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By A. A. Smith

The application of indium to bearings was first advocated by C. F. Smsrtl in 1938, for the purpose of inhibiting corrosion of certain bearing alloys. He found that a thin layer of indium plated on the bearing surface and subsequently diffused at elevated temperatures markedly decreased the rate of corrosion in lubricating oils containing organic? acids. Most of his work was done on cadmium-base alloys, although he showed that the treatment was also effective for copper-lead and other; alloys. Since their introduction, indium-treated bearings have found considerable use, particularly in connection with airplane motors.2 Undoubtedly the effectiveness of the indium plate in resisting corrosion depends upon its relative concentration on the bearing surface after the diffusion treatment and after prolonged use at operating temperatures. Some diffusion experiments were made on a number of base metals that had been indium plated, to determine the depth of penetration after heating for reasonably long periods of time. As only the practical aspects were desired, no attempt was made to determine actual diffusion constants. Method Two different series of experiments were carried out to study the diffusion of indium into several base metals. Cast cylinders about one-inch diameter were machined to 0.750-in. diameter, so as to remove all surface imperfections, and final finishing was done with oo sandpaper. The original diameters were very carefully measured with micrometers and then a layer of indium was electrolytically deposited on the cylinders from a sulphate bath.3 In the first series of experiments, about 0.002 in. of indium' was deposited and diffusion, was carried out at 150°C. for a period of 500 hr. in a thermostatically controlled electric oven. After the diffusion period, successive layers were machined from the specimens and analyzed spectro-graphically and chemically—the spectro-graphic examination serving as a guide to determine which layers should be chemically analyzed. Apparently there was some surface oxidation of the indium plate due to the long heat-treatment, which may have had some effect on the diffusion. A1so, the cadmium alloy showed some incipient melting, which probably was caused by the formation of a low-melting eutectic. To eliminate these factors, another series of experiments was carried out by heating in an electrically heated, automatically controlled, oil bath at lower temperature. The preparation of the specimens was the same as before except that a layer of indium 0.0001 in. thick, an amount commonly used commercially on bearings, was deposited on each of the cylinders. Diffusion was carried out at 120°C. for a period of 200

Jan 1, 1944

By Fred W. Gordon

The North Chicago Rolling-Mill Co., of Chicago, have four furnaces at South Chicago, built during 1881. Each furnace is 20 feet diameter of bosh, and 75 feet total height, the hearth being 11 feet diameter, and the top 15 feet 4 inches. They are blown through seven 7-inch tuyeres placed 5 feet 6 inches above the hearth level. Cubical contents, 15,000 cubic feet. Each furnace is supplied with 2 blowing engines, 84-inch blowing cylinder, and 36-inch steam cylinder, and 54-inch stroke. These two have one jet-condenser worked by an auxiliary pump. The blast for each furnace is heated by the aid of three Whitwell fire-brick stoves, each 21 feet diameter and 60 feet high. In the batteries of boilers furnishing steam for four furnaces there are 36 double-length boilers, 76 feet long, 48 inches diameter and 16,000 square feet heating-surface. The plant was designed to produce 3600 tons per week, or 900 tons for each furnace, and was fitted as above with such engines, boilers, and hot-blast stoves as were thought requisite for that production ; hence, calculated from the present make—not the least remarkable feature is the economy of construction—there are less engines, less boilers, and less hot-blast power for the iron made than at ally plant within my knowledge, or it could to-day be duplicated for less money per ton of iron made per week than could any plant now in existence, whether using fire-brick or cast-iron stoves for heating the blast. This is a practical demonstration of my assertion in a paper on fire-brick stoves, read before the Institute," that the application of fire-brick stoves in construction really lessens the first cost. In view of the statements just made, I must be most emphatic in assuring the members that nothing is strained or overburdened.

