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By Kent R. Van Horn, W. P. Sykes

Since Honda and Murakamil in 1918 proposed their constitutional diagram of the carbon-free iron-tungsten system, considerable effort has been expended by several investigators in attempts to define more positively the structural features of the alloys. The existence of an intermediate phase corresponding to the formula Fe3W2 (68.7 per cent W) was proposed from evidence of a purely metallographic nature by one of the present authors2 in 1926. Since that time the identity of this phase has been confirmed by Arnfelt3 and by Takeda,4 both of whom employed X-ray methods as well as the microscope and the chemical analysis of isolated microconstituents. According to Arnfelt, Fe3W2, as crystallized from the iron-rich melts at a temperature above 1450° C., contains by analysis 68.7 per cent W. The lattice of this phase is characterized by trigonal symmetry. Arnfelt, moreover, proposed a second intermediate phase formed at some temperature between 1450" and 1000" C. by a peritectoid reaction involving Fe3W2 and the iron-rich solid solution. A melt containing 25 per cent W was cooled to 1000" C. and heated for 100 hr. The precipitated tungsten-rich constituent was separated and found by analysis to contain 62.6 per cent W. This composition agrees closely with that represented by the formula Fe2W (62.2 per cent W). Diffraction patterns from the concentrated precipitate showed a hexagonal unit cell. Takeda confirmed the data of Arnfelt regarding Fe3W2 but was unable to detect Arnfelt's second intermediate phase. While Takeda failed to describe in detail the treatments employed, he stated that in alloys containing 40 per cent W which were quenched after heating at various temperatures between 1200" and 1450" C. no evidence of the second phase (Fe2W) was observed 'either in the microstructure or in the diffraction patterns of isolated residues. He therefore considered the existence of this low-temperature hexagonal compound as disproved.

Jan 1, 1933

By S. D. Baumer, P. M. Hulme

IN the late thirties, the National Carbide Co. cooperated with C. E. Wood, of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, in his investigation of the relative merits of various desulphurizers, including soda ash, caustic soda, and calcium carbide. Laboratory tests showed that carbide, when it could be made to react, is an excellent desulphurizing agent for molten iron. Sulphur content can be driven to lower levels and higher extractions obtained with carbide than with actionsany of the more common reagents. Wood's results1 are shown in Table I. Unfortunately, as the Handbook of Cupola Operation puts it, the chemical fact that carbide is a good desulphurizer was of only academic interest because it was found to be extremely difficult to devise a practical means to make it react with molten iron. Calcium carbide is formed in the electric furnace at 4000°F and above, and its softening point is probably at least 500 °F above the usual working temperatures encountered in iron and steel practice. Consequently, carbide does not form a true slag but floats as a dry powder on top of the metal and only a very small portion of it ever comes in actual contact with the iron. Stirring with a rabble, or pouring the metal over the carbide, increases the efficiency only slightly. Extractions of 20 to 30 pct can be obtained in this manner, but conventional soda slag treatment can do better than this and do it more cheaply. All attempts to lower the melting point of carbide in order to obtain a reactive, liquid slag have so far proved fruitless. Directly under the arc in a metallurgical electric furnace, carbide becomes highly reactive. Excellent sulphur removal can be obtained without any slag other than a thin layer of carbide." imilarly, good results are obtained by adding small amounts of carbide to the finishing slag in double-slag arc furnace practice. To react a liquid with a solid, it is axiomatic that the liquid has to wet the solid before anything can happen. If the solid is heavier than the liquid, the problem is easy, but it becomes more difficult when the solid is much lighter than the liquid, as in the case of carbide and liquid iron. Wood recognized this problem and solved it in a unique fashion. The results shown in Table I were obtained by spinning the carbide beneath the surface of the molten iron by means of a refractory centrifuge. This technique allowed each particle of the finely divided carbide to come into intimate contact with the metal and to be wetted thereby. Wood's centrifuge technique was successful in the laboratory where it achieved excellent and consistent results. Some attempts were made to expand this method to commercial practice, but serious difficulty was encountered in obtaining a refractory centrifuge head that would be economically feasible. About this time the war intervened and the project lay dormant for several years. In 1944, it was revived. It was suggested that the carbide could be blown into the metal with a carrier gas in an attempt to eliminate the necessity for the expensive and brittle centrifuge. The idea was first tried out in a fairly large ladle of iron using natural gas as the carrier. Considerable sulphur was removed, but it was quite obvious that the use of natural gas was not practical. Attempts then were made to blow carbide into molten iron using, in turn, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, air, and oxygen. The latter two gases proved unsatisfactory. Calcium evidently prefers oxygen to sulphur because in the tests calcium oxide and carbon dioxide were produced, the sulphur still being untouched in the iron. Nitrogen, argon, and carbon dioxide gave much better results, although the efficiencies and extractions were erratic, and only a few isolated tests approached the results obtained by Wood. Table II shows typical results obtained with these gases. The sulphur removals were interesting, sometimes even encouraging, but it is evident that such erratic behavior could not be tolerated in commercial practice. A number of different types of equipment, such as sand blasting machines, refractory guns, and the like can used to blow the solid into the metal. All types required relatively large quantities of gas in order to maintain the flow of solid carbide through the system and into the metal. It was observed that the bubbles of gas breaking through the surface of the metal contained quantities of unreacted carbide. The liquid metal never came in contact with these particles and if it cannot wet them it cannot react with them. The initial work had shown that carbide had great possibilities as a desulphurizer. In practice

