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By James E. Lawver, James L. Wright

This paper describes the design of a cell used to measure the electrical conductivity, or the reciprocal resistivity, of granular materials. It also establishes a quantitative relationship between the electrical conductivity and the electrical separation of selected mineral samples. It is estimated' that the free world produces about 13 million tons of mineral concentrates a year by electrostatic or electrodynamic methods. At least 95% of these concentrates are produced by corona discharge type machines that separate minerals by exploiting the differences in their electrical conductivity. But, what is meant by the electrical conductivity of a mineral? How large a difference in the electrical conductivity of two mineral species is necessary to effect a separation? Just what is the role of conductivity in electrical separations with regard to capacity and selectivity? There is a considerable amount of information in the literature on both the mechanisms of conduction and the values of the electrical conductivity of pure single-crystal mineral specimens. In addition, some insight into the role of mineral conductivity can be obtained by referring to a Bureau of Mines publication' in which 95 minerals have been grouped as conductors or insulators as a function of temperature. The classification was made on the basis of the percent of weight that reported as "conductors" in an electrical separator. But, as is often the case in the mineral industry, practical application leads theory — and there is little useful information in the literature giving any kind of quantitative relationship between electrical conductivity and electrical separations. The problem is a bit complex because electrical conductivity per se — which can be rather easily measured on large, single grains — is not sufficiently informative to permit quantitative predictions of the separability of the mineral system. Practical "high-tension"* separations are made at such feed rates that the band of minerals on the rotor is multilayered in thickness. Thus, the effective conductivities of minerals as seen by a high-tension machine include particle-to-particle contact resistance, which is often a controlling factor in making a separation. This is particularly true when the mineral grains are coated with slime or with a dielectric surface film. From a high-tension separation viewpoint, one is actually concerned with the time required for corona-charged grains to lose enough charge so that the centrifugal force acting on the particles exceeds the image force holding the grains to the rotor. This calculation requires a knowledge of the effective mineral conductivity s. (The conductivity of the metal rotor is sufficiently greater than that of the minerals so that it need not be considered in charge decay calculations.) The charge density at time t can be approximated by the relaxation equation.3 where t 5 charge density at time t r, - charge density when t = 0 cr e total electrical conductivity £ = permittivity The time required for the charge density to fall to l/e of its initial value is called the relaxation time and is numerically equal to €/n. AS defined here, u is the conductivity of an element of homogeneous grains making contact with each other and with a grounded rotor. This paper deals with the design of a conductivity cell used to measure a, or its reciprocal p, the electrical resistivity. CELL DESIGN Initial test work was performed with a cell recommended by ASTM.4 Since the reproducibility with the ASTM cell was not satisfactory, it was decided to

Jan 1, 1970

By G. H. Anderson

During an investigation of the copper-rich portion of the copper-silicon-iron system as part of an extensive research program on P.M.G. alloys, which was begun in 1937 in the research laboratory of the Phelps Dodge Corporation, it became apparent that the binary copper-silicon system below 7 per cent Si needed revision, therefore an investigation was undertaken. Both X-ray methods and microscopic technique were employed. Despite the many investigations that have the clarification of this system as their object, no two successive reports on the system have agreed in placement of the alpha-phase solubility limit, and uncertainty about the secondary phase first to appear has been voiced several times.3,4,5 It was therefore not surprising, when T. Isawa's6 and M. Okamoto's7 works were reported at the time we were finishing up our experimental work, to find essential disagreement between their results and ours. But when C. 5. Smith's latest work on the copper-silicon systema was published just as we were finishing our laboratory report, it was indeed gratifying to find that the latter's diagram and ours checked in all essential features, except the temperature of the peritectoid line above 830" C. Many attempts were made to retain the beta phase during the present investigation, but none was successful. Isawa,6 however, reports that he has been able to obtain X-ray photograms of the beta phase. The structure, he states, is body-centcrcd cubic with a lattiee constant of 2.848 ,&. at 7.2 per cent Si. Okamoto7 and Smith8 both use the designation Kappa for the hexagonal phase, and to avoid confusion this designation will he adhered to in the present paper. Preparation of Samples The alloys were melted in vacuum in a high-frequency furnace. from copper cathodes containing 99.98 per cent Cu, and specially refined silicon supplied by The Electro Metallurgical Co. This silicon is stated

Jan 1, 1940

By G. H. Anderson

During an investigation of the copper-rich portion of the copper-silicon-iron system as part of an extensive research program on P.M.G. alloys, which was begun in 1937 in the research laboratory of the Phelps Dodge Corporation, it became apparent that the binary copper-silicon system below 7 per cent Si needed revision, therefore an investigation was undertaken. Both X-ray methods and microscopic technique were employed. Despite the many investigations that have the clarification of this system as their object, no two successive reports on the system have agreed in placement of the alpha-phase solubility limit, and uncertainty about the secondary phase first to appear has been voiced several times.3,4,5 It was therefore not surprising, when T. Isawa's6 and M. Okamoto's7 works were reported at the time we were finishing up our experimental work, to find essential disagreement between their results and ours. But when C. 5. Smith's latest work on the copper-silicon systema was published just as we were finishing our laboratory report, it was indeed gratifying to find that the latter's diagram and ours checked in all essential features, except the temperature of the peritectoid line above 830" C. Many attempts were made to retain the beta phase during the present investigation, but none was successful. Isawa,6 however, reports that he has been able to obtain X-ray photograms of the beta phase. The structure, he states, is body-centcrcd cubic with a lattiee constant of 2.848 ,&. at 7.2 per cent Si. Okamoto7 and Smith8 both use the designation Kappa for the hexagonal phase, and to avoid confusion this designation will he adhered to in the present paper. Preparation of Samples The alloys were melted in vacuum in a high-frequency furnace. from copper cathodes containing 99.98 per cent Cu, and specially refined silicon supplied by The Electro Metallurgical Co. This silicon is stated