Jan 1, 1886

By R. L. Klueh, W. W. Mullins

During the course of a study on the periodic precipitation (Liesegang phenomenon) of water vapor bubbles in solid silver, some interesting observations were made concerning the formation and growth of these bubbles. Under certain conditions it was found that the bubbles which formed in the single crystals led to the formation of large blisters ad cracks, and when poly crystalline specimens were used grain boundary cracking was observed. These two phenomena were examined in some detail, and it was found that an important step in the formation of the blisters and grain boundary cracks was the impingement of neighboring bubbles. DURING the study of Liesegang precipitation in solid silver,' some interesting observations were made concerning the formation and growth of water vapor bubbles. The bubbles were formed by annealing oxygen-saturated silver in hydrogen. Because of the similarity of this phenomenon to the hydrogen embrittlement of tough pitch copper,' it is known in the literature" as the hydrogen embrittlement of silver. In some respects it appears that the hydrogen embrittlement of silver is similar to the processes of hydrogen attack of steel5 and blister formation.' Hydrogen attack results from the high-temperature reaction of hydrogen with dissolved carbon or carbides in the steel to form methane (usually at grain boundaries). Blister formation occurs in steel and other materials as a result of hydrogen produced by corrosion, pickling, and so forth. Because of these similarities, some speculations were made concerning these other processes. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Water vapor bubbles were formed in 99.999+, 99.99+, and 99.9 pct Ag by annealing in a partial pressure of oxygen (pq) until saturated and then in a partial pressure of hydrogen (pH,). The hydrogen diffuses into the silver and reacts with the dissolved oxygen to form water vapor which precipitates in the form of bubbles. The specimens were then sectioned, silver-plated, mounted in cold-setting plastic, ground and polished through a preliminary polishing, and finally chemically polished.' The bubbles were visible without etching.

Jan 1, 1969

By G. E. Goodspeed

The Cornucopia gold quartz veins form a parallel vein system traversing meta-morphic and granodioritic rocks. Field and petrographic evidence suggests that inetasomatism has played an important role both in the emplacement of the grano-diorite and in the formation of the veins. Structurally the veins appear to be related to the major tectonic features of the Wallowa Mountains and to be narrow shear zones rather than filled fissures. Petrographic studies indicate a complex history of formation starting from initial alteration along fractures or joints followed by recurrent fracturing and a quartz-forming stage, and closing with continued shearing and microbrecciation, which permitted the upward percolation of the later ore-forming solutions. The precipitation of ore minerals from these solutions formed ore shoots. Postmineral effects include the injection of Tertiary basaltic dikes, a shght amount of cross faulting, and some movement along the planes of the veins as well as oxidation. Introduction Cornucopia is in the southeastern part of the rugged Wallowa Mountains of northeastern Oregon. It was founded over 50 years ago following the discovery of its system of gold quartz veins. The major veins are roughly parallel and dip into the western side of Pine Valley, which drains the southern slope of the range. Previous operations had cut the upper portion of four major veins with two tunnels over 1000 ft. apart, when the present operating company drove a third tunnel, called the Coulter, at the level of the valley over 1000 ft. lower to intersect the most easterly major vein at over 6200 ft. from the portal. General Geology of District The oldest rocks in the vicinity are metamorphosed sediments and volcanics. These, for the most part, are presumably Mesozoic in age, although some black argillites outcropping along East Pine Creek are considered to be Permian.l,2 These rocks have been deformed and metamorphosed in general to hornfels at the close of the Jurassic. The series was then invaded by a granodiorite batholith, the origin of which is

Jan 1, 1941

The old single-jack may have been portable- but it left much to be desired in drilling speed and depth of hole. Portable compressors for drilling can be snaked into tough spots. However, that calls for more men, equipment, and money, with corresponding loss of mobility. The drills listed in this notebook sheet meet three requirements: They are light. They are self-powered. And all are reported proven in practice. Undoubtedly there are other units filling the requirements that are not listed. Extreme mobility for far-flung exploration teams is always an acute need. The drills listed here help solve the problem. Canadian Longyear, for instance, reports that the Porta drill has been parachuted into wilderness spots and helicopters have lofted light core drills onto mesa tops in the Colorado Plateau uranium country.

Jul 1, 1955

By Hans S. Carlsson

Like most industrial processes, nuclear power production creates wastes, which have to be handled and ultimately disposed of in a safe manner. Some of the wastes contain very long-lived radioactive substances and have to be isolated for very long periods of time before they have decayed to harmless levels. Sweden, like many other countries with similar geology, intends to use crystalline rock for isolating the high-level nuclear waste from the biosphere. The suitability of a rock mass for a repository needs to be investigated extensively. Apart from the political and practical considerations for a site selection, a detailed study has to be performed in terms of geology, hydrogeology, geophysics, geochemistry and rock mechanics. The responsibility of the site selection studies in Sweden is entrusted to the Swedish Nuclear Fuel Supply Company, Division KBS (SKBF/KBS) . The paper gives a brief presentation of the "Standard Program" for the studies that will be carried out during 1980-1990. Modifications of the program are justified on the basis of gained experience or specific circumstances for each site. The program is compiled by the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU) in cooperation with KBS.

