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By David C. Grant, Erich W. Tiepel

In situ mining is a process for recovering uranium from relatively small or low grade ore bodies. The process involves passing a lixiviant and oxidant, typically NH4HC03 and H202, through a uraniumcontaining ore body. As the solution progresses through the ore body, the uranium is oxidized from the plus four to the soluble plus six state. The bicarbonate complexed uranium laden solution is removed from the ore body and the uranium recovered in an above-ground processing plant. During the leach process lixiviant cations may be sorbed on the ore host, if the host contains exchangeable clay minerals. This report examines the implications of this clay interaction on ground-water quality, the various available in situ mining restoration methods, laboratory procedures for simulation and development of those methods, and the results of using the restoration methods in the field. Various restoration methods, including ground-water sweeping, clean water recycle, and chemical restoration are presented and discussed. The use of ore characterization, agitation leach tests, and column tests to study cation sorption and desorption, and thus, to identify and evaluate restoration methods is discussed. Ore characteristics identify the clay type and clay content, which allows the estimation of the magnitude of the cation sorption by that ore. The chemical effects of clay exchange and of chemical restoration can be examined using agitation leach experiments and packed ore column tests which also provide information on the physical effects. The agitation leach test is a relatively rapid means of determining the sorption and desorption characteristics of an ore. Unlike agitation leach tests, column tests can be used to assess the influence of solutions on permeability, on precipitation problems, and on other chemical changes. The effectiveness of using restoration methods, which were developed and tested in the laboratory, are examined by presenting field restoration data from several mining sites.

Jan 1, 1979

By Robert S. Shoemaker

At this Symposium on Gold which is sponsored by The Metallurgical Society of AIME and the International Precious Metals Institute many distinguished authors will present the latest developments in the metallurgy of gold and in operating practices at mines and in refineries. It seems appropriate then, as the introduction to this volume to recall some of the history of gold and the metallurgical developments which have been accomplished, especially during the past 100 years and some of the people who have contributed so much to the metallurgy of gold. Of all the elements gold has been the most sought after since the earliest times. Perhaps the quotation from Virgil's Aeneid best describes man's desire for gold but Pliny the Elder also put it very well when he wrote in 79 A.D. that "Gold is the first of man's follies, silver the second". This quest for gold has markedly influenced man's history and through the efforts of the early philosophers and alchemists to turn base metals into gold the foundations for modern chemistry were laid. The pages of history literally teem with references to gold. Gold is the first metal mentioned in the Bible and was the source of Croesus wealth as well as the death of King Midas whose touch turned everything into gold. And of course almost everyone has heard of Jason's Argonauts and the golden fleece. They are the subject of one of the many drawings in Agricola's De Re Metallica published in 1556. The Argonauts were probably prospectors seeking the source of the placers in the region near-the Black Sea. The time was about 1200 B.C. and the placer miners recovered gold by trapping the particles in sheep's fleeces placed in sluices. After drying, the fleeces were shaken to recover the gold. Gold is not hydrophilic, or wetted by water and thus the oils in the wool aided in collecting the particles. Here we have perhaps the earliest reference to surface chemistry and the basis for concentration of gold by flotation.

Jan 1, 1984

By W. A. Vine

When a hole is made in a stressed solid, such as rock pierced by mine openings, equilibrium of the solid is destroyed. To restablish that equilibrium the stress condition in the rock surrounding the opening becomes rearranged. This rearrangement may or may not develop local stresses in the vicinity of the opening which exceed the elastic strength of the rock. Since stability of the opening depends, therefore, on the strength of the naturally occurring rock surrounding the opening, this rock is an engineering material of construction, and all rock affected by the associated opening or system of openings may be considered a structure. The term invert is chosen to describe the formation of the structure built from the inside, as it were, and a consequence of mining rather than an entity built for a purpose. By definition, an invert structure is formed when openings are made underground and is com- posed of that material on the solid side of a rock-air interface wherein the stress condition is affected by the associated opening or system of openings. The shape of an invert structure is never clearly defined; the skin of the structure may be mapped, and even described, but the boundary of the structure within the solid rock mass must be arbitrarily set.

