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By Orvar Nyquist, Klaus W. K. Lange, John Chipman

Liquid Fe-C-Si alloys containing 0 to 12 pet Si and up to 4 pet C were equilibrated with carburizing gases at 1550°C. Two to 5 alloys simultaneously were held in close proximity for 5 to 7 hr to establish uniform carbon activity in the group. Analysis of the data gives the activity coefficient of carbon as a function of the mole fractions of carbon and silicon, Fig. 7. Values of the interaction coefficients at infinite dilution are

Jan 1, 1962

By E. T. Hunter

Surrounded by the 13,000-ft high peaks of the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colo., the town of Silverton is the site of the extensive development operations initiated 20 months ago by Standard Metals Corp. Appropriately termed the Silverton Project, Standard's operation has now passed the half-way point in its program to reopen two mines that were once sizeable producers of copper, lead, and zinc ores.

Jan 1, 1961

By Thomas L. Kesler

Present Raw Materials The lithium industry has had exceptional growth since publication of the last edition of this volume, and the present scale of mining and consumption of raw materials is a great many times that of 1949. The materials of present economic importance consist of four pegmatite minerals and lithium-bearing brine. Spodumene, a lithium pyroxene, occurs in greatest abundance, and is the chief source. It has the formula LiAlSi2O6 and theoretically may contain 8.03 pct Li2O, but in the more important deposits the content is 6.5 to 7.5 pct. The hardness is 6.5, the specific gravity 3.1 to 3.2, and the color mostly pale green to white although deep green, lilac, and yellow varieties exist. The crystals are prisms with strongly developed longitudinal cleavages, and crushing characteristically produces lath-shaped particles. Giant crystals up to 47 ft long are known, but in most occurrences the predominant size range is 0.5 to 12 in. long and 0.1 to 2 in. wide. Hypogene* alteration has formed lithia-bearing sericite and coarser muscovite and rarely eucryptite, while supergene* alteration yields kaolinite and hydrous mica. Lepidolite, of second importance, is a mica of varying composition approximating K2Li3-A14Si7O21(OH,F)3. It has lamellate cleavage, book structure, and a specific gravity of 2.8 to 3. The books range in size from microscopic to a diameter of several inches. The color is mostly violet, but other colors include pink, gray, yellow, and white. Most commercial lepidolite contains 3 to 4 pct Li20 and chemically is in the higher grade range of a series of lithium micas that includes polylithionite, zinnwaldite, and protolithionite. In this series, the content of Li2O is exceptionally as high as 7 pct. Petalite and amblygonite are also of economic importance, but are used in smaller amounts. Petalite has the formula LiA1Si4O10 and is white, gray, or pink. The hardness is 6, the specific gravity 2.4, the cleavage in two planes 114° apart, and the Li2O content commonly 3 to 4.7 pct with a maximum of 4.88. Amblygonite has the formula LiA1FPO4 in which OH may substitute for F to form montebrasite. It is white and has polysynthetic twinning in two directions at 90°. Amblygonite superficially resembles potash feldspar, but has a bluish or grayish tint unlike the cream or salmon tint of the feldspar.[t] The hardness is 6 and the specific gravity 3 to 3.1, and the content of Li2O is the highest among lithium minerals that occur in significant quantity, ranging mostly from 7.5 to 9 pct with a maximum of 10.2. The brine of Searles Lake in California30 has been a commercial source of lithium since 1938. See Chap. 7, p. 108. The "lake" is a saline evaporite deposit, and the exposed part has an area of 12 sq mi. To an average depth of 71 ft, this part of the deposit consists of crystalline salts with 50 pct interstitial voids. The voids are filled with brine that contains mainly sodium and potassium compounds, but the brine also contains 0.015 pct Li2O, which is recovered as dilithium sodium phosphate containing 21 pct Li20. This deposit overlies a

Jan 1, 1960

By C. H. Mahoney, A. L. Tarr, P. E. Le Grand

Magnesium, it is now generally realized, differs in some important aspects from most other structural metals, not excepting even its close neighbors, the aluminum-base alloys. This is particularly true with respect to the effects of elevated temperatures on the two light metals when in the molten state. Aluminum, 0' the one hand, should not be raised above its melting point any higher than is absolutely necessary if one is to avoid danger of gas absorption and a tendency toward grain growth in the resultant casting.' Magnesium alloys, in sharp contrast, actually benefit by being heated to temperatures considerably above their melting point, It is a commonly accepted practice to establish the desired fine grain in the industrial magnesium alloys of the aluminum-hearing group by raising the temperature of the melt after the refining treatment to some 250°C (482°F.) above the melting range. To recall briefly the typical practice for magnesium alloys, the molten metal is refined by fluxing at about 730°C. (I350°F.), and after the melt has been covered with a suitable flux, the temperature is raised to between 870°C. (I600°F.) and 930°C. (1700°F.). It is then cooled as quickly as possible to the casting temperature. This superheating, as it is called, results in a fine-grained cast metal structure which has superior mechanical properties, enhanced amenability to 'solution heat-treatment, and better machinability than cast metal that has not been superheated. The minimum temperature of superheating varies to some extent with the composition of the alloys to be treated and usually increases with the percentage of magnesium in alloys containing the same constituent metals.' It should be noted that the grain-refining effect of superheating is markedly apparent only in connection with the alloys containing aluminum as an alloying Constituent—the binary alloy containing 1.5 per cent manganese, for example, is not refined in grain to any noticeable extent by a superheating effort. While the phenomenon of superheating is well known in the magnesium industry, the mechanism of the process has remained a mystery During the superheating cycle something occurs that forces a fine grain upon the solidifying metal. The process has been controlled in an empirical manner, and occasionally, especially on large-scale melts, and for no apparent cause, no grain refinement is obtained from a superheating treatment. Only a few papers of importance have been published on the subject. Of these, one of the most helpful is the paper by Achenbach, Nipper and Piwowarski,3 which gives considerable data concerning the effect of superheating on various properties such as fluidity, shrinkage and hot crack