Jan 1, 1952

By Werner Ostertag

A series of rare earth cobalt compounds of the composition RCoa (r = Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Ev, Tm, Lu) has been prepared. The compounds crystallize in space gvoup R3m and are isomorphous with PuNi3. Except for CeCo3 and PrCo, the series shows decreasing- values of a. and co. The relalively small parameters of CeCo, and PrCo, are explained by valencies of cerium or praseodymium which exceed the usual rare earth valency of three. The structure of the compounds is discussed as in-fillings of kagome nets in direct and staggered superposition. In the course of a systematic investigation of rare earth cobalt compounds"2 and their magnetic properties,, a series of alloys corresponding to the formula Rco3 has been prepared. The investigation of the Rco3 series was stimulated by our investigation of the yttrium cobalt system2 as well as by reports in the literature: Smith and Hansen4 reported the structure of YcO3 and Van vucht5 that of GdCo3; ceco3,6 Gdco3,7 and DyCo3 7 have been found to be single-phase during phase diagram studies. It was the purpose of this work to report crystallographic data on the entire Rco3 series and to interpret the structure of these compounds on the basis of general principles as discussed by Frank and Kasper.8 At the time this work was terminated, it was learned that a similar investigation has been carried out independently by Bertaut, Lemaire, and schweizer.9 Except for CeCo3 (ao = 4.952, co = 24.73') and NdCo3 (a0 = 5.067, co = 24.76') data of this work are in satisfactory agreement with their investigation. EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES A series of samples having the composition Rc03 was prepared from stoichiometric amounts of the rare

Jan 1, 1968

US 4,132,758-Leaching of copper sulfide ore using nitrogen dioxide as the oxidant A slurry of ore in sulfuric acid is contacted with a nitrogen dioxide-containing gas at a temperature below 11 5" C and a pressure of from atmospheric to 35 PSI, the slurry agitated, and the resulting nitric oxide from the slurry regenerated to nitrogen dioxide for reuse About 90% of the copper In the ore IS dissolved, and the leach solution is separated for further processing. This procedure is also useful for sulfide ores of silver, molybdenum, nickel, cobalt, and zinc T C Franklewicz and R E Lueders, assigned to Kennecott Copper Corp Jan 2, 1979 7 pp (423-27) Filed 1 1-30-77 (855,983) (Drawings below ) US 4,138,231-Wet-cleanlng of gases from the roasting of copper sulfide ore, zinc sulfide ore, pyrite, or arsenopyrite The gases are washed in dilute sulfuric acid circulating in a closed system, the wash water treated to remove arsenic, the washed gas condensed by cooling; and the condensate separated, purified of residual arsenic, and neutralized B G V Hedenas, J E Wiklund, T R H Johansson, and KA Melkersson, assigned to Boliden AB Feb 6, 1979 7 pp (55-71). Filed 3-30-77 (782,908) Priority Sweden, 4-9-76 (76/04,219) (Flow diagram at right ) US 4,148,862-In the acid-leaching of silicate-bearing calcined zinc sulfide ore, finely divided calcine is leached at elevated temperature with sulfuric acid, and additional calcine is added at an optimum rate to precipitate SI~ICIC acid in the same stage In an easily settling, readily filterable form Reactions take place at a silica concentration so low that the solution is not greatly oversaturated An anionic flocculant- may be added to the slurry immediately before the filtration step S. P Fugleberg and J T. I Poijarvi, assigned to Outokumpu Oy Apr. 10, 1979 4 pp (423-106). Filed 10-6-77 (840,041) Priority Finland, 10-8-76 (76/2880)