Nov 1, 1955

By K. A. Natarajan, I. Iwasaki

The influence of dissolved oxygen and the Pt - Pt-O reaction on the measurement of redox potentials in solutions containing ferrous-ferric couple was examined. Current-potential curves were used to illustrate the shift in measured potentials toward the oxygen potential in oxygenated and deoxygenated systems at low concentrations of ferrous and ferric ions. The ranges of concentrations of the ferrous-ferric couple, in which the interference from oxygen and the platinum-oxygen reactions becomes significant, are illustrated through the mixed potential mechanism.

Jan 1, 1975

By Gerald G. Griswold, James O. Greenslade, Cherie Tilley, Richard Reseigh

INTRODUCTION The Harrison Western Corporation, a leading Denver based mine contracting and engineering concern, is presently engaged in sinking two 1,006 m (3,300 ft) shafts for the Phillips Uranium Corporation at their Nose Rock Project, approximately 13 miles northeast of the small community of Crownpoint in McKinley County, New Mexico. The Nose Rock Project is the first attempt by the Phillips Uranium Corporation to tap the deep uranium reserves in what has become known as the Grants Mineral Belt. (See Figure 1) Project Description Phillips Uranium Corporation's plan for the large 2700 metric ton per day (2950 tons/day) mining facility calls for a series of deep access and ventilation shafts ranging from 4.27 m (14 ft) to 5.49 m (18 ft) in diameter to approximate depths of 1,006 m (3,300 ft). The initial pair of shafts consists of one production shaft and one ventilation shaft separated by a distance of 91 m (300 ft). The interbedded layers of sedimentary sandstones and shales to be penetrated by the shafts contain several major water producing aquifers, the deepest being the mineralized zone called the Westwater Canyon Member of the Morrison Formation. A series of temporary and permanent water pumping stations is planned. Generally, the temporary stations are located above major aquifers to facilitate water removal while sinking through the aquifer and the permanent stations constitute what, in the final mode, will be the mine dewatering system. In addition, Phillips Uranium Corporation has In- stalled and is maintaining a system of depressurization wells that temporarily pump the major aquifers and considerably reduce the water inflows during shaft construction. The major aquifers are also chemically grouted prior to sinking. Site work for the project was initiated in the fall of 1976. Full scale shaft sinking commenced in November of 1977 on the 4.88 m (16 ft) diameter ventilation shaft and on the 5.49 m (18 ft) production shaft by another contractor. Harrison Western Corporation began work on the project on November 4, 1979 wlth the production shaft at a depth of 633 m (2,076 ft) and the ventilation shaft at a depth of 474 m (1,554 ft). This paper will address only the portion of shaft sinking completed by Harrison Western. Geology and Hydrology The Nose Rock Project is located on the Chaco Slope in the southern extreme of the San Juan Basin in northwest New Mexico. The southern San Juan Basin is generally bound by the Defiance Uplift to the west, the Zuni Uplift to the south and the Nacimiento Uplift to the east. The Grants Mineral Belt occupies most of the southern portion of the San Juan Basin and this project is located on the northern extreme of the Grants Mineral Belt. The San Juan Basin is comprised of sedimentary rock of continental, marginal-marine and marine origin, that dip northward from the Zuni Uplift and Chaco Slope into the interior of the San Juan Basin. (See Figure 2) Major Formations The major geologic formations to be penetrated range from mudstone and shales to siltstones and sandstones. The sandstones are highly productive aquifers which, under static conditions, would flow artesian. Water temperatures in the aquifers are high and therefore are a force to be dealt with. Temperatures range from 18ºC (65OF) in the upper aquifers to 48ºC (118º'F) in the lower. The mudstones are generally bentonitlc. (See Figure 2) GALLUP SANDSTONE: The Gallup Sandstone is the first major regressive wedge in the San Juan Basin of the Cretaceous era and at this project is about 35 m (115 ft) thick. It is medium grained and prior to depressurization carried a hydrostatic water pressure of over 72.5 kg per cm2 (1,031 psi) which 1s artesian. Compressive strength ranges from 334.7 kg per cm2 (4,760 psi) to 421.8 kg per cm2 (6,000 psi). Water temperature is approximately 30°C (86°F).

