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By J. Alfred Berger, O. M. Katz

Selected samples of hydrided Zr-Hf alloys were rapidly quenched to voom temperature and exrtrnined metallographically, by X-ray diffraction, and through micro hardness studies to confirm high-temperutuve data Confirming experiments sllowed that there were five phases in this Lernary system: 1) hextrgonal with lattice parameters similar to that of the initia1 Zr-Hf alloy but slightly enlarged due to dissolved hydrogen; 2) fee with properties of a brittle, intermediate, hydride compound; 3) fct with c/a crvoltnd 1.07 and which appeared as a neetilelike precipitale; 4) hexagonal, designated ?, with c/a ratio of 2.37; and 5) orthorhombic, designated X, with a = 4.67, b = 4.49, and c = 5.093 and whose tnicro-st?ruct~ival nppetrl-nnce depcncled o/i, heat lvecrt~r~ent. The tetragonrrl phase never crppeal-erl witkorct the cubic hydricle. Abpecrrtrnce of 0 and A also tlependet on the hafnium content of the zirconium. A previous paper' on the Zr-Hf-H system described the thermochemical data obtained with a high-vacuum, high-sensitivity mirrogravimetric apparatus. This data presented a fairly complete picture of the phase relationships at elevated temperatures. However, it could not establish the actual crystal structures, lattice parameters, or metallographic disposition of the hydride phases. The present complementary study utilizes X-ray powder patterns along with light and electron microscopy to characterize completely the five hydrided phases found in Zr-Hf-H alloys quenched to room temperature. Crystallographic features of the zr-Hf,2,4 zr-H,5-7 and Hf-H8 systems have been summarized in Table I. Designations of a, ß, and ? were retained in the Zr-Hf-H system for the phase regions through which the pressure-composition isotherms always sloped. However, it was not firmly agreed that these were single-phase regions.' In fact, the region designated y always contained a cubic as well as a tetragonal phase after quenching to -196°C. MATERIALS Preparation of the high-purity Zr-Hf alloys has been described.' The four zirconium alloys which were hydrided contained 37 wt pct Hf (23 at. pct), 51 wt pct Hf (37 at. pct), 73 wt pct Hf (58 at. pct), and 91 wt pct Hf (82 at. pct), respectively. These were designated B-2, B-4, B-6, and B-8. Photomicrographs of the initial alloys showed the material to be quite clean as would be expected from the precautions exercised in producing them. However, there were a number of annealing twins but no other subgrain structure. In addition to the four original alloys, fifteen hydrided samples were observed at room temperature. Hydrogen compositions are given at the top of Tables I1 to V. APPARATUS The phases present at elevated temperatures were studied by quenching hydrided samples to room temperature by two different methods, both under vacuum: 1) fast cooling of the sample tubes of the microgravimetric apparatus1'9 with flowing air and 2) rapid quenching into liquid nitrogen. The cooling rate for 1) was 750° to 250°C in 30 sec. Since the microbalance chamber was not designed to permit very rapid cooling of a hydride sample, all liquid-nitrogen quenching was done in an auxiliary experiment. The auxiliary quenching apparatus consisted of a small-bore, high-temperature furnace, a sealed SiO2 tube containing the sample, and a dewar quenching flask filled with liquid nitrogen. The hydrided sample, previously quenched in the microgravimetric reaction chamber, was placed in a platinum boat in a vacuum-degassed SiO2 tube. A zirconium wire getter and degassed SiO2 rod, to reduce the internal volume, were also in the tube. After sealing the tube under vacuum the zirconium getter was heated to absorb the last traces of gas. Only the sample was heated at the reaction temperature for the desired length of time, and then the tube dropped through the opposite end of the furnace into the dewar. A quenching rate of 200" to 400° C per sec was estimated. Analyses of samples after the auxiliary experiment also showed practically no increase in oxygen or nitrogen content from heating in the SiO2 tube. All of the samples were examined at room temperature by the X-ray powder method. The majority of the powder patterns were obtained with double nickel-filtered CuKa radiation after 8- and 16-hr exposures in an 11.48-cm-diam camera. Cobalt and chromium radiation were also used to spread out the high d value end of the Pattern. Such patterns readily identified the minor phases. NO oxide or nitride lines were found. Where sharp back-reflection lines existed it was possible to reduce the

