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By J. G. EVANS

It is with a certain amount of trepidation that a man considers gathering his family of six, traveling across a continent, two oceans and a sea, and going to live in a foreign land. But "pioneering" is still possible, and a nation is "foreign" only until one has lived in it. We've had eight years of pleasant experiences in South Africa on which to base that contention. It was in January 1938 that my brother first extolled the virtues of South Africa to us, and just three months and a thousand small problems later my wife, two daughters, three sons and I were boarding a ship in New York, bound for Cape- town. We arrived in May, and within a week had found a furnished home with beautiful lawns, tennis, court, a garden, and everything needed for family comfort. The children were soon located in school, and I settled down to the task of entering the importing business, as had been my original intention. The importing business started out slowly but was coming along nicely when on Sept. 3, 1939 the war started in Europe and a declaration of war by the Union of South Africa was made on the following day. With the declaration came import and export controls. In fact we were controlled completely out of business in one stroke. Liquidating the business, I went to Johannesburg intending to find work in one of the mines. Government health and safety regulations require that all underground mine employees have a red ticket from the Miners Phthisis Bureau certifying that they are not susceptible to silicosis, the scourge of the Witwatersrand gold mining industry. I made application to the Bureau, completed a form covering my whole past life, and was given a complete physical examination. The following day I was startled to find that I had not only been refused a red ticket but had been classified with a green ticket which for- ever bars one from working underground in any scheduled mine in the country, and all this in spite

Jan 1, 1949

By G. W. Form, W. A. Spitzig

The effects of hydrogen and vacuum shtering treatments on the physical and mechanical properties of arc plasma-sprayed tungsten were inuestigated. Temperatures examined ranged from 3000" to 4000°F in vacuum and 2000" to 3000°F in hydrogen for both single and duplex sintering cycles. Densities of 92 pct of theoretical density were obtained when a long-time hydrogen treatment at 2000°Fpreceded sintering in vacuum at 4000°F for 4 hr. This cycle also produced the highest ualues for modulus of rupture and bend angle. The results of this investigation point out the desirability of using a low-temperature long-time hydrogen treatment prior to a high-temperature vacuum sinter for arc plasma-sprayed tungsten. ADVANCES in the development of arc plasma-generating equipment have provided a high-temperature heat source that makes the fabrication of tungsten shapes possible by a metallizing process. Tungsten in the as-sprayed condition is very brittle. It has a density between 80 and 85 pct of theoretical density, a lamellar structure with elongated pores, and a high interstitial impurity content. To improve these properties, sintering treatments can be applied to the as-sprayed material, similar to those used for the densification of compacted tungsten powder. However, in view of the differences in the density and microstructure of as-sprayed tungsten as compared with compacted tungsten, responses to sintering were expected to be different. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES The tungsten powder used in this investigation had a particle size varying from 3 to 13 p with an average diameter of 8p. The impurity level was less than 0.1 pct. The arc plasma spraying was done with an F-40 Thermal Dynamics Corp. plasma jet. Spraying was performed in air and thus required cooling of the substrate by an air blast in order to minimize oxidation. The spraying parameters employed in the fabrication of all specimens are listed below: Power input, kw 12 Arc-gas flow, cfh 95N2 + 5H2 Powder feed rate, g per min 33 Powder carrier gas flow, cfh ION, Spray distance, in. 3 Traverse rate, in. per min 30 Mandrel speed, rpm 100 Nozzle orifice, in. 7/32 These values of the spraying parameters correspond to optimum conditions ascertained in a previous study. Sintering was conducted at 3000°, 3500, and 4000°F in vacuum (< 0.1 Hg), and at 2000 and 3000°F in hydrogen. Duplex sintering treatments investigated are listed in Table I together with the designations that will be used for reference throughout this paper. The samples were fabricated by spraying onto a copper mandrel which was removed prior to sintering. The specimens used for the sintering analyses had the shape of small hollow truncated cones 1 in. high with an inside diameter varying from 0.500 to 0.125 in. and a wall thickness of 1/8 in. Specimens for bend testing were taken from hollow hexagonal prisms 1-1/2 in. high with a 1-in. diam across the flats and a wall thickness of 1/8 in. The bend-test specimens were ground to the dimensions 0.085 by 0.350 by 1-1/2 in. Prior to bend testing 0.0025 in. of stock was removed from each surface by electro-polishing. Density measurements were made by the water-displacement method. In addition, a porosimeter was used to determine the amount of interconnected porosity for representative samples. Strength and ductility were determined from recorded values in transverse bending using a cross head speed of 0.020 in. per min. The load was applied at the midpoint of a 1-in. span. The deflection data reported herein refer only to the plastic portion of the total deflection. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The as-sprayed samples had a density corresponding to 83 pct (l pct) of the theoretical density of tungsten. Fig. 1 shows a representative as-sprayed tungsten structure.