Jan 1, 1982

By T. Nakao

Fujiwara quarry had been operated by the glory-hole benchcut mining system, but as it became difficult to meet expanding demand with this system, a central-shaft mobile crushing plant (MCP) system was introduced in 1979. This MCP is equipped with a hydraulic walking system manufactured for the first time in Japan. Central-shaft mining is now the common mining method of Japanese limestone quarries. With this method, crushing facilities are usually installed at the bottom of the shaft. But at the Fujiwara quarry, MCP was adopted and installed on the quarry surface. Many MCPs are operated in foreign countries, but few examples exist in Japan. Normally, Japanese limestone deposits lie in high mountain, obviously making it inconvenient for MCPs to walk in and around the quarry. This difficulty, however, was overcome, and the MCP has operated satisfactorily and efficiently for two years since its installation. To overcome difficulties in the central-shaft MCP mining system, two mining methods are employed: the slice-down method and the block-cut method.

Jan 1, 1985

By F. R. Pyne

The following notes are presented in an endeavor to point out the disadvantages attending the use of chrome brick in reverberatory furnaces in which are conducted the treatment of materials of such a nature that absorption by the brick is of too great value to be wasted, and these values must be recovered, if possible, in order to prevent metal losses that can not be tolerated. Several years ago one of the large Eastern copper refineries decided to utilize basic material in place of siliceous material in the walls of their reverberatory furnaces for the treatment of very foul blister copper, as the latter rapidly corroded the siliceous linings. It was also expected that there would be less slag formation, with a consequent decrease in the cost of treatment and a reduction in the metal losses. Magnesite brick were first used, but while the corrosive action of the foul material was greatly reduced, and the amount of slag formed was very much less, the magnesite proved to be unsatisfactory in certain parts of the furnace, because of its tendency to crack and spall badly when subjected to the alternate heating and cooling that takes place in a reverberatory refining furnace. This made many repairs necessary, and consequent frequent interruption in the operation of the furnace, which, together with the high price of the magnesite brick, ran up the cost of maintenance to an unreasonable amount. It was, therefore, decided to substitute chrome brick for magnesite brick in the parts of the furnace affected. The results, as far as the reverberatory furnace was concerned, were very satisfactory. The corrosion due to the action of the foul blister was small and the amount of slag formed was no greater than when using magnesite, and the tendency to crack and spall shown by the magnesite was eliminated. Gradually the use of chrome brick was extended to all furnaces, those treating blister copper as well as those melting cathodes, and the results were so satisfactory that the siliceous roofs were replaced by roofs of chrome brick except in certain places where experience showed a more satisfactory performance on the part of the silica brick. It was immediately recognized, for both the magnesite and the chrome brick, that the metal absorption was very heavy, but it was felt that the

Jan 1, 1918

By Hannu Penttila, Harrison R. Cooper, Olli Mattila

Two approaches to automated operation in metallurgical processes involve the conventional analog control or, more recently, digital control. The expanding use of digital controls applied to process automation is a comparatively new development. Several current technical reports describe digital control systems in concentrator grinding control, 1, 2, flotation, 3 and smelter operations. 4,5 The principle factors influencing trends to digital control are:

Jan 10, 1976

By F. R. Hensel

Up to the present time few attempts have been made to produce hard nonmagnetic materials by heat treatment of austenitic steels. The usual result has been to cause them to pass into the martensitic stage, thus destroying to a great extent the typical austenitic properties, since this involves a transition of a portion of the iron from a face-centered to a body-centered type of atomic arrangement. High-strength nonmagnetic materials such as might be provided by properly hardening austenite are required in the electrical industry for different machine parts. In Europe nonmagnetic retainer rings for restraining the end-turns of the rotor windings in turbo-alternators have been developed as a special application of high-strength austenite. In testing1 a 28,000-kva. three-phase Siemens turbo generator running at 3000 r.p.m. at full load current, the losses in the short-circuit test were 450 kw. for the magnetic ring and 286 kw. for the nonmagnetic, and the difference should be attributable to the magnetic ring. The differences in temperatures during the same test are given in Table 1 and these show the advantage of a nonmagnetic over a magnetic retainer ring.

