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The word "engineering" should not be considered as all-inclusive. Perhaps it should be redefined at this time. Various fields of learning that are indispensable to the locating, beneficiating, processing and using of minerals cannot be classified properly as engineering. For example, in locating deposits, the sciences of paleontology, stratigraphy, mineralogy, petrology, petrography, geo- chemistry, economic geography, and mineral economics might be involved. Beneficiating, processing, and using go beyond the normal scope of engineering to include fuel technology, physical and organic chemistry, physical and atomic metallurgy, and ceramics. Fifty-eight institutions of higher learning in the United States offer curricula in one or more subject-matter fields of the mineral arts and sciences. Thirty-four curricula are offered in mining; 42 in metallurgy; 17 in petroleum and natural gas; 13 in ceramics; 1 in fuel technology; 23 in geological engineering; 8 in geology; 4 in geophysics; 2 in mineral preparation; and l in mineral economics.1 Under given conditions, some of these curricula probably could be eliminated without the slightest retardation in the rate of advancement of knowledge concerning the science of mineral discovery, extraction and utilization, but it is no credit to mineral industries colleges that five departments of mining per-

Jan 1, 1950

By G. F. Sager, B. J. Nelson

Magnesium alloy forgings offer higher and more uniform mechanical properties than heat treated magnesium alloy castings and are used principally for light weight parts that may be stressed in fatigue or subject to impact loads, or where space limitations do not permit the use of the necessarily bulkier magnesium alloy castings. Compositions and Properties of Magnesium Forging Alloys The nominal compositions and properties of the principal commercial magnesium forging alloys are given in Table 1. The two that are most commonly used are AMC58S and AM65S. The former has the highest strength and is, therefore, employed for heavy duty applications. However, the forging of this alloy and of AMC57S ordinarily requires the use of slow speed hydraulic presses. The forging alloy AM65S combines good, although somewhat lower, mechanical properties with excellent forging characteristics. This alloy can be forged on hammers, upsetters, rolls, and mechanical presses, as well as on hydraulic presses. These characteristics make it particularly useful for many applications. Manganese Segregation in AM65S The alloy AM65S contains 5 pct tin, 3 1/2 pct aluminum, and a small amount of manganese, the manganese being added to insure satisfactory resistance to corrosion. Some manganese segregation was occasionally encountered in this alloy. In many applications, such segregation is of no particular consequence, but when forgings are acid dipped prior to the application of various chemical coatings, the segregated particles of manganese constituent may stand in relief. The resultant surface roughening may impair appearance and is undesirable in forgings employed in the textile industry, where very smooth surfaces are essential to avoid the catching and breaking of fine threads. An effort was therefore made to determine the cause of manganese segregation in this alloy and find a method for its elimination. Radiographic examination of a series of cast ingot sections and extruded samples of the AM65S type having manganese contents ranging from zero to about 0.7 pct revealed no appreciable manganese segregation when the manganese was less than about 0.4 pct. A small amount was observed with a manganese content of 0.46 pct and considerable with manganese contents of 0.6 pct or higher. Attempts to eliminate the manganese segregation by variations in the melting and casting conditions were unsuccessful and it soon became apparent that the trouble was attributable to the fact that the manganese contents that caused segregation were in excess of the amounts that would remain in solution at temperatures encountered in the melting and/or casting operations prior to the complete solidification of the ingots. A knowledge of the amounts of manganese that would be soluble in molten alloys of the AM65S type at various temperatures was obviously desirable. The liquid solubilities of manganese in binary Mg-Mn alloys and in Mg-Al-Mn and Mg-Zn-Mn alloys have been determined by Tiner and others,* but no data on the solubility of manganese in molten magnesium alloys containing tin and aluminum are given in the literature. For this reason, an investigation to determine the solubility of manganese in a magnesium alloy containing 5 pct tin and 3.5 pct aluminum (AM65S type) was undertaken.