Jan 1, 1965

By J. J. Casey, R. S. Busk, D. L. Leman

The mechanical properties and the phase-temperature relationships of magnesium-lithium-aluminum, magnesium-lithium-zinc, and magnesium-lithium-aluminum-zinc alloys are presented. It is shown that the strengths of some of these alloys can be tripled by heat treating and aging but that the high strength is accompanied by brittleness and lack of stability. MAGNESIUM-LITHIUM alloys are interesting because the hexagonal structure of magnesium can be changed into the more ductile and workable body-centered cubic structure by the addition of only 10 pct lithium.1 After Loonam2 determined that the ductility of the magnesium-lithium alloys is destroyed by even trace quantities of sodium, it was possible to prepare ductile alioys and study their mechanical properties. Jackson3 and coworkers have ably described their results with both the binary and polynary magnesium-lithium alloys. The present paper is a report of the mechanical properties of wrought magnesium-lithium-aluminurn, magnesium-lithium-zinc, and magnesium-lithium-aluminum-zinc alloys. Experimental Procedure The alloys were made by melting 7 lb of magnesium in a steel crucible under a molten flux of 75 pct LiCl + 25 pct LiF3 previously dried at 1600°F. The metal was heated to 1300°F for alloying aluminum and zinc and then cooled to 1250°F for adding lithium (sodium content: 0.01 to 0.04 pct). After the lithium had been alloyed, dry LiF powder was sprinkled on the melt to thicken the excess flux. After a 15 min holding period, the flux was skimmed off. Paraffin vapors were used to protect the metal as it was poured into 3 in. diam by 11 in. long magnesium molds. Billets were extruded into 3/8-in. diam rod and 1/16 x 3/4-in. strip; sheet was prepared from 1/8x 7/8-in. extruded strip, first by hot rolling and then by cold rolling 2 pct per pass. Hot rollability, or the temperature range through which the alloys could be rolled, was determined by rolling the strip two passes at 30 pct reduction per pass. Cold rollability, or the percentage of cold reduction to cause detrimental cracking, was determined on 0.064-in. hot-rolled sheet. Standard ASTM procedures were followed to obtain the mechanical properties, using 0.2 pct offset for the yield strengths. The level of properties produced with commercial magnesium alloys using the procedure described is given in a previous publication." Results Magnesium - Lithium - Aluminum System: The good workability of magnesium-lithium alloys is illustrated by the data in table I, which shows approximately how the extrusion pressure decreases as the amount of cubic phase increases. Binary magnesium-lithium alloys are soft and weak, but aluminum raises their strengths con-