Jan 1, 1931

By Richard W. Greene, Joel S. Hirschhorn

MATERIALS containing very large amounts of porosity, in the order of 50 to 90 vol pct, are extremely difficult to evaluate according to conventional mechanical behavior tests. This is usually a consequence of their low strength and brittleness, and the difficulty of preparing standard test specimens. A simple fatigue test has been developed and used successfully on porous nickel sheet materials requiring no specimen preparation; it could also be used for configurations other than sheet or plate. Samples of the sheet. 2 in. sq and about 0.025 in. thick, are placed in a vessel that is evacuated to about 50 f Hg by a mechanical pump. Distilled and deairated water is allowed to enter the vessel thereby filling the porosity (virtually all the porosity in these nickel ma-

Jan 1, 1970

By D. P. Seraphim

Single crystals of bee Li-Mg solid solution were grown and their internal friction was measured as a function of temperature, A peak of the Zener type was found in the damping spectrum. The activation energy for the relaxation process is 21.5 ± 1 kcal per mole and the frequency factor is 1015.7 ± 0.7 sec-1. ZENER internal-friction peaks which are observed for a wide range of solid solutions are attributed to stress-induced changes in local order.' In the present work a Zener internal-friction peak, the first reported for a solid solution of an alkali metal, is

Jan 1, 1961

By M. E. Nicholson

The solid solubility of boron in iron has been determined by saturating iron with respect to FeyB at several temperatures from 870° to 1135 C. In alpha iron the maximum solubility was found to be 0.002 pct B and in gamma iron the solubility varied from 0.001 pct at 915°C to 0.020 pct B at 1165OC. The eutectic and peritectoid temperatures were found to be 1165° and 911 °C respectively and the gamma iron solidus was located approximately at 0.020 pct B. RECENT investigations of boron-treated steels', ' indicate that the solubility of boron in austenite is of the order of 0.003 pct at 900°C. This has led to the general belief that the solubility of boron in a and r iron is considerably less than that indicated by Wever and Muller." Therefore the solid solubilities of boron in a and r iron have been re-determined. The eutectic and peritectoid temperatures were also remeasured and the r-iron solidus was studied in some detail.* In 1929 Wever and Miiller investigated the phase equilibria of Fe-B alloys. Fig. 1 shows the solid solubility region of the Fe-B diagram based on their investigation. They found that boron lowered the A, transformation temperature to 1381 °C where saturated 6 solid solution "which must contain about 0.15 pct B" and "r solid solution containing about 0.10 pct B" are in equilibrium with liquid containing 1.9 pct B. At the eutectic temperature of 1174"C, 7 solid solution was found to contain "about 0.15 pct B." A peritectoid relation was found to exist between a and y iron with an invariant temperature at 915 "C, where the boron solubility in 7 iron was "about 0.10 pct B" and the solid solubility in a iron "did not exceed 0.15 pct B." Although most of their

Jan 1, 1955

By Carl G. Hogberg

During recent months, the acute shortage of steel scrap has necessitated the use of higher percentages of hot metal in the open-hearth charge. With these higher percentages, the sulphur content of hot metal has become an increasingly important factor in the control of the quality of steel. Thus, the blast-furnace operator is faced with a demand not only for more output but for a higher quality of product. More than go per cent of the sulphur charged into the blast furnace is contained in the coke. With the tremendously increased demand, the trend of coke quality has been toward higher sulphur, higher and more variable ash, and poorer physical characteristics. This has been brought about by less selective coal mining, increased production rates in coke plants and resumption of operations of many beehive ovens. In a single month last year, one blast-furnace plant in the Pittsburgh district operated with coke obtained from 52 sources. The effect of variability and quantity of coke ash on blast-furnace operation is well known. The improved results obtained with furnaces operating on coke made from washed coals compared with results on coke made from raw coals is ample proof of the effectiveness of low and uniform ash. Coal-washing plants, however, require a large capital expenditure, and are impractical for most of the large number of small producers, whose operations are confined chiefly to periods of abnormally high demand. Furthermore, not all coals are physically adaptable to washing. Principles 01 Iron Desulphurization in Furnace Although investigations of the blastfurnace process have not clearly revealed the detailed mechanism of iron desulphuri-zation within the furnace, they have been sufficiently extensive to permit a postula tion of the following general principles: 1. Iron, in its travel from furnace top to hearth, continues to pick up sulphur until it has reached tuyere level. The zone of iron desulphurizatioil is relatively narrow, being confined to a vertical distance extending zapproximately from tuyere level to the iron-slag interface in the hearth.' 2. Combustion of coke is confined to spherical zones extending approximately 40 in. from the nose of each tuyere.= Coke ash is released as the coke bums in these combustion areas. 3. With a constant amount of sulphur in the charge, the sulphur content of the metal product is a function of hearth temperature, final slag analysis, slag viscosity, and slag volume. Both hearth temperature and slag analysis affect slag viscosity. For a slag of constant analysis, viscosity always decreases with an increase in temperature;