Jan 1, 1950

By C. T. Anderson

In July 1947, the U. S. Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with the Air Materiel Command, started an investigation of zirconium alloys with the object of determining the suitability of such alloys for high-temperature applications. This report covers the preliminary study of about 25 zirconium-rich alloy systems with respect to preparation, fabrication, tensile properties, metallographic structures; constitution, and heat resistance. Obviously, each system could not be investigated thoroughly, and this publication can be regarded only as a first approach. The more promising individual alloy systems will be studied in greater detail and reported in subsequent publications. The study of zirconium alloys on such a scale has been made possible by the U.S. Bureau of Mines developments in the past 5 years On producing zirconium metal. This basic process is similar to that developed by Kroll for producing ductile titanium metal and consists essentially of reducing zirconium chloride by means of molten magnesium. The Northwest Electrodevelopment Laboratory at Albany, Oreg., has produced several thousand pounds of ductile metal in this manner and has a pilot plant producing over 300 pounds of metal per week. Alloys were prepared by melting Bureau of Mines zirconium and the best available grade of alloying element in graphite, with suitable provisions for preventing oxidation. The ingots were quartered longitudinally and sheath-swaged at 850° c. to 3/8-inch diameter rod. Two of those rods were send to Wright Field for room-temperature and 1,200° F. tensile properties. The remaining two sections were used for metallographic, hardness, heat-treatment, and heat-resistance studies. The salient features of this investigation are summarized in table 1.

Jan 1, 1950

Pennsylvania has been a leader in the pageant of industrial America because of her natural mineral re- sources, geographical location, and the ingenuity and industry of her citizens. Brick and other clay products were manufactured in Philadelphia in William Penn's time. Ores of iron, zinc, lead, and copper were mined and smelted in eastern Pennsylvania long before the Revolution. Coal was mined on a commercial basis in the anthracite region as early as 1820 and in the bituminous fields in 1830. The first canals and railroads were constructed to transport minerals and mineral products. Oil was struck at Titusville in 1859. A significant event occurred in 1855-the establishment of the Farmers' High School-Pennsylvania's first attempt to provide higher education for its youth. The Farmers' High School included instruction in geology, mineralogy, and assaying. In 1859 the laws of Pennsylvania transferred to the School the state geological and mineralogical collections formerly located in Harrisburg. Well-informed people are familiar with the effects of the Land-Grant Act of 1862. With inspiring words it established state institutions of higher learning where "the leading object shall be, without excluding other scientific and classical studies . . . to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts . . . in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the sev-

Jan 1, 1950

By M. E. Shank, J. Wulff

In view of the current interest in magnetic materials having rectangular hysteresis loops, as for example those obtained with the grain oriented 50 nickel 50 iron alloys,t we wish to call attention again to the results obtainable with the perminvar (Co-Ni-Fe) alloys heat treated in a magnetic field. Data taken from direct current measurements made prior to and during World War II give the typical values shown below for two of the perrninvar alloys. Fig 1 and 2 show- the hysteresis loops for these samples. The first sample above consisted of small rings punched from 0.014 in. sheet stock. These rings were heat treated at 1000°C for one hour in a hydrogen atmosphere and then cooled with the furnace to 750°C at which point they were subjected to a magnetic field of 15 oersteds maintained during cooling to room telmperature. The molybdenum perminvar sample consisted of a spirally wound core of 0.001 in. tape. The heat treatment was the same except that box annealing methods were used and no hydrogen atmosphere was employed. Even better properties might be expected using hydrogen. The heat treating temperatures and cooling rates are not critical. Rectangular hysteresis loops produced in other perminvar alloys by heat treatment in a magnetic field were described earlier.',? Properties similar to those described above are realized in perminvars manufactured by conventional methods. Drastic cold working which in practice limits the final thickness and is gen- erally expensive may thus be avoided. This information may be of interest to those concerned with magnetic alloys and the development of contact rectifiers, magnetic amplifiers and so on.

Jan 1, 1950

By Worner H. K

Education has always been a topic to rouse the interest of mining and metallurgical engineers, but the recent activities of the Education Committee of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy 1, 2, together with the moves throughout the Commonwealth to extend the field of technological education, have made the subject a very live one at the present time. The authors have felt it would be appropriate that on the occasion of the First Ordinary Meeting for 1950, in Victoria, some contribution should be forthcoming concerning the history, present status and possible future trends of mining and metallurgical education in this State. As for the past, the time approaches when there will be none having personal recollections of the beginning of Victorian mining schools or of the men who started them. As for the future, it is obvious that rapidly expanding metal-producing and metalconsuming industries will demand a greater output of competent graduates and diplomates. The era immediately ahead seems to be bristling with opportunities, but mining educators need to temper their enthusiasm for various policies and programmes with the realisation that they are helping to train men who will be leaders 15-20 years hence when the problems of industry and trials of life generally may be very different from what they are to-day.