Jan 1, 1964

By Herbert Haas

1. INTRODUCTION COPPER matte is now converted into blister copper at a cost of only $5 per ton of copper, or, based on a 40 per cent. matte, $2 per ton of matte, which is the record of at least one large smelting Works; and it seems hardly likely that a further reduction, large enough to warrant, a change in existing practice, could be made in bessemerizing costs. But the new type of converter here described and the new practice proposed are intended, not so much for the treatment of mattes, as for the extension of, the process to the direct reduction in the copper-converter of pyrite ores

Jan 6, 1914

By AIME AIME

MESSRS. BURT and Shockley and others have been for three years urging upon the Institute the matter of simplified spelling. The Institute endeavors to be progressive in the matter of spelling and. is in cooperation with the national body which has this in hand and which has its principal office in New York. Our spellings are changed as fast as-good usage will permit (so it seems to the Board of Directors) and the national body, which is the real representative of the simplified spelling interests, deems that the Institute is making real progress, although not quite as fast as extremists would wish. In January, 1919, Mr. Shockley sent out letter ballots which created a misconception in the minds of many members, who received the impression that the communications came from the Institute instead of from a small group of members. As a result of this propaganda 163 proposal-ballots were sent in to the Institute divided as follows: Yes ?114 No ?20 Negative letters ?9 Split ballots ?20 Total ?163 The total membership at this time was about 7200. The disgusted members would not vote.

Jan 1, 1920

By E. R. Kaiser

ACTIVITY on long-range and on immediate wartime problems shared the attention of specialists in coal research during 1943. Programs of the principal coal laboratories were more adequately financed than in previous years, but all reported shortages of technical personnel. Expansion in coal research in the year to come will depend primarily on the availability of qualified research talent.

Jan 1, 1944

The Duluth Engineers&apos; Club was formally organized on the evening of Aug. 5, 1918, at a meeting .attended by over l00 members of the several engineering professions. W. G. Swart, a member of our Institute, was elected the first President of the Club. At the organization meeting, an opportunity was given, to Alfred D. Flinn, Secretary of the United Engineering Society, to outline the assistance that is being rendered to the Federal Government in the present contingency by members of the engineering profession. Membership in the Duluth Club is to be open to mining engineers on the iron ranges as well as to the residents of the city of Duluth.