Jan 1, 1943

By R. Scot Clark

The reactively sputtered silicon dioxide capacitor -was developed for use in the monolithic integrated circuit, thereby requiring the capacitor to be fabricated on an oxidized silicon slice. The silicon dioxide film is formed by reactively sputtering silicon in a 50 pct Ar-50 pct 0, atmosphere and the physical properties are indistinguishable from silica. A practical upper limit of capacitance per unit area of 0.25 pf per sq mil is reached with the capacitors fabricated from the Si0, film. Methods shown to enhance this value are double stacking the thin-film capacitors and addition of aluminum to the silicon cathode during sputtering to form an aluminosilicate dielectric. A major contribution to the field of diffused integrated circuits would be the addition of auxiliary passive devices for replacement of diffused passive devices which are currently being fabricated for many integrated circuits. This accomplishment would increase the flexibility of the diffusion process in order to concentrate more on transistor parameters rather than on fabricating diffused resistors and capacitors. To pursue this technique, a thin-film SiOz capacitor was developed which has _ proven applicable to many integrated circuits. Although the SiOl capacitor has an application, the major deterrent from extending the integrated circuit into many useful areas such as low-frequency linear application is the low dielectric constant of SiO, and the low usable capacitance in an integrated circuit. This paper will cover the sputtering techniques used for forming the SiO, film, the physical and electrical properties of sputtered SiO,, and yield information concerning the application of these capacitors to integrated circuits. REACTIVE SPUTTERING Reactive sputtering is simply the sputtering of a metal or semiconductor in glow discharge in the presence of a reactive gas. The material to be sputtered is seen in Fig. 1 as the cathode of the system and is bombarded with positively charged ions of the ambient gas. In this investigation, the ambient gas is composed of 50 pct Ar and 50 pct O2 at a pressure of approximately 2.5 X l0-' Torr. The ions are accelerated toward the cathode in the cathode dark space by the electric field and upon striking the cathode effect a momentum energy transfer to the surface atoms. The transferred energy is sufficient to dislodge a surface atom or atoms and these particles diffuse through the glow discharge to the collector or anode. Several mechanisms of oxidation in the reaction chamber can be considered during reactive sputtering. 1) The surface of the cathode is oxidized and the oxide is subsequently sputtered. 2) Oxidation and sputtering occur simultaneously. 3) Sputtering of the cathode material is followed

Jan 1, 1965

By David Keys

THE actual procedure in estimating depth of overburden from mag-netic observations made on the surface will vary with the form of the deposit and any theoretical discussion will apply only so far as the form of the deposit conforms to the mathematical premises on which the theory is based. Since the shapes of natural deposits in the field cannot be expressed rigorously in mathematical form, the best that can be done is to assume some simple form and deduce results. Fortunately many small variations in form produce only slight changes in the estimated depth of overburden, therefore the methods have a definite practical value. For the theoretical treatment, magnetic ore deposits may be divided roughly into three classes, depending upon whether the magnetic anom-alies may be considered to arise from (1) a single magnetic pole, (2) a dike or (3) a magnetic doublet. Particular cases, falling under one or other of these classes, have been discussed by different authors.1-4 In general, it may be stated that when the magnetic effects as measured on the surface are due only to one pole of the body, the other pole being so remote that its effect may be neglected, the resultant anomaly F at any point will vary as the inverse square of the distance r of the point from the pole, which may be expressed mathematically by F = k/r2, where k is a constant. When the deposit occurs in the form of a long, thin dike, the resultant anomaly will be of the form F = k'/r and when the deposit is in the shape of a lens, so that both poles have an appreciable effect on the surface, the result will be similar to that caused by a magnetic doublet, and the form will be F = k'/r3. The particular class under which a deposit falls may be deduced from the results of the magnetic survey. The second class is readily found, but there may be difficulty in deciding between the first and third. Isody-namic contours of both the vertical and horizontal anomalies will often be a good guide in making a correct decision.