Jan 1, 1940

By A. E. Bibb, F. W. Kunz

A platelet form of zirconium hydride was found in zirconium and ZY-1 wt pct U single crystals containing hydvogen in the range of 50 to 100 ppm. The habit planes for the hydride plateletg in the zirconium crystals were found to be {1012}, {1121}, and (1122) while the habit planes in the ZY-1 wt pct U crystals were {1121), {1123}, and (1.231). With the exception of the {1231} plane, these have been identified as the twin planes in zirconium. The different effect of hydridc on the mechanical puoperlies of zirconium at high and low strain rates has been explained in terms of the defornzation mechanism and the habit planes of the hydride. ZIRCONIUM and zirconium-base alloys are considered for many nuclear reactor applications, where the pick-up of hydrogen is a distinct possibility, if not an unavoidable occurrence. An excellent example of this is the absorption of hydrogen by zirconium and its alloys during aqueous corrosion, where as much as 30 pct of the hydrogen produced by the corrosion reaction is picked up by the metal. Under the proper conditions, the absorbed hydrogen would precipitate as zirconium hydride and consequently alter the mechanical and physical properties of the zirconium-base alloys. The knowledge obtained from a study of the crystallographic aspects of the hydride precipitation is necessary for the interpretation of the observed changes in the mechanical and physical properties. The deleterious effect of hydrogen on zirconium-base materials is not always observed in normal slow tensile loadings at or above room temperature, but becomes immediately obvious under impact loading, where the energy absorbed decreases with increasing hydrogen content,' and in notched specimens where triaxial loadings are attained.2 This effect is of serious consequence in the applications of Zr where shock loads or high strain rates are experienced. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the crystallographic planes of the Zr and Zr-1 wt pct U matrices upon which zirconium hydride will precipitate and to correlate these with the observed mechanical property data. PROCEDURE Crystal Growth—Single crystals of Zr and Zr-1 wt pct U alloy were used in this investigation. The Zr crystals were made from sponge that had a typical analysis as shown in Table I. Large grains were grown in this material by rapid cooling an arc-melted charge in a button furnace. This operation undoubtedly lowered the volatile impurity concentration below those listed in Table I. Back-reflection Laue patterns of these large grains showed the presence of considerable substructure and lattice distortion within each grain. It was found that an 18-day anneal in an argon atmosphere at 840°C (a high a heat-treatment) followed by furnace cooling, resulted in the further growth of the large grains and removed the detectable substructure ana lattice distortion. Equiaxed crystals with a cube edge of approximately 1/4 in. were produced in this manner. Large crystals of Zircaloy-2 (1.5 wt pct Sn, 0.15 wt pct Fe, 0.1 wt pct Cr, 0.05 wt pct Ni) also were produced by this technique but the large amount of substructure formed could not be removed by annealing. The Zr-1 wt pct U solid solution crystals were produced from an alloy rod consisting of Westing-house-Foote hafnium-free crystal bar zirconium and depleted uranium. The chemical analysis of the alloy is also given in Table I. Three-inch sections were cut from an 0.120-in.-diameter alloy rod and tapered to a fine point on each end. The samples were sealed in evacuated Vycor tubes, homogenized for 5 hr at 1000°C in the ß-phase field, and slowly lowered in a gradient furnace into the a phase (800°C), annealed for 60 hr at this temperature to produce grain growth and furnace cooled. This technique produced large grains approximately 1/2 to 3/4 in. long over the entire cross section of the rod, which were free of observable substructure. Metallographic examination up to X1000 did not show the existence of any second phase in these grains. Crystal Orientation—All crystals were abraded on fine emery paper to produce two flat surfaces 90 deg to each other. The crystals were analyzed by the standard Back-Reflection Laue technique to obtain the crystal orientation with respect to the abraded surfaces. The Back-Reflection Laue Photograms of all crystals used were clear and sharp indicating that the crystals were free from any substructure that could be detected by these means. Hydriding—Only samples containing four to five grains were used for hydriding. Samples that exhibited fine grained patches were discarded. The samples were hydrided using the following technique. After etching in 48 vol. pct HNO3, 48 vol. pct H2O, and 4 vol. pct HF (48 pct) solution, the specimens

Jan 1, 1961

By James Norman

SPODUMENE is a lithium-bearing pyroxene, and is an important source of lithium compounds. Because of its high alumina and lithia content, it might be a desirable constituent of glass batches. The use of spodu-mene in ceramics will undoubtedly increase, as it has been shown that a mixture of the proper proportions of this mineral with soda feldspar and potash feldspar has a much lower maturing temperature upon firing than has any one of the three components.1 The mineral spodumene seldom occurs as pure mineral, but ordinarily with feldspars, mica and quartz. All spodumene-bearing rocks tested contained these minerals as gangue. Small amounts of iron and manga-nese oxides also were present, usually as stains on the silicate grains. Mica associated with the spodumene carried a considerable amount of lithia. This was discovered in flotation tailings, which, although virtually free of spodumene grains when examined microscopically, showed 0.4 to 0.5 per cent Li2O on chemical analysis. The lithia content of micas picked from the North Carolina spodumene rock was variable. Some samples contained little lithia, others more than 3 per cent. In 1938, under the supervision of Oliver C. Ralston, ? the Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with the Tennessee Mineral Products Corporation, undertook to study the beneficiation of North Carolina spodumene by froth flotation. The Bureau had previously published investigations on the beneficiation of spodumene.2,3 The methods described in the second publication' did not give good results with badly weathered spodumene rock, so that more thorough investigation of the subject was warranted.