Jan 10, 1918

By Margaret V. Doyle, R. W. Powers

INTERNAL friction measurements, carried out as functions of temperature, have been used extensively to obtain data on the mobility of interstitial impurities in the Group V metals, vanadium, colum-bium, and tantalum. For a given frequency of vibration, the internal friction peaks at a temperature which depends principally on the particular metal and interstitial impurity. Relaxation times and corresponding activation energies are determined from a knowledge of such peak temperatures for various vibration frequencies. These experimentally determined relaxation times are related to the average jump frequencies of the interstitial impurity atoms using the model of Snoek1 and can be related to macroscopic diffusion coefficients as shown by Polder.2 In these Group V elements, the impurity whose diffusion rate has been the hardest to pin down by the internal friction technique has been carbon. The experimental difficulties associated with carbon in these metals were not evident in the earliest investigation carried out by Ke on tantalum.3 The carbon peak was thought to occur near 140°C at 1 cps on the basis of the enhancement of the height of this peak measured on specimens which had been coated with colloidal carbon and heated in vacuo at 1200°C. Presumably on the basis of similar evidence, Wert identified a peak also near 140°C at 1 cps in columbium with the diffusion of carbon in that element." Later, the difficulties of admitting carbon into these metals without simultaneously introducing oxygen were pointed out by Ang and Wert- nd by Marx, Baker, and Sivertsen.6 The latter suggested that the peaks attributed to carbon in tantalum and columbium might arise from the presence of traces of oxygen, adventitiously absorbed during the carburization. Such suspicion was confirmed, at least in tantalum, when it was found possible to prepare C-Ta specimens without contamination by oxygen. Specimens sci prepared, aitnough high in carbon content, gave no evidence of a damping peak near 140°C.7 Recently, the authors were able to Show that carbon diffuses in tantalum at a rate only slightly slower than that for nitrogen.8 At 1 cps, the carbon peak lies at 34g °C, only a few degrees above the nitrogen peak at 341 °C. However, the two could be distinguished by a different stability with respect to aging at 400 °C and by a different dependence of peak height on solute concentration. On the basis of this experience with tantalum, it appeared worthwhile to search also for a carbon peak in columbium in the vicinity of the nitrogen peak." In this report, the location of the carbon peak in columbium is made known and its position relative to the nitrogen peak is compared with the authors&apos; previous findings in tantalum. In addition, a second source of internal friction seen only in specimens of very high purity is discussed. Columbium was obtained from the Fansteel Metallurgical Corp. as either 30 or 40 mil diam stock. The manufacturer gives the following analysis as typical of this material: 99.4 pct minimum Cb, 0.10 pct maximum C, 0.5 pct Ta, 0.04 pct Ti, 0.02 pct maximum Si, and 0.01 pct maximum Fe. Wires 13 in. long were degassed near 2200°C for 4 to 16 hr in an ultimate vacuum better than 2.10" mm Hg in an apparatus described previously.8 This treatment reduced the oxygen and nitrogen damping peaks observed in the as-received material to less than 0.0001 in Q-1 above background. The latter value varied somewhat from specimen to specimen in the range 0.0004 to 0.0008, depending chiefly on the wire diameter and the frequency of vibration. The high temperature evacuation left the specimen in a rather soft condition, the Vhn being reduced to 40 from a value near 121 in the as-received conGi~iur~. The gram size was about the diameter of the specimen. After outgassing, specimens were loaded with carbon by absorption of such hydracarbons as methane or ethylene. Carbon was also added to a few speclrnens by heating them at