Jan 1, 1951

By D. L. Kelley

High-viscosity water injection has been proposed for use in reservoirs containing high-viscosity crude oils. Previous publications have largely ignored the possible effects of the connate water on the proposed process. This paper describes experimental work which indicates that the connate water will be forced ahead of the injected water to form a bank of low-viscosity water. This decreases the oil recovery which would be expected if such a bank were not formed. These effects are shown for a range of fluid mobilities and connate-water saturations for a five-spot injection system. In general, oil recoveries using viscous water are significantly greater than for untreated water even though they are less than would be expected if no connate water bank were formed. INTRODUCTION The effect of mobility ratio on the oil recovery of wa-terfloods has been known for many years. Muskat first pointed out that the fluid mobilities (k/µ) in the oil and water regions would affect the performance of the water-flood, and he estimated the general effect of these variables.' Since this early work, studies of the effect of mobility ratio on secondary recovery have been reported where mathematical,' potentiometric3 and scaled flow models' were used. These studies have shown that a reduction in the mobility ratio between the oil and the displacing fluid would cause additional oil recovery when water-flooding reservoirs containing viscous crude oils. Studies reported by Pye- nd Sandiford 8 have indicated that chemicals to increase injection water viscosity are now available and can be used to reduce the over-all mobility ratio of a waterflood. Where mobility ratios are controlled by the injection of viscous fluids, the connate water of the reservoir can play an important part in the displacement of the reservoir oil. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the connate-water saturation in waterfloods where viscous waters are used for injection. DISPLACEMENT OF THE CONNATE WATER Russell, Morgan and Muskat7 were the first to recognize the mobility of connate waters in waterflooding. They conducted waterfloods on oil-saturated cores containing 20 and 35 per cent irreducible water saturations, and found that from 80 to 90 per cent of the "irreducible" water was produced after only one pore volume of water was injected. However, their experiments were conducted at rates of flow significantly higher than those ordinarily occurring in waterfloods. Also, the cores were only from 4.0 to 8.5 cm long. Brown 4 studied a 100-cm linear sand pack which had been prepared to contain connate water and oil. He used 140- and 1.8-cp oils with injection water of essentially the same viscosity as the connate water. He found that all of the connate water was displaced by the injection water in both cases. However, the injection volumes required for complete displacement of the connate water were considerably higher in the case of the more viscous oil. To verify the results of the foregoing experiment, a 10-ft-long linear model was constructed by packing 250-300 mesh sand in a 1/2-in. diameter nylon tube. The model was evacuated, saturated with a brine of 1-cp viscosity, and flooded with a 41-cp mineral oil to the irreducible water saturation of 10.9 per cent. The model was then waterflooded by the injection of a water solution which had an apparent viscosity of 42.6 cp. The solution consisted of 0.5 per cent methylcellulose in distilled water. The viscosities of the oil and connate water were measured with an Ostwald viscosimeter. The viscosity of the polymer solution was calculated by Darcy's law using pressures measured during actual flow conditions. The ratio of the mobility in the oil region to the mobility in the inject ion-water region was approximately 0.32. The mobility ratio of the oil region to the connate-water bank was approximately 14. The mobility ratio between the connate-water bank and the injection water region was 0.024. Approximately 84.5 per cent of the recoverable oil was produced before water breakthrough. Immediately following breakthrough, oil and connate water were produced at an increasing water-oil ratio until the viscous injection water broke through. At viscous-water breakthrough, 96 per cent of the original connate water had been produced. After breakthrough of the viscous water, there was no additional production of connate water or oil. The near-

Jan 1, 1967

By S. S. Clarke

THE sheet-ground deposits of the TriState district, because they are fairly uniform in thickness (7 to 11 ft.)-rather flat, with an easy dip to the west-and cover a large acreage, offered a problem of improved transportation. Heading advance in this kind of mine is very rapid and track haulage requires a larger crew of trackmen than do other mines, and a heavy investment in track. The use of some type of rubber-tired truck equipment for underground haulage was under consideration for some time by the Eagle-Picher Mining and Smelting Co. The nature of some ore bodies made them not adaptable to truck haulage and some mines that did offer possibilities were equipped with other types of haulage, and the expected savings by the use of trucks did not offset the loss of investment that would be incurred in discarding other equipment. The decision was made to sink a new shaft, designed for skip hoisting, on the Blue Goose ore body, and then develop truck equipment. DEVELOPING TRACTORS AND TRAILERS A study was made of internal-combustion engines for power units in the tractors, but the extreme difficulty of controlling air circulation, and the heavy cost of drilling large churn drill holes for blower installations, led to the adoption of a tractor with a storage battery. The storage-battery tractor that was on the market for mine haulage was impossible to obtain because all were needed for defense work. Several standard electric-truck chassis were purchased and rebuilt in the Eagle-Picher shops. The steering wheel was shortened and set vertical, permitting the driver's seat to be moved forward, and the frame was shortened enough to take the battery box and the fifth wheel support that carried the gooseneck of the dump trailer. The fifth wheel, or turntable, is of the ball and socket type. Fig. I shows the ball fastened to the gooseneck. The socket is split to permit introduction of the ball and is held by through-bolts, and the socket is welded to a ½ -in. plate, which in turn is attached to the tractor frame. Smaller wheels and tires were put on to reduce over-all height. If it had been necessary, the springs could have been reversed, or taken off entirely, to gain additional clearance. The tractors are equipped with 48-cell, 23-plate, 400-A.H. batteries. With the initial tonnage and mileage, the batteries were about 50 per cent down at the end of a shift. Tractors have truck tires 7.50 by 20, 8-ply, front and rear, the rear being dual. After four months of use, the tires are beginning to show signs of failure.* In