Jan 1, 1945

By J. W. R. Rayner

THE conventional method of making water gas involves individual plants for the separate carbonization of coal to coke and the subsequent gasification of coke with steam. The process demands lump coke, preferably made from the best quality of coking coals. The ash in the coke should have a high melting point and the gasification process suffers a loss of efficiency when cokes with low ash-melting points are used. In Britain, these coals are generally the most expensive and they are readily available only in certain localities. The coals not suitable for making lump coke, or yielding only poor quality coke, are much more widely available and are generally cheaper. DEVELOPMENT OF ALTERNATIVE PROCESSES In Germany, processes have been developed and operated commercially for the production of water gas from very low-rank coals such as brown coal and lignites, but much less effort has been spent on processes to use coals of intermediate rank, which are widely available in Britain. The brown-coal processes use coal in the form of either dust or briquettes. The most successful of the dust-gasification methods is the Winkler process, which made a substantial contribution to German oil production during the war. It uses coal in the size range 0 to 8 mm and the fuel bed is blown with a mixture of oxygen and steam at a rate high enough to give it a characteristic boiling motion or, in present-day phraseology, at a rate more than sufficient to fluidize it (Fig. 1). Air cannot be used to provide the heat required for gasification, for vari¬ous reasons. In the first place, to make the process continuous by mixing air and steam would involve the production of a lean gas containing much nitrogen. If a separate blow were used, a large amount of potential heat would be lost because the blow gas in such a process would contain a very high percentage of carbon monoxide. Oxygen is necessary therefore and oxygen remains relatively expensive for use in gasification. In the Winkler generator, formation of clinker caused by local overheating does not occur, because of the mobility and high heat transfer of a fluidized bed. These properties of fluidized dusts have been used most successfully.

Jan 1, 1953

By Allen V. Heyl

This old district is a major zinc and lead source and minor copper and barite source. Ores are chiefly in the Galena Dolomite and in limestones and dolomites of the Decorah and Platteville Formations, all of Middle Ordovician age. Locally, deposits have been mined from Lower Ordovician dolomites and Upper Cambrian sandstones. Small deposits of lead, zinc, and iron sulfides have been found in Upper Ordovician Maquoketa Shale and in Lower and Middle Silurian Edgewood, Kankakee, and Hopkinton Formations. No post-Precambrian igneous rocks are known in the region, and the granitic and metasedimentary Precambrian basement rocks unconformably underlie the district at depths of 1500 to 2000 feet. The strata are gently flexed and faulted, probably largely the result of gentle compressive and rotational adjustments in the underlying crystalline basement, especially along lineaments between basement blocks. Folds of three orders ·of magnitude are recognized, and many related reverse, strike-slip, and normal faults of small to moderate displacements are present. Zinc-lead deposits are commonly linear, arcuate, or elliptical in plan. Most ore occurs as vein fillings in fractures and as breccia fillings and lining vugs, but some is in bedded replacements and impregnations of wall rocks. The ore is in shears, small reverse and bedding- plant faults, joints, and solution-slump structures related to intermediate and small folds. The main primary minerals in their general sequence of deposition are quartz, illite, dolomite, pyrite, marcasite, cobaltite(?), sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite, millerite, barite, and calcite. Wall-rock alterations include solution of the carbonate rocks, silicification, dolomitization, clay alteration, and sanded dolomite. Oxygenisotope, trace-element, lead-isotope, and sphalerite- stratigraphy studies are in progress. Fluid inclusions in sulfide and gangue minerals are filled with concentrated brines at 120° to 40°C. Sulfides are directly replaced by supergene minerals above the water table at 50 to 100 feet in depth. In this relatively cool climate and limestone environment, smithsonite is in pseudomorphs after sphalerite; solution transport and redeposition of supergene minerals are rare. Ore genesis is postulated by rising hot-water solutions-a mixture of heated connate, magmatic, and meteoric waters.

