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By F. Keller, R. H. Brown

BECAUSE of the extensive use of Alclad 24s alloy sheet in aircraft construction, there is much interest in the metallurgical changes caused by heat-treatment of this product.1,2 One of these changes is the result of the diffusion of soluble elements from the core into the coating during treatment. This paper deals with the thermal treatments that may influence diffusion and with the practical effects of diffusion on the serviceability of the product. As is well known, Alclad 24s-T sheet has a core of high-strength alloy combined with surface layers of relatively pure aluminum. The microstructure of a cross section of this product is shown by Fig. I. hot only does the relatively high-purity coating have a high resistance to corrosion, and hence serves as a mechanical barrier between the core metal and the corroding environment, but in addition this coating I exerts electrochemical protection over areas where the core may be exposed, such as cut edges. In addition, the coating affords electrochemical protection to projecting heads of *417S-T, 17S-T and 24S-T rivets, or attached members made from these alloys. Under some conditions of heat-treatment, however, diffusion of copper into the coating will alter the electrochemical relationship between the coating and the core to the extent that only partial protection will be obtained under some corrosive conditions. The reason for the electrochemical protection lies in the fact that the coating layers of pure aluminum are anodic to the alloy core. The addition of copper to aluminum produces alloys in which the potential is lower than that of the pure metal. Moreover, as the amount of copper in solid solution in z4S alloy is increased, the potential of the alloy becomes more cathodic. When heat-treated at 920°F. and quenched in cold water, 24s-T is about 0.16 volt cathodic to pure aluminum. However, copper will diffuse from the core into the coating, and if it reaches the surface the potential will be altered in a cathodic direction. Thus the potential dif-erence between the core and coating may be less than 0.16 volt, depending upon the thickness of the coating, and the time and temperature of heat-treatment. Of the methods available for determining the extent of diffusion of copper from the core into the coating of Alclad 24S-T, two are generally used; namely, the metallographic and the solution potential method.3 METALLOGRAPHIC METHODS Metallographic methods will reveal the progress of diffusion of copper into the coating. For instance, the diffusion zone in the coating intermediate between the coating surface and the core is shown in Fig. I. This photomicrograph is of a polished and etched cross section of 0.040-in. Alclad 24S-T sheet. Diffusion proceeds into the coating more rapidly along the grain boundaries than through the body of the grains. consequently, the diffusion zone is not of uniform width

Jan 1, 1944

By B. A. Shaw

Historically, microwave tubes have been fabricated from massive metal and ceramic components. The current trend is to lighten tibes for airborne applications. The reqciiremenls of light weight and also reduced cost have created a novel approach to tube structure in which thin-film technology plays a major role. Although the electrical requirements of thin-film circuits in microwave tubes differ from those required or se,niconductor integrated circuits. the technology is basically similar. The stringent requirements of the micvowave tube have created sophisticaled thin-film techniques thut are of interest to the integrated-circuit industry in general. This paper describes a nunzber of thin-jilm techniques recently developed and discusses in detail the application of the technology in microwave tubes. The particular areas of interest are: 1) ceramic mounted thin-film slow-wave structures; 2) thin-film secondary emitters; 3) suppression of tube environnental multipactor by semiconducting' thin films; and 4) age-hardenable and dispersion-hardened thin metal films. SEVERAL thin-film techniques specifically applied to microwave power tubes are discussed in this report. There are two reasons for this work. One is the necessity of reducing weight and cost of microwave tubes and the other is related to overcoming problems in the tube operation by the use of applied thin-film technology. The major emphasis of this work has been on tube slow-wave structures. Other work in the area of secondary emission, either its suppression or its enhancement, is continuing; the most satisfactory results to date have been by utilization of thin-film technology. The requirements of high thermal and electrical conduction together with greater strength than normally obtained with elemental materials have led to the development of dispersion-hardened films. The paper will discuss: 1) ceramic-mounted delay-line microwave tubes; 2) multipactor and secondary emission; 3) hardened films. I) CERAMIC-MOUNTED THIN-FILM SLOW-WAVE STRUCTURES In a conventional crossed-field microwave tube, the slow-wave or delay-line structure is produced from two carefully machined components. One half of the structure is shown in Fig. 1. The other half is the mirror image of the first but is rotationally offset by a half a period. The combined structure now forms an interdigital type of slow-wave structure and is the anode of the tube as shown in Fig. 2. The period and finger length of an interdigital slow-wave structure are prescribed by the desired dispersion characteristics. The typical design is as shown in the first figure; it can be noticed that the finger width is several times greater than the finger thickness. Even assuming that it were mechanically possible to produce free-standing fingers of extremely small cross-sectional dimension, for example, 0.002 in. thick by 0.005 in. wide by 0.500 in. long, decreasing this finger width would increase the tube efficiency but would also decrease the thermal-conduction path, causing an increased temperature rise from intercepted rf current which in its extreme could easily cause finger melting. Hence, for free-standing lines of this type, the design is a compromise between mechanical capabilities, tube efficiency, and thermal dissipation. These structures are also expensive and tend to be heavier than purely electrical considerations would demand. In the present approach, we have transposed the three-dimensional structure previously shown into an essentially two-dimensional structure as shown in Fig. 3. The linear structure is used here for clarity of detail. The support member is a ceramic material and the line is deposited copper. The final tube design is shown in Fig. 4. Because of the backwall sup-