Jan 1, 1980

By W. P. Frey

The briquet plant of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co., at Lansford, Pa., has previously been referred to.' It has passed the stage of experiment and now rests on a foundation practically and financially sound. The purpose of this' paper is to explain how success has been attained, and to set standards for the development of hard-coal briquetting which may eliminate future failures. All the conclusions are based on actual results, avoiding speculation and theory. Up to three years ago, the L. C. & N. Co. used coal-tar pitch as a binder in making hard-coal briquets. The plant operated with a monthly output of 300 to 600 tons and was unable to meet its own expenses. Naturally, no one was satisfied, especially as the ideals of a smokeless briquet were still unrealized. Then came the Dutch oil process, introduced in this country by the General Briquetting Co. of New York. This process uses as binder a small percentage of heavy residue of petroleum, which, being liquid, permits great economy of handling; it also did away with the most objectionable fumes of the former briquets. This oil2 is not absolutely smokeless; heating the fresh fuel to red heat liberates some low-volatile hydrocarbons, yielding a white smoke which is not objectionable. On the other hand, this oil adds to the briquet about 7 per cent. of volatile matter, giving the product a heating capacity equal to that of the best free-burning anthracite coal. The average silt used in the manufacture of these boulets averages 16.5 per cent. chemical ash, corresponding to 12,000 B.t.u. per pound of coal. The Hydrolene used as binder runs about 17,500 B.t.u. per pound, and approximately 7 per cent. of it enters into the mixture, hence 12,000 X 0.93..........................11,160 B.t.n. 17,500 X 0.07.......................... 1,125 B.t.u. Total.....................................12,385 B.t.u. per pound of briquets

Jan 1, 1918

By John G. H. Crump, E. W. Owen, Peter P. Gregory

A noticeable decrease in activity characterized the year 1938 in the West Texas area. The total number of wells completed dropped to 2045 for 19381 as compared with 2806 completions in 1937,l a decline of 27.12 per cent. This trend contrasts the sharp increase of 76.29 per cent in completions in 1937 over the 1936 total. Of 2045 well completions during 1938,' 1788 were oil wellsll 16 were gas producers1 and 241 were listed as failures.' During 1938 the ratio of dry holes drilled to oil-producing or gas-producing wells completed was one dry hole to each 7.48 oil wells, which compares with one dry hole drilled to each 7.477 oil wells in 1937. Nearly 200 wells drilled during 1938 in West Texas were either wildcat or partly wildcat wells, an increase of about 25 over the year 1937, when approximately 175 wells drilled were so classified. The 200 exploratory wells drilled represent about 10 per cent of the total number of wells completed. West Texas produced 71,257,541 bbl.1 of oil in 1938 as compared with 75,743,000 bb1.2 of oil in 1937, a decrease of 4,485,459 bbl., or a 5.92 per cent decline. By comparison, West Texas produced 22.36 per cent more oil in 1937 than during 1936. In December 1938, the 9247 producing oil wells in West Texas1 averaged 22.08 bbl. per day per well as compared with December 1937, when 7571 wells1 produced an average of 25.18 bbl. per day per well, or a decline in daily well average of 12.32 per cent. Discoveries No outstanding new fields were discovered in West Texas during 1938, in spite of continued, active wildcatting operations. Several new oil-producing areas were, found, however, the value of which is still unknown.

Jan 1, 1939

By E. W. Owen, John G. H. Crump, Peter P. Gregory

A noticeable decrease in activity characterized the year 1938 in the West Texas area. The total number of wells completed dropped to 2045 for 19381 as compared with 2806 completions in 1937,l a decline of 27.12 per cent. This trend contrasts the sharp increase of 76.29 per cent in completions in 1937 over the 1936 total. Of 2045 well completions during 1938,' 1788 were oil wellsll 16 were gas producers1 and 241 were listed as failures.' During 1938 the ratio of dry holes drilled to oil-producing or gas-producing wells completed was one dry hole to each 7.48 oil wells, which compares with one dry hole drilled to each 7.477 oil wells in 1937. Nearly 200 wells drilled during 1938 in West Texas were either wildcat or partly wildcat wells, an increase of about 25 over the year 1937, when approximately 175 wells drilled were so classified. The 200 exploratory wells drilled represent about 10 per cent of the total number of wells completed. West Texas produced 71,257,541 bbl.1 of oil in 1938 as compared with 75,743,000 bb1.2 of oil in 1937, a decrease of 4,485,459 bbl., or a 5.92 per cent decline. By comparison, West Texas produced 22.36 per cent more oil in 1937 than during 1936. In December 1938, the 9247 producing oil wells in West Texas1 averaged 22.08 bbl. per day per well as compared with December 1937, when 7571 wells1 produced an average of 25.18 bbl. per day per well, or a decline in daily well average of 12.32 per cent. Discoveries No outstanding new fields were discovered in West Texas during 1938, in spite of continued, active wildcatting operations. Several new oil-producing areas were, found, however, the value of which is still unknown.