Jan 1, 1940

By H. I. Aaronson, H. A. Domian, G. M. Pound

The thernodyna,nics of I the Proeutectoid ferrite re-action ha1.e been investigated on the bases of three diifevent descviptions of the statistical thernzodynamics of interstitzal solid solutions. Especially at low ternperatures, substantial dijeretzces are found in the valltes of the extrapolated y/y + a and cr/a + y equilibriurn curls, and in the To- co7nposilion metastable eqliilibriunz curl-es thus co,npited. Although neither actiztity nor phase-diagram date are able to distingrish udeqiutely among the various descviptions, the statustics of Lacher, Fouller, and Guggenheinz provide the ?nost conplete epresentation az3ailable of the single carbon-ctrbon interaction energy (w) nzodel of an intevstitiril solid solution, and the relationships deduced frojrl then2 are accordingly pre.ferred. The findings tlzut w in austenite 'aries significu?ztly uith tenpevntrue and that phase-diagawr data arc not accurately con?palible usith eqcrctions deduced on the basis of actility infoation indicate, hou'e13er, that a wzore cornplex nlodel of the uustenite , und pvobably of the .feyrite, solirl solutions will have to forn the basis of f4tuve statistical t1.eat1nents. Some suggestions for such a ruodel arc advanced. Althoug11 w represents a vepltlsio energy in austozite, it was found to corvcsporzd in ferrite to a binding energy, in qualitatit.e accord zc,itlz the internal-friclion results of Keefer and wert. ThE transformation of austenite to proeutectoid fer-rite is becoming recognized as an exceptionally useful vehicle for quantitative studies of the kinetics of phase transformations.'" Reasons for this popularity include well-characterized microstructures which develop on a convenient scale with acceptable kinetics within a considerable temperature-composition region, the absence of great sensitivity to common impurities, and, especially. the availability of a unique wealth of the ancillary information indispensable for the quantitative interpretation of kinetic measurements, including phase diagram,3 crystallographies diffusivity,5 inter-facial energy,=17 elastiit," specific vlume, ''' and ativity'-' data. Development of considerable amounts of additional thermodynamic information from activity data is of particular importance with respect to kinetic studies, since much of this information is needed in temperature-composition regions not directly accessible to presently available techniques for the measurement of equilibrium properties. A generally useful approach to the thermodynamics of solid solutions, which is of especial value in this situation, is based upon the formulation of the free energy of such solutions as a function of temperature and composition. The free energy of solid solutions has been resolved into many components. Particularly in the case of interstitial solutions, with which we shall be concerned in the present study, however, only the positional entropy component has been intensively studied. The other components are conventionally taken into account by fitting equations for the activity of the interstitial species or the temperature-composition path of phase boundaries, derived principally from positional entropy considerations, to experimental information on these quantities through adjustment of one or more constants in the equations. A number of studies of the thermodynamics of interstitial solid solutions have been made primarily on this basis,'"25 but only Kaufman, Radcliffe, and cohenZ2 (hereafter KRC) and ener''% ave applied the results of such studies to develop relationships for the thermodynamic quantities of interest in the austenite —- proeutectoid ferrite transformation. KRC made use of a model developed by cheil'' (on the basis of a previous study by ohansson'), and subsequently rede-rived correctly by Speiser and retnak,' in which a carbon atom is considered to inhibit occupancy of a certain number of its nearest-neighboring interstitial sites. schei120 determined the number of sites in austenite thus excluded by matching calculated and experimentally measured curves for the variation of carbon activity with the mole fraction of carbon. zener17 used a different approach. He assumed that the positional entropy of carbon is ideal both in austenite and in ferrite (i.e., no excluded interstitial sites), and included all other contributions of carbon in a temperature-independent "free-energy change" accompanying the transfer of 1 mole of carbon between the two phases. This quantity was determined by "pinning" an equation derived for the boundaries of the a + y region to experimental data on the compositions of these boundaries at a single temperature. In the present investigation, three different approaches to the thermodynamics of the proeutectoid ferrite reaction are examined comparatively: I) the method of Zener; 2) the model employed by KRC and predecessors; and 3) the more detailed statistical thermodynamic treatment of the same model developed by acher and Fowler and uenheim, ' in which the problem of overlapping regions of influence of individual interstitial atoms is resolved. In order to make these comparisons, it is necessary to undertake an extension of one aspect of Zener's method; since the Lacher- Fowler -Guggenheim (LFG) treatment has not been previously used in the present context, the necessary thermodynamic "superstructure" for this treatment will be developed in parallel

Jan 1, 1967

By Charles Stein

The effects of several different prior treatments an the creep behavior of 99.9995 pct aluminum at 260°C and 1000 psi canstant stress are compared with annealed specimens. Quenching from 538oC, irradiation with 2 mev electrons, and tension-compression room temperature fatigue damage were used to change the substructure of the specimens prior to their creep testing. The quenched and the irradiated specimens showed a larger primary and transient stage contribution to the creep curve than those specimens which were only annealed prim to creep testing. The specimen receiving prior fatigue damage at room temperature showed no first stage or transient creep when tested under identical conditions as the above specimens and had an average creep rate seven orders of magnitude lower than that of either the annealed, the quenched or the irradiated creep specimens. In a previous electron transmission microscopy investigationl of the substructure developed during the creep of pure aluminum at 0.57 Tm, it was noted that a large concentration of vacancy loops and dislocation loops were present in and near the subboundaries while the interior of the subgrains contained few of these defects and had a low dislocation density, see Fig. 1. Yim and Grant2 and Hazlett3 have shown that the presence in nickel of a substructure developed by prior cold work effectively reduces the primary and transient contributions to the creep curve. Hultgren,4 McLean,5 Gervais, Norton, and Grant,6 Chang and Grant,7 and others have shown the same effect with the higher stacking fault energy material, aluminum. However, the specific defect responsible for the change in the creep behavior developed by the prior cold work was not established. Specifically, what effectively interfered with dislocation motion in these materials at elevated temperatures? Was it jogs on dislocations produced by their interaction with other dislocations or with vacancy or dipole loops, see Fig. 1, or did the subgrain walls determine the mean free path for glissile dislocations? This would be a realistic possibility only if subgrain boundaries are effective barriers to dislocation motion. The ability of a subgrain boundary to act effectively against glissile dislocations depends on the number and the arrangement of dislocations in the subboundary,8 which in turn is a function of the creep strain.' This paper compares the creep rate of specimens possessing a large vacancy concentration to that of annealed specimens and with specimens having a stable subboundary wall containing Lomer locks produced by prior fatigue damage. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Vacancy Loops. Aluminum creep specimens, 99.9995 pct pure, were machined from zone refined rod to a 2-in. gage length and a cross-sectional area of 0.025 in. These specimens were annealed at 538oC, 1000°F, for 10 min and quenched into ice water. They were then reheated to the creep test temperature of 260°C, 500°F, and held at this temperature for 18 min to al-low for vacancy condensation and loop formation. The specimens were subsequently creep tested at 1000 psi constant stress at 260°C. The temperature along the gage length was monitored by three Pt-Pt, 13 pct Rh thermocouples, two embedded in the upper and lower shoulders of the specimen and one attached to the mid-point of the gage length- The temperature gradient was held to ± l°C or less throughout the Creep test. Elongations were measured by two LVDT's 'connected in an averaging 'On-figuration, with quartz extension arms placed against the specimen at the extremes of the 2-in. gage length. i K 3J?--' * *H - >^> - ' ^L r 77 . *y J OJL, J Fig. 1—Transmission electron micrograph of pure aluminum strained 8.2 pct at 260°C and 1000 psi constant stress. Note the presence of numerous loops near the light dislocation tangle