Jan 1, 1937

By Geo. H. Eldridge

This sketch of the Florence oil-field, presented to the Institute by permission of the Director of the U. S. Geological Survey, is accompanied with a map, Fig. 1, the topography of which has been taken from a field-manuscript of the Survey. The scale of the map and

Jan 1, 1892

By Charles Fairhust

Although the term 'rock mechanics' started to become popular about the time of the First U.S. Rook Mechanics Symposium in 1956, study of the mechanical behavior of rock certainly pre-dates this event. Bucky, Phillips, Von Karman, Fayol, Galileo...the list of significant contributors can be traced back over centuries, - not surprising for the oldest structural material used by man. Started with a strong mining orientation by the Colorado School of Mines, University of Minnesota, and Pennsylvania State University, joined soon after by Missouri School of Mines and the University of Texas, the Annual U.S. Symposium on Bock Mechanics has evolved into the main U.S. form for discussion of all aspects of rock mechanics, basic and applied - tectonophysics to comminution; near-surf ace foundations to deep mine support design. Although dominantly a U.S. event the annual symposium has benefitted from regular and important contributions from abroad. It would be presumptuous to attempt a comprehensive statement of significant developments over the 25-year history of the U.S. Bock Mechanics Symposium. This anniversary address will attempt instead to present a personal view of developments that appear to be of broad general significance and that may indicate directions for the future. Among the developments to be discussed in the address arc the following: - Energy Basis of Book Fracture Early rock mechanics investigators often overlooked the important distinction between a failure initiation stress and structural collapse. Although essentially synonymous in the

Jan 1, 1984

By T. E. Harper, Gustave Reinberg

Electrolytic refining of all lead bullion produced at the Oroya smelter of the Cerro de Pasco Copper Corporation has been adopted as standard practice. A pilot refinery with a capacity of 25 metric tons daily has been in operation since June, 1934, and a new refining unit having an initial capacity of 100 tons per day is under construction. This program has been made possible by certain modifications of the usual Betts refining process1, developed at Oroya, which have the effect of making the purity of the lead produced, and the acid loss incurred in operating the process, entirely independent of the amount of impurities in the original bullion. The modified process, as developed and at present used, treats impure bullion direct, without presoftening or other prerefining step, except that if the bullion carries tin it is desirable to detin before casting into anodes, since tin carries over to some extent to the cathodes. The refining process developed differs from usual Betts practice in two essential particulars: the anodes are cast thinner and replaced at more frequent intervals, and anode slimes are washed by a system of counter-current dipping, prior to their removal from the surface of the anode scrap. Limiting the period of anode corrosion insures a cathode of high purity, since solution of impurities at the anode can occur only if the thickness of the anode slime blanket, and hence the voltage drop across it, becomes greater than a certain critical value. The dip washing system operates to prevent acid losses, by recovering the highly concentrated, nearly neutral lead fluosilicate solution present in the pores of the slime blanket on the corroded anode, and doing this in such a way that there is no opportunity for chemical decomposition to occur. The best illustration of the efficacy of these two expedients may be secured from records of more than a year's operation of the 25-ton pilot plant, during which period the acid losses were less than 2 Ib. of 100 per cent hydrofluosilic acid (H2SiF6) per ton of lead produced, and typical assays of bullion and refined lead were as shown in Table 1.