Jan 1, 1967

By S. Harries Daddow

IN order to get an idea as to the strength of steel rails, it will be well to review the tests to which iron rails have been subjected. In England, Mr. Ashcroft found that the best 80 pound rails broke under a 300 pound weight, falling 15 feet. In Germany the Society of Railway tyfanage1-s determined 011 and have long applied a test of 1000 pounds falling 101/2 feet, as the standard which all first-class iron rails must reach. In this country no inspection nor test is applied, but tests made show that iron rails fro; our most reliable makers, break under a G foot fall of a 1500 pound drop as an extreme test, most of those tested breaking under a far less test; some breaking with less than a 3 foot fall of the same weight. Everywhere where steel has been used, engineers have come to the conclusion that some test is required to show the regularity and strength of the product. As compared with iron, the tests which steel will stand are wonderful. After numerous experiments partially based on the experience of the rail-mill at Graz, belonging to the Southern Railway of Austria, the Society of German Railway Managers fixed upon a test of 2000 pounds falling 138 feet. They found that this test represented the steel which suited their necessities, and also found that with steel of otherwise average purity, this test represented about one-half per cent. of carbon, and made it a rule to take no steel containing under three-tenths of a per cent. of carbon, because it was too soft. They expressed a hope that a harder steel could soon be made tough enough to stand the same test. I n England, a test was adopted of 2240 pounds, falling 15 to 17 feet on the rail on heavy bearings. This test has been found satisfactory under heavy traffic on average road-beds, and has been invariablyPILLAR of coal, which are designed and left in our mines as the means of supporting the overlying strata of our coal-beds, and securing protection to the miner, are not only insufficient for these purposes, but the most objectionable means of providing the desired security to life and property. Though such pillars are left at a great sacrifice to the owners of collieries and mineral lands, loss to the resources of the commonwealth, and ultimate privation to the public, they defeat the very ends for which they are designed, and not only do not secure life and property, but are as fatal to the one as ruinous to the other. Propositions.-It is eminently desirable that the resources of the Common wealth-particularly our mineral wealth in anthracite coal, which is limited-should be carefully utilized and made available, not only to ourselves but our posterity. Yet, speaking as an anthracite miner, we are wasting our resources of coal with a recklessness which will bring ruin in the end, unless checked, not only to the iron manufacturing interests of the East, whose chief protection, in competition with the iron-masters of the interior, lies in a cheap and abundant supply of anthracite furnace fuel, but to the best interests of the State. It is, consequently, not only desirable, but necessary, that we should realize every ton of coal from each colliery, and every acre of coal area, in order that our resources may not be wasted at present, to breed want in the future, and to realize the greatest present benefit to the mine, the miner, and the public. It is not possible, however, to secure these ends, if we continue to leave, as we do at present, from one-third to one-half our resources in anthracite as pillars in our mines. But our sad bills of mortality, our abandoned collieries, and our yawning mountain-sides, present ample evidence that even this enormous waste of coal, though left for the purpose of protecting life and property, is as totally inade-

By Oscar M. Wicken

The mineral magnesite (MgCO3) if pure would consist of 47.7 pct MgO and 52.3 pct CO2. It is one of the calcite group of rhombohedral carbonates which includes calcite (CaCO3), siderite (FeCO3), rhodocrosite (MnCO3), and smithsonite (ZnCO3) among others. The members of this group enter into a wide range of substitutional solid solutions, whose range is still imperfectly known.* MgCO3 and FeCO3 appear to form a complete series of which breunnerite (ferroan magnesite) is a well known variety. Because of the considerable difference in size of the Ca and Mg ions, there is only a limited range in substitution in the MgCO3-CaCO3 series. (Dolomite, not strictly a member of the calcite group, may be regarded as an ordered structure developed when Ca: Mg is approximately 1:1.) The practical consequence of these relationships is that the lime carbonates (calcite and dolomite) are commonly present in magnesite deposits chiefly as mechanical mixtures. Magnesite may be either crystalline or "amorphous" (cryptocrystalline). The crystalline form has a hardness of 3.5 to 4.0. The color may range from white to black through shades of yellow, blue, red or gray. It is rarely found pure but generally contains variable amounts of iron, lime, and silicate minerals. Color cannot be used as an index of purity except under specific local conditions in a single quarry. In a given quarry an experienced man may be able roughly to grade magnesite by intuitively assessing such features as crystallinity and color. Crystalline magnesite occurs in larger deposits, but the cryptocrystalline variety is more common. The latter is fine-grained and compact and shows no cleavage; often it is descriptively called "bone magnesite." The fracture is usually conchoidal, and hardness is 3.5 to 5.0. It is normally white, but sometimes it is light yellow to orange or buff because of included impurities. In addition to lime and iron, which may be present in small amounts, silica may be present as inclusions of serpentine, quartz, chalcedony, or other minerals. In general, commercial deposits of "amorphous" magnesite have lesser amounts of accessory minerals than does crystalline magnesite. The specific gravity of "amorphous" magnesite is 2.90 to 3.0. Pure, crystalline magnesite has a specific gravity of 3.02, but iron carbonate, commonly present, raises the specific gravity to somewhat higher values. Magnesite dissociates, when sufficiently heated, into magnesia (MgO) and carbon dioxide. Either simultaneously or upon further heating the magnesia develops a crystalline structure identical with that of the natural mineral, periclase, which occurs sparingly in nature but not normally in workable deposits. Brucite is another magnesium mineral capable of being directly reduced to magnesia by heat alone. Brucite (Mg(OH)2) has been mined for the production of various grades of magnesia. It theoretically contains 69.1 pct MgO and 30.9 pct H2O. It may be white, but is generally blue or green with a gray cast. It has a translucent appearance. The mineral is soft (hardness, 2.5), and has a specific gravity of about 2.4. Nomenclature of Products The word "magnesite" literally refers to the natural mineral, but common usage has applied it plus a prefatory word to two other