Jan 1, 1942

By Charles G. Maier

SCIENCE beginning in rational observation came of age, when its devotees first began to measure and count. It has been said that the most striking aspect, of science today is its growing abstraction, and its preoccupation with mathematical symbolism. Technology with specific and concrete objectives in the satisfaction of human wants, cannot conceivably achieve the abstract unification that science seeks, but .the utility of the' scientist's method has been too well proved to require bolstering. Metallurgy is in its scientific infancy.

Jan 1, 1931

By William Copp

THE SEAL BEACH oil field is between the Long Beach and Huntington Beach oil fields, south of Los Angeles, and about half the productive area is with-in the city limits of Long Beach. The proved area lies in portions of Sections 2, 3 and 11, T. 5 S., R. 12 W., S. B. B. & M. Seal Beach is 'an additional link in that remarkable chain, of oil fields extending from Newport to Beverly . Hills, filling in one of the few remaining gaps. It differs from other fields along this line of folding in that it is an oil field in an area of tide lands. Ocean-connected sloughs have access to this area, which ac-counts for its extensive mud flats. The surface eleva-tion of the low ground varies from 2 to 5 ft. above sea-level. This condition called for much preliminary work in building roads prior to field development. Roads are constructed with dredges and drag-line scrapers, which excavate mud from alongside the proposed road and pile it up to a grade high enough to be above high tide. The road bed is then surfaced with gravel, or decom-posed granite, which makes it serviceable in all kinds of weather. An immense amount of road material has already been hauled into this field. Well locations are staked in the mud flats, sometimes ahead of road build-ing, and material is dragged to its place on the ground by tractor. It is necessary to drive piling to support derrick foundations. The present practice is to drive 5 piles for each derrick leg, 4 under the rotary table, 2 under the draw-works, 2 under the Samson post and 4 under the pipe rack, a total of 32 piles. This pro-cedure is, of course, varied to suit special conditions, using either more or less piling.

Jan 6, 1927

By Norman D. Fitzgerald

IN 1943 the petroleum industry completed a series of practical adjustments to the acute problems which dominated the scene a year earlier. The crisis in petroleum transportation from the Gulf Coast to the East Coast was met by the completion of overland pipe lines supplementing emergency haulage by tank car so pressure on consumers along the Atlantic Seaboard was appreciably relieved. Later in the year when the western Atlantic was largely cleared of submarines, the sharp reduction in the hazards of marine transportation permitted the resumption of coastwise traffic and imports from South America. Nationwide restrictions in the use of gasoline and fuel oils became necessary as military demands for all petroleum products mounted to high levels.

Jan 1, 1944

By Robert Longyear

IN, diamond-drill work, a true sample consists of all the material cut by the bit-both core and cuttings. As the recovery of this sample is the object of diamond drilling, the utmost care should be taken to secure it. Speed of drilling and low costs are of little value if an inaccurate sample is obtained. The engineer in charge must study his material and lay out the plan of sampling, and then see that the drill runner follows his instructions; for the runner may be more interested in obtaining a large footage than in developing accurate methods of sampling. FIG. 1.-CORE BOX. When the core has been removed from the core barrel, it should be placed in a core box in the exact order in which it is taken from the ground. This box, Fig. 1, is usually a shallow tray 4 or 5 ft. (1.2 or 1.5 m.) long, with partitions running lengthwise between which the core