Jan 1, 1968

By H. Rush Spedden, A. M. Gaudin

IN the belief that a critical study of its operating problems might be a sound investment, the Cuban American Manganese Corporation initiated an ore-treatment research in cooperation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology One of the early objectives of this research naturally became the relationship of the microscopy of the Cuban ores of the Corporation to their flotation treatment The operations in Cuba have already been described by F S Norcross, Jr 7 and the laboratory study of manganese oxide flotation goes back a number of years 4 Broadly speaking, the difficulties encountered in the flotation of manganese ores are that the consumption of reagents is extremely high, the concentrate contains more silica than is desirable and the tailing losses are relatively high An appreciable betterment on any of these scores would achieve a definite betterment in costs, quantity of minable ores, and quality of product The microscope study discussed in this paper was made on samples from the Quinto mine, from the Ponupo mine, and from mill products at various stages of passage of the ore through the mill The writers have had access to Company records and in particular to the petrographic studies made on thin sections of ore by the late Professors R J Colony and Philip Krieger, of Columbia University They acknowledge their debt to both of these men for the help derived from the reports Manganese oxides are black, friable, smudging It is therefore, very difficult to judge operations by inspection The mineralogy of manganese compounds seems to be confused, and the authors believe that many more minerals have been described than actually exist Much of this difficulty is due to the prevalence of the structural conditions that will be discussed further in this paper, namely, the porosity and the friability of the ores, and the extremely intimate association of minute manganifeous mineral crystals with impurities of various sorts By all odds the most important manganese mineral in Cuba is the one that in this paper is called "psilomelane " The name "psilomelane" has been used in so many different ways that the choice of it for this ore may not be approved by all However, it seems to be the best under the circumstances This mineral accounts for about 97 per cent of the manganese in the ores of the Quinto and Ponupo mines and in the mill feed The remaining odd 3 per cent consists mostly of pyrolusite together with minor amounts of other manganese oxide minerals DESCRIPTION OF PSILOMELANE Aggregate Structure In grains or lumps, psilomelane has a characteristic fibrous appearance and seems

Jan 1, 1942

By Henry M. Rowe

Professor Ruff's most illuminating paper' describing his extremely valuable investigation of the carbon-iron equilibrium diagram assigns definite temperatures to certain very important lines in the diagram, viz.: the eutectic temperature EB (Fig. 1) and the " near-eutectic " temperature E'B', but without indicating clearly enough the reasoning which warrants these assignments. These temperatures are of such primary importance that it is well to indicate the apparent gaps in the reasoning, in the hope that they may be filled in. In his diagram, Fig. 1, the point X and the liues B'D'lII represent the experimental results reached by Ruff and Goecke;a AB, AEB, and SE represent the liquidus, the solidus, and the solubility of the carbon in solid austenite in the absence of graphite according to Gutowsky,3 AB being also in accordance with Spiecker's data; S'E' the solubility of carbon in solid austenite in the presence of graphite according to Ruer and Iljin;5 GS the line A3 after Ooerens and Meyer; 6 and EBC the true eutectic line as inferred by Prof. Ruff from Gutowsky's data. B'D' is the carbon content found in cast-iron which had apparently saturated itself with carbon in the presence of the graphite of the enclosing graphite crucibles in which the determinations were made. From its straightiiess and its sharp inflection near 6.67 per cent. of carbon, the carbon content of

Jan 1, 1913

By E. J. Whittenberger

OVER the past two decades, the Cr-Ni stainless steels, popularly termed 18-8 steels, have been used in ever increasing amounts in the aircraft, automotive, chemical, transportation, and building industries.' The contribution of nickel to these steels is associated with its strong austenite forming tendencies which assure good hot and cold forming characteristics, and with its beneficial influence upon corrosion resistance, especially in oxidizing acids. The adjustment of the chromium and nickel contents has been used advantageously in controlling the rollability and the response of the mechanical properties of these steels to cold reduction. With the advent of the jet age and the government stockpiling of nickel, considerable emphasis has been placed upon the development of satisfactory low nickel or nickel-free substitute austenitic stainless steels, especially for nonmilitary applications.2 Fer-ritic 17 pct Cr (AISI Type 430) stainless steel has been effectively substituted for the austenitic grades in applications with mildly corrosive exposure. However, the limited formability and ferromagnetic behavior of this grade do not permit its satisfactory use for many applications. To achieve better formability in a nenmagnetic steel and conserve nickel, a number of low nickel substitute austenitic grades of stainless steel have been developed in recent years. In most of these steels, manganese and nitrogen have been substituted for a portion of the nickel content, for example, 17 pct Cr-4 pct Ni-6 pct Mn (AISI Type 201), 18 pct Cr-5 pct Ni-8 pct Mn (AISI Type 202), and 16 pct Cr-1 pct Ni-17 pct Mn, all of which contain approximately 0.15 pct N.1 The precipitation of ferrite when large ingots of these Cr-Ni-Mn-N steels are heated to temperatures high enough for conversion to slabs on conventional universal slabbing mills has seriously affected the hot workability of these steels. This has been especially true in the case of the 16 pct Cr-1 pct Ni-17 pct Mn (sometimes referred to as 15 pct Cr-1 pct Ni-15 pct Mn) composition." Because it is possible that little, if any, nickel will be available for nonmilitary stainless steel applications in the event of a national emergency, a need has existed for a nickel-free austenitic stainless steel containing hot and cold forming characteristics similar to 18-8 steels and corrosion resistance at least comparable to the 17 pct Cr ferritic steel. The aforementioned deleterious effect of ferrite upon the hot working characteristics of the 16 pct Cr-1 pct Ni-17 pct Mn, steel indicates the importance of establishing the austenite-austenite plus ferrite phase boundaries as the first step in the development of nickel-free or low nickel substitute steels. This paper presents the data collected in an elevated temperature constitutional study of the Cr-Ni-Mn-N system at the South Works of the United States Steel Corp. Experimental Procedure The 300 compositions used in the investigation were melted in a 26 Ib induction furnace and cast in 3 14 in. diam by 18 in tall hot-tcpped ingot mo1ds.