Jan 1, 1960

By F. O. Jones

The capabilities of small proportions of divalent cations, such as calcium or magnesium, for controlling clay blocking are reported. Potentially sensitive formations can be exposed to fresh water if at least one-tenth of the salts dissolved in both the native water and invading fresh water are calcium and magnesium salts. Often, even less suffices. The behavior evidently depends upon the cation exchange properties of the clays, which favor adsorption of calcium and magnesium over sodium. Clays having sufficient adsorbed calcium and magnesium resist dispersion by water and consequent blocking of permeability. An allied phenomenon, the dependency of clay blocking on salinity contrast, is also reported. Abrupt change from highly saline to fresh water can cause blocking which may not occur if salinity is lowered slowly. A process related to osmosis is thought responsible for this behavior. Applications of findings to drilling, fracturing and water flooding are discussed. INTRODUCTION Many formations, when exposed to fresh water, can lose permeability through clay effects.',' For example, drilling-mud filtrate can cause oil permeability decreases, which persist long enough to interfere with drill-stem testing and well completion.3 Ultimate productivity may suffer when clay damage is severe, especially if drawdown pressures are low.' The injection pressures and the time required for water flooding can increase if clay blocking occurs. Earlier work indicates that clay blocking is caused by obstruction of flow channels by clays or other mineral fines dispersed by fresh water.'!" It is well known that increasing salt concentrations in water tends to prevent clay blocking. Also it is well established, although perhaps not as widely known, that the nature of the dissolved solids is also important. If, for instance, formation clays are exposed to calcium chloride solution and then exposed to weaker solutions of calcium chloride or distilled water, considerably less permeability damage results than if the clays had been exposed instead to sodium chloride solutions. The reasons for this behavior are: (1) clays are cation-exchange, or base-exchange, materials similar in this respect to zeolites or exchange resins, and (2) clays in the calcium form do not disperse easily in fresh water, whereas clays in the sodium form do. The base-exchange form of a clay is easily altered by flowing a solution through it. For example, a sodium clay can be changed to a calcium clay simply by passing a calcium chloride solution through the clay bed. There is general agreement that the reason calcium and magnesium clays do not disperse easily in fresh water is because the calcium ions do not ionize easily from the clay surfaces.' Sodium clays, however, are believed to allow the sodium ions to ionize from the clay particle surfaces. In fresh water, this allows the particle to accumulate a net negative electrical charge great enough for the particles to repel one another and, therefore, disperse more easily. The foregoing suggests that, even in the presence of a large excess of sodium, a relatively small ratio of divalent cation, such as calcium or magnesium, might serve to prevent clay dispersion. The divalent ion probably adsorbs to a disproportionately large extent, because of being adsorbed more tightly, with the result that the proportion of divalent cation on the exchange positions of the clay might then be great enough for the clays to resist dispersion. Consequently, an investigation was conducted to find how mixtures of salts in solution influence clay blocking. APPARATUS AND PROCEDURE Water permeability tests were conducted using conventional techniques. The equipment is illustrated schematically in Fig. 1. Flow rates of solutions driven through small core samples at known temperatures and pressures were measured. Regulated compressed air, usually at 10 to 15 psig, was used to drive the solutions. Core samples 0.75 in. in diameter and 1 in. long were used for the most part. Cores were saturated by evacuating and then admitting a de-aerated solution. Tight core samples were first saturated with carbon dioxide gas and then evacuated and saturated with the test solution. After saturation, 140 psig pressure was imposed for several hours. Cores were tested to insure absence of gas saturation by a Boyle's

Jan 1, 1965

By D. M. Wade, F. F. Redfield

PRODUCTION at Aguilar started in 1936 and by 1942 the mine had reached a peak of 25,000 tons a month. Present production is only about 60 per cent of this capacity because of difficulties in railroad transportation and the rationing of fuel oil brought about by the war. In the early years, cut-and-fill stopes were tried, but square sets were found to be the most practical method in the southern section of the mine, where blocky, treacherous ground and greater mining widths are prevalent. Square sets and opencut mining were the rule until 1942, when it became increasingly difficult to get mine timber. The ore beds in the northern section of the mine were found amenable to cut-and-fill stoping as the rock was firmer and the veins narrower. At present 69 per cent of the ore comes from cut-and-fill stopes, 27 per cent from opencut, and only 4 per cent from square-set stopes. Massive galena and sphalerite with comparatively little quartzitic gangue constitutes the higher-grade ore. The gangue minerals that can be detected by eye in low-grade ore are rhodonite, wollastonite, and pyrrhotite. Wall rocks range from shale to quartzite, with occasionally a little limestone.

Jan 1, 1947

By Orville R. Lyons

This paper presents a method whereby the amount of misplaced material and the difficulty of the separation can be used to compare coal cleaning equipment of all types, from effectiveness and capacity standpoints. The correlations presented do not include all types of equipment currently available, but the method can be used to evaluate any make or type of coal cleaning equipment, both old and new. THE relative performance of coal washing equipment, or the effectiveness with which any type or make of equipment removes impurities from coal, has been most difficult to evaluate in the past. The most widely used yardstick is the Frazer and Yancey efficiency formula developed in 1922,' but Yancey in a later article states that "washers treating coals of different density composition or operating at different densities of separation cannot be compared directly on the basis of this criterion."' Prior to and since 1922, a variety of other methods has been used for comparison purposes, including the distribution curve, the error area, and the "ecart probable" or probable error. Yancey and Geer in discussing these methods conclude, "Performance can be evaluated in a number of different ways, with the choice of the proper method to use being dictated by the objectives of the investigation and the data available."' It is true that performance can be evaluated in a variety of ways, but if the equipment is to be evaluated on an effectiveness basis, there should be only one universal comparison method. Varying methods have been used because one universal comparison method has not been found or developed. In the article previously quoted, Yancey and Geer state in clear terms the primary concept for a universal comparison method: "One of the simplest, and certainly one of the most obvious evaluations of washery performance is the quantity of sink material in the washed coal and the float material in the refuse. If the washery products are tested at the density at which the washing unit is operated, the sink in the washed coal and the float in the refuse represent material that has been misplaced." The quantity of misplaced material was used as a criterion of washery performance by Lincoln in 1913," by the United States Bureau of Mines in 1938,' by Hancock in 1947," and by the national French research agency Cerchar in recent years.' In 1950 Andersone proposed the use of this criterion as an efficiency value to replace the Frazer and Yancey formula. However, none of the above-mentioned investigators used the misplaced material concept in a manner that would provide universal coal-cleaning equipment comparisons. The Correlation Theory The ideal coal cleaning process would treat all sizes and would make a perfect separation at any given specific gravity. All material lower in density than the desired value would report in the coal product and all material higher in density would report in the refuse product. Unfortunately, no known cleaning process achieves this goal and there seems little likelihood that any process yet to be invented will do more than approach it. When coal is treated in volume under operating conditions, it is impossible to avoid mechanical entrapment, fluctuations in throughput and effective gravity of separation, and the creation of turbulent currents, even when a true heavy-liquid bath is used and the feed is closely sized and contains little intermediate gravity material. This being so, it is possible to appreciate the difficulties inherent in trying to obtain a perfect separation when treating a wide range of sizes and a feed containing high percentages of intermediate material, using turbulent currents to help create the effective separation gravity, under operating conditions which normally tend to be on the overload side. When coal is separated from refuse in any coal cleaning equipment, some refuse always reports to the coal and some coal to the refuse; the writer therefore assumed that there should be a relationship between the total amount of misplaced material produced by any given piece of equipment and the difficulty of separation as represented by the percentage of near gravity material in the feed. With small amounts of near gravity or k0.1 material in the feed there should be less misplacement of material than would occur with large amounts of near