Jan 12, 1921

By Robert Davis Longyear

In diamond-drill work, a true sample consists of all the material cut by the bit—both core and cuttings. As the recovery of this sample is the object of diamond drilling, the utmost care should be taken to secure it. Speed of drilling and low costs are of little value if an inaccurate sample is obtained. The engineer in charge must study his material and lay out the plan of sampling, and then see that the drill runner follows his instructions; for the runner may be more interested in obtaining a large footage than in developing accurate methods of sampling. When the core has been removed from the core barrel, it should be placed in a core box in the exact order in which it is taken from the ground. This box, Fig. 1, is usually a shallow tray 4 or 5 ft. (1.2 or 1.5 m.) long, with partitions running lengthwise between which the core

Jan 1, 1923

By Robert Davis Longyear

In diamond-drill work, a true sample consists of all the material cut by the bit—both core and cuttings. As the recovery of this sample is the object of diamond drilling, the utmost care should be taken to secure it. Speed of drilling and low costs are of little value if an inaccurate sample is obtained. The engineer in charge must study his material and lay out the plan of sampling, and then see that the drill runner follows his instructions; for the runner may be more interested in obtaining a large footage than in developing accurate methods of sampling. When the core has been removed from the core barrel, it should be placed in a core box in the exact order in which it is taken from the ground. This box, Fig. 1, is usually a shallow tray 4 or 5 ft. (1.2 or 1.5 m.) long, with partitions running lengthwise between which the core

Jan 1, 1923

By Byron W. Cheever

While engaged in experimenting with the usual methods for estimating phosphorus in iron and steel, it occurred to me that potassium chlorate might be used to oxidize the carbon, and thus avoid the tedious and vexatious evaporations necessary for successfully carrying out the usual methods. After many trials, the following plan was adopted : Take, for analysis, of Bessemer or other low-carbon steels, from 3 to 5 grammes; of crucible steel, 10 grammes; of pig-iron, 1 to 5 grammes, according to the percentage of phosphorus supposed to be present. Of iron, high in phosphorus (1 per cent.), take 1 gramme. Place in a No. 4 evaporating dish the amount of iron or steel decided upon, cover with a funnel which will just fit inside the dish, and then add gradually HNO3, (1.20 specific gravity), using 12 C.C. of acid for each gramme of steel or iron taken. (A larger quantity of acid will be required for small samples.) When the full amount of acid has been added, and the violent action has ceased, place the evaporating dish on a sand-bath, add 10 C.C. HNO3, (1.40 specific gravity), and boil till the bulk of the solution is reduced about onehalf. Then add 10 C.C. HNO3, (1.40 specific gravity), continue the boiling, and add from time to time, during the next 15 minutes, small portions of pulverized KCIO3, till about 2 grammes have been added. (If the solution shows signs of going dry, more strong acid must be added.) This will precipitate the manganese, with some iron. Sometimes it happens that the manganese does not come down readily, and more KCIO3, or further concentration, or both, will be required. The process is not complete till the manganese is precipitated, which may be known by the appearance of a dark, mirror-like deposit on the dish, at the edge of the solution. Boil the solution 5 minutes after the last addition of KCIO3, and then add cautiously (to prevent sudden explosions) 5 C.C. strong HCl. This will dissolve the precipitated manganese and iron. Continue the boiling till the chlorine is all expelled, adding from

Jan 1, 1885

By E. M. Norris

In the summer of 1917 it was decided to fireproof the main Tramway hoisting shaft of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. at Butte, Mont. The shaft has three hoisting compartments and one pump compartment; it is timbered with 12 by 12-in. (30.5 by 30.5-cm.) fir timber, and is 2475 ft. (754 m.) deep. Subsidence and displacement of the surrounding country rock had produced exceedingly heavy ground, and had carried the shaft out of line, in several places, by as much as 2 ft. (0.6 m.) displacement. Constant repairing and realigning of the timbers had been necessary in order to maintain clearance for the cages. The most feasible method of fireproofing, therefore, seemed to be to cover the timbers with a coat of concrete applied with the cement gun. The cement gun, which is operated by compressed air at ordinary mine pressures, feeds a mixture of sand and cement through a hose to a nozzle having a water connection. The mortar in fluid form is thus sprayed upon the prepared surface in thin layers, which can be built up to any desired thickness. The cement gun can be set up at any convenient point; satisfactory results have been obtained with the nozzle a distance of 500 ft. (152 m.) from the gun. The shaft was thoroughly overhauled and the timbers put in the best possible state of repair. Between the 1000 and the 1400 levels, much loose ground lay against the shaft timbers on the north side; this was breast-boarded back and a 30-in. (76-cm.) reinforced-concrete retaining wall was erected, leaving a space of 12 in. (30.5 cm.) outside the shaft timbers to allow for future movements of the ground. For convenience in handling men and materials, it was arranged to concrete the auxiliary hoisting-cage compartment and the pump compartment first, using the cages of the main hoist to serve the cementing crews. The auxiliary cage was then available while the remainder of the shaft was being concreted. A tight partition of 2-in. (5.08-cm.) plank was erected between the auxiliary and the adjoining hoisting compartments, for better protection of men riding on the cages. The application of concrete made this