Jan 1, 1958

By B. F. Tillson, C. M. Haight

I. General Remarks..........................723 1. Location............................723 2. Characteristics of the Orebody..................725 (a) Mineralogical (b) Shape, Strike, Dip, Size, Etc. (1) Ore (2) Country Rock 3. Historical Sketch........................725 11. Mining Method..........................726 1. Outline of Methods Now in Operation............... 726 (a) Stopes (b) Fill . (c) Pillars (d) Slices (e) Transportation (f) Miscellaneous 111. Mining Operations........................727 1. Shaft..............................727 (a) Sinking (b) Dimensions and Equipment, Sketches (1) Size, Inclination. Direction, Etc. (2) Timbering (3) Stations (4) Track (5) Hoisting Equipment (a) Skips (b) Engines and Ropes (c) Idlers (d) Man Cars (6) Loading Pockets (a) Operating Figures (7) Headframe

Jan 1, 1918

By David J. Mack, Dennis R. O’Boyle

The mechanical properties of three polycrystalline intermediale Phases that have the y bvass structure were measured in compression between 400° and 900°K. At the lower testing temperatures— termed Region I— no plaslic deformalion occurred prior to brittle fracture. A1 higher temperatuves— lermed Region III—the three phases deformted plaslically for all strain rules from 1.5 to 36.0 x 10-4 sec-1. The homologous temperature for the inilialion of plaslic flow increased in the same order as tile atomic size difference between atoms in each plmse (0.50Tmp for y AgZn, 0.62Tmp for y CuZn, and 0.76 Tmp for y CuCd). The increased flow resistance oj. y CuCd above 0.50Tmp is explaitzed in terms of the more random arrangement of copper and cadmiwn atoms on the laltice sites of&apos; the y bvass slrilctlire. Plaslic deformation of the three intevmiediate phases in the smooth plaslic flow region appears to be controlled by oacancy-induced dislocation climb. RESULTS are reported in this paper on the mechanical properties of three binary intermediate phases having the complex cubic y brass structure (D82, 143m) containing fifty-two atoms in the unit cell. The structure of the prototype y brass phase, y CuZn, was first analyzed by Bradley and Thewlis&apos; based on the X-ray work of Westgren and Phragmen.2 The y brass structure can be visualized as an arrangement of twenty-seven body centered cubes (3 by 3 by 3) into a unit cell containing fifty-four atoms. From this cell the center atom and the four corner atoms are removed and the remaining fifty-two atoms are slightly displaced, resulting in the y brass structure. Approximately thirty-five binary intermediate phases that have an electron to atom ratio of 21:13 have been reported to form the y brass structure. The three y brass intermediate phases selected for this study are formed from elements in groups IB and IIB of the first and second long period. Each compound exists over a composition range that includes the stoi-chiometric composition A5BB (Cu5Zn8, Ag5Zn8, Cu5Cd8). y CuZn (a0 = 9.944A) has solubility limits extending from 57 to 67 at. pct Zn at 500°C apd melts peritecti-cally at 834°C; y AgZn (a0 = 9.326A) has a solubility range from 58 to 63 at. pct Za and melts peritectically at 661°C. y CuCd (a, = 9.596A) melts congruently at 563°C and has a maximum range of solubility extending from 58 to 64 at. pct Cd. In order to minimize coring and microporosity during solidification, the composi- tion of the compounds that form peritectically (y CuZn and y AgZn) was chosen so that the temperature difference between the liquidus and the solidus is only a few degrees centigrade. In selecting y brass compounds for this study, phases were avoided that contained a transition element or that had an electron to atom ratio greater than 1.70. Hume-Rothery et a1.3 has observed that, when the electron to atom ratio of y brass intermediate phases exceeds 1.70, atoms begin to drop out of the unit cell to maintain a constant electron to unit cell ratio. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Each of the three intermediate phases was prepared from elements having a purity >99.999 pct. Only trace quantities of impurities (<0.0001 pct) were detected by spectrographic analysis of the four elements. A master alloy of each compound weighing approximately 130 g was prepared by melting the elements in evacuated sealed quartz tubes heated in an electric furnace. Specimens having the desired diameter for the mechanical property measurements were obtained by remelting the master alloy in a Vycor tube under argon and drawing specimens from the melt into 4-mm-diam quartz tubes. To obtain a smooth surface on specimens drawn from the melt, the inside of the quartz tube was coated with a thin layer of graphite formed by thermally decompositing acetone. All specimens were imbedded in sealing wax and cut to the proper length with a diamond-impregnated cut-off wheel. The individual specimens (4 mm diam by 8 mm long) were then sealed in evacuated Pyrex tubes and homogenized at 500°C for 72 hr. Chemical composition, variations over the length of the rod (10 cm long) were generally less than 0.2 pct and the analyzed composition differed from the desired composition by less than 0.5 pct.4 Metallographic evaluation of the specimens after homogenization showed no evidence of a second phase in any of the compounds. The average grain size of the specimens after homogenization was 1 to 2 mm. All mechanical property measurements were carried out in an argon atmosphere using a compression apparatus described previously.5 Prior to applying the load to the specimen, the test apparatus was evacuated, back-filled with argon, and heated to the test temperature for 20 min to establish thermal equilibrium. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS Mechanical properties measured as a function of temperature and strain rate for each of the three y brass phases were similar. From room temperature to the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature, only elastic deformation was observed prior to fracture.