Jan 1, 1950

By P. R. Tisot

This report discusses the waxes made from shale-oil wax distillate, a specific fraction obtained- from crude shale oil. The plate wax crystals Were exceptionally well suited to solvent extraction. Methyl ethyl ketone was the preferred dewaxing solvent.' The quantity of wax recovered at 32°F was 18.8 percent of the wax distillate, or 6.6 percent of the crude shale oil. The laboratory batch processes used for separating the wax from the distillate and subsequent refining were based .upon conventional petroleum methods. Three grades of shale-oil waxes were made and designated as crude, semirefined, and fully refined. The solvent-extracted wax consisted mainly of paraffin and olefin hydrocarbons. The physical Properties of the fully refined shale-oil wax were the same as er corresponded closely to those of Billy refined petroleum paraffin wax. Inasmuch as the crude and semirefined shale-oil waxes can be separated and refined in much the same manner as petroleum waxes, the cest of manufacture should be about equal to that for making petroleum paraffin wax. The cast of making a fully refined shale oil wax will be somewhat greater than for making .a fully refined petroleum paraffin, due to the loss of the oleofinic material from the shale-oil wax by acid treatment and the increased quantity of acid required for its removal. An analytical method for the determination of wax in shale-oil dietillates, a list of the physical properties that wore determined for the waxes, and the method for testing those properties are given in the appendix to this report

Jan 1, 1950

By J. Murray Riddell

The method of treating hazards wherein value is decreased, is cited by R. D. Parks. Quite properly, the theory of probabilities is made use of when multiple hazards are under consideration. E. F. Fitzhugh, Jr. $ deals with the enhancement phase graphically and uses percentage of expectancy as derived by a study of conditions and the selection of a chance factor. It is believed that both of the authors referred to fully recognize the part which human judgment plays, and as coupled with experience, training, and the application of the theory of probabilities; in that respect the composer of this paper is in accord. Within the past year, the task of arriving at a mathematical method for handling the enhancement phase, and, additionally, coupling the negative and positive phases, was explored. In citing the hazard, or negative phase, reference is made to the text by Parks. Types of Items far Consideration On the hazard, or negative, side some of the common items to be considered are: 1. Subsidence and resulting damage. 2. Flo wage of water above that anticipated. 3. Geological. (a) Decline in quality of probable ore, and/or (b) Decline in quantity of probable ore. 4. Depressed economic conditions. 5. Litigation. Similarly, on the enhancement, or positive, side common items to be considered are: 1. Flo wage of water below that estimated. 2. Geological. (a) Increase in quality of probable ore, and/or (b) Increase in quantity of probable ore. 3. Elevated economic conditions. 4. Litigation. 5. Technological advance in the art. Tn all of the above items no consideration is given to placing a value on, or giving consideration to, possibilities. For example, referring to Table 1, the estimated normal present value (Vp) of a property, exclusive of risk consideration, is taken as $100,000. If subsidence affects the usefulness of the shaft, the present value of the property will decrease to $60,000, and it is judged that there is a 1 in 4 chance that the shaft will be impaired;, consequent.ly, if subsidence took place, the present value would be reduced ($100,000-$60,000) $40,000, but since the chance is 1 in 4, the allowable reduction would be only one-fourth of $40,000, or $10,000, or a discount of 10 pct (hazard factor) of the original value; the related safety factor is taken as unity minus 0.10, or 0.90. Thus, the original Vp, $100,000, multiplied by the safety factor ($100,000 X 0.90) gives $90,000, which is the adjusted present value of the property in this single instance. Additionally, there is a water hazard, which, if encountered, will reduce the present value to $85,000. The chance is 1 in 3. Following through with the same reasoning as shown above, the derived safety factor will be 0.95. To arrive at a single multiplying factor which will express the combined risks, the two safety factors are multiplied together, 0.90 X 0.95 = 0.855. That factor when multiplied by the origirial Vp will give the adjusted, and