Jan 1, 1982

By F. F. Colcord

THE electrolytic separation of silver and gold has been practiced by the refineries in the United States for a good many years; and probably because of frequent visiting between officials of plants and the consequent exchange of views, operations in the various silver and gold refineries are very similar. We find, for instance, they practically all use electrolytes of approximately the same composition, which, no doubt, is more the result of experience than of studies of electrolytes. At the new electrolytic parting plant of the U. S. S. Lead Refinery, Inc., East Chicago, Ind., considerable attention has been given to the, composition of electrolytes, especially to their conductivity and their effect on the character of the silver deposit. We are not aware that anything has been recently published on this subject and are, therefore, presenting such data as we have with the idea that, although it will not be wholly new, it may stimulate interest in the subject. EFFECT OF COPPER CONTENT ON CONDUCTIVITY The first work, was to determine the specific conductivity of silver nitrate and copper nitrate solution. Concentrated solutions of silver nitrate and copper nitrate were prepared by dissolving analyzed chemically-pure salts in distilled water, and determining the silver and copper in each. Definite amounts of the concentrated solutions were taken, mixed and diluted to a definite volume. The silver and the copper were determined in each of these solutions and the conductivity was, then determined. The plotted results are shown in Fig. 1 and 2. The effect of increasing quantities of silver and, copper is readily seen. A comparison of the two sets of curves shows conclusively the benefit of holding the copper content of the electrolyte above 50 g. per liter, as its

Jan 2, 1926

By J. L. Taylor, P. Duwez

The phase boundaries in the ternary system Ti-Cr-Al have been established at 1800° and 1400°F for alloys containing more than 60 pct Ti. The martensite transformation temperature has been measured for the titanium-rich alloys. THE studies of binary alloys of titanium with the transition elements which have been published so far1-0 ndicate clearly that the solubility of these elements is always much greater in the high temperature body-centered cubic form of titanium (ß phase) than in the low temperature hexagonal form. In this category of alloying elements are iron, nickel, chromium, manganese, vanadium, molybdenum, tungsten, columbium, and tantalum. Although studies of the nontransition elements have been rather limited, early work on titanium binary alloys'" has shown that most of them were not very soluble in the a form, with the exception of aluminum, for which the solubility in a is about 25 pct.13, 12 In addition to this large solubility in a, aluminum is also soluble in ß titanium to the extent of about 35 pct and the transformation temperature from ß to a is raised with aluminum content. This effect is also typical of aluminum, in contrast with that found for the transition elements which lower the ß to a transformation temperature. Therefore, it may be anticipated that tprnarv titanium alloys with aluminum and any one of the transition elements will constitute a class of ternary alloys having characteristic features absent in alloys involving two transition elements. Chromium was chosen as a typical transition element for the present study because ternary alloys of Ti-Al-Cr commercially produced have been found to possess very interesting physical properties (MST-3 pct A1-5 pct Cr of Mallory-Sharon).'" Binary Systems The binary systems Ti-A1 and Ti-Cr have been established recently by several investigators. The data used in this investigation were taken from the complete diagram of Bumps, Kessler, and Hansen." This diagram agrees quite well with earlier investigations." For the Ti-Cr system, the phase boundaries at 1800" and 1400°F were taken from refs. 6 and 7. The binary system Cr-A1 has been studied recently by Bradley." This system is rather complex and contains not less than seven intermediate phases. The present study was limited to the titanium corner of the ternary system (less than a total of 40 pct Cr plus Al) and none of the phases present in the Cr-A1 binary alloys were found in the ternary alloys investigated. Experimental Technique Microscopic observation and X-ray diffraction measurements were used to identify phases and de-

