, that coal in its raw state, when burned with cold air, was totsally unfit for the purpose in question. This mineral, as it was obtained from the Lanarkshire coal-field, contained about 35 per cent. of volatile matter, but the process of charring it was performed in so unskilful a manner that instead of receiving 88 cwts. of coke from 135 cwts. of coal, 60 cwts. only was the product of the operation. Again, the reduced colisumption of carbon in the furnace itself was accompanied by a corresponding diminution of blast, and this was followed by an economy of half a ton in engine coal. After making a proper allowance, however, for all these collateral circumstances, we are within the mark when we admit that in actual coke, which is really the form the fuel has to assume before it is burnt in the blast-furnace, not less than 30 cwts. was saved by heating the blast to 615° F. (322° C.). This unexpected economy, be it remembered, was obtained by the combustion of the 8 cwts. of coal, somewhat wastefully applied in the hot-air apparatus. Numerous have been the opirlions advanced by different authorities in the scientific world to account for the apparent anomaly, bat none,

By Dermot Ross-Brown, Brian Stimpson

The use of point load test data by the authors to estimate rock mass cohesion is a very ingenious approach. It must be emphasized that this estimate is indeed only an estimate since the point load strength index employed to predict the uniaxial compressive strength (and subsequently predict the cohesion) is likewise only an estimate.

Jan 11, 1979

By M. R. J. Wyllie, Walter D. Rose

The use of electrical well logs for the quantitative determination of such reservoir parameters as connate water saturation, formation permeability and connate water salinity has recently been attracting the attention of a number of workers1,2,3,4,5. While the theory of the determination of connate water salinity from the self potential S.P. log has received rather detailed treatment, relatively little attention has been paid to the theoretical aspects involved in the quantitative interpretation of resistivity data. It is clear that if electrical well logs can be used for the quantitative evaluation of physical characteristics of reservoir rock, they will provide a valuable tool to supplement cheaply information obtained by more laborious core analysis. In certain cases it is conceivable that the coring program could be considerably curtailed if the electric log could be relied upon to give reasonably accurate quantitative information. It is our object in this paper to examine the theoretical basis of quantitative log interpretation as expressed in such well-established logging concepts as formation factor and cementation factor. It is also our object to investigate the physical aspects of the rela- tionship which is presumed to exist between resistivity index and brine saturation in reservoir rock. In particular, we will endeavor to draw attention to the fact that it is possible to express these logging concepts in terms of capillary pressure-saturation relationships, permeability and tortuosity, parameters which we will consider in this paper to be fundamentally indicative of rock texture. The probability of being able to obtain from log recordings alone the data theoretically essential to permit quantitative log interpretatiou will be examined, and consideration will also be given to the problem of formulating simple semi-empirical relationships for use in the field. THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS The concept of formation resistivity factor, or as it is now commonly called, formation factor, appears to have been introduced by G. E. Archie",". Formation resistivity factor as defined by Archie is the resistivity of a rock 100 per cent brine-saturated divided by the resistivity of the brine. This relationship had previously been used by physical chemists and the concept is, for example, implicit in an early treatment by Fricke7 of the conductivity of aqueous slurries. Archie was able to establish the fact that although the relationship between formation factor and porosity did not change too greatly for different rock textures, the relationship between formation factor and permeability was markedly dependent on rock texture. The relationship found by Archie between formation factor and porosity was expanded by H. Guyod8. Archie had suggested that the formation factor, F, could be expressed in terms of the porosity, F, as follows: F =F-m .... (11 where, F = effective porosity fraction of the sand, and, m = an exponent greater than about 1.3. Guyod introduced the term cementation factor for the exponent, m, since it may be qualitatively shown that formation factor for any given porosity tends to increase as the sand becomes more cemented. It would appear that the concept of m as an exponent representing the cementation in a sand is strictly only of qualitative value, since the quantitative estimation of m by means other than the determination of F and F has not been possible. Guyod suggests that m can be estimated from a visual examination of a sample of rock, but this method appears to be both arbitrary and unreliable. It can be said, however, that in intergranular reservoirs of practical interest, the range of m is from about 1.4 to 3.0. A possible explanation for the fact that m is found to lie between these limits will be offered below. The determination of formation factor is an essential preliminary to the

Jan 1, 1950

By Eugene Stephenson

IN most instances the fluids produced from underground reservoirs have been described as they appear at the surface, and usually it has not been necessary to distinguish between surface and reservoir phases. More recently it has become imperative to recognize the fact that changes in phase may occur between the reservoir and the receiving unit. The simple terminology of "wet" and "dry" gases and "crude petro-leum oil" served our needs fairly well in the shallow, low-temperature and low-pressure fields. It has been left to the legislatures, regulatory com-missions, and courts to decide whether a field is or was a gas field, an oil field, or both. This they have done by direct definition and also by implication. For example, in Texas:1 (d) The term "gas well" is any well (a) which produces natural gas not associated or blended with crude petroleum oil at the time of production, or (b) which produces more than one hundred thousand (100,000) cubic feet of natural, gas to each barrel of crude petroleum oil from the same producing horizon, or (c) which produces natural gas from a formation or producing horizon productive of gas only encountered in a well bore through which crude petroleum oil is also produced through the inside of another string of casing. (e) The term "oil well" is any well which produces one (1) barrel or more of crude petroleum oil to each one hundred thousand (100,000) cubic feet of natural gas.

Jan 1, 1938