Jan 1, 1920

By HENRY M. PARKS

THE total production of all metals in Oregon to date is estimated at $160,000,000; ~115,000,000 from eastern Oregon and $45,000,000 from the western part of the state. In 1916 the metal production of the state was approximately $4,000,000, while the present annual production has dwindled to a little less than $1,000,000. Western Oregon The state of Oregon contains several metal-bearing areas, widely scattered in different regions. More than half of its coast is fringed with a belt of auriferous sands which sometimes are rich in fine gold. A second mining field, the chief producing one of western Oregon, is situated in the southwestern part of the, state and includes Jackson, Josephine, Douglas, Coos and Curry counties. It may be considered as the northern extension of the gold and copper belt of California. A third region in western Oregon is that on the western slope of the great Cascade range in the Bohemia, Blue River, Quartzville, North Santiam and Ogle Creek districts-from the Siskiyous on the south almost to the base of Mt. Hood near the Columbia River on the north.

Jan 1, 1925

By Lawrence K. Nordell

This paper reviews practices used In the selection and sizing of belt conveyors and stacker systems commonly used in crushing and grinding plant facilities. Historical and modern methods of sizing this equipment are presented. The new methods Include: 1) probability theory applications for establishing component reliability, 2) "Monte Carlo" simulation techniques used in evaluating alternative system designs and in establishing service factors and corresponding availability Indices of each system, 3) quantifying the system and component operating characteristics using computer assisted modeling tools simulating rigid body and elasto-mechanic behavior for starting and stopping large and/or complex belt conveyors.

Jan 1, 1982

By Donald B. Gillies

WE HAVE come a long way since the time of the old steel master who declared that chemistry would ultimately bring the steel business to ruin. Yet I sometimes doubt whether even now we fully recognize the great debt we owe to the institutions that today are initiating young men into the fascinating mysteries of science and training them in the art of engineering. I am not sure that we recognize the importance of the contribution that the schools of applied science and the technical colleges are making to our industrial economy. That contribution is neither narrow nor restricted. It covers the whole range of industry. Dr. Compton, himself, has shown in his survey of leading American corporations that the engineer is twelve times more likely than the nonengineer to become president, five times more likely to become treasurer, and thirty times more likely to become an officer. So the hand of the engineer not only is all-powerful in the laboratory and in the drafting room but his control is increasing in all departments of management.

Jan 1, 1940

By Frank A. Howard

WHAT are the reasons for the present public interest in the synthetic fuel industry, an interest which has culminated in the recommendation of the Secretary of the Interior that we start at once on a nine billion dollar program of construction? Three separate factors seem to have combined to create this pressure. First are recurrent seasonal and spot shortages of gasoline, fuel oil, and natural gas. Second is the international outlook, which forces us to face the possibility of war, with all that means in the way of increased call on our domestic resources and interference with our foreign commerce. The shortages we have experienced are superficially the result of lack of transportation, but basically they reflect a rapidly rising demand which has outstripped the expansion of productive facilities of all kinds. Not only oil and gas, but steel, coal, automobiles, and meat are temporarily in short supply for much the same reasons. The military problem has both long-range and short-range aspects, but the immediate necessity is to create reserve capacity in the United States to supply perhaps 2,000,000 barrels daily additional liquid fuel in time of war.