Jan 1, 1950

By Wilbur I. Duvall

In a previous report, entitled A Gage and Recording Equipment for Measuring Dynamic Strain in Rock, a control circuit for a drum camera was described. The purpose of this control circuit was to provide a means for firing seismic caps, synchronizing the firing of the cap with the opening of the camera shutters and generating an electrical impulse at the instant of detonation. The operation of this circuit depended on the following two characteristics of seismic caps: (1) these caps contain a bridge, which breaks at the instant of detonation, and, the firing delay time of the cap is a function of the firing current. During the course of the Bureau's studies, considerable difficulty was experienced from "firing hash", i.e., spurious vibrations that appeared on the records at the time of detonation. The cause of most of this "firing hash" was traced to the intermittent grounding of the cap leads at the time of detonation. As the cap leads were still connected to the firing battery, the grounding of the leads permitted current to flow through the rock to the gage and to return to the firing battery through the shield on the gage cables. The intermittent flow of current along the cable shield produced potentials on the gage leads that were recorded as the "firing hash." To eliminate this difficulty, it is necessary to remove the firing voltage from the cap leads the instant the cap detonates. This report supplements the previous report and describes an improved circuit that can be used to fire seismic caps, remove the firing voltage from the cap leads the instant the cap fires, control the firing delay time in the cap, and generate reference signals at the time current starts flowing in the cap circuit and at the time the cap detonates. These reference signals can be used to determine the firing delay time of seismic caps and the time at which the seismic wave is generated by the explosion.

Jan 1, 1950

* Kennecott Copper Corp. gets Charles R. Cox as president on Jan. 1. Mr. Cox is resigning his position as president of Carnegie-Illinois to take the new post with Kennecott, left vacant by the death of Mr. Stannard in September. •The ECA signed a contract in December to advance X3,600,000 to Newmont Mining Corp. to aid development of lead and zinc mines in French Morocco. The funds are to be repaid in lead and zinc for the United States' stockpile over a period of seven years. The mines are owned by the Societe des Mines de Zellidja, with which organization Newmont is associated. • Under the direction of John M. Brooks, Jr., general manager, the Matahambra mine in Cuba, will probably produce sufficient tonnage to make 4 million lb of copper per month during 1950. The grade is presently running between 7 and 10 pet. •S. H. Ash reports that the fatality rate per million-man-hr for the anthracite industry for 1949, through November, is 0.78. This is 15 pct better than that achieved during 1948, which was the lowest fatal injury rate in coal mining history. The first full year on record without a major disaster was recorded in 1949 (p. 34). •The Atomic Energy Commission has authorized the production of 200 lb of uranium metal for use under AEC license in non-Commission research projects. •A national survey of projected 1950 purchases of new machine tools, machine tool accessories, materials handling equipment, etc., just completed by the American Society of Tool Engineers reveals that, of the companies reporting, 80 pct state that they plan to buy either more equipment or the same amount as in 1948. • Armour Research Foundation is conducting investigations for the use of clay and shale deposits to make lightweight aggregates. The material is heated until it expands and forms material suitable for mixing with cement which it is hoped will be lighter, stronger, have better insulating qualities and will lower the cost of concrete. •In the first six months of 1949 the bituminous coal miners' average hourly earnings were $1.94 -as compared with X1.392_ national average for all manufacturing. Average annual earnings of full-time employees in the bituminous coal mines in 1948 were $3387 as compared with $2809 for all industry. •LaSalle Business Bulletin reports: "year ends on a rising trend in industry and trade ... nearly record-breaking demand from almost all sources keeps business high... most indicators but little below postwar peak... forces keeping activity high arestill powerful--changes in general business conditions likely to be slow and moderate." •Office of Internal Trade of the Commerce Department requests that technical data significant to the national security which is to be sent outside of the United States be submitted to it for an official opinion on the desirability of transmitting such information. This voluntary compliance program is part of our national security control. • Blast furnace slag reduced to 12 to 16 mesh is being used for sanding track at the Mont Coal mines of Armco. The slag replaces silica sand which caused silicosis. It has proved so effective and cheap that tests are being made to use the slag for rock dusting.