Jan 1, 1968

By N. A. Gjostein

The formal descnption of the decay of an isolated scratch can be written in terms of an appropriate Fourier integral. With the application of certain approximations, this description leads to the second-moment analysis developed by King and Mullins. It is shown that the second-moment analysis does not adequately describe the behavior of a decaying, isolated scratch, and that it is difficult to obtain internally consistent values of the surface self-diffusion coefficient, D,,from this analysis. This inconsistency arises from contributions of higher-order moments to the decay process. Two new analytical methods, based on the Fourier integval representation of a scratch profile, have been developed for determining values of D, from the decay kinetics of isolated scratches. In the profile-matching method, a given initial profile is resolved into its Fourier components, the components are allowed to decay exponentially over an annealing time interval, At, and finally they are synthesized to form a decayed profile. The predicted profile is adjusted to fit the experimental profile by varying only the parameter, D,At; the contribution from volume diffusion is directly taken into account and the integrals involved in the Fourier analysis are evaluated by numerical integration on an electronic computer. In the kinetic method, the widths, W, of a series of predicted profiles are determined for various volume-diffusion contributions, and the results are plotted in the form W vs DSAt. For a fixed ratio of surface to volume diffusivities, R, these plots are linear; the slope of the lines increases as R decreases. A simi-lar analysis can be performed on the depths of the predicted profiles. In this case, plots of (l/df3 vs D,At are found to be nonlinear. The proper value of Ds is found by superimposing the data for the experimental widths and depths on Plots of this kind and adjusting Ds until a fit is obtained with the line having the appropriate value oj R. An analysis of the slopes of these plots for R —= (surface diffusion only) reveals that they do not give the correct value, 2276, for width tf second-moment standard profile. This finding allows one to modify the second-moment analysis in such a way as to obtain internally consistent values of Ds. ThERE are several processes, involving a flow of matter along a surface, due to gradients in curvature of the surface, that may be used to determine the surface self-diffusion coefficient, Ds. These processes are commonly known as 1) thermal grooving, 2) single and 3) multiple scratch decay, 4) blunting of field-emitter tips, and 5) sintering. In this series of papers, the first three of these processes are examined in detail in an attempt to subject the phenomenological theories governing these processes to a critical test and, furthermore, to make a critical comparison of the values of D, obtained from these techniques. Although the thermal grooving technique has been established&apos;&apos; as a reliable method for determining D, , this has not been the case for the process of scratch flattening. Mullins and coworkers374 have proposed phenomenological laws governing the growth of the width and the decay of the amplitude of an isolated scratch, but only in one study5 has the width-growth law been supported by experimental evidence. In paper I of this series detailed experimental evidence is presented that points up the deficiencies of the second-moment analysis; the origins of these deficiencies are also discussed. Following this development, some new analytical procedures, based on representing the scratch profile by Fourier integrals, are presented as a means of obtaining reliable values of D, from the kinetics of the scratch-flattening process. Further applications of the Fourier integral approach are reported in papers 11&apos; and 111,~ where the method has been useful in interpreting the anisotropy of flattening rates of isolated scratches (paper 11) and in describing the multiple scratch decay process (paper 111). THEORY OF SCRATCH DECAY Following ~ullins" approach we consider an arbitrarily shaped scratch profile, Fig. 6, at some time, t. The profile is designated by a function z(x,t) which can be expressed in terms of a Fourier integral as follows:

Jan 1, 1967

By Orville R. Lyons

THE removal of moisture from coal has been a coal-preparation problem ever since the first wet-washing preparation plant was placed in operation. Today, when most of the coal produced in the United States is wetted at the working face when mined, or is cleaned by wet methods, the removal of moisture is a necessity for any one or a combination of the following reasons; (1) to avoid freezing difficulties during shipment, (2) to increase the B.t.u. content, (3) to effect savings in freight costs, and (4) to so improve the coal that it may be used for specific purposes-for instance, in the production of briquettes or the production of metallurgical coke-or so that it can be treated by dry cleaning methods. In general, the amount of water retained by coal particles varies with the size-consist of the coal. Fine coal has a larger surface area per unit weight than does coarse coal, so its capacity for retaining moisture is proportionately greater. The removal of moisture from coarse coal is relatively easy, while the removal of water from minus 10-mesh coal or finer is a major problem, usually requiring an individual solution at each preparation plant. As a result, a multitude of methods and a variety of equipment have been designed to solve both general and specific moisture-removal problems. Definitions In order that misunderstanding may be eliminated insofar as possible, it is necessary to define the terms to be used. The moisture content of any given increment of wet, washed coal is made up of two parts, inherent and surface moisture. Inherent moisture has been defined in various ways and as yet no standard definition has been agreed upon. However, in general, it is considered as the moisture that is present in the coal in the bed. The important point to remember is that coal with any amount of inherent moisture, whether 2 or 20 per cent, will appear dry if there is no surface moisture. Also important is the fact that inherent moisture can be removed, in part, by air drying at atmospheric temperatures. Surface moisture is that attached to the surface of the coal particles or that retained in cracks and fissures other than capillary openings in the coal substance. Essentially, insofar as the bituminous coal and anthracite indus-