Jan 1, 1970

By Bunting S. Crocker

PEBBLE grinding at Lake Shore is not a temporary wartime substitute. The tube milling plant, with a 1000 ton per day capacity, grinds a hard siliceous ore to 90 pct - 325 mesh. The plant, prior to using pebbles, was consuming 4.3 lb of 1 1/4-in. grinding balls per ton of ore, which amounted to 785 tons of balls per year. At September 1951 prices, $132.60 per ton, this steel cost amounted to, $104,400 per year, or $0.285 per ton milled. By the Lake Shore method of substituting screened rock for this steel, all of this cost is saved. This is one of the major economies in Lake Shore mill practice. Regardless of the ultimate price of grinding balls, a change, back to steel balls is not considered. The present pebble plant is more flexible than a steel ball plant and equally efficient. For example, if it is desired to change the size of grinding media, the pebble charge in any mill can be changed completely in 4 to 5 days, as against 76 days to change completely a 1 1/4-in. steel ball charge. To change pebble size it is necessary only to change two sets-of screens and clean out the rock feed storage bin. This will take 8 to 10 days as against 3 to 4 months to clean. out the customary supply of grinding balls kept on hand. Also it has not always been ' possible to purchase all desired sizes of balls at any price. In an analysis of savings effected by the use of the pebble mills, the flexibility of the Lake Shore grinding plant should be discussed, as it has a direct bearing on these savings. The plant has always used several units to handle tonnage rather than sending all the tonnage through a single unit. This principle may result in using small diameter mills, but no objection to that is seen. At no time has any advantage been found in cost per ton ground in large diameter mills. Both the capacity and the power of any mill varies as the diameter raised to the 2.6th power. Consequently large or small mills are equally efficient, and a plant should be designed to use as many units-or combination of units as is consistent with reasonable operating practice. Mills under 5 ft diam are harder to reline, etc. To define the case at Lake Shore, .2600 tons per day formerly were milled in seven 7x6-ft ball mills and twelve 5x16-ft (and two 6x16-ft) tube mills.* This gave an excellent test plant. and an extremely efficient-one. In this plant the ratio of ball mills to tube mills was 1: 2. When the much cheaper pebble mills were substituted for the tube mills, this. ratio -was changed to one ball mill to four pebble mills to take the greatest possible advantage of the cheaper operating mill, i.e., the pebble mill. This flexibility without loss in efficiency has been an important item in the cost savings. It is interesting to note that the use of pebbles for fine grinding was. proved first in the laboratory in a 12-in. ball mill. In fact, since 1934 all testing on -.8 mesh material has been done in this 12-in. mill. Scope of the Tests A paper on fine grinding at Lake Shore Mines was published in July 1940.1 This paper covered 7 years of intensive research on fine grinding as well as sizing methods and equipment, plant scale grinding tests on 5x16-ft tube mills with and without .grate discharges-both with 1 1/4-in. and 3/4-in. balls, the use of laboratory mills to evaluate plant changes, and several reports on classifiers and classification. In the following July the addendum report' was added in which the idea of series-circuit grinding was introduced, and the results of running five stages of tube mills and bowl classifiers were shown. Since 1940, the ball milling end of the plant has been altered extensively as a result of tests on the use of 3 1/2-in. rods in 7x6-ft mills and the use of the Tyler repulping screen with from 7 to 14 mesh screens. These tests are, lengthy and may be covered in a separate 'report later. The scope of this report is confined to ore ground by rod milling and ball milling until it passed through an 8 mesh Tyler Ty-rod screen. The -8 mesh screen undersize then was pumped to a primary bowl classifier in open circuit and the sands .from the bowl sent to the primary pebble mills, see Fig: 1. In the pebble mill circuit the ore is ground to 90 pct -325 mesh (24 pct + 28 microns) In studying the flowsheet, attention should be paid to the efficiency of the classification equipment used. The Tyler repulping screen is an efficient machine on the 8 to 10 mesh separation, and the bowl classifier is equally efficient at the 325 mesh separation. Efficient classification is a necessity for series-circuit stage grinding. The ore is hard siliceous porphyry, 60 pct SiO2, 80 pct insoluble. Its grindability at different. meshes has been shown near the top of 'the list in F. C. Bond's grindability tests' Lake Shore is not shown, but an adjacent-mine with identical ore, Wright-Hargreaves, is. Reasons for the-Changeover Since 1936 grinding balls have been rising steadily in price with no sign of stopping. For a mill that used 4.5 to 5.2 lb of grinding balls for every ton of ore ground this rise represented an alarming increase in grinding costs. In many cases the quality of the grinding balls fell off as the scrap steel became more difficult to obtain. The ratio of tube mills to ball mills increased with the use of the Tyler repulping screen in the ball mill circuit. Originally only 3.0 lb of balls per ton were used in the tube mills, and this

Jan 1, 1952

By Paul L. Burkhart

THOUGH at an earlier period brief studies had been made by the Lehigh Navigation Coal Company Inc., it was not until 1924 that J. B. Warriner, then general manager, called for a comprehensive study of timber treatment, treating solutions, and related operations. Because of the impossibility of procuring accurate costs and other pertinent treating data, the American Wood Preserving Co. agreed to treat a car of mine timber at the Port Reading plant of the Reading Railroad. Fig. I shows the treating data collected at the treating plant on this timber, which was installed in two of the Lehigh mines in 1925. Table i.—Results of Timber Survey in 1925 before Treated Timber Was Introduced Length of tunnels and gangways ft..... 522,987a Length of tunnels and gangways timbered, ft.................................. 224.880 Number of steel mine sets in use......... 2,412 Number of timber sets in use............ 63,834 Number of timber sets with evidence of rot 50: 419 Number of timber sets with evidence of squeeze..... ...................... I3,415 Percentage of all timber sets showing evidence of failure: BY wet rot........................ 6.0 By dry rot........................ 73.0 By squeeze....................... : Average life of wood set in Panther Valley, years............................... 5.3 • 99.05 miles. In the latter part of 1925, a survey of the tunnels and gangways of the company's Panther Valley mines was made to determine the proportion of gangways or tunnels timbered, cause of timber failures, approximate life of the average wood set and the approximate percentage of treated timber that it would be profitable for the company to use. Results of this survey appear in Table I. Because of the high percentage of timber that gave evidence of failure by rot, as noted in Table I, and a further study of the life of the sections where timbering was necessary, it was deemed advisable to fill 25 per cent of the yearly gangway timber requirement with treated timber. Quantities and Treatments OF Treated Timber Purchased In the early days of the program, none of the large treating companies would accept orders for small quantities of treated timber and the company was compelled to state the quantity of timber it would require at each operation in each month of the year. Table 2 is an example of the tabulation given to the various treating companies to assist them in making a yearly bid on the minimum quantity of timber required by the company during the year 1931. A bill of timber was calculated for each car, the weight of which would be between the minimum and maximum weight permitted for railroad-car loading. The treating company was paid for timber upon delivery at the operation specified. As extra cars of timber were required, they were ordered from the treating company, and payment was required On their receipt, on the basis of the piece or tonnage