Jan 1, 1954

Jan 1, 1940

By Noah Fields Drake

During July and August, 1899, the writer took advantage of an opportunity of going to Shansi to gather some information concerning the geology and value of the already famous coalfields of that province. The long journey, mainly on slow river-boats, and the limited time at command, allowed only about ten days of work to be done in the coal-fields around Tsê Chou. The geologic structure and the rock-formations were found to be simple and quite regular, so that in that time the accompanying sketch-map (Pig. 1) was made, and a fairly good idea of the distribution of the coal and general geologic features was obtained. The map was made by measuring a base-line about three-quarters of a mile long, triangulating for principal points over the field, and filling in the details by rapid sketches. The few elevations marked on the map were taken with an aneroid barometer. Only a few of the great number of towns and villages that are within this densely populated area are shown; and the coal-mines indicated are not the only ones within the area, but the ones where most of the following information about the coal was obtained. The value of this coal-field was first clearly set before the scientific and commercial world by Baron von Richthofen,* who made a geologic reconnaissance of Shansi in 1870. Since that time the hostile attitude of the Chinese government and people towards foreigners and their enterprises has kept the coal-fields from being developed. But the last few years of rapid change in the conditions of China have at last apparently opened a way for the exploitation of this coal-field. The Peking syndicate, a joint English-Italian company, now has concessions from

Jan 1, 1901

THE first session of this meeting was held Tuesday evening, in the chamber of the Common Council, the President, Mr. David Thomas, in the chair. Mayor Carroll, of Troy, gave a cordial welcome to the Institute, which was responded to, on behalf of the Institute, by the first Vice-President, Mr. R. W. Raymond. The Council reported the names proposed for membership with recommendation for election. The following named gentlemen were duly elected: Anthony, J., . .Williamstown, Pa. Babcock, George, . . .Troy, N. Y. Blake, Theo. A., . . . . . . Sa n Francisco, Cal. Blossom, T. M., . . . . . . New Pork. Boalt, James A., . . .San Francisco, Cal. Bowman, Amos, . . . . San Francisco, Cal. Chester, Prof. A. H., . .Clinton, N. Y. Dewey, C., . Pittsfield, Mass. Dock, Gilliard, . Shamokin, Pa. Emerson, O. D., . .New York. Endres, John J., . .Pittsburgh, Pa. Firmstone, Frank, . Easton, Pa. Fowle, W. B., . Philadelphia, Pa. Frazier, Prof. B. W., . . .Bethlehem, Pa. Gardner, George A., . New Pork. Goodyear, Watson A., . .6an Francisco, C al. Griswold, Chester, . Troy, N. P. Griswold, J. A.,* . . .Troy, N. Y. Hague, J. D., . . .San Francisco, Cal. Hahn, 0. H., . .Eureka, Nev. Harkness, T. C., . . . . . . Wilkes-Barre, Pa Harris, Samuel, . . .Hudson, N . Y. Henry, &. T., . Oxford, N. J. Holley, A. L., . .Brooklyn, N. Y. Howe, H. W., . . .Troy, N. Y. Hunt, Dr. T. Sterry, . Boston, Mass. Jannet, J., . Troy, N. Y. Knapp, John A., . .New Pork. Laughlin, Henry A., . . .Pittsburgh, Pa.

By Mario L. Villa

During 1938, oil activities in the Argentine Republic showed a favorable balance due to the increase in crude-oil production, the incorpora- tion of new producing areas and the discovery of deeper productive horizons. Drilling was as follows:

Jan 1, 1939

By Courtenay de Kalb

The Exposed Treasure gold-mine has, for the past four years, been one of the largest producing mines of Southern California, its annual output havirig con~tituted I per cent. of the total gold and silver production of the entire State. At the present moment the property is idle, owing to the large quantity of water encountered on the lower levels, which will require the installation of a powerful pumping-plant before operations call be recommenced. Moreover, a prompt change in the character of the ore has occurred at water-level, which makes imperative an extensive campaign of development in the region of the un-oxidized ores before a plant adapted to their treatment call be definitely decided upon. The character of the changes encountered in these deeper ores makes the geology of this deposit a matter of importance, riot only for the immediate district, but for the desert region of Southern California in general, where many mines exist having in the oxidized belt conditions that, in many respects, resemble those in the Exposed Treasure mine. The deposit is situated in an apparently isolated butte about 2.5 miles south from the town of Mojave, on the Mojave desert. The butte, though apparently isolated, is in Fact geologicallg part of an extinct volcano, known as Soledad butte, which rises out of the plain 1.5 miles SW. of' the mine, to an altitude of 4,650 ft. above sea-level. Other buttes also rise from the desert plain toward the south and east, and again to the westward, all being closely related geologically to Soledad butte,—the whole constituting a single system as to origin and time. Since the end of the period of active volcanism in this region, there has been extensive denudation, the ancient plateau having been dissected during an epoch of apparently exces-