Jan 1, 1948

By Ross Blake

THE St. Joseph Lead Co. became interested in the Tri-State district in 1921 through acquisition of prospecting and development rights on approximately 20,000 acres of land extending northeastward from the Picher mining field, mostly in Kansas. Prospecting with churn drills was begun the same year and the first commercial ore body was found on the Jarrett tract at the then northern limit of the main Picher field. Operations at this mine began in 1923. Kansas Explorations, Inc., was organized in 1923 by the St. Joseph Lead Co. as a wholly-owned subsidiary to carry on its operations in the Tri-State District from an office at Joplin, Mo. As prospecting of the original acreage proved largely negative, attention was subsequently turned to other sections of the district. Numerous additional leases were acquired and prospected. The Company was successful in developing into operating properties the Jarrett, Isherwood, Robinson, Sullivan and Lotson tracts and, in more recent years, the Ritz, Snapp, Buckingham, Gibson and Jasper mines.

Jan 1, 1947

By R. W. Raymond

(Chattanooga Meeting, October, 1908.) THE immense commercial value of the Gayley dry-blast process has been established beyond controversy. The testimony of practical blast-furnace managers, on both sides of the Atlantic, agrees that it reduces the cost of pig-iron about $1 per ton; but from the same testimony it appears that this direct economy does not by any means cover its commercial advantages-in fact, that under conditions frequently encountered in practice, it presents other benefits of even greater immediate financial importance. To this point I shall recur in a later part of the present paper. The history of the reception given to this invention, especially on the other side of the Atlantic, has repeated an experience familiar to American engineers. First, the reports of our practice were rejected as theoretically impossible, according to generally accepted notions and formulas; then the figures were reluctantly accepted ; and finally the attempt has been made to explain how they could have been obtained. As to the Gayley dry blast, we Americans have been for several years in the last stage of the discussion, and the rest of the professional world is rapidly coming to it. Meanwhile, the remark has been repeatedly made that, whatever Mr. Gayley's process may turn out to be worth, it was not an invention on his part, but simply the energetic and persevering execution of a procedure already proposed by others. This question I wish to discuss first in the present paper. I. WHAT DID MR. GAYLEY INVENT Realizing that this is not the place for detailed argument on an issue of patent law, I shall not undertake to quote and criticise the publications prior to Mr. Gayley's first patents. It may be admitted, without such critical analysis, that the possi-

Jan 1, 1909

By L. O. Howard

Much work has been done recently on the lead-antimony system1 in connection with lead-rich alloys of commercial importance containing less than 20 per cent. antimony. Dean, Zickrick and Nix have called attention to the perpetuation in the literature of several erroneous data, such as a eutectic temperature of 228° C. at 12.5 per cent. antimony, instead of 247° at 13 per cent. The series is given as a classic example of a straight eutectiferous series in such late books as those of Heyn and Grossmann, 2 Jeffries and Archer,3 Guillet and Portevin,4 Pulsifer,5 Rosenhain,6 and Liddell,' as well as the somewhat earlier works of Hof-man (1918), Wang (1909), and Williams (1920). The work of Dean has definitely shown a solid solution of antimony in lead at about 2.5 per cent. antimony. While lecturing to a class in general metallurgy at the University of Idaho, the writer had the students prepare a series of lead-antimony alloys for the purpose of illustrating methods of thermal analysis. Proper proportions of powdered antimony (sold as C.P.) and test lead were mixed and melted in graphite crucibles under a reducing cover. Cooling

E. Hill, South Norwalk, Conn. (communication to the Secretary*) :—The phenomenon described by Dr. Ledoux, involving an apparently abnormal high temperature in the air-cylinders of compressors, has not been, so far as I know, discussed in technical literature. The common formula for the adiabatic compression of dry air does not account for heat suficient to flash ordinarily decent cylinder-oils, nor do the text-books include in their theoretical statements any quantitative consideration of the effect of leaks in the ideal machines which they contemplate. This lack I have endeavored to supply by preparing, in the form of a circular, for the use of the customers and correspondents of the Norwalk Iron-Works, a brief mathematical

Jan 1, 1904