Jan 1, 1953

By Elmer Weber, W. M. Baldwin

Solid lead obeys a single parabolic weight increase vs. time law. In contrast, liquid lead undergoes three successive parabolic weight increases vs. time laws, the first of which has a low constant relative to the latter two. The conversion times for the change from one parabola to the next decrease with increasing temperature. IN recent reports on the subject,1,2 it was noted that zirconium and titanium scale in air by a complex mechanism. The scale first forming on the metal is protective to the extent that it gives a low constant, K, for Tammann's, and Pilling and Bedworth's parabolic equation: w² = Kt [1] relating weight increase, w, due to chemical reaction of the metal with the air, and time, t. After hundreds of hours of apparent stability in some cases the first scale yields to another that offers little protection to the metal. This transition from one scale to another, from a slow parabolic oxidation reaction to a fast one, was not due to impurities in the atmosphere or incidental effects (changing environment, etc.) but was a specific behavior of the metal itself, the transition occurring at definite times (dependent on temperature) and showing other reproducible traits. In view of this behavior how can long-time service behavior be predicted from short-time laboratory tests, not only in the case of these metals, but in any case? Certainly a systematic study of the type of scaling behavior described above—wherever it is found—would help to answer this question. The present paper is a report on the behavior as it is found in lead—the only metal to the authors' knowledge for which the behavior has been described at all, if inadequately, for our present purpose.* At least four oxides of lead are known, of which one occurs in two allotropic forms. They are ß (red) tetragonal PbO stable up to 486°C;8 a (yellow) orthorhombic PbO stable from 486°C up to its dissociation temperature in air at about 2300°C;9 minium or Pb3O4 which from the dissociation pressure data given in Fig. 1 decomposes to PbO at 540°C in air; lead sesquioxide or Pb2O3,; and lead dioxide or PbO2 which, according to Fig. 1, decomposes in air at 400°C to minium. In view of the high dissociation temperature of PbO, lead will scale up to at least its boiling point. Further, it is known that oxygen is almost insoluble in liquid lead.'V his implies a fair probability that an oxide scale would not dissolve in the molten metal and would afford the same protection to lead in the liquid state as in the solid. All of the oxides of lead for which specific gravity data are available are more voluminous than an equivalent weight of metal or a lower oxide from which they might form, hence the scales will be in compression. Lead oxides are known to be ductile, so it would be anticipated that they would form coherent nonporous scales. It is not surprising to learn, then, that both solid and liquid lead scale according to the Tammann, and Pilling and Bed-worth law.14,15 (Gruhl states that at 600°C and above lead oxidizes linearly with time because of "spitting" of the scale.) The parabolic constants K reported by various investigators3,14-16 are badly scattered, however, as shown in Fig. 2. The oxides formed on solid lead were described as being reddish-brown but were not chemically identified by Pilling and Bedworth.15 Gruhl's descripdin³ of the appearance of the scales On his liquid samples indicates that a (yellow orthorhombic) PbO is formed initially on the specimens but gives Way eventually—at least at temperatures below 486 °C— to .ß (red tetraunal) PbO, and that below 540°C minium—Pb3O4 :is firmed at an even later time as an overlay on either the red or yellow PbO. Fig. 3 is a graphical interpretation of Gruhl's description. Gruhl does not indicate any change in the parabolic scaling rate as yellow PbO converts to red. He does indicate that minium reduces the scaling rate, al-

Jan 1, 1953

By Orville R. Lyons

This paper presents a method whereby the amount of misplaced material and the difficulty of the separation can be used to compare coal cleaning equipment of all types, from effectiveness and capacity standpoints. The correlations presented do not include all types of equipment currently available, but the method can be used to evaluate any make or type of coal cleaning equipment, both old and new. THE relative performance of coal washing equipment, or the effectiveness with which any type or make of equipment removes impurities from coal, has been most difficult to evaluate in the past. The most widely used yardstick is the Frazer and Yancey efficiency formula developed in 1922,' but Yancey in a later article states that "washers treating coals of different density composition or operating at different densities of separation cannot be compared directly on the basis of this criterion."' Prior to and since 1922, a variety of other methods has been used for comparison purposes, including the distribution curve, the error area, and the "ecart probable" or probable error. Yancey and Geer in discussing these methods conclude, "Performance can be evaluated in a number of different ways, with the choice of the proper method to use being dictated by the objectives of the investigation and the data available."' It is true that performance can be evaluated in a variety of ways, but if the equipment is to be evaluated on an effectiveness basis, there should be only one universal comparison method. Varying methods have been used because one universal comparison method has not been found or developed. In the article previously quoted, Yancey and Geer state in clear terms the primary concept for a universal comparison method: "One of the simplest, and certainly one of the most obvious evaluations of washery performance is the quantity of sink material in the washed coal and the float material in the refuse. If the washery products are tested at the density at which the washing unit is operated, the sink in the washed coal and the float in the refuse represent material that has been misplaced." The quantity of misplaced material was used as a criterion of washery performance by Lincoln in 1913," by the United States Bureau of Mines in 1938,' by Hancock in 1947," and by the national French research agency Cerchar in recent years.' In 1950 Andersone proposed the use of this criterion as an efficiency value to replace the Frazer and Yancey formula. However, none of the above-mentioned investigators used the misplaced material concept in a manner that would provide universal coal-cleaning equipment comparisons. The Correlation Theory The ideal coal cleaning process would treat all sizes and would make a perfect separation at any given specific gravity. All material lower in density than the desired value would report in the coal product and all material higher in density would report in the refuse product. Unfortunately, no known cleaning process achieves this goal and there seems little likelihood that any process yet to be invented will do more than approach it. When coal is treated in volume under operating conditions, it is impossible to avoid mechanical entrapment, fluctuations in throughput and effective gravity of separation, and the creation of turbulent currents, even when a true heavy-liquid bath is used and the feed is closely sized and contains little intermediate gravity material. This being so, it is possible to appreciate the difficulties inherent in trying to obtain a perfect separation when treating a wide range of sizes and a feed containing high percentages of intermediate material, using turbulent currents to help create the effective separation gravity, under operating conditions which normally tend to be on the overload side. When coal is separated from refuse in any coal cleaning equipment, some refuse always reports to the coal and some coal to the refuse; the writer therefore assumed that there should be a relationship between the total amount of misplaced material produced by any given piece of equipment and the difficulty of separation as represented by the percentage of near gravity material in the feed. With small amounts of near gravity or k0.1 material in the feed there should be less misplacement of material than would occur with large amounts of near