Jan 1, 1939

By P. J. Potter

Practically all tin-base babbitt metals used in engine bearings are made to customers' specifications, which are many and varied. The copper ranges from 3 to 8 per cent. and the antimony from 4 to 13 per cent.; generally, the babbitt with lower copper content will contain from 4 to 8 per cent. antimony and that with higher copper will have from 7 to 13 per cent. antimony. The allowable lead content varies from 0.20 to 2.00 per cent. If a solder is used as a bonding material instead of tin, the resulting material in the finished bearing will have a higher lead content, but it would not be enough to bring the lead above specifica-tional limits. Impurities such as iron, arsenic and bismuth should be determined in the tin before using to insure a uniform and high-grade product. These points must be considered when segregating and grading the waste that comes from the finishing operations on lined bearings. Classification of SCRAP Because of the extremely rigid nature of most of the specifications for bearing linings it is necessary to use the purest of materials as a base for all compositions. The problem of handling secondary metals is confined almost entirely to the recovery of drosses, spills and turnings incident to the manufacturing operations. As a matter of convenience the waste or scrap may be divided into 10 grades, as follows: 1. Tin from pots where tinning operation is carried out. 2. Tin and babbitt spatters from babbitting operation. - 3. Tin skimmings combined with burned zinc chloride. 4. Borings and reamings. 5. Gates from die-cast bushings and bearings. 6. Drosses from die-cast pots, babbitt foundry pots, and pots in babbittiug room. 7. Babbitt with small amount of bronze from machining operations. 8. Babbitt and bronze borings. 9. Scrap bronze-back babbitt-lined bearings. I 10. Scrap die-cast bearings and bushings. A few of these grades of salvaged material have compositions that make it possible to determine beforehand where they may be used to

Jan 1, 1930

By G. Borelius

ABOUT the turn of the century, Gibbs' thermo-dynamic theory of heterogeneous equilibrium, on the one hand, and the experimental methods of thermal and microscopic analysis, on the other, gave to the physical metallurgist his first scientific tool, the equilibrium diagram. The classical equilibrium diagram of a binary alloy system shows the boundaries between ranges of homogeneous and heterogeneous equilibrium in their dependence of concentration and temperature. A homogeneous solid sohtion which on cooling passes such a boundary is assumed to precipitate, forming a mixture of two phases with different concentrations. The equilibriunl diagram and the equilibrium theory, however, give no information about the time scheme of the process or the intermediate states passed during precipitation. For this reason it satisfies neither the practical need of the metallurgist nor the curiosity of the physicist. As a matter of fact, in the heat treatment of alloys for technical use the objective very seldom is the equilibrium state. Thus good mechanical properties of construction material are connected, for the most part, with some intermediate state. As these intermediate states are thermodynamically unstable, there is, from a theoretical point of view, always to be expected a decay of the good properties with time; and it is a matter also of practical interest to know whether this natural life time of a material is of the order of, say, ten or thousands of years. Thus, for many reasons, there is a current demand to complete our knowledge of equilibrium through knowledge of the kinetics of the precipitation phenomena. From the point of view of the physicist, the most interesting question in this case is whether there are any general laws governing the kinetics. According to a generally accepted view, precipitation is ruled by two more or less independent phenomena, the formation of nuclei of a new phase and the growth of these nuclei. It is also commonly accepted that there is a tendency for the velocity of growth to increase with increasing temperature because of the increasing mobility of the atoms. There is also a tendency for the velocity of growth to decrease in the neighborhood of the two-phase boundaries. So far, however, very little is known quantitatively about this fundamental phenomenon in the case of solid metallic systems. In our laboratory attention has been directed especially toward the nucleation phenomena, and a series of measurements have been carried out with the guidance of a work- ing hypothesis (based on experiences from previous work on order-disorder transformations in alloys) about the influence on the nucleation of thermo-dynamic potential barriers. However, before discussing the experiments, the theoretical ideas will be considered. In a binary solid solution the arrangement of atoms on the lattice points approaches with increasing temperature a state of full randomness, as illustrated by the ball model of Fig. 1, that might represent a [111] plane of a face-centered alloy with 30 pct "black" and 70 pct "white" atoms. In reality the atoms are changing places continually with their neighbors so that the picture should rightly have been a moving one. On account of this thermal motion the concentration of black atoms within a certain group of, say, a hundred or a thousand lattice points fluctuates with time around the bulk concentration of 30 pct in a manner governed by statistical laws. With decreasing temperature two independent changes in this state grow more and more important. First, the mobility of the atoms decreases, and second, the forces between the atoms will have an increased influence on the fluctuations. In alloys with a tendency for precipitation, which are the concern of this lecture, the distribution function of concentration fluctuations will broaden, so that the relative probability of great local variations from the bulk concentration increases. Fig. 2 gives an example of such a fluctuation. When the alloy is supercooled below the solubility limit into the range of two-phase equilibrium, the fluctuations will now and then at some point give rise to a state that resembles the equilibrium state and thus will form a stable nucleus that is capable of growing by diffusion processes. In discussions with colleagues and in the literature, I have often encountered the idea that three or four atoms of the dissolved metal could form a nucleus of the new phase. A look at the ball model might be enough to indicate that this cannot be true. If it were true, there should be nothing but nuclei, whereas we know from experiment that nucleation must be a rather rare occurrence. In fact we have, as will be mentioned later, certain reasons to believe that the nuclei are formed by fluctuations containing some hundreds of atoms, which should be the order of the number of black balls in the fluctuating group of the figure, if it were extended into three dimensions. As a working hypothesis we have assumed that the fluctuations producing nuclei, though large and rare, still are ruled by the distribution laws of fluctuations of the supercooled solid solution in its initial state. Thus the probability of nucleation will be connected to the thermodynamic properties of the solid