Jan 1, 1958

By D. G. Westlake

The electrical resistance of a series of V-H alloys (0 to 3.5 at. pct H) has been measured over the temperature range G° to 360°. Interstitial impurities made contributions to the residual resistivity, but not the ideal resistivity. The contribution of hydrogen in solid solution is expressed by Ap = 1.12 microhm-cm per at. pct H; but the contribution of precipitated hydride was negligible. A portion of the so1vu.s for the V-H phase diagram is presented. The solubility limit is given by In N (at. pct H) = (5.828 i 0.009) - (2933 i 44)/RT. Comparison of critical temperatures joy hydride precipitation and published critical temperatures for hydrogen embrittlement suggests the two are related. ThiS study was initiated as part of an investigation of the mechanism by which small concentrations of hydrogen embrittle the hydride-forming metals at low temperatures. It has already been shown that, in the case of hcp zirconium, a reduction in ductility accompanies the strengthening resulting from precipitation of a finely dispersed hydride phase.&apos;&apos;&apos; Our attempts to detect a similar precipitation of a second phase at low temperatures in V-H alloys by transmission electron microscopy have been thwarted because we have been unable to prepare thin foils that are representative of the bulk material with respect to hydrogen concentrati~n.~&apos;~ The present investigation establishes the solvus of the V-H system at subambient temperatures. Subsequently, we hope to be able to determine whether the embrittlement temperature is related to the critical temperature for precipitation of the hydride in a given V-H alloy. veleckis5 has proposed a partial phase diagram for the V-H system based on extrapolations of the pressure-composition relations he measured at higher temperatures. Kofstad and wallace&apos; conducted a similar study of single-phase alloys but did not attempt to establish the phase diagram. Zanowick and wallace&apos; and ~aeland&apos; have studied a portion of the phase diagram by X-ray diffraction, but they investigated no alloys in the hydrogen concentration range 0 to 3 at. pct, the range of interest to us. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The vanadium was obtained from the Bureau of Mines, Boulder City, Nev., in the form of electrolytic crystals. The analyses supplied with them listed 230 ppm by weight metallic impurities, 20 ppm C, 100 ppm N, and 290 ppm 0. The crystals were electron-beam-melted into an ingot that was rolled to 0.64 mm. Strips, 60 mm long and 4.2 mm wide, were cut from the sheet, and both rolled surfaces were ground on wet 600-grit Sic paper to produce specimens 0.4 mm thick. They were wrapped in molybdenum foil, vacuum-encapsulated in quartz, and annealed 4 hr at 1273°K. The specimens were annealed in a dynamic vacuum of 2X lo-&apos; Torr for 30 min at 1073°K for dehydrogenation, and charged with the desired quantity of hydrogen by allowing reaction with hydrogen gas at 1073°K for 2 hr and cooling at 100°K per hr. Purified hydrogen was obtained by thermal decomposition of UH3. Sixteen specimens were studied: two contained no hydrogen and the others had hydrogen concentrations between 0.5 and 3.5 at. pct (hydrogen analyses were done by vacuum extraction at 1073°K). Electrical resistances were measured by the four-terminal-resistor method on an apparatus similar to the one described by Horak.~ The specimen holder was designed so that both current and potential leads made spring-loaded mechanical contact with the specimen. The potential leads were 30 mm apart, and the current leads were 55 mm apart. The current was 0.10000 amp. We used the following baths for the indicated temperature ranges: liquid nitrogen, 77°K; Freon 12, 120" to 230°K; Freon 11, 230" to 290°K; and ethanol, 290" to 340°K. Temperatures lower than 77°K were achieved by allowing the specimen to warm up after removal from liquid helium. Temperatures above 77°K were measured by a calibrated copper-constantan thermocouple (soldered to the specimen holder) and below 77°K by a calibrated carbon resistor. The temperature of the bath changed less than 0.l0K between duplicate measurements of the resistance. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Typical plots of resistivity p vs temperature T are shown in Fig. 1. In the interest of clarity, only five curves are presented and the data points have been

Jan 1, 1968

US 4,185,193-Method of assaying the vicinity of a borehole for uranium ore or thorium ore. A pulsed neutron source IS operated to irradiate the earth formations with fast neutrons. A detector responds to the delayed fission neutrons emitted by the ore as a measure of ore concentration and to the delayed neutrons from oxygen-17 as a measure of the neutron output of the source. The measurement of ore concentration is corrected In accordance with the measured changes in the neutron output of the source. R L. Caldwell, assigned to Mobil Oil Corp. Jan. 22, 1980 4 pp (250-269). Filed: 5-18-78 (906,907).

Jan 1, 1982

By R. Steven Maxwell, Ulrich Petersen

Most minerals have experienced a slow hut perceptible decline in their annual primary production growth over the past hundred years. This decline is due to a combination of factors: (1) increased recycling; (2) exhaustion of the more accessible or higher grade ores; (3) partial substitution; (4) the more efficient use of materials; (5) progressive saturation of markets as living standards rise. Therefore, future demand for new mineral resources will probably be lower than anticipated. As the world population stabilizes, this slowdown in production growth will become even more pronounced.