Jan 1, 1953

By Nicholas J. Grant, Robert H. Kane, Bill C. Geissen

The platinum-rich section of the Ta-Pt Phase diagram was worked out by metallographic and X-ray techniques, using twenty alloys; solidus temperatures and solid solubilities were determined. Besides s phase, four intermediate stoi-chiometric phases were found: TaPt (high-temperatzrre phase, structure unknown); TaPt2 (ortho-rhomhic, new type); a TaPt3 (orthorhombic, TiCu3 type); ß TaPf3 (monoclinic, new type). TaPt2 and TaPt3 melt congmentlv; two eutectic, two beritec-tic, and one eutectoid reactions occur in the inuestigated range. THE Ta-Pt system was examined as part of a study of the phase diagrams and the intermediate phases of niobium and tantalum with Group VIII transition metals. Since the main scope of this work was the relation among the ordered close-packed phases occurring in the concentration range from AB to AB3 (A = Nb, Ta; B = Pd, Pt, and so forth), only the platinum-rich side of the diagram was worked out thoroughly, while spot checks were made to determine the approximate outline of the tantalum-rich portion. The system has not been thoroughly treated in the literature; Greenfield and Beck1 in their survey of refractory metal intermediate phases found a o phase between -18 and 37 at. pct Pt which coexists at higher platinum concentrations with an unidentified intermediate phase. Browning2 worked on the range between 55 and 100 at. pct Pt; however, this preliminary study did not cover temperatures >1500°C, and included no conclusive crystallo-graphic data. More recently, a study of the platinum-rich section of the Ta-Pt system has been carried out by Ray,3 while Hartley, Parsons, and steedly4 have studied the tantalum-rich section. The crystal structures of TaPt2, a TaPt3, ß TaPt3, and others have been reported in abstracted form by Giessen and Grant.5 EXPERIMENTAL METHODS The methods of alloy preparation and processing and of the metallographic and X-ray procedures follow very closely those described by Ritter, Giessen, and rant' for other refractory metal-noble metal systems, and will not be repeated except where significant differences exist. Starting materials were: tantalum rod of 99.95 pct purity, supplied by National Research Corp., and platinum sponge 99.9 pct, supplied by The International Nickel Co. An oxygen analysis of the tantalum rod showed 30 ppm O; other impurities were C, N, Si, Nb, Mo, none of these exceeding 50 ppm, and 100 ppm W. Homogeneous buttons were readily prepared as follows: ingots of 5 g were weighed and arc-melted under welding grade argon, followed by two remelts after inverting the button. Between 40 and 100 at. pct Pt, weight losses during the first melt rarely exceeded 0.1 pct, in which case the alloy was rejected, and were nil on subsequent remelts. Since the vapor pressure of platinum far exceeds that of tantalum, the small evaporation loss could be assumed to consist of platinum; therefore, a corresponding amount of platinum was added on the second melt. Since it was confirmed on pure tantalum samples that no weight gain through oxygen or impurity pickup occurs (see Ref. 71, it could be assumed that the uncertainty in the composition did not exceed ±0.1 at. pct for the range 40 to 100 at. pct Pt. For the four control melts from 0 to 40 at. pct Pt, an error of ±0.5 at. pct was calculated. Microscopic examination of the whole buttons after melting showed no inhomogeneity other than local coring. This was eliminated by a homogenization heat treatment. A total of twenty-three alloys were prepared. Heat treatments were carried out in a tantalum

Jan 1, 1965

By L. R. Raymond, G. G. Binder

One primary purpose of hydraulic fracturing as a well stimulation technique is to overcome formation damage. The literature provides ways of designing fracture treatments and evaluating their results but not of incorporating formation damage in vertically fractured wells. Results of an investigation of this problem are presented in this paper. Prediction of stimulation ratios in vertically fractured, damaged wells is accomplished with a mathematical model relating stimulation ratio to relative conductivity of fractures whose lengths are not more than about half the drainage radius of the well. Comparison of results from the new model to results in published predictions verify its utility; these results also show that the range of stimulation ratios that can be predicted for undamaged wells is extended to include relative conductivities of less than 300. This extension is important when using fracturing to stimulate wells with high production rates and high native formation permeabilities. For example, large increases in daily oil production rate can be obtained with stimulation ratio increases as low as 1.25. The importance of complete fracture fill-up (uniform proppant packing) is shown through use of the mathematical model. If, at the mouth of a fracture, only a small fraction (1/2 percent) of the total fracture length is not packed with proppant, nearly all the polential stimulation increase is lost. Proppant crushing, compaction and embedment have been shown in laboratory studies to be responsible for low fracture conductivities in wells producing from highly stressed formations. Equipment and methods for testing the effect of stress (overburden) on conductivity of fructures in consolidated and unconsolidated sands are discussed in this paper. Laboratory tests with simlilated fractures in cores from both types of formations showed that crushing, compaction and embedment seriously affect conductivity. Results indicate that similar laboratory tests should be made when accurate knowledge of fracture conductivity is needed to assure good stimulation results for important wells. The chief factor in stimulation ratio reduction was found to be overburden pressure, but the size and type of proppant and the hardness of the formation have significant effects. Fracture conductivity reductions of up to 50 percent were observed with sand propping fractures in consolidated cores; a reduction of 83 percent was measured for an unconsolidated core. The range of effective overburden pressures for which conductivities were measured was from 100 to 5,000 psi. An example fracture design and evaluation problem indicates the usefulness of considering formation damage in planning well stimulation jobs. When damage exists, but its extent and the degree of permeability reduction are not estimated from diagnostic tests, the formation permeability used in planning the job may lead to under-designing. As the example shows, too low a target stimulation ratio can lead to much lower production rates (by half) than could be attained otherwise. Solutions of equations representing several special cases of the mathematical model are presented in graphical form and details of the derivations of the equations are given in the Appendix. INTRODUCTION Since its inception in 1947, hydraulic fracturing has proven to be an effective and widely accepted stimulation technique. In the past 18 years the ability to execute a successful hydraulic fracturing treatment has been substantially increased. The development of design and evaluation procedures1,2 has been one of the major contributions to this increased skill. However, as the art of hydraulic fracturing has moved closer to a science, new problems concerning the design and evaluation of the optimal hydraulic fracturing treatment have arisen. Three questions are pertinent to these problems. I. How is a fracturing job evaluated in a damaged well? 2. What is the effect on the stimulation ratio of not filling the fracture in the vicinity of the wellbore? 3. What is the effect of overburden pressure on fracture conductivity and, consequently, the stimulation ratio? A primary objective of fracturing a well is to stimulate production by overcoming wellbore damage. Presently. however, there is no rational basis for designing or evaluating the optimal fracturing treatment in a damaged well. All present fracture design and evaluation techniques assume that proppants can be uniformly placed in fractures. This assumption may be in serious error, particularly for the portion of a fracture directly adjacent to the wellbore. In this area, turbulence of the injected fluid can cause the proppant to be swept farther into the fracture. Also, loss of fluid from the fracture to the