Jan 1, 1952

By W. L. McMorris, A. H. Brisse

IN the last several years the coal industry has intensified its effort to solve the growing problem of cleaning and recovering fine mesh coals. On one hand these has been increasing civic pressure for cleaner streams, and on the other hand there has been increasing production of fine mesh coal, resulting directly from adoption of the modern mining methods so essential to the economy of the coal mining industry. Cleaning fine coal with the same precision possible with coarser coals is a difficult task, and for coals finer than 200 mesh it has been impractical. Furthermore, the inclusion of —200 mesh material in the final product markedly increases costs of de-watering and thermal drying, which are necessary steps if coal is to meet market requirements. Consequently these extreme fines have generally been wasted. As a result, problems have been created in many districts because there has not been enough area for adequate settling basins. Wasting of coal in the -200 mesh slimes may account for a loss in washer yield equivalent to 2.0 to 2.5 pct of the raw coal input. With rising mining costs the value of such a loss is constantly increasing and a need for a better solution to the fines problem becomes more pressing every day. From an operating viewpoint, also, continuous removal of extreme fines from the washing plant circuit permits good water clarification practice, improving significantly the overall cleaning efficiency. The obvious desirability of recovering a commercially acceptable coal from washery slimes prompted U. S. Steel Corp. to investigate the merits of the Convertol process developed in Germany." Although this process has been used commercially in Europe for some time, little if any consideration has been given to its possible adoption in the U. S. until very recently. Fundamentals of the Convertol Process: In the Convertol process, droplets of dispersed oil are brought into intimate contact with the solids suspended in the coal slurry to be treated. This contact causes oil to displace the water on the surface of the coal by preferential wetting, or phase inversion, after which the coal particles are allowed to agglomerate in a manner permitting their re- moval from the slurry by centrifugal filtration. The clay and other particles of mineral matter suspended in the slurry do not have the affinity for oil the coal particles have. Consequently the oil treatment is preferential to coal to the extent that more than 95 pct of the oil used reports with the clean coal recovered. Figs. 1 through 3 will clarify the steps involved in the process. Fig. 1 shows the suspended material in the slurry to be treated, which is a thickened product containing 40 to 45 pct solids. Oil is now injected into the slurry under vigorous agitation to produce good oil to coal contact conditions, which result in preferential oiling of the coal particles. These coal particles are then permitted to agglomerate by gentle stirring in a conditioner to form flocs, as shown in Fig. 2. At this point in the process the agglomerated oiled coal can be washed and partially dewatered on a vibrating screen, as shown in Fig. 3. Finally, the washed flocculate can be further dewatered in a high-speed screen basket centrifuge or in a solid bowl centrifuge. Commercial Application of the Convertol Process in Germany: The original Convertol process was developed by Bergwerksverband zur Verwertung von Schutzrechten der Kohlentechnik, G.m.b.H., a German research organization controlled by the Coal Operators Assn. of the Ruhr Valley. The process as reduced to commercial practice in Germany' is shown in Fig. 4. In this process a thickened slurry (40 to 45 pct solids) mixed with a predetermined percentage of oil is fed from a surge tank to the phase inversion mill. After the phase inversion step, the slurry is usually discharged directly to a highspeed screen centrifuge. From 3 to 10 pct oil is used, depending on type of oil, size consist of coal to be recovered, and operating temperature. The top size of fine coal cleaned in Germany by the Convertol process is limited by the size of the openings in the centrifuge screen basket. Any mineral matter coarser than the basket opening, which is generally 60 to 80 mesh, must remain with the oiled coal. If the coal fines have been effectively cleaned down to about 80 mesh, the cleaning performance of the process is practically unaffected by the presence of coarse coal particles. However, since recovery of coal much coarser than 80 mesh is mow economical by conventional methods, it normally becomes more costly to allow substantial percentages of this coarse coal in Convertol process feed. Where the general plant layout does not permit effective cleaning of coal sizes down to 80 mesh or lower. there is some justification for a coarser Con-