Jan 1, 1908

By Louis A. Carapella, William E. Shaw

MAGNESIUM and its alloys have long been characterized as possessing limited capacity for mechanical forming at atmospheric temperatures prior to rupturing despite their outstanding performances in this respect at elevated temperatures. Responsible for this behavior are the fundamental facts that these hexagonal-type metals have comparatively few slip elements at low temperatures for any extensive deformation and that, at high temperatures, additional slip elements become operative, thus enhancing greater plasticity under strain. The transitional point has been set at 225°C by Schmid1 for single crystals, and at 250°°C by Morell and Hanawalt2 for extruded magnesium metal. In a recent X-ray investigation on polycrystalline magnesium-alloy sheets, Barrett and Haller3 have revealed that, below the transitional temperature, the initial plastic deformation proceeds mostly by a twinning action; that, above such a temperature, the action is mostly by slip. The deep-drawing performance of the magnesium + 1.5 pct alloy sheett over a wide range of temperatures has been investigated by Weber and Vanden Berg,' and their results are presented in Fig r. It should be noted from this work that a maximum drawability of about 25 pct at room temperature has been obtained on this alloy under the conventional deep-drawing operations. For the same alloy, it is now possible to augment the cold drawability to about 40 pct by a process to be disclosed. Hitherto, this value has been obtained only by deep-drawing the alloy at around 230°C. That greater plastic flow is attainable at atmospheric temperatures on magnesium under certain deformational techniques was discovered by the authors6 in their analyses of plastic-deformational behaviors of pure magnesium. This fact is best illustrated in Fig 2 from the Hargreaves analysis6 performed by the authors under two different modes of loading. For direct test, a separate unstrained specimen was used for each load duration, whereas for the integrated test the same specimen was employed for all the five intermittent loadings so that the load duration was made additive throughout the investigation. The higher plastic flow-rate at room temperature, as designated by the Hargreaves constant S, was obtained by the integrated or intermittent loading procedure. The authors5 in further tests showed that, under such a procedure greater plastic flow was also realized with a progressive increase in deformational loads. These findings have been applied

Jan 1, 1947

By I. Havenaar

EXPERIMENTAL DATA In an article by C. K. Ferguson and J. A. Klotz,1 experiments on the filtration of drilling muds under borehole conditions are discussed. Experimental data on mud filtration through the wall and the bottom of the hole are presented. From the data on bottom-hole filtration it was concluded that the filtrate does not flow freely into the formation, but that the pores of the formation are plugged by the mud. A quantitative interpretation of the data can be civen, by using a formula for bottom-hole filtration, dehved below. This formula is based on the following assumptions, 1. Each time a blade of a drag bit, or a cone of a roller bit, moves along the bottom of the hole, the mud cake is completely removed. 3. A new mud cake is immediately formed on the freshly produced surface, and losses of "whole" mud into the formation are negligible (this is equivalent to an immediate plugging of the pores). 3. The filtration of the mud on the bottom of the hole follows the classic law: V = A +1—(Eq. I), where t is the time required to yield a volume of filtrate V, A is the surface area of filter cake, and C is a constant. The application of this equation means that any eroding effect of the mud stream on the mud cake is neglected. The formula for the calculation of the volume of filtrate, Q,, flowing in one second through the hole bottom (diam. d cm), when using a bit with n cones or blades rotating at a rate of rn revolutions per second, is derived as follows: The mud cake is formed on the bottom of the hole in the time t =1; the filtrate volume V which passes n through the bottom In this time 1s given by Eq. 1: After1/nmsec the mud cake is removed. In one m second this process takes place nm times. Therefore the volume of filtrate, obtained in one second is given by This equation has now been applied to the experiments of Ferguson and Klotz. The constants C were derived by means of Eq. 1 from the API filter losses of the muds used by the authors (t = 1,800 sec; A = 45.16cm2). A three-cone bit was used (n = 3) at 90 rpm (m = 1.5). The calculated figures are compared with the experimental data in the table below. The calculated values of Q, are usually lower than the experimental values. This may be due to the following causes. 1. The value of C used in the calculation is based on the API filter test (filtration pressure of 100 psi), whereas the experimental data were obtained with a filtration pressure of 200 psi. Although the effect of the pressure on C is not large, C decreases somewhat with increasing pressure, and this leads to a higher filtration rate. 2. Mud losses and the eroding action of the mud stream on the cake are not entirely negligible. 3. The values of Q, derived by Ferguson and Klotz from their experiments are too high, because of their assumption that all pore liquid within the formation drilled is picked up by the drilling mud. It is found, however, that the calculated values of Qf, except in the case of oil base muds, are of the right order of magnitude. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The author wishes to thank the management of the Koninklijke/Shell-Laboratorium, Amsterdam, for permission to publish this note.