Jan 1, 1950

By Harlan W. Nelson, James B. Purdy

The great majority of stokers used in residential heating installations are of the clinkering type. Because of inherent characteristics of the underfeed combustion process as it occurs in these small stokers, and because of the wide range of operating conditions encountered in residential heating schedules, not all bituminous coals can be used successfully in residential underfeed units. The problem of providing consumer satisfaction has been attacked by the joint efforts of the stoker manufacturers and the coal industry; the stoker manufacturers have been concerned with improving their product to permit the use of a wider range of coals, and coal operators have made every effort to market selected and better prepared coals. In view of the wide range of physical characteristics and chemical properties of bituminous coals, the problems are real and are receiving increased attention. Some twelve years ago a laboratory method was developed at Battelle Memorial Institute for the relative evaluation of coals for use in residential underfeed stokers. The method was developed in conjunction with work being done at that time for Bituminous Coal Research, Inc., and for individual coal producers, to obtain information on the characteristics of coal that determined the successful performance of the small stoker. Details of the equipment and test procedure were given by R. A. Sherman1 in a paper presented at the University of Illinois Fifth Short Course in Coal Utilization. During the past several years, the evaluation of over forty different coals has been determined by investigations sponsored at Battelle by coal operators in the eastern producing districts. The purpose of this paper is to compare the results and conclusions derived from the various tests with marketing experiences of the operators, and to discuss briefly the relationship of test results to standard laboratory determinations. Equipment Used in Tests Fig 1 shows schematically the equipment used in the evaluation tests. The stoker is a commercial model of conventional design, having a nominal feed rate of 30 Ib per hr. A special laboratory furnace is used, which is tightly sealed to prevent the entrance of secondary air. The complete stoker-furnace assembly is mounted on platform scales which permits the measurement of combustible weight losses occurring during the test. The furnace stack, in which are a thermocouple, flue-gas sampling tube, and smoke meter, is connected to the laboratory exhaust breeching through a friction-less connection. Through use of an auxiliary blower system, provision is made for the measurement of the air delivered by the stoker fan to the windbox. A water seal in the duct work eliminates inter-

Jan 1, 1950

By Fred D. Wright

A compressor and utility station, which is believed to be one of the largest mobile units of this type ever constructed, was placed in operation at the Bureau of Mines experimental oil-shale mine near Rifle, Colo., during. 1949. This mobile unit mounts two 770-cubic-feet-per-minute air compressors, a 2,500-gallon water tank, and a 200-cubic-foot air receiver. The mobile base of the unit is a 30-ton trailer 30-feet long and 12-feet wide. Prior to the construction of this unit, compressed air was supplied to underground workings through pipe lines connecting with a stationary compressor plant on the surface. The power consumed in supplying compressed air to underground drilling crews was 0.531 kw.-hr. per ton of shale broken. Use of the mobile unit has cut this figure to 0.421 kw.-hr. per ton of shale broken and, more important, has eliminated the cost of installing and maintaining underground air and water lines.

Jan 1, 1950

By Howard A. Meyerhoff

Nonmetallic rock and mineral products are so diversified that any generalizations regarding the industries based upon them are of doubtful value and can be misleading. They are geared to every phase of the national economy and respond sensitively and immediately to any economic change, but the responses vary with the individual products. They are also affected by political and competitive factors to a degree that is disconcerting and, at times, ruinous to operators, owners, and stockholders of mineral properties. It is not unusual to find these special factors functioning in reverse of general trends insofar as individual products are concerned. As this summary is being written in the final weeks of 1949 production statistics for the year are not complete, but it is obvious that few, if any, new production records will be set, and that 1949 level, will, in general, be lower than those of 1948. The decline in output is not alarming and reflects in large part the tendency of users, who have been finding sources of supply more dependable to rely on prompt deliveries rather than on inventories to meet immediate needs. Except for the government's program of stock piling which, insofar as it has worked at all, is of more direct interest and benefit to foreign than to domestic producers, industrial inventories have been further reduced, and the neater balance between production and consumption has freed capital for the manufacturer and has cut down the serious hazard of substantial inventory losses. There are no quantity products and only a few special products that cannot be supplied in quick response to current demands. Normal development of a few nonmetallic industries has been retarded by the government's unpredictable application and irrational interpretation of antitrust laws, and by extension of preferential tariffs to new countries and new products. Synthesis is likewise a potent threat. in certain fields, but otherwise it is difficult to make a review of 1949 read much differently from a review of 1948. Changes have been qualitative rather than quantitative, except for a few operations that have been pinched out by the relentless competition that characterizes many of the industrial mineral industries.