By George V. Smith, Daniel E. Sonon

Various mechanical properties of the Ni-Co-C alloy system were investigated to delineate the strengthening effect of carbon. Carbon concentration, cobalt concentration, vain size, temperature, and strain rate were varied so that thermal activation analysis and the Hall-Petch analysis could be used to evaluate the strengthening effect of carbon. Increasing carbon increased the strength of nickel and a Ni-60 pct Co alloy , with the effect becoming more pronounced at lower temperatures. Yield stress depended linearly on carbon concentration in nickel, but it depended on the square root of carbon concentration in the Ni-60 pct Co alloy. The Hall-Petch slope of nickel increased with carbon concentration; however, that of the Ni-60 pct Co alloy did not. The yielding behavior of these alloys was sensitive to composition, grain size, and temperature. Cobalt eliminated serrations in the flow curve of carbon-containing nickel at 300' and weakened them severely at higher temperatures. Pairs, or clusters, of carbon atoms appear to be responsible for the observed strengthening behavior. FLINN' conducted several experiments with carbon in nickel in an effort to provide information on the strengthening effect of interstitial impurities in solid solution in fcc metals and alloys. Strengthening which increased with decreasing temperature led him to conclude that carbon causes Cottrell locking in nickel. Fleischer2 analyzed Flinn's data and calculated that the strengthening effect of carbon in nickel was smaller by a factor of fifty than the strengthening effect of carbon in a! iron. Fleischer2 termed the magnitude of strengthening of carbon in nickel "gradual" and that of carbon in a! iron "rapid". He attributed "gradual" hardening to hydrostatic strains and localized changes in modulus of elasticity around solute atoms, whereas he attributed "rapid" hardening to tetragonal strains around solute atoms. Sukhovarov et a1.3-7 reported strain aging and serrated plastic flow in nickel, both of which they attributed to the presence of carbon. Serrated plastic flow has been rationalized by a process involving a series of dislocation pinning and multiplication steps.8, This process is more probable when screw dislocations are strongly pinned. Screw dislocations cannot be pinned by pure hydrostatic forces from the symmetrical strains of an interstitial impurity in an fcc lattice, except for small, second-order effects. However, they might be pinned by localized changes in modulus of elasticity around solute atoms,' by the pinning of the edge components of the partial dislocations of an extended screw dislo~ation,'~ or by clustered groups of solute atoms whose net elastic stress field is unsymmetric. The purpose of the present work was to investigate various mechanical properties of the Ni-Co-C a1loy system which are sensitive to pinning effects in order to delineate the specific pinning mechanism of carbon. Carbon concentration, grain size, temperature, and strain rate were varied so that thermal-activation analysis and the Hall-Petch analysis could be used to evaluate the pinning mechanism. Cobalt was added to lower stacking fault energy so that the number and extension of split, screw dislocations would be increased in order to test the possibility of pinning by carbon at extended screw dislocations. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Nickel and cobalt (both 99.98 pct-. pure) were melted with graphite in stabilized zirconia crucibles and cast at lo-' Torr to form Ni-C and Ni-60 pctCo-C alloys. Two ingots were heated to 1250°C and were forged to 1-in.-sq bars. These bars were machined to 4-in.-round bars, and then swaged cold to 0.144-in. -diam rods. Reductions in area of approximately 75pct were used with intermediate anneals at 900°C for 1 hr. The carbon content of batches of 0.144-in.-diam rods from each ingot was reduced to two levels by annealing 5-in. lengths in palladium-purified, dry hydrogen at 1100°C for 25 and 100 hr. The remaining material from each ingot was annealed at 10"5 Torr for 1 hr at 1100"~. These treatments gave a total of three carbon levels for both the nickel and the Ni-60 pct Co alloy. The 0.144-in.-diam rods were swaged to 70-mil wire, cut into test specimens, and then re crystallized at lom5 Torr in capsules for 1 hr at temperatures ranging from 760" to 1050" ~. The capsules were broken and the specimens were immediately quenched into water. Average grain size was measured using Hilliard's method of circular intercepts." Annealing twin boundary intercepts were counted in addition to grain boundary intercepts to establish an average grain size. Average grain sizes ranged from 5 to 140 p depending on the cobalt concentration and re-crystallization temperature. Tension tests were made in duplicate at various temperatures at a crosshead speed of 8.34 x 10"4 in. per sec with an Instron Universal Testing Machine. Specimens of 1-in. gage length with soldered ball ends were used at atmospheric and cryogenic temperatures. Pinch grips were used on specimens at elevated tem-

Jan 1, 1969

By C. M. Brinckerhoff

Safety work in mining at the Andes Copper Mining Company, Potrerillos, Chile, is divided into three parts: (1) accident prevention, (2) fire prevention and protection, and (3) silicosis prevention and control. In the company's operations a steady campaign has been waged to reduce accidents and silicosis, and to prevent fires. In the following pages the safety record for the past twelve years will be examined and the methods explained by which the accident rate was reduced. Table 1 contains yearly data pertaining to the scale of the mining operations and the accident record. Block caving is used for all ore production and the tonnage mined has averaged 30,000 short tons per day for the past seven years. Table 2 classifies 44 fatal accidents which have occurred since 1935. The leading causes of accidental death are transportation of ore and use of explosives, followed in order by persons falling, falls of ground, and by asphyxiation. In the case of serious accidents, however, the greatest cause is falls of ground, followed, in turn, by ore transportation, persons falling, explosives, and asphyxiation. Accident Prevention The improvement of the safety record was obtained by a combination of many factors. In surveying the results at Andes for the past twelve years, it is possible to select some features of the present operation which have contributed to the accident record. The most important of these are: (1) good staff planning, (2) good equipment, (3) an alert safety organization, and (4) education and selection of the workmen. GOOD STAFF PLANNING As a result of good staff planning, the mine has good working conditions, namely, good ventilation, moderate temperatures and humidity, and good lighting. These factors not only reduce accidents but also improve efficiency. In haulage work, accidents have been reduced by having traffic move in a forward direction only. The latter makes possible a one-man train crew. Trains are centrally dispatched from loading drifts which are interconnected by signal lights, so that when a train in a lateral drift is given permission to move into a main line drift, a red light signals in all other lateral drifts in that area. Good track is maintained, and safety niches are required at all switch throws. Since safety niches were provided there have been no fatal or serious accidents at such points. All main line haulage drifts are illuminated by electric lights. Haulage drifts are kept clean. Adequate clearance has been provided between cars and between cars and the sides of the haulage drifts. The 4 1/2 ton Cranby type cars are equipped with roller bearings, and the 10 ton loconlotives with trolley shoes instead of wheels. These two features are responsible for improved ore haulage conditions and contribute to greater efficiency and safety.