Jan 1, 1957

By N. J. Grant, B. C. Giessen, Paul Predecki

ALLOYS of gold, silver, and aluminum with elements of the groups BII, BIII, BIV, and BV were prepared by a rapid quenching technique (splat) and were examined by X-ray diffraction. Five new intermediate phases were found and will be described briefly herein. For the gold and silver systems, the concentration ranges having an electron/atom ratio e/a of 1.4 to 1.5 ("3/2 Hume-Rothery phases") were studied primarily. Master alloys were prepared from high-purity metals (99.9+ pct or better) by melting either in evacuated fused silica capsules or by nonconsum-able-electrode arc melting in an argon atmosphere. Small pieces, 20 to 50 mg, of each alloy were blast-atomized to form a splat, by a technique similar to that described by Duwez and Willens.1 The technique used for this study is described in detail in Ref. 2; it utilizes a resistance-heated graphite crucible with a small hole at the bottom, directed toward a metal substrate or quenching plate. The prepared alloy rests over the fine hole, through which it is expelled by an explosion shock wave in the form of fine droplets (1 to 50 µ) of molten metal onto a copper or silver substrate, which is maintained at about -190°C. The resulting very high cooling rates (see Ref. 2 for quantitative measurements) can prevent the process of nuclea-tion and growth in many instances, resulting in the formation of metastable phases. The splat particles were transferred to a GE-XRD5 diffractometer and maintained at -190°C, where they were examined with CuKa radiation. The samples were then allowed to warm to room temperature or were heated to higher temperatures until the equilibrium structures formed. Of fifteen alloy systems considered, nonequi-librium structures were encountered in six; these are described below and summarized in Table I. In the system Au-Sb a metastable £ phase (A3 type, hcp, a = 2.898 + 0.002A; c = 4.731 * 0.004A; c/a = 1.633) was found in the concentration range Au + 13 to 15 at. pct Sb. This phase is isomorphous with the stable phases in the systems Au-Cd, Au-In, and Au-Sn, all at an average e/a ratio of 1.4 to 1.5. The concentration range of one-phase metastable was deduced from the small amounts of supersaturated gold solid-solution phase present in the splat product. It was found that ? could also be retained by splatting onto a substrate held at room temperature: however, decomposed into the equilibrium phases Au + AuSb2 after heating to 200°C for 1/2 hr, or on holding the powdered splatted alloy at 20°C for several months. Calorimetric measurements will be made in an attempt to decide the question whether ? is metastable at all temperatures or whether it is a stable phase at low temperatures. There is evidence that another phase, possibly also close-packed but with a different stacking sequence, can be obtained by rapid quenching of alloys with a different antimony content. Klement, Willens, and Duwez3 reported the existence of an amorphous phase on quenching Au-Si alloys (25 at. pct Si) to - 196°C. They found that on heating to room temperature another phase of unknown crystal structure was formed. This was confirmed (see Table I); however, the new crystalline phase, designated as ?, could also be formed simply by rapid quenching to room temperature, and even was found to exist already in the as-cast Au + 20 at. pct Si alloy. It was found that ? decomposed into Au + Si on the specimen surface at room temperature. This behavior, and the question whether or not there is an equilibrium-temperature region for ?, have not yet been resolved. It is probable that ? (Au + 20 to 21 at. pct Si) is cubic of the -brass type (D81-3) with a = 9.60, + 0.01A and N = 52 atoms per cell [compare 6 (CU-Sn)4]. Except for two very weak lines, the powder pattern of about thirty lines could be indexed on this basis; however, a determination of the atom positions has not yet been attempted. For Au-Ge the C phase was observed at about 21 at. pct Ge as reported by Luo et at.5 Lattice parameters a = 2.876A, c = 4.73,A, c/a = 1.64 were found. In the Au-Pb system, formation of a ? phase was not observed, but in the lead-rich region at 75 at. pct Pb, broad peaks belonging to an amorphous phase were found. The maximum diffracted intensity occurred at 28 = 32.4 deg which is about 1 deg larger than the position of the (111) line of lead (Cuka). For Ag-Pb, an amorphous phase analogous to the one found in the Au-Pb system was observed; this metastable phase exists probably at about 75 at. pct Pb. Since no lead-rich alloys were tested, all alloys consisted of silver + amorphous phase at -190°C. In A1-Ge alloys, line-rich and complex powder patterns were obtained at about 30 at. pct Ge; they bear similarities to those of aluminum and germanium, but are of lower symmetry; the existence of more than one intermediate phase is possible. The authors are grateful to the Kennecott Copper Corp. for Fellowship support, and ARPA (Contract