Jan 1, 1950

By N. N. Breyer

A specially built "hard" tensile machine with characteristics permitting the precise detertnination of the drop of the load at the yield point has been used to study the magnitude of the yield-point phenotnenon in prestrained martensitic 4340 steel. A new phenonzenon, the appearance of a secondary yield point, has been observed by holding the specimen at constant strain in the plastic region. Furthermore, it has been found that a series of yield-point drops could be introduced by successive constant strain holds in the plastic region. The isothermal kinetics of the development of the secondary yielding point lave been studied at four temperatures: 24° 0° -18°, and -79°C. From the results of the kinetic investigation, equations for the In a previous investigation1 it was shown that, contrary to generally held opinion, steels of medium carbon content, such as 4340, 4140, and 86B30, in the as-quenched martensitic condition, can be cold-drawn through a die with reductions in area of up to 10 pct without cracking. Tensile specimens of 4340 machined from bars quenched and prestrained in this manner exhibited tensile strengths of about 400,000 psi coupled with 30 pct reductions in area. In addition, it was found that each sample of such steels exhibited a yield point in the quenched, cold-drawn condition. Since these studies were conducted on a commercial hydraulic testing machine of a type which is not well-suited to detailed study of yield-point behavior, it was decided to study this phenomenon more thoroughly on a rigid straining machine. In this new investigation, use of such a "hard" machine not only allowed study of the magnitude of the yield-point drop but also revealed a new phenomenon—secondary yielding of the martensite introduced by stopping crosshead motion after plastic deformation of the sample had begun. The present paper is a report of these findings. MATERIALS AND PROCESSING The material used was a commercial 4340 steel of the composition shown below: 0.41 0.80 0.013 0.019 0.31 0.85 1.76 0.28 1 0.42 0.77 0.015 0.024 0.30 0.84 1.69 0.28 0.08 2 1 = Ladle analysis. 2 = Laboratory analysis. Bars of this steel were processed in the following way: 1) machined to predetermined diameters; 2) austenitized at 870°C for 1 1/2 hr; 3) oil-quenched; 4) cooled to -115°C for 1/2 hr; onset and increase in magnitude of the secondary yielding in this temperature region have been found to fit the relationship ?Ys = Atn where ?Ys is the magnitude of the secondary yield Point in psi, t is the time in seconds, and A and n are parameter characteris-tics of the material. Although the occurrence of the primary and secondary yield points could be rationalized qualitatively on the basis of stress-induced ordering of carbon atoms in the stress fields of dislocations, as postulated in an earlier paper, the kinetics of the secondary-yield-point development were interpreted to indicate that the ordering involves more than just single jumps of carbon atoms from high-energy to neighboring low-energy sites. 5) pickled and lime-coated; 6) drawn through a carbide die. The predetermined diameters were chosen so that drawing through the same die gave the various reductions desired. Tensile specimens of 0.252 in. diam with a 1 1/4 in. gage length were then prepared from the drawn bars and tested. In order to study the stress-strain behavior at the yield point in detail, a rigid tensile machine with a high spring constant was constructed. Columns of large cross section (relative to the specimen cross section) constituted the machine frame. A dc motor was used to drive a screw via a gear reducing train and a "crane" thrust bearing. In this relatively simple device small deformations could be observed un-blurred by the slow response and lower spring constant inherent in hydraulic machines.&apos; A strain-gage dynamometer permitted load changes as small as 8 lb to be read. RESULTS Tensile test samples machined from bars in the as-quenched condition with no subsequent drawing and samples from bars with 3.8 pct reduction after quenching gave stress-strain curves typified by those shown in Figs. I and 2. The time lapse between predrawing and tensile testing varied but usually ranged between 3 to 6 days at room temperature. The strain rate during testing was 0.003 in. per in. per min. The as-quenched curve is seen to have a broad serrated maximum whereas the stress on the specimen prestrained 3.8 pct rose linearly to point A, Fig. 2, fell abruptly to B, and then gradually to C. The abrupt drop to B was accompanied by evidence of incipient necking. The drop of the stress at the yield point in the prestrained samples (A to B in Fig. 2) changed with the percent prestrain, as illustrated on Fig. 3. Although the tensile strength increased continuously with the amount of previous cold drawing, the magnitude of the yield point drop first increased—up to about 6 pct prior reduction—and then decreased. Specimens from bars predrawn more than 8 pct broke in a brittle fashion in the elastic portion of the stress-strain curve.

Jan 1, 1967

By Frederic E. Carter

THERE have been many attempts to prove that platinum was known to the ancients, but since no traces of the metal have been found in the relics of early times, it must be concluded that it was not known to them. As far as records go, it was actually first discovered in the 16th century in a Spanish mine on the Pinto River in South America; from which source it received its name of Platina del Pinto (little silver from the Pinto). It was more or less of a rarity and was a subject of interest to a few chemists only, until the year 1822 when the metal was first discovered in Russia. In 1819 there were noticed in the washings of the gold sands of the southern part of the Ural Mountains, grains of a heavy white substance, but it was not until three years later that this substance was found to contain platinum. While at first the amounts of platinum brought from the Urals were meager, prospecting soon disclosed rich deposits extending over a considerable area, and nuggets from 10 to 20 lb. were by no means rare. This discovery assured to chemists an ample supply of platinum for their crucibles, etc. The ore is now found in various parts of the world but the richest deposits are still found in the Ural Mountains. The platinum of commerce is obtained entirely from alluvial deposits at depths varying from 6 to 40 ft. The sand and gravel of former river beds are subjected to a series of screenings and washings to effect the separation of the ore. Actually, probably all gold-bearing gravel beds of the world contain platinum, and it is more than likely that large quantities of platinum ore have been thrown away with the black sand washings from gold placer deposits. This is especially true of the alluvial deposits of the Pacific Coast in California and Oregon. Platinum ore is usually found in the form of rounded or flattened grains of "sand," and occasionally in irregular lumps of the size of peas. Large nuggets are very rare. The ore has a metallic luster and is distinguished by its steel gray color, but shows light gray streak when rubbed on a hard white surface; it has a high specific gravity, 16 to 19; is infusible in the hottest blast furnaces, and insoluble in any single acid. Platinum ore is a complex body consisting of the metal in combination with varying proportions of the other members of the platinum group; iridium,