Jan 1, 1950

By R. J. Caro

The Anaconda phosphate plant was put into operation in the fall of 1923. Its present daily operating capacity is approximately 170 tons of treble superphosphate and 16 tons of phosphoric acid analyzing 42 pct P2 O5 and 52 pct P2 Os, respectively. As a result of the continued increased demand for phosphates, Anaconda decided in 1947 to expand the plant's daily output to 270 tons of treble superphosphate and 54 tons of phosphoric acid. The present daily plant intake is 335 tons of wet (footwall) phosphate rock analyzing 31.7 pct P² O5 and 0.28 pct V² O5. The rock is shipped from Anaconda's mine at Conda, Idaho, in open railroad cars, having been crushed to pass 3/8 in. mesh at the mine.' The expansion program will require an increased intake of 300 tons of rock per day. The hanging-wall rock anaIj-ses approximately 30.5 pct P2 O5 and 0.11 pct V² O5, and will be beneficiated in a new washing plant under construction

Jan 1, 1950

By L. D. Jaffe, W. P. Clancy, D. C. Buffum

Many earlier workers have suggested that the temper brittleness of steel is associated with the presence of carbon or nitrogen. Nevertheless, no investigations on the effect of removal of these elements upon susceptibility to temper brittleness have been published. It was therefore decided to determine whether temper brittleness would develop in an iron alloy ...__, ing very little carbon and nitrogen. The alloy, in the form of a 10-lb ingot, was prepared by melting purified materials under . argon. Its composition, in per cent, was: This analysis, except for carbon content, is within the specified range for SAE 3140, which has been demonstrated by previous work at this laboratory2 to be markedly susceptible to

Jan 1, 1950

By E. A. Clarke

The vapor-phase section of the Coal Hydrogenation Demonstration Plant at Louisiana, Mo., was operated for the first time in April 1949. The run lasted only 10 days because of time limitation (pending plant dedication in May) and the small amount of charging stock available. The primary purpose of the operation was to break in and determine the operability of the equipment and to supplement the operators' classroom training with actual practice by operating the plant under mild conditions. A secondary aim was to obtain data on the hydrogenation of petroleum oil and lignite tar distillate at approximately 10,000 p.s.i. while making gasoline and Diesel fuel oil. Although the operations were carried out under conditions considerably below those used in the plant design, a great deal of experience and data was obtained. As it is not feasible at this time to conduct further vapor-phase operations on similar stocks, this report has been prepared to present and summarize the data obtained through this operation.

Jan 1, 1950

By Irving Hartmann

Rock-dusting of coal mines is a most important safety measure for preventing or limiting the propagation of explosions. The Bureau of Mines has recommended for many years that rock dust be distributed on the top, ribs, and floor of mine entries and other workings of all bituminous coal and lignite mines in sufficient quantities to maintain the incombustible content of the dust above the minimum requirements. Rock-dust barriers constitute a secondary safeguard used occasionally to complement generalized rock dusting at entrances to panels and side entries or at other locations. In general, rock dust can be applied effectively with modern rock-dusting machines. However, in thin coal beds, in certain back entries, and in some other areas, rock-dusting machines cannot be used conveniently. Furthermore, many small mines find the purchase of machines costly. In such cases, rock dust is not used at all, or else it is distributed by hand, a relatively slow and costly procedure. In recent years some coal mines have started applying rock dust with the aid of permissible explosives. This may be done in various ways. One method consists in placing a stick of explosive on the floor of a room or entry midway between the ribs and covering the stick with two bags of rock dust that are slit on top and set crosswise one above the other. The explosive is then fired, causing the rock dust to be distributed on the nearby roof, rib, and floor surfaces. The procedure is repeated at desired intervals until the entire area is rock dusted. The method is claimed to be rapid, safe, and inexpensive.