Jan 1, 1942

By Paul L. Burkhart

THOUGH at an earlier period brief studies had been made by the Lehigh Navigation Coal Company Inc., it was not until 1924 that J. B. Warriner, then general manager, called for a comprehensive study of timber treatment, treating solutions, and related operations. Because of the impossibility of procuring accurate costs and other pertinent treating data, the American Wood Preserving Co. agreed to treat a car of mine timber at the Port Reading plant of the Reading Railroad. Fig. I shows the treating data collected at the treating plant on this timber, which was installed in two of the Lehigh mines in 1925. Table i.—Results of Timber Survey in 1925 before Treated Timber Was Introduced Length of tunnels and gangways ft..... 522,987a Length of tunnels and gangways timbered, ft.................................. 224.880 Number of steel mine sets in use......... 2,412 Number of timber sets in use............ 63,834 Number of timber sets with evidence of rot 50: 419 Number of timber sets with evidence of squeeze..... ...................... I3,415 Percentage of all timber sets showing evidence of failure: BY wet rot........................ 6.0 By dry rot........................ 73.0 By squeeze....................... : Average life of wood set in Panther Valley, years............................... 5.3 • 99.05 miles. In the latter part of 1925, a survey of the tunnels and gangways of the company's Panther Valley mines was made to determine the proportion of gangways or tunnels timbered, cause of timber failures, approximate life of the average wood set and the approximate percentage of treated timber that it would be profitable for the company to use. Results of this survey appear in Table I. Because of the high percentage of timber that gave evidence of failure by rot, as noted in Table I, and a further study of the life of the sections where timbering was necessary, it was deemed advisable to fill 25 per cent of the yearly gangway timber requirement with treated timber. Quantities and Treatments OF Treated Timber Purchased In the early days of the program, none of the large treating companies would accept orders for small quantities of treated timber and the company was compelled to state the quantity of timber it would require at each operation in each month of the year. Table 2 is an example of the tabulation given to the various treating companies to assist them in making a yearly bid on the minimum quantity of timber required by the company during the year 1931. A bill of timber was calculated for each car, the weight of which would be between the minimum and maximum weight permitted for railroad-car loading. The treating company was paid for timber upon delivery at the operation specified. As extra cars of timber were required, they were ordered from the treating company, and payment was required On their receipt, on the basis of the piece or tonnage

Jan 1, 1942

By L. Russell Van Wert

DURING an investigation in which the solubility relations of the phases in Muntz metal (60 per cent. copper, 40 per cent. zinc) were under study, certain phenomena that had no immediate connection with the main problem were observed, which were thought sufficiently interesting to study further. Because of lack of time, only a preliminary survey was made of two of these; namely, the cleavage structure developed under certain conditions in a 60:40 brass and abnormal grain growth in this alloy. CLEAVAGE STRUCTURE IN HEAT-TREATED MUNTZ METAL Carpenter noted many years ago that cold-working a brass of the Muntz metal type, which had been quenched previously from within the beta field, results in a partial breakdown of the supersaturated beta solution and the precipitation of the solute (the alpha solution) in the cleavage planes of the beta grains. This manner of rejection of a solute from a metastable solid solution is not peculiar to this particular alloy, for among others, it occurs in the cold-working of certain austenitic steels; for example, the austenitic nickel steels. In these ferrous alloys, cold deformation produces a partial decomposition of the austenite, with the formation of martensitic "needles" and zigzags in the austenitic poly-hedra. It is interesting to note that while the two solid solutions-austenite and quenched Muntz metal- are metastable and in their mode of decomposition behave quite alike when deformed in the cold, the metastability of each results from a different cause; viz., that of the austenite from the fact that it is a supercooled solution (its solvent, gamma iron, at ordinary temperatures is below its normal stable range) whereas the metastability of the quenched Muntz metal is the result of supersaturation.

Jan 1, 1929

By d&apos, C. Antonio, S. H. Reichman

In the course of our studies of the annealing behavior of vapor-deposited silver films we have determined the electrical resistivity as a function of annealing temperature for films in the thickness range of 630 to 3240A. Fig. 1 shows the resistivity of the silver films vs film thickness in as-deposited and annealed conditions. The films were prepared by depositing 99.999 pct pure silver from molybdenum boats onto Vycor substrates. Deposition was conducted at a residual pressure of 5 x 10"6 Torr at rates of 20 to 408, sec-'. Thicknesses were determined using a multiple-beam interferometer. During annealing, resistance was measured using the four-probe method. Measurements were made every 5°C during two consecutive anneals to 300°C under a continuous vacuum of 2 x X6 Torr. The heating and cooling rates during annealing were approximately l° and 2°C min-', respectively. Typical resistivity vs temperature curves are shown in Figs. 2 through 4. There is an inflection point evident at 120°C on Fig. 2, the first anneal of a 3240A film. This inflection point was found on all films above approximately 1!00A on both first and second anneals. Below 1400A the inflection occurred at approximately 180°C. Figs; 3 and 4 show the first and second anneals of a 1370A film. The inflection point occurs at 180°C on the first anneal and approximately 120°C on the second. Our interpretation of this phenomenon is based on oxygen liberation from the film surface. It is well-documented that the presence of oxygen on silver surfaces causes a reversible increase in resistivity.1"3 The liberation of this oxygen, for example during vacuum annealing, would therefore cause a decrease in resistivity as observed on Figs. 2, 3, and 4 as a change in slope. This is accounted for by the decomposition of Ag20 on the film surface. The free energy of AgzO becomes positive between 125" and 225°C.4 The thickness dependence of the inflection points can be explained as an orientation effect. The films used in this study were preferentially oriented with their (111) planes parallel to the Substrate.''~ In addition it has been sten that the thinner films, below approximately 1500A, possess a decided "hill and valley"