Jan 1, 1959

By Sven Fornander

L. F. Reinartz (Armco Steel Corp., Middletown, Ohio) —I would like to know, in the practical application of the Kalling process, what kind of a lining was used, how thick was the lining, and how much metal was treated at one time? S. Fornander (author's reply)—The rotary furnace is lined with a course of fireclay bricks 6 in. thick. This course is backed by 5 in. of insulation. The furnace has a capacity of about 15 tons. Mr. Reinartz—How was the ladle preheated? Mr. Fornander—As pointed out in the paper, the furnace was heated by a gas flame in the beginning of the experiments. During these first tests, however, the desulphurization was inconsistent. We think that this was due to the fact that iron droplets sticking to the furnace walls were oxidized by the gas flame. Now, the furnace is operated without preheating of any kind, and the results are much better. T. L. Joseph (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.)—I might add one comment. This furnace was heated with a flame and for a time they had a little difficulty due to some residual metal in the rotating drum that would oxidize in between treatments and they found therefore, that it was very essential to drain the drum completely of metal so that they would not build up any ferrous oxide between treatments and they eliminated some of their erratic heats by maintaining those more reducing conditions. It was interesting to watch this operation. As soon as the drum started to rotate there was considerable flame, at least, at the time I saw it, that came out around the flanges, indicating there was quite a little pressure on the inside of the drum. W. 0. Philbrook (Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburgh)—Is the reaction slag in the Kalling process liquid or solid, and how is it separated from the metal? Mr. Fornander—In the process there is no slag in the usual sense of the word. The lime powder does not melt during the treatment. After the treatment the lime is still in the form of a fine powder. It is separated from the metal by means of a piece of wood of suitable size placed within the furnace before it is emptied. D. C. Hilty (Union Carbide & Carbon Research Laboratories, Niagara Falls, N. Y.)—Dr. Chipman has given us some of his ideas in connection with a specific effect of silicon and silica on sulphur elimination and how silicon might interfere with desulphuriz- ing in the blast furnace. I wonder if he would like to elaborate on the possibility of a similar effect of silicon in the Kalling process? J. Chipman (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.)—Silicon does not interfere with the Kalling process. Anything that has strong reducing action is good for desulphurization. In these tests where the temperature was low compared to blast furnace temperatures, the silicon that is in the metal is a better reducing agent than the carbon. At high temperatures, carbon is the better. It is not the silicon in the metal that interferes with desulphurization, it is the silica in the slag. Mr. Joseph—I might add that the metal that was tapped from the drum after desulphurization was really at quite a low temperature. It was not measured, but I think it was well under 1300 °C, probably 1200" or a little above that. That was one of the difficulties, and I think there is no question about the fact that the Kalling process—in that it affects desulphurization between powdered lime, solid and liquid iron— is a reaction definitely between the solid lime and the liquid iron. E. Spire (Canadian Liquid Air, Montreal, Canada) — This Kalling process seems very interesting to us and after all it is only a mixing action that is taking place between the iron and the slag. We have attempted to do the same thing in another way. We have placed at the bottom of the ladle a porous plug through which we injected an inert gas. It can be nitrogen or argon. This plug is placed at the bottom of the conventional ladle and gas injected through the plug. That has appeared in our patent. To define this new type of treatment, I use the word gasometallurgy. I do not know if you like it, but it is a way of defining methods of treating metal using gases. What we do is exactly what is done in the exchange process in another way. We have a porous plug at the bottom with a high lime slag on top of the metal. Using this method, we have very good agitation of metal and slag, and with a small flow of gas, we can achieve a very strong agitation. For instance, in the 500 lb ladle, we use only 5 liters of gas a minute. We have an agitation compared to very rapidly boiling water in a pail. Moreover, the agitation can be controlled to create any amount of mixing desired. In a few minutes, with this method, the sulphur dropped from 0.58 to 0.11. These results have been improved since, and we have obtained results like 0.08

Jan 1, 1952

By G. H., Wigton

THE present milling operations of the Chief Consolidated Mining Co. consist- of flotation of oxidized minerals from siliceous ores of the Tintic Mining district, Utah. As the lead, silver, and gold minerals that give the ores economic value are almost entirely oxidized; their successful flotation has necessitated the solution of many new problems. Laboratory effort resulted in the selection of a, natural float for the oxidized minerals. 'By "natural float," I mean that no reagent was added to produce a sulfide film on the osidized minerals before or while subjecting them to flotation operations. As compared to methods involving sulfide filming, the natural float was selected because it promised successful treatment of a larger variety, of ores without change in quantity or kind of reagents, as well as a better economic balance between metal recovery and concentration ratio. In explanation, I can, state that with sulfide filming, the efficiency of the method decreases rapidly with increase of hydrated, iron osides in the ore, whereas with the natural float the same effect has not been noted. Evidence shows that although sulfidizing can produce greater metal recoveries, it yields a concentrate so much lower in grade that no advantage results.