Jan 1, 1928

By Robert H. Merrill, David W. Wisecarver, Raymond M. Stateham

The US. Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with US. Borax and Chemical Corp. and Kennecott Copper Corp., has investigated the use of the microseismic method to evaluate the stability of large, open-pit slope walls. The method is based on the phenomenon that stressed rock normally emits subaudible rock noises, and the number of rock noises per unit time (noise rate) and the magnitude of the rock noises (amplitude) increase as the stresses in the rock approach the failure stress of the rock. Therefore, the detection and recording of those rock noises serve as a semiquantitative method of predicting the incipient failure of rock. This report briefly describes the three different types of micro-seismic apparatus, the procedures, and the results of microseismic investigations in the slope walls of the Boron mine near Boron, CaL, and the Kimbley, Liberty, and Tripp-Veteran open-pit mines near Ely, Nev. Microseismic monitoring within a frequency band of SO to 5000 Hz indicates noise rates in stable, inactive mining areas are between 0 and 10 noises per hour; the rates in stable, active mining areas are between 10 and 50 noises per hour; and the rate in unstable areas is as high as 2500 noises per hour. High microseismic noise rates in the Liberty pit correlate with the time of nearby earthquakes, indicating that the earthquakes affected the slope wall. The results provide evidence that the microseismic technique is applicable to large pit walls, and that the wide-band, wide-range microseismic equipment appears to be suitable for open-pit investigations. The microseismic method is based on the phenomenon that stressed rock normally emits subaudible rock noises, and the number of rock noises per unit time (noise rate) and the magnitude of the rock noises (amplitude) increase as the stresses in the rock approach the failure stress of the rock. Therefore, the detection and recording of those rock noises serve as a semiquantitative method of predicting the incipient failure of rock. The method has been used for many years to detect incipient failure in roofs or pillars in underground mines. In 1963 the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) started an investigation of the microseismic method in large, open-pit slope walls. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the method in open-pit slopes where the rock may be fractured and broken and where the size of the rock mass under investigation is much larger than normally encountered underground. In addition, both the stresses in the rock and the strength of rock near pits are lower than usually found underground. Consequently, there was some doubt concerning the feasibility of the method for open pits, and the economics of such an investigation may have been prohibitive especially if large walls had to be monitored with closely spaced geophones. The successful application of the microseismic method to underground operations has improved safety at little, or no sacrifice, to production or extraction ratios. The anticipated reward in open-pit mining would be the improvement of safety with a minimum sacrifice to mining operations. There is also a possibility that the method could be used to optimize the unloading (stripping) of potential failure areas by the removal of intact rock from the slope wall rather than the cleanup of a slide from the bottom of the pit. This report contains a brief description of three types of microseismic apparatus used in four different pit walls, each of which is different in height, slope, rock types, or has different planes of weaknesses, such as faults, fractures, or joints. Because the geologic features of the pit walls are varied and complex, for brevity, this report dwells mostly on the microseismic apparatus, techniques, the rock noise rates, and the slope movements measured at the various sites. PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT The microseismic method was developed over 20 years ago; and the method and examples of investigations in underground mines are summarized by Obert and Duvall. 1 In more recent years, the method has been applied in several underground mines, and an in-situ test under controlled stress conditions is described by Morgan and Merrill. 2 Experience has shown that, on occasions, the microseismic noise rate and amplitude reach a peak value and then start to decrease before a failure occurs in an underground mine; on other occasions, the noise rate steadily increases to a maximum at failure. The method has been applied to slopes by Goodman and Blake,3 and by Paulsen. 4 Goodman and Blake found that the noises corresponded with failures in the slope

Jan 1, 1970

By T. A. Wright

The sampling of waste materials containing copper, lead and tin has taken on a new significance within recent years, and is of increasing importance, on account of the entry of some of the copper refineries into this field and the tendency towards consolidations among the smelters. In the past, such material was sold on the basis either of a rough or grab sample or of casual inspection of the lot. The two principal sources of this waste are the processes of fabrication and the scrapping of automobile, electrical, plumbing, railroad and other equipment. In both cases much material can be sorted, salvaged and sold by classification and grade to be melted "as is" or with the addition of new or virgin metal. The increasing care in classifying exercised in the large manufacturing plants tends to increase the proportion of this usable scrap; on the contrary, the increasing use of more complex and special non-ferrous alloys tends to make sorting and grading more difficult in turnings, borings, clippings, etc., and consequently is making sampling of more moment. In tin, lead, aluminum, and zinc furnace by-products such as ashes, drosses, skimmings, etc., the trade practice of evaluation has not varied much. For instance, tin drosses, battery lead, and aluminum skimmings are ordinarily sold on what is called "metallic button" or "metallic recovery" or (&apos;metallic yield." Copper and lead waste, however, is being sold more and more on actual copper and lead contents based on sample and chemical analyses. This paper will be devoted chiefly to the sampling of materials suitable only for refining and recovery of one or more of the metals present. The methods described are often based on the fact that but one metal, such as copper, is to be paid for. The loss of volatile constituents in melting does not appreciably affect the final copper result, as the "after-melting" assay can be readily calculated to the "before-melting" basis, but if smelter efficiency continues to increase, so that in time zinc, for instance, may be recovered on a paying basis, the method of sampling dirty brass, for example, will have to be changed also. As a matter of fact, we may expect that improved refining processes will make possible the partial recovery of lead and tin which are now lost.