Jan 1, 1950

By George R. Cowan

A number of studies hare been reported of the effects produced in metals subjected to deformation by shock waves with maximum pressures ranging from tens to hundreds of kilobars. On the basis of the equations for the flow of mass, momentum, and energy through a stationary shock front, the macroscopic stress-strain curve for the resulting shock deformation can be calculated within narrow limits from the experimentally determined Hugoniol curve. In relatively weak shocks which are preceded by an elastic wave, the stress rises above the clastic limit only as plastic deformation proceeds cold thus the shock has a long toe. In strong shocks that override the elastic wave a high stress is applied without prior plastic deformation. A more important effect of increasing the shock pressure is the generation of shear stresses, called supercrilical shear stresses, that exceed the strength of the perfect lattice. A change in the mechanism of deformation is expected to result from the onset of supercritical shear. The shock disordering of ordered Cu3Au in strong shocks appears to be an example of such a change. It is suggested that the formation of fine twins in copper and nickel and the formation of structures which enable visible twins to be formed in the rarefaction ware, observed in copper and presumably in disordered Cu3 Au, are related to the occurrence of supercritical shear in shock dcformation. In recent years several studies1,2 have been made of the changes in structural and mechanical properties of metals produced by the passage through the metals of strong shock-compression waves ranging from about 50 to 800 kbar pressure. Recent work involving dynamic measurements of the shock compression "Hugoniot" curves 3-8 of many metals has developed techniques and provided data required to obtain the shock pressure and the (transient! plastic deformation produced in the shock-conlpression experirnents.9 Shock deformation has been found to be much more effective than slow deformation in changing the mechanical properties of metals, when the two are compared on the basis of equal plasti strain, Holtzman and Cowan9 made quantitative estimates of the shearing stress occurring in a shock front in a metal by assuming that the shearing stress is similar to that occurring in a shock front in a viscous, heat-conducting fluid, with the addition of a yield stress. Taylor's solution9 for a weak shock was used to estimate pairs of values of shearing stress and thickness of the shock front obtained by assumed choices of the ratio of effective kinetic viscosity to thermal diffusivity. It was noted from these values that. unless the shock front is extremely thin. heat conduction has slight effect, and the shearing stress is nearly independent of the mechanism of deformation. This mechanism does, however, determine the thickness of the shock front and the rate of strain. Furthermore, since the maximum possible shearing stress occurring in shocks of moderate strength does not greatly exceed the shear stress occurring in conventional slow deformation, the mechanism of deformation is not expected to be qualitatively different. The greater effectiveness of shock deformation in changing the mechanical properties of metals can be attributed partly to the fact that dislocations, when driven by near-conventional stresses, cannot keep up with the shock front, thus necessitating a higher dislocation density than required for an equivalent slow strain. The fast uni-axial strain occurring in the thin shock front would also be expected to cause a larger number of dislocation intersections to occur. In the upper range of shock pressures that have been studied the estimated values of the shearing stress exceeded the estimated shear strength of a perfect crystal. Under these circumstances it is reasonable to expect that the mechanism of deformation might be considerably different from that involved in slow deformation. Except for the observation by smith1 of twins in shocked copper, the effects of shock waves on metals did not show any obvious or large changes in properties that would indicate the onset of a change in the mechanism of deformation. The recent investigation of the effect of shock waves on ordered and disordered specimens of Cu3Au by Beardmore, Holtzman, and ever" showed a spectacular decrease in the amount of long-range order retained by initially ordered Cu3Au when the shock pressure was raised from 290 to 370 kbar. Since Dr. Holtzman and I suspected that this behavior probably was due to the onset of a shearing stress in the shock front in Cu3Au which exceeded the limiting shear strength of the perfect crystal. it was considered appropriate to examine directly the shock-front equations for a solid. and to obtain a sound estimate of the shearing stress occurring in the front using equation of state data obtained from shock studies. In this paper an estimate is made of the

Jan 1, 1965

By Francis M. Walters

THE problem of making iron-manganese alloys of scientific purity is a rather difficult one. They cannot be prepared in air because of the readiness with which the metals oxidize at the temperature of melting; and they cannot be prepared in vacuum because of the, high vapor pressure-of- manganese. The very property of: manganese which permits it to be purified interferes with the utilization of the best method of making pure alloys. Accordingly, it is necessary to use a gas atmosphere which will not affect the-properties of the alloys. The gases available for the purposes are hydrogen; helium and argon. Nitrogen forms intermetallic compounds with manganese very readily. Hydrogen, while valuable as a deoxidizer and having the advantage of being comparatively cheap, is explosive over a wide range and, has a rather high thermal conductivity. Helium is reported as, costing little but is difficult to secure at a reasonable price and also has a conductivity nearly as high as hydrogen. Since argon has a sufficiently low thermal conductivity, it has been selected for use in one induction furnace for melting, under a controlled, gas atmosphere, in spite of its cost, which is so high (70 cents to $1.50 per cubic foot) that it must be stored and purified.. Such a gas atmosphere-as argon makes necessary the use of the, high-frequency induction method of heating. This involves, a non-metallic container for the gas; .which is most conveniently of fused quartz or glass. The next