Jan 1, 1969

By Claudio Barsotti, Leonard C. Kitchener

INTRODUCTION The major mining operations of the Ontario Division of Inco Metals Company are located in the Sudbury Basin. Around the rim of this geo- logical formation and within thirty miles of the City of Sudbury are located eleven under- ground mines of the Company, two of which are on standby. In addition, there is one mine in Northwestern Ontario at Shebandowan, 1127 Km (700 miles) northwest of Sudbury. In 1980 ore production totalled 10.6 x 10 mt (11.7 million tons) from underground and open pit operations. Underground mining methods include blasthole, vertical retreat, sublevel caving, cut-and-fill and undercut-and-fill. Inco reduction operations in the Sudbury area include two concentrators, one smelter, one iron ore recovery plant, a copper refinery a nickel refinery and a high purity plate rolling mill. As well, an electrolytic nickel refinery is located on Lake Erie at Port Colborne, near Niagara Falls. In the Sudbury District, Inco employees total 14,278 of whom 6,490 are directly employed in the mining and milling operations. I T H DRILLING Background - The use of long blastholes in underground operations at Inco mines in the Sudbury district started more than 30 years ago at the Levack Mine. At that time, diamond drills were used to mine ore by open stoping and for pillar recovery. By the 1950's the concept had been extended to all mines. The heavy percussion drill was also developed by this time and led to the acceptance of the 11.43 cm (4% in.) piston diameter drifter for bar and arm and fan drill applications. The use however, of the nominal 5.08 cm (2 in.) diameter blastholes drilled radially from the level or sublevel causes overdrilling at the periphery. As well, the smaller holes are subject to hole deviation, are difficult to drill beyond 38.1 m (125 ft.) and require the need for several drilling horizons or sublevels. The need to improve blasthole stoping techniques and our experience with large diameter blastholes in open pit mining led to the trial of an I T H drill in 1962. The test was unsuccessful however, since button bits were not available at the time and the tungsten carbide cross bit experienced short life, gauge loss, and caused hole deviation and poor penetration rates. The successful application of the raise borer beginning in 1964 and the ability to drill 20.32 cm (8 in.) to 27.94 cm (11 in.) diameter pilot holes led to the development of smaller, more portable, rotary drills for blasthole mining. As a result, a mining method based on the use of 20 cm (7 718 in.) diameter, 60.1 m (200 ft.) long rotary blastholes was developed and tested successfully at our C.C.North Mine. Between 1972, when the method was first tested, and 1973 over 4572 m (15000 ft.) of large holes were drilled with rotary drills in the recovery of 175,960 mt (194000 tons) of primary stoping and pillar remnants. A new mining method was developed that made use of this large hole drilling equipment. Instead of longhole carbide drilling by bar-and-arm or fan drill set-ups at sublevels, the large diameter holes were drilled full stope height from the top sill, which substantially reduced development, drilling time and improved fragmentation. These drills however, were difficult to move and set-up, and had a high maintenance cost and low productivity. The capital outlay and extensive technical development required to improve these drills and reduce the high drilling costs however, was economically unattractive. New development in drills and button bits INTRODUCTION The major mining operations of the Ontario Division of Inco Metals Company are located in the Sudbury Basin. Around the rim of this geo- logical formation and within thirty miles of the City of Sudbury are located eleven under- ground mines of the Company, two of which are on standby. In addition, there is one mine in Northwestern Ontario at Shebandowan, 1127 Km (700 miles) northwest of Sudbury. In 1980 ore production totalled 10.6 x 10 mt (11.7 million tons) from underground and open pit operations. Underground mining methods include blasthole, vertical retreat, sublevel caving, cut-and-fill and undercut-and-fill. Inco reduction operations in the Sudbury area include two concentrators, one smelter, one iron ore recovery plant, a copper refinery a nickel refinery and a high purity plate rolling mill. As well, an electrolytic nickel refinery is located on Lake Erie at Port Colborne, near Niagara Falls. In the Sudbury District, Inco employees total 14,278 of whom 6,490 are directly employed in the mining and milling operations. I T H DRILLING Background - The use of long blastholes in underground operations at Inco mines in the Sudbury district started more than 30 years ago at the Levack Mine. At that time, diamond drills were used to mine ore by open stoping and for pillar recovery. By the 1950's the concept had been extended to all mines. The heavy percussion drill was also developed by this time and led to the acceptance of the 11.43 cm (4% in.) piston diameter drifter for bar and arm and fan drill applications. The use however, of the nominal 5.08 cm (2 in.) diameter blastholes drilled radially from the level or sublevel causes overdrilling at the periphery. As well, the smaller holes are subject to hole deviation, are difficult to drill beyond 38.1 m (125 ft.) and require the need for several drilling horizons or sublevels. The need to improve blasthole stoping techniques and our experience with large diameter blastholes in open pit mining led to the trial of an I T H drill in 1962. The test was unsuccessful however, since button bits were not available at the time and the tungsten carbide cross bit experienced short life, gauge loss, and caused hole deviation and poor penetration rates. The successful application of the raise borer beginning in 1964 and the ability to drill 20.32 cm (8 in.) to 27.94 cm (11 in.) diameter pilot holes led to the development of smaller, more portable, rotary drills for blasthole mining. As a result, a mining method based on the use of 20 cm (7 718 in.) diameter, 60.1 m (200 ft.) long rotary blastholes was developed and tested successfully at our C.C.North Mine. Between 1972, when the method was first tested, and 1973 over 4572 m (15000 ft.) of large holes were drilled with rotary drills in the recovery of 175,960 mt (194000 tons) of primary stoping and pillar remnants. A new mining method was developed that made use of this large hole drilling equipment. Instead of longhole carbide drilling by bar-and-arm or fan drill set-ups at sublevels, the large diameter holes were drilled full stope height from the top sill, which substantially reduced development, drilling time and improved fragmentation. These drills however, were difficult to move and set-up, and had a high maintenance cost and low productivity. The capital outlay and extensive technical development required to improve these drills and reduce the high drilling costs however, was economically unattractive. New development in drills and button bits

Jan 1, 1981

By Irwin Roman

IN studying the possibilities of a continuously recording magnetometer for use along the surface of the earth and in an airplane, the Federal Bureau of Mines was led to a study of the theoretical resolving power of magnetic observations, both in the variation of the total magnetic intensity and in each of the two components ordinarily measured. Along with this general study, an attempt was made to determine the relative worth of the total intensity anomaly and the vertical anomaly in geophysical prospecting. General considerations led to three conclusions: I. In the northern magnetic hemisphere of the earth, the total intensity anomaly is offset to the south of the vertical anomaly, for a positive anomaly (see Appendix, note I). 2. The resolving power of magnetic observations decreases rapidly with distance from the disturbing body. 3. The horizontal anomaly has little value in prediction of the disturbing body but might be useful in making a choice between bodies suggested by the vertical or total anomaly. Some of the considerations leading to these conclusions were: I. The normal intensity and the anomalous intensity are vectorially additive; hence for a positive anomaly in the northern magnetic hemisphere the total intensity will be a maximum at some point south of the disturbing body and north of the point at which the line to the disturbing body is parallel to the normal earth's field. The anomaly itself has a maximum value directly above the body. For a positive anomaly of constant magnitude, the total intensity will be a maximum when the anomaly vector is parallel to the normal vector. This is shown schematically in Fig. I (not to scale) for a magnetic distribution not restricted to a relatively thin sheet in the magnetic meridian. The normal field has a magnitude Io with vertical component Vo and horizontal component H,. Six station points along a traverse' across the body from south to north are shown at M to S. At each of these stations the normal magnetic field vector terminates at F. At each of these stations the magnetic field vector due to the disturbing body B terminates at A. The line through the station point and the point A passes through B. The magnitude of the anomaly, indicated by the length of the vector terminating at A, is proportional to some power of the distance from the station point to the disturbing body. If the' disturbing body B is a concentrated point of magnetic material, the anomaly is proportional to the inverse second power of the distance. For a uniform magnetic distribution over a line perpendicular to the observed traverse, the anomaly is proportional to the inverse first power of the distance. For surface distributions, the law of intensity is more complicated. At each field point, the total magnetic intensity T is the vector sum of the