Jan 1, 1928

By B. P. Mulcahy

When the phrase "selection of coal for carbonization" is used, there is always the implied continuance of thought "to make good coke.&apos;&apos; The reason for this, of course, lies in the fact that, in almost all instances, when coal is carbonized coke is the principal product. Under certain conditions the yield of gas may also be a factor, but even here it must be secondary to the coke yield, for in every instance coke represents the largest single product of the process. The importance of coke to the byproduct industry has been considerably enhanced during the past 20 years because of the continuously decreasing financial returns of all the by-products. This fact will account, in part, for the rebirth of interest and investigation in the carbonization process during the past 10 years. Many papers have been written on this subject, with naturally divergent thoughts because of the diversity of interests, but in each instance the common aim was the same—the making of better coke. Scope of Investigation In perusing this literature, the writer was struck with the constantly recurring imposed condition of asking for better coke, but with the distinct unwillingness to make any concession to temperature of carbonization. When there is a high demand for coke, the only means by which the industry can increase the quantity is to shorten the coking time by an increase in temperature, or to increase the quantity of low-volatile coal, or both; and since in many instances the percentage of low-volatile coal can be increased only in small quantities, because of factors to be discussed later, the big increase must come from shortening the coking time. When this is done most of the improvement accomplished by the selection of the coals in the mixture is lost. It is not felt necessary in this paper to discuss the advantages of minimum ash and sulphur and other materials in coal. The value of minimum contents of these materials in coke is well established. When the use of coals high in these contents is dictated, the selection of coals, as we will consider it here, cannot apply to full advantage. The scope of this paper, then, will be to discuss the factors of inherent coal characteristics and operating procedures that influence coke quality, for they are fundamentally related and both must be considered if we are to attain our objective of better coke. A study of either must embrace a study of both simultaneously. To properly evaluate the influence of the coal and to help in the selection, we must first be able to appraise the coke, and interpret fairly the influence of the process in all of its aspects. Appraisal of Coke To refer simply to the quality of coke gives no indication of what is meant, for the term is too general in its implication. An analysis of a coke is divided usually

Jan 1, 1944

By B. P. Mulcahy

When the phrase "selection of coal for carbonization" is used, there is always the implied continuance of thought "to make good coke.&apos;&apos; The reason for this, of course, lies in the fact that, in almost all instances, when coal is carbonized coke is the principal product. Under certain conditions the yield of gas may also be a factor, but even here it must be secondary to the coke yield, for in every instance coke represents the largest single product of the process. The importance of coke to the byproduct industry has been considerably enhanced during the past 20 years because of the continuously decreasing financial returns of all the by-products. This fact will account, in part, for the rebirth of interest and investigation in the carbonization process during the past 10 years. Many papers have been written on this subject, with naturally divergent thoughts because of the diversity of interests, but in each instance the common aim was the same—the making of better coke. Scope of Investigation In perusing this literature, the writer was struck with the constantly recurring imposed condition of asking for better coke, but with the distinct unwillingness to make any concession to temperature of carbonization. When there is a high demand for coke, the only means by which the industry can increase the quantity is to shorten the coking time by an increase in temperature, or to increase the quantity of low-volatile coal, or both; and since in many instances the percentage of low-volatile coal can be increased only in small quantities, because of factors to be discussed later, the big increase must come from shortening the coking time. When this is done most of the improvement accomplished by the selection of the coals in the mixture is lost. It is not felt necessary in this paper to discuss the advantages of minimum ash and sulphur and other materials in coal. The value of minimum contents of these materials in coke is well established. When the use of coals high in these contents is dictated, the selection of coals, as we will consider it here, cannot apply to full advantage. The scope of this paper, then, will be to discuss the factors of inherent coal characteristics and operating procedures that influence coke quality, for they are fundamentally related and both must be considered if we are to attain our objective of better coke. A study of either must embrace a study of both simultaneously. To properly evaluate the influence of the coal and to help in the selection, we must first be able to appraise the coke, and interpret fairly the influence of the process in all of its aspects. Appraisal of Coke To refer simply to the quality of coke gives no indication of what is meant, for the term is too general in its implication. An analysis of a coke is divided usually

Jan 1, 1944

By H. H. Stoek, G. W. Harries

The term " Anthracite Coal-Field " is generally used to refer to a comparatively small territory lying in the eastern-central part of Pennsylvania. This territory includes about 3,300 sq. miles of area, located chiefly in five counties in which anthracite-mining is the dominant industry. Although an area of 3,300 sq. miles is embraced in the region, less than one-fifth of this area, or only 484 sq. miles, is underlain by workable coal-seams. Moreover, this prorluctive portion is not a continuous area, but consists of a number of detached basins. These are known as the Northern, containing 176 sq. miles; Eastern-Middle, containing 133 sq. miles; Southern, containing 181 sq. miles; and western-Middle,containing 194 sq. miles. From the standpoint of business and trade, the region is divided into three districts, known as (1) the Wyoming, which includes the Northern field and the small Bernice basin; (2) the Lehigh region, which includes all of the Eastern Middle field and that part of the Southern field east of Tamaqua; and (3) the Schuylkill region, which includes the WesL ern-Middle field and that part of the Southern field west of Tamaqua. The relative commercial importance of these districts at the present time is shown by the coal-shipments as given in the following table :

Jan 1, 1904