Jan 1, 1929

By S. A. Falconer

D. A. Dahlstrom—Mr. Falconer has done an admirable job of proving the adaptability of the cyclone to the beneficiation of a very difficult size range in the preparation of coal. The addition of the cyclone to other coarser size methods makes it economically feasible for the coal operator to rigorously control his marketed products at a high and uniform quality level down to the 48 and 100-mesh size. Furthermore, it should be pointed out that by utilizing the cyclone as a deslimer or classifier the —3 200-mesh fraction, usually containing large percentages of undesirable material, can also be quickly and cheaply removed from the clean coal. Advantages of such a step are several: (1) Reduction of ash content, especially where clays and slimes are serious. (2) lower moisture content of the final coal. (3) easier mechanical and thermal de-watering of the fine coal due to higher cake and bed permeabilities. The author has indicated that adjustable control means should be installed on the cyclone operating on a heavy-media slurry. This also holds true for the cyclone acting as classifier, deslimer or preliminary dewatering agent and is worthy of special emphasis. Such controls, while not necessarily automatic, must be simple, rapidly adjustable, and require a minimum of attention. Three methods available to the operator are (1) throttling valve on the feed line, (2) back pressure valve on the overflow, and (3) adjustable diameter underflow nozzles. The first two, while fulfilling the specifications, suffer the disadvantage of restricting capacity if severe throttling is necessary. The third method has little effect on capacity and easily maintains an underflow of correct moisture content. Several designs are possible, but two find the widest application. The first was developed by Robert Piros of The Truax-Traer Coal Co. and uses a simple casting containing two holders for underflow nozzles which can be rotated about an axis parallel to the cyclone centerline. These holders retain the underflow nozzle flush with the conical section walls. When a change in nozzle diameter is required, the new size is placed in the spare holder and rotated into place. A second design utilizes a soft rubber cylindrical tube which is compressed or released from three sides, causing the inner diameter of the tube to decrease or increase. This is achieved by using a machine-threaded,

Jan 1, 1951

"The Washoe Smelter is situated about two miles east of the City of Anaconda. The smelter site includes about 240 acres and peculiarly adapts itself in topography to the efficient handling of material. By reason of its being on a hill side it is possible to make the level of delivery of the product of one building the level of the charge floor of the next succeeding one.THE ORES: The ore treated comes principally from the Butte district and is hauled by the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific railway, a distance of twenty-eight miles, in trains of fifty 50-ton bottom-dump cars to the railroad yards at East Anaconda. At this point these trains are• split up according to their destination,—that is, as to whether they go to the concentrator and sampling mill ore bins, or to the storage bins. In each case they are made up into trains of eight or sixteen cars, according to the size of engine to be used, and are carefully weighed before delivery to their respective bills.Some idea of the magnitude of the works may be obtained from the following figures:Amount of ore that can be treated in 24 hours…12,000 tonsLime rock from adjacent quarries…2,300 tonsCoke used…500 tonsCoal for reverberatory use…500 tonsCoal for power use…50 tonsWater, per minute, 35,000 gallons.Men employed in and around Anaconda, 3,000. Monthly payroll for above, $300,000.00."

Jan 1, 1913

By S. A. Falconer

D. A. Dahlstrom—Mr. Falconer has done an admirable job of proving the adaptability of the cyclone to the beneficiation of a very difficult size range in the preparation of coal. The addition of the cyclone to other coarser size methods makes it economically feasible for the coal operator to rigorously control his marketed products at a high and uniform quality level down to the 48 and 100-mesh size. Furthermore, it should be pointed out that by utilizing the cyclone as a deslimer or classifier the —3 200-mesh fraction, usually containing large percentages of undesirable material, can also be quickly and cheaply removed from the clean coal. Advantages of such a step are several: (1) Reduction of ash content, especially where clays and slimes are serious. (2) lower moisture content of the final coal. (3) easier mechanical and thermal de-watering of the fine coal due to higher cake and bed permeabilities. The author has indicated that adjustable control means should be installed on the cyclone operating on a heavy-media slurry. This also holds true for the cyclone acting as classifier, deslimer or preliminary dewatering agent and is worthy of special emphasis. Such controls, while not necessarily automatic, must be simple, rapidly adjustable, and require a minimum of attention. Three methods available to the operator are (1) throttling valve on the feed line, (2) back pressure valve on the overflow, and (3) adjustable diameter underflow nozzles. The first two, while fulfilling the specifications, suffer the disadvantage of restricting capacity if severe throttling is necessary. The third method has little effect on capacity and easily maintains an underflow of correct moisture content. Several designs are possible, but two find the widest application. The first was developed by Robert Piros of The Truax-Traer Coal Co. and uses a simple casting containing two holders for underflow nozzles which can be rotated about an axis parallel to the cyclone centerline. These holders retain the underflow nozzle flush with the conical section walls. When a change in nozzle diameter is required, the new size is placed in the spare holder and rotated into place. A second design utilizes a soft rubber cylindrical tube which is compressed or released from three sides, causing the inner diameter of the tube to decrease or increase. This is achieved by using a machine-threaded,

Jan 1, 1951

By H. H. Otto

COMPARED with 1939, the year 1940 has seen no material change in the production of anthracite. Many factors seem to indicate a stabilized anthracite production of approximately 50 million tons per year. The present war has stimulated demand in the Cana¬dian and New England markets, which were formerly furnished with a portion of their needs from Great Britain and other European countries. Neither has there been any material change in the "bootleg coal" situation. This problem is more serious in the Southern anthracite field than in the Hazleton, Wilkes-Barre, and Scranton areas. One reason for this is the nearness of the Southern field to the large anthracite markets in Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, and Harrisburg. During the past year no new large

Jan 1, 1941

By Daniel T. O’Brian

Mineral exploration activities are benefiting from new interpretive techniques which have become economically practical with computers. Government agencies, educational institutions, and industry have each contributed research and development efforts for improving the mathematical analysis and graphical display of exploration data, resulting in operational aids not foreseeable a decade ago. Progress has been worldwide and is expanding rapidly. Books 1-10 are supplementing the periodic literature, at least one abstracting service is now active, 11 and an association has recently been formed to encourage and publicize advances in this field. 12 With the diversity of applications, only partial coverage of the subject can be made at any single symposium. Four of the six papers in this section report on the current state-of-the-art in selected areas of interest: graphics, time-sharing, mathematics, and economic analysis. The remaining two papers are descriptions of advanced statistical techniques for gaining additional information during exploration, and illustrate methods which will become more commonly applied in the future. "Computer Graphics: A New Tool for Exploration and Mining" describes the use of a computer and accessory equipment as an information retrieval device, graphically merging and displaying pertinent information for visual inspection and interpretation. This is a rapid means of studying information which has been pre-stored in a form accessible to the computer. Time-sharing is a means of achieving a comparable rapid response when calculations are being performed. The paper, "Some Applications of Time-Sharing in Mining Geophysics," describes the experience of one company using a time-sharing facility for geophysical computations. Another paper on this subject, stressing mining applications, has recently been published. 13

Jan 1, 1969