Jan 1, 1965

By N. H. Emmons

In the United States the value of gold- and silver-ores is everywhere reckoned in ounces troy of the metal per " short ton " (2000 lbs. avoird.) of the ore. In the case of silver, which fluctuates in market value, the New York quotation on a given day must be known, in order to determine the gross value of an ore at that date. In Mexico the assay is reported 'in kilogrammes of silver or grammes of gold per metric ton. As everyone is aware, this is practically a percentage system, 1 kg. of silver per metric toll (1000 kg.) being 0.1 per cent., and 1 gramme of gold per metric ton, 0.0001 per cent. The notation is simple and convenient for both assayer and miner.* The Mexican government purchases at an unvarying price for silver, payable in silver, and at a fixed price for gold, payable in gold if the seller insists, but preferably in silver at about the rate of exchange between U. S. gold coin and Mesican silver coin. The value of silver is $40.915 per kilogramme in Mexican silver dollars. That of gold is $675.416 per kilogramme in gold coin. The mints do not, as a rule, issue gold dollars, as the government keeps them to pay the interest on the national debt. Almost all bullion containing a considerable percentage of gold is shipped to foreign countries (principally the United States) to be refined. The Mexican mint receives for refining and coining no bullion which is not at least .950 fine in gold and silver, separately or

Jan 1, 1902

By R. P. Rothwell

IN January last I published in the Engineering and Mining Journal a table giving, with a considerable degree of accuracy, the production of anthracite coal for the year 1874. At that time it was impossible to give any correct estimate of the production of bituminous coal, for the returns I had been able to secure from such distant and scattered districts were not always forwarded punctually, and the work of -obtaining anything like a true estimate of the coal mined in districts from which I was unable to obtain official returns was both laborious and tedious. As will be seen from the detailed reports furnished herewith, I have succeeded in obtaining tolerably accurate returns of 20,093,704 tons; and upon careful revision by numerous well-informed local authorities, my first estimate of the amount of coal not officially returned to me has grown very considerably; indeed, as I get more information on the subject I find that our bituminous coal production greatly exceeds the amount we have been accustomed to hear it placed at, aggregating as it does, 26,465,704 tons. Mr. Andrew Roy, State Inspector of Mines for Ohio, has reported the production of Ohio at 4,168,445 tons, while his first estimates were but 3,820,000 tons; and similarly, in other cases, the more full the returns direct from the mines the more incorrect do I find all previous reports. I am able now to furnish, not an accurate statement, indeed, but by far the most full and reliable one that has yet been published of our coal production. The amount of labor involved in obtaining this admittedly imperfect report has been simply enormous. In the following tabular statement it will be perceived that Pennsylvania produces nearly one-half of all the bituminous coal mined * Since this paper was read fuller reports from some of the States whose production had been "estimated" have modified the figures given. The most serious error is in California, which produces probably 200,000 tons less than these figures. Oregon and Washington territories also yield smaller amounts than here reported; but these reductions are probably fully compensated by fuller reports from other States that were here underestimated. The correct aggregate amount will not vary much from that here given. Early in 1876 I will be able to give a fuller and more accurate report for the year 1875.