Jan 1, 1928

By Philip D. Wilson

OF all the metals in the war program the demand for and the production of magnesium have increased percentagewise the most. In the prewar year 1939 the production was 3350 tons. The war program, twice expanded, now provides for nearly one hundred times that amount annually. The goal announced by the War Production Board in February 1942 was 362,500 tons per year. Be- cause of the development during the year of satisfactory types of incendiary bombs other than magnesium this objective has been somewhat reduced but the capacity of the plants already built or under construction will be huge. The Aluminum and Magnesium Division of the W.P.B. has had the responsibility of planning and implementing this expansion and of providing fabricating facilities as well for this greatly increased tonnage of magnesium ingot.

Jan 1, 1943

By J. G. LECKIE

During the first ten months of 1943 copper was produced at a higher rate than in 1947. However, on Oct. 24 one of the large mines was shut down due to a strike. As of Dec. 31 the strike was still in effect and had already resulted in a loss of production of 50,000 tons of copper. The demand for copper was considerably greater throughout the year than the supply. The price of electrolytic copper delivered at the Atlantic Seaboard refineries advanced from 21.20 to 23.20 cents per lb during the year. This sustained demand for copper, together with the increase in price, has had the natural effect of spurring interest in uncovering new deposits, and in re-examination of known low-grade deposits and old tailing clumps. This is in addition to the usual reevaluation activities which normally result from the constant improvements in efficiency of ore concentration.

Jan 1, 1949

By AIME AIME

HOWARD H. PRESTON, professor of economics and business at the University of Washington, presented a paper before the North Pacific Section, A.I.M.E., on Jan. 23, on the "Economic Aspects of Gold and Silver." He carefully reviewed recent governmental actions that have affected those metals and gave an interpretation of their effects. A brief excerpt from his address; follows: Including the proclamation of March 6, 1933, the principal steps of the present Administration which have carried the United States off the gold standard and led up to the present program have been: (1) The Presidential proclamation of March 6 controlling gold. (2) The monetary sections of the Emergency Banking Act of March 9. (3) Mobilization of gold under Executive orders issued March 10 and April 5. (4) The gold embargo by Executive order, April 20. (5) The controlled inflation bill, May 12. (6) The joint resolution abrogating the gold clauses, June 5. (7) The Executive orders on newly mined gold, Aug. 28. (8) The President's radio address of Oct. 22 and the R.F.C. gold-buying program. (9) New anti-hoarding order calling in small holdings of gold, Dec. 28, 1933 and Jan. 15, 1934. (10) Nationalization and revaluation of gold' (Message to Congress, Jan. 15).

Jan 1, 1934

C. P. BOWIE, San Francisco, Cal.-In my work with the U.S. Bureau of Mines, I have been detailed to report on oil storage containers, and in going around the country I have, been much interested in, the possibilities in the use of concrete for such containers. In talking with a good many people, I have discovered that concrete is being used A good deal for a wide variety of oils ranging from 14° to as high as 40° Bé., especially, by some of the western railroads:, If any member has had experience, in storing gasoline in concrete, I should like to learn of it. DORSEY HAGER, Tulsa, Okla.-Mr. M J. Munn, formerly .with the U. S. Geological Survey, acid connected with the Gypsy Oil Co., until a short time ago, has invented a invented a method for the application of concrete to the storage not only of crude oil but of refined products:. The Cosden Oil Co., of Tulsa, is now working on that plan, and, expects to store refined products in concrete tanks. THE CHAIRMAN (I.N. KNAPP, Ardmore Pa.).-I have had considerable experience in building masonry tanks for gas Holders. I do not believe it is possible to build a concrete or masonry tank of any kind. With hydraulic cement, mortar, which will be absolutely water-tight, unless the bottom and inner wall, after completion are waterproofed with some impervious material. The same will be true of oil tanks, the bottom and inner face of which must be made impervious to oil. Masonry tanks are intended to be sunk in the ground. All that the wall of the tank then amounts to is a retaining wall to keep the excavation in shape and to receive an impervious coating. The bottom of, a; tank, when empty, must be protected by a relief valve from any hydraulic: pressure acting from below. At ordinary prices, for sheets, a tank 100 ft. diam by 20 ft. deep can be built of steel much quicker and cheaper than of masonry. Several years, ago I saw very large oil storage tank under construction in California the bottom and sides being concrete. The sides were, sloped at about the single of repose for the material excavated: If you build a steel oil tank, you can get. .men for the work who do nothing else, and you, are likely to get a satisfactory job; but if you wish to build a concrete or masonry tank it is almost: impossible to find men skilled in building absolutely water-tight masonry Work. The general idea is that any laborer can mix up concrete in any old way and make a,