Jan 1, 1946

By D. Geoffry Minnes

Nepheline syenite is a silica deficient crystalline rock consisting of albite and microcline feldspars and nepheline, together with varying but small amounts of mafic silicates and other accessory minerals. Nepheline-bearing rocks are widely distributed around the world but only in Canada, Norway, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the United States are deposits worked commercially. Because of its low melting point and fluxing ability, nepheline syenite was investigated in the early 1900s by many students of glass and ceramics. Although the nepheline syenite deposits in Methuen Township, Ont., Canada, were discovered as early as 1897 it wasn't until 1935 that the first mill was erected to produce nepheline syenite products. In Canada, nepheline syenite deposits are worked by Indusmin Ltd. and International Minerals and Chemical Corp. (Canada) Ltd. who have combined production capacity in excess of 1800 tpd. Between 1935 and 1972 seven million tons valued at $78 million were produced from the Methuen Township deposits. In Norway, the Norsk Nefelin Div. of Elkem Spigerverket has produced nepheline syenite from a deposit on Stjernoy Island in western Finnmark since early 1960. Between 1961 and 1972 the company produced 930,000 mt with an estimated value of $17 million. Nepheline syenite has been under investigation in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) since at least 1928. In 1951 the first commercial alumina works was brought on stream at Volkhov, near Leningrad, utilizing nepheline concentrates from the Kola peninsula as mill feed. Since then two others have been completed and more are planned. Large quantities of portland cement, sodium carbonate, and potassium carbonate are produced in conjunction with the alumina. In the United States, nepheline syenite has been produced for many years from deposits in central Arkansas by the Big Rock Stone and Materials Co. for construction aggregates and, since 1947, for roofing granules by the 3M Co. Chap. 16 on "Feldspar, Nepheline Syenite, and Aplite" in the 3rd ed. of Industrial Minerals and Rocks (Castle, and Gillson, 1960) and Nepheline Syenite Deposits of Southern Ontario (Hewitt, 1960) contain excellent accounts of earlier commercial development of nepheline syenite as a glass and ceramic material. Therefore this chapter deals mostly with the period since 1960 and with matters not previously reported in detail. An English monograph on Nepheline-Syenite and Phonolite (Allen et al., 1968) is a complete current survey of nepheline syenite which, with its very complete list of references. is an excellent source book. End Uses Nepheline syenite from the Canadian and Norwegian producers finds use primarily in the manufacture of glass and ceramics. One producer also makes several grades of nepheline syenite that are useful as extender pigments and fillers in paint, plastics, and rubber. In the Soviet Union nepheline is used in increasing quantities in the manufacture of alumina, alkali carbonates, and portland cement and to a lesser degree it is used in the manufacture of colored container glass.

Jan 1, 1975

By Mark J. Klein, A. H. Clauer

The Snoek peak induced by solute nitrogen in chromium was studied. A rapid quenching rate is required to maintain nitvogen in solution in sufficient concentrations to be detectable by internal-friction techniques. An expression for the tertninal solubility, c, of nitrogen in weight pevcent is log,,c = -4130/T + 1.05. The diffusion of nitrogen in zhromium determined by internal friction is SNOEK&apos;S theory1 of the stress-induced ordering of interstitial solute elements in the bcc lattice has been used to deduce information on the behavior of interstitials in a number of bcc metals. Under the proper conditions, internal-friction studies of "Snoek peaks" permit a determination of diffu-sivities, solubilities, and precipitation kinetics of interstitial elements. Internal-friction studies of this type have been reviewed by Nowick,&apos; Wert,= Powers and Doyle,4 and others. The behavior of interstitial atoms in Group V-A metals and iron has been rather extensively studied in this way, and results are reasonably self-consistent. However, the study of interstitial elements using internal friction in the Group VI-A metals—tungsten, molybdenum, and chromium—is much less clear. Thus far, internal-friction studies have revealed a peak in tungsten tentatively attributed to carbon5 and a peak in chromium associated with nitrogen. In chromium, Bungardt and Preisendanz6 observed a peak at 180°C for a frequency of -1 cps which they associated with nitrogen. More recently, de Morton7 determined the diffusivity of nitrogen in chromium from studies of a nitrogen peak at 160°c for a frequency of -1 cps and from elastic aftereffect measurements. The objective of this investigation was to study the nitrogen peak in greater detail, to obtain information on the behavior of nitrogen in chromium. This information is of interest because nitrogen is known to have an embrittling effect on chromium. However, efforts to deduce the role played by nitrogen in influencing the mechanical behavior of chromium are handicapped by lack of information on its behavior and distribution in chromium. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES The chromium wires used in these studies were drawn from arc-melted iodide-chromium stock that had been extruded, swaged, and centerless-ground to 0.25 in.-diameter rods. Internal-friction measurements were made in an evacuated torsional pendulum similar to the one described by Kê,8 utilizing wires 0.048 to 0.030 in. in diameter. A series of analyses of the fabricated wires showed that the major impurities were approximately 100 ppm Fe and a combined interstitial content of 50 to 100 ppm C, O, N, and H. A typical interstitial analysis of the wires after processing is 15 ppm C, 2 ppm H, 50 ppm O, and < 5 ppm N. Interstitial concentrations were determined by vacuum-fusion, combustion-conductimetric, and micro-Kjeldahl analyses. In general, vacuum-fusion analysis yielded a lower nitrogen concentration than did micro-Kjeldahl analysis. For consistency, the nitrogen concentrations reported in this investigation were determined by the former method. Heat treatments were carried out by encapsulating the specimens in quartz tubes containing argon. The fabricated wires were annealed at 1150°C for 1 hr to produce uniform recrystallized grain size of about 0.015 mm. Nitrogen and carbon were added to the fabricated wires by encapsulating them in a quartz tube containing ammonia or methane, and annealing them at 1150°C for 48 hr. In some instances, carbon was also introduced by coating the wires with carbon black prior to annealing.