Jan 1, 1875

By H. R. Skewes

IN the course of small seale experiments on the electrodeposition, of copper, extremely brittle deposits were obtained from electrolytes prepared by leaching calcined chalcopyrite with aqueous sulfuric acid. It was not possible to strip the metal without fracture after it had been deposited from such electrolytes onto smooth oiled copper sheets, the usual plant procedure for the production of so-called starting sheets. The embrittlement did not occur with electrolytes made either by leaching the calcine with water or by treating an acid leachate to remove iron as hydrous ferric oxide. The electrolytes which produced brittle deposits were found to contain molybdenum in concentrations of 10 to 25 mg per 1, whereas those which produced ductile deposits contained <0.5 mg per 1. Synthetic electrolytes having the composition: Cu", 40 gpl; Fe", 0.5 to 1.0 gpl; Fe3+, 0.5 to 1.0 gpl; and H,SO,, 10 to 50 gpl, were prepared from reagent-grade salts; by adding ammonium molybdate, the embrittling effect of the higher concentrations of molybdenum (VI) was strikingly confirmed. The brittle deposits contained up to 0.03 pct Mo. The importance of oxidation state of the molybdenum was demonstrated when the electrolyte containing it was circulated continuously through a bed of fine copper metal during deposi- tion. Under these reducing conditions, the cathode deposit was ductile and molybdenum could not be detected. Molybdenum has not been recognized as one of the metals causing embrittlement of copper nor is it listed among the usual impurities. In most elec-trowinning plants there is a purification step which removes iron from the leachate before electrolysis. In these cases molybdenum would be coprecipitated with hydrous ferric oxide. In the case of the large leaching plant at Chuquicamata, Chile, where the leachate is reported to contain considerable molybdenum, it would be reduced to a lower oxidation state during removal of chlorine by means of cement copper. This may explain why the embrittling effect of molybdenum has not been reported previously. Moreover, in copper refining plants where soluble anodes have been prepared by a high temperature smelting process, it is most unlikely that any molybdenum would remain with the copper, whereas the calcines in this work were prepared in a fluidized bed reactor at a temperature not exceeding 720°C. Acknowledgment This work is part of an investigation on the roasting and extraction of copper from sulfide ores sponsored jointly by Mt. Morgan Ltd., Queensland, and the Mt. Lyell Mining and Railway Co. Ltd., Tasmania.

Jan 1, 1958

By C. D. Rugen

GROUND raw material as fed to the cement kiln generally is a mixture of two to four components, each of which may have widely varying physical and grindability characteristics. Chemically similar materials found in the same or different deposits may also differ appreciably in physical properties, depending on their crystalline structure. The calcareous or principal cement raw material may vary from a soft chalky limestone or friable cement rock at one plant to a hard limestone or oyster shell at another plant. Argillaceous materials include clays, shales and granulated slag. Siliceous and/or iron-bearing material, including sand, iron ore and cinders, may also be required in addition for certain types of mixes. Frequently differences in grindability characteristics are not given the attention they deserve in comparing grinding results at one plant with those at another or in selecting suitable circuits or equipment. Many types of crushing and grinding units are used, with numerous open and closed circuit arrangements. Both wet and dry processes are used successfully. When rebuilding or installing a new grinding department, the choice of process or circuit in some cases may be dictated by the nature of the materials being ground but in other cases it may be the result of good salesmanship or a compromise. An over-all evaluation of wet process vs. dry process grinding should not be made without considering the effects on all other producing departments in the plant. In general, the more recent grinding installations, both wet and dry, have employed closed circuits, but many older open circuits are still in successful operation. In our experience, closed-circuit raw grinding pays, because of lower power consumption and less operating labor per ton of product. However, some dry open-circuit mills with improved equipment and operating methods compare favorably in performance with dry closed-circuit units. CHARACTER OF GROUND RAW MIX (KILN FEED) Grinding in the cement plant in general requires a considerably finer product than in most ore-grinding operations. A distinction between fineness of kiln feed and of cement may be made in that kiln feed preferably should be ground to a limiting size, whereas finished cement should include a range of size fractions including sufficient fine flours to give a product with satisfactory physical qualities. Grinding raw mix for kiln feed therefore is more comparable to ore grinding, although the limiting size is smaller. Most kiln feeds are ground from 85 to 95 per cent passing 200-mesh, depending on mix composition. Some cement chemists believe that raw materials cannot be too fine, since finer particles theoretically combine more readily and intimately in the kiln. However, there are certain definite practical objections to extremely fine kiln feed, such as loss of kiln dust, unstable material flow through the kiln and greater difficulty in control of chemical composition due to dust loss, and the disproportion of fines from the more easily ground component. Our

Jan 1, 1945