Jan 1, 1918

By Donald M. Liddell

From a commercial standpoint, the only beryllium mineral warranting attention is beryl, 3Be.Al2O3.6SiO2, which is of fairly widespread occurrence. The chief deposits are in Brazil, Argentina, India, Canada and Portugal. When pure this contains about 14 per cent of beryllium oxide. The mineral richest in beryllium is phenacite, (BeO)2SiO2, or beryllium orth-osilicate, which contains 45.55 per cent beryllium oxide when pure, and if anyone is ever fortunate enough to discover a large deposit of it, it will revolutionize beryllium metallurgy. Gadoljnite, zBe0.Fe0.2Yz0~.zSi0~, is also often referred to as a beryllium mineral, though the occurrences are comparatively scant and it is of more interest as a source of yttrium than it is of beryllium. There has been a good deal of talk recently regarding some occurrences of helvite in the United States. Helvite is a complex manganese-iron beryllium silicate and, apart from difficulties that would arise in its treatment because of its compo-sition, the beryllium content of the known deposits is not high. Early Metallurgy The elemcnt beryllium was first isolated by L. N. Vauquelin in 1797.~ He crushed and heated beryl, having the idea that this heating made it more readily amenable to attack by chemicals, and then mixed the mineral with three times its weight of caustic potash and fused the mixture. The melt after cooling was dissolved in hydrochloric acid: dehydrated, and again taken up with hydrochloric acid and filtered to separate the silica. The filtrate was treated with an excess of potassium carbonate and the precipitate after draining was leached with a solution of caustic potash, which dissolved the alumina. The undissolved material was, in Vauquelin's own words, "une terre nouvelle." He dissolved the precipitate with nitric acid and evaporated it to dryness, took up with hydrochloric acid and threw the iron out with potassium hydrosulphide, though he found that to make a complete separation of the iron involved a second treatment. The solution, after throwing out of the iron, had a pronounced sweet taste, and though Vauquelin always speaks of working on "terre du beril" he suggests that the new element should be known as "glucine" (glucinum) from the Greek word for sweet, because of this outstanding property. Vauquelin did considerable work on the comparison of aluminum and beryllium, working out a separation of most of the aluminum based on its precipitation as alum. His work is reviewed at some length, since ordinarily his procedure is incorrectly stated. It will also be recognized by those who have studied beryllium metallurgy that a good many technicians have followed his ideas since, including preheating the beryl before treatment. The fusion with

Jan 1, 1944

By Roy J. Helfinstine

One of the most urgent needs in the field of coal combustion is the ability to predict the performance of a coal from knowledge gained from small-scale tests. Numerous types of analyses and tests are conducted on coal, including the proximate and ultimate analyses, heating value, varieties of sulphur, ash analysis, ash fusion temperatures, free swelling index, petrographic analysis, and Gieseler plasticity. The Illinois Geological Survey has made an intensive study of the value of these tests for judging the performance characteristics of the coal as actually utilized. To date, three reports 1 2 3 have been is- sued, and another is being prepared. The present paper briefly summarizes some of the results found in the studies.

Jan 1, 1949

By T. A. Rickard

The notion prevails that writing is a knack, that the skilful use of the pen is a gift of nature. This is an error. Dogberry may be responsible for it; he said: "To be a well-informed man is the gift of fortune, but to write and read comes by nature". Because Dogberry said it, we may be sure that Shakespeare thought otherwise. Ability of any sort may be partly innate, but my own observation and experience lead me to conclude that most of the easy writers have become so by constant practice. As I recall the names of men successful with the pen, I remember that most of them have written a great deal and have taken particular pains to improve their style. The suggestion that proficiency in the difficult art is a happy accident provokes a sardonic smile. The larger part of the great writing in our literature is the result of persistent effort. An easy fluency has been the undoing of many; their flamboyant and fantastic scribbling has proved as perishable as froth. This criticism applies to technical writing also; in order that a technical description or discussion may hold the interest of the reader, at least long enough to cause him to read it to the end, the writing must be done carefully and systematically; otherwise it will fail in its purpose of conveying information. Clearness is absolutely essential. "It is not enough to use language that may be understood; it is necessary to use language that must be understood."* The purpose of writing, at least of that which is meant to be read by others, is not only to express ideas but to communicate them. Lack of perspicuity may prove as %ad as

Jan 1, 1931

By S. A. Mahon

AN interesting feature among the mining structures, on the Mesabi. iron range is the iron ore stacker erected in 1934 at the Mesabi Chief washing plant at Keewatin, Minn. It is built of structural steel, and carries a system of belt conveyors which collects the washed product of the plant and places it on a stockpile for subsequent shipment. Although the only one of its kind in the Lake Superior iron district, installations of similar nature have been used elsewhere in the handling of coal and gravel and in earthwork construction. The reasons for stocking Lake Superior iron ores may be as various and diversified as the methods used in building the piles. At the under¬ground mines the existence of the huge piles in evidence at each active shaft is due, principally, to climatic conditions in this north country where the shipping period is much shorter than the operating season. Conversely, at the washing. plants it may be desirable to stockpile washed ores because the shipping season is commonly of longer duration than the period during which the plants may be operated. Washed ores, and mixtures of which washed ores are a component part, have found high favor with the oper

Jan 1, 1935