Jan 1, 1950

By J. H. Scaff, H. C. Theurer, E. E. Schumacher

The microwave region of the radio spectrum was effectively utilized in radar designs during the recent war and it has become of increasing interest in the field of communications. Work in this field has led to an important use for silicon—that of the point contact rectifiers†1 in the frequency converter of microwave (radar or radio) receivers—and has stimulated considerable interest in the electrical properties and preparation of silicon and its alloys. Silicon is an electronic semiconductor. Its conductivity at room temperature results principally from the presence of certain impurities. While for metals an increase in impurity content increases the resistivity, for semiconductors such as silicon the opposite occurs and, in general, the addition of impurities lowers the resistivity. Silicon materials may be classified into one of two groups depending upon the manner in which the impurities contribute to electrical properties. These have been termed for convenience p-type or n-type. P-type silicon develops a very large positive thermal emf against metals, has a Hall coefficient of positive sign and a low resistance direction in point contact rectification with the silicon positive with respect to the point. N-type silicon, on the other hand, develops a negative thermal emf against metals, has a Hall coefficient of negative sign and a low resistance direction in rectification with the silicon negative with respect to the point. Impurities which produce n-type silicon are called donors inasmuch as these elements contribute to electrical conductivity by donating electrons to an unfilled energy band in the silicon. On the other hand, elements which produce p-type silicon are known as acceptors as these impurities contribute to the electrical conductivity by accepting electrons from a filled energy band permitting what is known as conductivity by "holes" in which the sign of the carriers appears to be positive. A general treatment of the mechanism of conduction in semiconductors from the viewpoint of modern band theory has been given recently by Pearson,2 by Becker, Green and Pearson,3 and by Torrey and Whitmer.4 In this investigation boron and aluminum have been found to be acceptors, and phosphorus, arsenic, and antimony to be donors in silicon. Data on the effect of boron and phosphorus on the electrical properties, when present singly and in combination, have been acquired. These data are discussed in the present paper. Raw Materials Used and Methods for Adding Seeond Constituents Silicon from two sources was used in this work and these will be referred to as A and B respectively. Silicon A is a material of high purity supplied by the Electro Metallurgical Co. It is prepared by chemical purification of "commercial" silicon obtained from the arc furnace reduction of SiO2. It contains 99.8 pct silicon, minimum, with small amounts of calcium, iron, aluminum, boron, and phosphorus as the principal impurities. This material was extensively employed in these studies as well as in the commercial preparation of rectifier materials. Silicon B is a material of high purity from the du-Pont Co. It is prepared by a pyrolytic reduction of Sicl4 and is free of analytically detectable amounts of boron and phosphorus. Its use permitted study of the effect of boron and phosphorus individually on the properties. This material contains, however, spec-troscopic traees of a number of metals, some of which affect electrical and rectification properties. Typical analyses for the two grades of silicon are given in Table 1. To make controlled additions of boron to the charge it was necessary to employ a low boron content master alloy since the quantity of boron to be added was usually only a few thousandths of one percent. The alloy containing nominally one percent boron was prepared by melting chemically pure boron with silicon A using the melting techniques for 320 g silicon