Jan 1, 1965

By B. H. Kear, S. M. Copley

Stress-stvain curves are presented for Ni3Al (y&apos;) cvystals in several ovientations, deformed in tension and compression at constant displacement rate, at temperatures from 70° to 2000°F. Both the yield stress and wovk havdening increase with temperature, with the magnilude of the effect dependent on ovientation. The yield stress maximum occurs at 1500°F in [001], at 1400°F in [011], and at 1200°F in [111]. The suppression of the yield stress peak in [011] and [111] orientatiorzs is due to the onset of cube slip, rather than octahedval slip, a1 elerated temperatures. The temperature and orientalion dependence of work hardening in nominal single slip orientations corvelates with changes in the CRSS ratio for octahedral slip and cube slip, in agreement with a model for work hardening based on pinning of screw dislocalions by cross slip from an octahedral plane into a cube plane. It is concluded that the unique plastic properties of y&apos; have a decisive influence on both ductility and strength characleristics of y +y&apos; nickel-base superalloys. It has long been recognized that the strength of y + y&apos; nickel-base superalloys depends on the precipitation of the y&apos; phase [basically Ni3(Al,Ti)]. This paper presents new data on the strength characteristics of single crystals of simple y&apos; (Ni3Al), and forms the first step in a systematic program aimed at elucidating the mechanisms of hardening in the complex commercial alloys. 1) EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Single crystals of off-stoichiometric NiA1 were grown from the melt under vacuum by a modified Bridgman method. The melt was poured into a preheated alumina mold and crystal growth was promoted from one end by gradient cooling. The crystals were homogenized by annealing in hydrogen at 2400° F for 72 hr followed by furnace cooling. Chemical analysis of samples taken from several crystals gave an average composition of 88.2 wt pct Ni. Spectrographic analysis gave as the principal impurities in weight percent— Si (0.02), Mg (0.01), Fe (0.02), Ti (0.002), Cu (0.008), and Co (0.03). Tensile specimens with specifications as in Fig. 1 were prepared by a series of operations involving electrical discharge machining, precision grinding, and electropolishing. Compression specimens with dimensions 1/4 by 1/4 by -3/4 in. were prepared in a similar manner, except for the initial shaping operation using a precision cut-off wheel/two-circle goniometer unit to give selected crystal orientations. Specimens were deformed in a Baldwin-Wiedemann testing machine with furnace attachment, using a strain rate of 5 x 10-4 sec-1. The strain measuring device consisted of extension arms attached to the tensile grips (or compression plattens) at one end and leading out of the furnace to an LVDT at the other. Temperature was controlled by a thermocouple placed in contact with the specimen. According to the known phase diagram for the Ni/A1 system,&apos; when an alloy of the specified composition is cooled from the melt, primary y (nickel solid solution) dendrites grow at the expense of the liquid phase, which becomes enriched in aluminum. At the eutectic composition the remaining liquid freezes as a two-phase mixture of y + y&apos; (Ni3Al). Upon further cooling, a solid state transformation occurs, involving the precipitation of y&apos; in the primary dendrites, and the complete transformation of the eutectic mixture to massive y&apos;. The as-cast structure consists, therefore, of y + y&apos; dendrites with interdendritic regions of massive y&apos;, i.e., transformed eutectic, Fig. 2. 2) DISCUSSION OF RESULTS 2.1) Stress-Strain Curves. Fig. 3 shows tensile stress-strain curves for crystals in orientations close to [001] deformed at temperatures from 70° to 2000°F. Both the yield stress and total elongation are strongly temperature-dependent. At 70°F, easy glide is absent, and the work hardening coefficient BIT - G/300. At T > 1500°F, the negative slope of the stress-strain curves is due to pronounced necking in the crystals. The yield stress maximum at 1500° F corresponds with a minimum in the ductility, Fig. 4. The extensive duc-

Jan 1, 1968

By N. A. Ziegler

THE chief difficulty in determining oxygen in steels is its tendency to form a variety of compounds. Almost every element, found as an ingredient in steels, maybe expected to be present as an oxide. Some of these oxides have widely differing properties, and consequently behave differently when attempts are made to reduce them by the vacuum fusion method. As I pointed out in a paper published in the Transactions of the A.S.S.T., Vol. 20, No. 1, many experimenters are spending considerable time and effort in attempting to deter¬mine the degree of completeness of the above reactions, and hold different opinions on the matter. In studying this subject the following table, taken from Hodgman and Lange&apos;s "Handbook of Chemistry and Physics" may be used as a guide.

Jan 1, 1933

By L. F. Marek, G. W. King, A. Bogrow

THE purpose of this paper is to present the data and some interpretation of the results of a laboratory study of the reduction of iron ore and the deposition of carbon from the reducing gas mixtures in such reductions. One major object of the study was to determine the effect of gas pressures on these chemical processes. Effort was made to approximate the conditions of temperature, gas composition, linear and mass gas velocities, pressure range, and extent of reduction prevailing in commercial blast furnaces. The results show that the reduction of Fe203 proceeds by two steps, largely consecutive under the conditions used herein: reduction of Fe203 to FeO, and reduction Of FeO to Fe. Unless the gas has a CO/CO2 ratio greater than 2.1 only the first step occurs under these conditions (850°C) but the following generalizations apply to either step or to the combination. The rate of reduction of relatively fine ore particles at any time is proportional to the mass rate of supply of CO (provided some of it is thermodynamically available) the rate therefore is proportional to the linear velocity at constant pressure, or to the pressure at constant linear velocity. Thus, the rate of reduction may be increased without increase in linear velocity f the reducing gas by increasing the mass velocity of the gas and increasing the pressure correspondingly to avoid any increase in the linear velocity. The rate "constants"-i.e., the efficiency of conversion of the "available" CO supplied-is not actually constant but decreases as the reduction proceeds, and is a function only of the state of the ore; i.e., of the amount of reduction already accomplished and hence of the amount of CO passed. The particle size Of ore used in nearly all the experiments was relatively small (8 to 14-mesh). The rate of reduction in run 16 with 3 to 8-mesh ore particles is within experimental error the same as with the finer ore. Although this would indicate an absence of effect due to particle size in this range of ore particles, it is desirable to have more data on other ore sizes and on ore of different densities before arriving at any generalizations on this point. Although it is possible to extend the analysis of these results to consideration of the more detailed kinetics and mechanism of iron oxide reduction, such extension is beyond the scope of the present paper. From the experiments on carbon deposition, it was evident that if carbon deposition is increased at all by the application of pressures up to 10 psi ga., such increase appears to be less than the experimental and analytical error. It appears safe to conclude that at top pressures on the order

Jan 1, 1947

By Edward Capillon

THE problem of scrap is probably of greater importance inn the production of gold, silver and other precious metal alloys than is the case for base metals and alloys. Remelting of gold and silver scrap in the shop is always a costly process because it involves losses by oxidation of the base metals in the alloy with a consequent increase in the percentage of precious metal. This is most marked in the case of alloys containing the low-boiling and easily oxidized metals zinc and cadmium. Since it is. not generally feasible to assay every shop remelt it follows that the possibilities of lost values are large. So-called rolled gold and silver plate is made by soldering or welding the precious metal alloys onto base, metal. Such plate when defective must be sent to the refinery to recover the gold and silver values, thereby involving additional expense in the form of refining charges. It is obvious therefore that gold and silver alloy scrap is an important item in manufacturing cost and must be reduced to a minimum. The amount of scrap resulting from poor metal will depend on a number of factors in the manufacturing operations, not least among which is the melting and casting practice. The notes which follow are a summary of experiments performed at various times to determine what variables in melting and casting are influential in the production of sound alloys.

Jan 1, 1930