Jan 1, 1937

By F. Paredes, W. R. Holman, R. W. Crawford

The diffusion coefficient for hydrogen in the ß titanium alloy containing 13 pct V, 11 pct CY, and 3 pct A1 was measured over the temperature range 20° to 500°C. Results fit the expression: D= 1.58 x lgs exp-------==-----) cm2,sec THE diffusion coefficient for hydrogen in the metastable ß-phase titanium alloy containing 13 pct V, 11 pct Cr, and 3 pct A1 was measured as part of an investigation of the effects of hydrogen on the mechanical properties of titanium alloys. Several theories on the mechanisms of hydrogen embrittle-ment include diffusion of hydrogen at ambient temperature as an important step in the embrittling process.'-5 In hydrogen-contaminated a-ß titanium alloys, it has been postulated that the rate-controlling step may be the rate at which hydrogen diffuses from the ß phase to stress- or strain-nucleated brittle hydride platelets at the a-ß interface.' However, embrittlement of the all-ß alloy investigated in this work may proceed by a different mechanism, since this alloy can be embrittled without the formation of detectable hydride platelets.6 Troiano has suggested that in this case the mechanism of delayed failure or embrittlement is similar to that proposed for high-strength steel, i.e., repeated crack initiation caused by a decrease in bonding energy as hydrogen diffuses to points of high tri-axial stress at the root of a notch. In both types of alloy the rate of embrittlement is believed to be controlled by diffusion of hydrogen in the ß phase. Accurate hydrogen-diffusion data in the vicinity of room temperature should therefore be of some assistance in understanding the mechanisms of embrittlement in these two classes of titanium alloys. Diffusion of hydrogen in pure titanium has been studied by Wasilewski and Kehl7 at temperatures above 500°C. Their measurements on diffusion in the ß phase were extended below the ß-a transformation temperature (882°C) to approximately 600°C. This was possible because of the 8 stabilizing effect of hydrogen. No results at lower temperatures have been published and there are no data in the literature on hydrogen diffusion in the ß -phase alloy used in this program. Hydrogen diffusion in metals is generally investigated by measuring the rate of transport of hydrogen past a solid-gas interface, i.e., by absorption, permeation, or degassing-rate measurements. These methods produce accurate diffusion data when bulk diffusion is the rate-determining step in the over-all process. However, at the lower temperatures of interest in hydrogen-embrittlement studies or under conditions where surface films are present, the measured rates may be surface-controlled and the calculated diffusion coefficients will be in error. Surface effects were eliminated in the present work by using a modification of the common welded-couple technique m which two bars with uniform but different compositions are joined before the diffusion anneal." The same type of step change in the initial concentration vs distance curve was produced by electrolytically hydrogenating thin-strip specimens which had been electrically insulated over half of their length. Concentration vs distance curves were determined, after appropriate diffusion-annealing treatments, by vacuum-extraction analyses of transverse samples sheared from the strips. Diffusion coefficients were calculated by the methods of Grube.M This technique was feasible because of the large concentrations of hydrogen which can be charged into p -phase alloys without the formation of hydrides15'16 and because of the extremely low degassing rates observed when hydrogenated titanium alloys are heated in air. EXPERIMENTAL WORK The diffusion couples were cut from a 0.022-in.-thick mi ll-annealed sheet.* Strips 8 in. long by 1/2

Jan 1, 1965

By Herbert H. Kellogg

RECENTLY the long-chain primary amines have been used extensively for the flotation of silicate minerals. The use of amines to float sulphide minerals has been investigated by several authors1-5,18 but most of this work has been done with the short-chain (less than six carbon atoms) primary amine compounds or the more expensive secondary, tertiary and quaternary amines. Perhaps the fact that the long-chain amines are good collectors for the common gangue minerals has led investigators to omit them from consideration as collectors for the selective flotation of metallic sulphides. The work reported in this paper was designed to investigate the use of a typical long-chain amine salt, lauryl amine hydrochloride, as a collector for the flotation of galena-sphalerite ores. The results show that lauryl amine hydrochloride (LAmHCI), when used in small amounts, is a good collector for the selective flotation of sphalerite and galena from the common gangue minerals. The differential flotation of sphalerite from galena was not accomplished but the amine flotation of sphalerite after the standard xanthate flotation of galena is possible. The experimental work reported herein is not complete enough to be able to say whether amine flotation of lead-zinc ores would prove superior to xanthate flotation, or whether the method is even applicable to a more complex ore than the one used for this work. However, the apparent reagent costs for the flotation operations described in this paper seem to be less than for xanthate flotation. This fact alone should be sufficient to encourage the millman to investigate the use of these amine reagents, especially as these reagents are available on a commercial scale at a reasonable price. This paper has as its secondary purposes to illustrate how contact-angle measurements have aided in this investigation, and to bring forward some evidence concerning the mechanism of the collecting action of primary amines. CONTACT-ANGLE TESTS The contact-angle measurements were made by the method described by del Giudice6 and used in recent work by Taggart and his collaborators.7-9 The mineral specimens for the contact-angle tests were carefully chosen, to avoid cracks and inclusions of other minerals. All specimens were mounted in "transoptic" plastic mounts and the surfaces were cleaned by polishing with levigated alumina on a cloth-covered glass polishing wheel. Distilled water was used on the lap during the polishing and at all subsequent steps in the contact-angle tests. The mounted mineral specimens were handled with glass forceps and special care was exercised to prevent exposure of the dean surface to air or any other source of contamination.

Jan 1, 1945