Jan 1, 1950

By G. E. Johnson

E. D. HYMAN*—How much sorting of scrap is done ? G. E. JOHNSON (author's reply)—We do practically no sorting. We charge "run of mine" scrap to the furnace. The unmeltables, mostly iron, are in such demand today that there is no difficulty in disposing of them. It may soon be desirable to sort out from the unmeltables as much of the brass as possible. J. J. BRUGMAN†—We have somewhat similar problems in the secondary aluminum business. What is your method of removing the unmelted material from the furnaces? Why have you such an apparently small space in which to charge your materials? Do you find that you have to seal that opening, or can you have it open and continuously charge at one end and pull out the other ? G. E. JOHNSON—Our means of melting scrap is efficient only to the extent that we use the waste heat from the vaporizing chamber to do the job. It is a batch process. We open the charge door and place the scrap on the hearth by hand shoveling. The door is then closed during the melting down period. After the melting is complete, the opposite door is opened and the unmeltables are raked out. The doors are approximately 3½ X 4½ ft and are not sealed during the process only closed. They are nominally tight. Some metal is oxidized in the process. We have visualized a means of conveying the materials through this melting unit with the metals that are melted trickling out during its travel. T. H. WELDON‡—Mr. Johnson, in line with the last question, is it necessary to seal the furnace between the melting down and the vaporizing unit, or have you got an inverted syphon in the bottom of the chamber? G. E. JOHNSON—That was one of the first things we encountered. We had to have a sealed opening, and it is a molten metal seal. You have indirectly asked me another question, which was: "Do you have to seal up the melting unit?" I would say we should exclude as much air as possible, although we are not too efficient in doing that. We allow the melting unit doors to be open when we charge and when we remove unmeltables. You can readily see that that would lead to the idea of having a controlled atmosphere in the melting unit, and I think this would do a more efficient job of melting the scrap. T. H. WELDON—How often do you charge the furnace? G. E. JOHNSON—We charge the melting unit, and rake out the unmeltables, about every hour. H. R. HANLEY*—Are any provisions made for controlling the rate of oxidation for the production of various size particles for certain characteristics of the zinc oxide product? G. E. JOHNSON—Yes, there are many. You are getting pretty much into the fine points of zinc oxide manufacture. Some of us still think we have something to learn about that. In general, this muffle furnace as I have described it to you produces a rounded particle of zinc oxide which is generally formed by a rapid oxidation of the zinc vapor, followed by rapid cooling. We have gone to the other extreme in some of our experiments. We have changed the furnace to produce a type of zinc oxide, such as we thought was peculiar to American process zinc oxide, by controlling the temperature at the point of oxidation and maintaining that temperature for a much longer period of time than we do when we make the rounded shape. There are other relationships that this furnace readily provides. One of the important factors is the ratio of air to zinc vapors. We can vary that by varying the air supply to the baghouse, or vary the rate at which we are vaporizing the zinc by the simple expedient of regulating the temperature over the carborundum arch. We have a number of variables that permit us to produce all of the grades of French process zinc oxide from lead-free up through the highest grades of seal oxides. There are many controls that we can apply to the operation. What I have said is but a brief condensation. K. MORGAN*—Can Mr. Johnson give us some idea of the fuel consumption of the furnace ? How much oil does he use per ton of zinc distilled? I am also interested to know what sort of heat transmission he gets through the arch? What is the thickness of the tiles used to construct the arch? Some time ago we built a small furnace for a different purpose, using a carborundum arch, and we found that the reflectivity of the molten zinc surface was so great we had to use a very high arch temperature. We found we made an improvement by having a layer of carbon on the surface of the zinc. Has Mr. Johnson had any experience on these points ? Does he make any sort of insolu-bles which he leaves in the furnace which he cannot tap out ? G. E. JOHNSON—I believe your first question was the fuel consumption. If I recall, somewhere in this paper there is a test that I quote. I believe we used 800 gal in a given period of time. Offhand I cannot translate that into tons of metal. I might also state that we have this understanding; that the carborundum arch, as the temperature becomes higher, becomes more efficient in heat transmission. As a matter of fact, I believe it is at about 2600°F or higher that the highest efficiency of heat transmission becomes available. We have calculations that I cannot quote from memory which indicate that the carborundum arch does a really very fine job for this type of furnace. Another point that we had considered was the fact that this furnace could be readily constructed so as to furnish an ideal source of heat for waste heat boilers. If a carborundum arch was used over the melting unit, we would have no zinc vapors in the gases at all— just clean combustion gases from which we would have removed some of the heat. L. P. DAVIDSON†— The insolubles

Jan 1, 1950

By B. W. Gandrud

In July 1948, the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, in cooperation with the University of Alabama and mine operators, published Report of Investigations 4306, "A Combination Cleaning and Dewatering Process for Treating Fine 'Sizes of Coal, Preliminary Report In this report a new process, referred to as kerosene flotation; was described, and results of experimental work with the process Previous to the fall of 1947 were given, The contents of the report. were summarized on pages 19 and 20' as follows: In coal-preparation plants using wet methods of cleaning, the most difficult problem is the cleaning and dewatering of the "fines" from about 10-Mesh to 0. A combination proceed is now under investigation that shows promise of practically and feasibly solving this problem. The process is similar to froth flotation, but a generous quantity of kerosene is used as one of the reagents, and the feed is from approximately 10-mesh to 0 considerably coarser than the usual froth flotation feed. The kerosene and the coarseness of the reed result in a floated product that, under certain circumstances, can be dewatered satisfactorily by a simple process of mechanical squeezing, Squeezing is accomplished by means of an ordinary conveying' Auger-and trough assembly with a section of pipe easing at the outer end of the trough. The bottom of the trough and. casing is fitted with wedge-wire sections to permit escape of the water freed by the squeezing action of the auger. On account of the important role of the kerosene, the process has been referred to in this report as kerosene flotation. Up to now, the investigative work has been divided about evenly between the laboratory and commercial plants. Nearly all of the work has been done on sludges containing the solids from the underflow of dewatering screens. A few runs have been made on 10-mesh to 0: fines from raw coal, but in some of those runs the dewatering mechanism, failed to function.

Jan 1, 1950