Jan 1, 1979

By M. T. Hepworth, T. P. Papazoglou

Hydrogen diffusion in hcp and bcc titanium in the temperature range 610° to 900°C was measured by reacting cylindrical specimens of high-purity titanium at constant temperature with small constant pressures of hydrogen of the order of a few Torr. In the range 0 to 6.7 at. pct H in hcp titanium, the diffusion coefficient D in sq cm per sec is given by: where T is in °K and R in cal per g-atom OK. Only three measurements of diffusivity in bcc titanium were made: at 900&apos; : the diffusivity in ß titanium was found to be 1.8 x 10-4 sq crn per sec. McQUILLAN1 has studied the constitution of the Ti-H system and reported the concentration of hydrogen as a function of pressure of hydrogen and temperature. He found hydrogen absorption was reversible and rapid at temperatures above 500°C in both crystallographic modifications, the a (hcp) phase and the ß (bcc) phase, with the latter phase stabilized by hydrogen additions. Wasilewski and Kehl 2 measured the diffusivity of hydrogen in hcp and bcc Ti-H alloys. For bcc alloys, they reacted cylindrical specimens of titanium with hydrogen gas at 1 atm pressure. They measured the rate of absorption of hydrogen isothermally on specimens ranging from zero hydrogen content when above the transformation temperature to hydrogen contents sufficient to stabilize the bcc phase when below the transformation temperature. By integrating Fick&apos;s second law for a cylindrical geometry, assuming a diffusion coefficient independent of composition, they calculated diffusivities as a function of temperature. In the range 650" to 1000°C their results in bcc titanium yielded the expression: where D is in sq cm per sec, T in OK, and R the gas constant in cal per g-atom-OK. Their studies on the hcp a phase were conducted by exposing long cylindrical titanium specimens to hydrogen at a sufficiently high pressure to establish a surface layer of fl phase 80 to 120 u thick for the duration of an isothermal experiment. Concentration profiles were then determined by hydrogen analysis from chips obtained upon machining quenched specimens. The diffusivity of hydrogen was then calculated yielding the expression: The present investigation was undertaken principally to redetermine the diffusivity data on a titanium by a direct absorption from the gas phase at sufficiently low hydrogen pressures to avoid the presence of a surface bcc phase and also to check the diffusivity data at low hydrogen concentrations in the bcc stmcture. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE High-purity electrolytic sponge titanium (99.9 pct) of BHN 91 was arc-melted, forged, rolled, and machined into cylinders of final hardness, upon annealing, of BHN 92. Cylindrical specimens of two sets of dimensions were used: 1.524 by 2.931 cm and 1.905 by 3.663 cm diam and length, respectively. The experimental apparatus used for annealing specimens and for admitting known amounts of hydrogen at constant pressure is shown in Fig. 1. In a typical experiment, a specimen was lightly abraded with fine-grain silicon carbide, washed with water and detergent, and then thoroughly degreased with reagent-grade tri-chlorethylene and acetone. The specimen was suspended by a Chrome1 wire in the center of a quartz furnace tube, without contact with the tube, and heated to 925°C (as measured by a thermocouple adjacent to the specimen, outside the tube) for a period of at least 4 hr under a vacuum of from 10-6 to -7 Torr as measured by an ionization gage. The furnace temperature was then adjusted to the temperature chosen for the particular diffusion study and the specimen allowed to equilibrate thermally. Hydrogen was then ad-

Jan 1, 1969

By Paul Weir

PRODUCTION METHODS in the bituminous coal mines in the United States are undergoing many changes. Although the primary object of these changes is the production of a better product at a cheaper cost there are other considerations such as the improvement of conditions under which miners live and work. The almost complete unionization of the manual workers in the industry during the past four years has &apos;brought with it a stabilization of wages on a relatively high basis and of hours of work per day and per week on a relatively low basis. With differentials in wages between producing districts firmly established, and with a nation- wide and uniform application of in-

Jan 1, 1937

Mounting pressures to increase efficiency and yield, conserve energy, or minimize pollution have all taken their toll on the minerals industry. As management and technical personnel take a harder look at their operations for ways to shave cents off operating costs or to squeeze a bit more productivity out of existing equipment, instrumentation often comes up as the most effective answer. When Amax Lead installed an automatic grind control system in its Buick mill, ore throughput increased by 3 to 5%. Mill operators calculate that the initial investment is returned to them several times annually.

Jan 2, 1978

By John Marshall

THE purpose of this paper is to present to the profession data and experience obtained over a period of 5 years in the operation of 87 shaker-conveyor units, and the production of 2,169,638 tons of run-of-mine anthracite coal. The data are not generally available and should be of interest to those concerned with the operation of anthracite and bitu-minous mines. To simplify comparison, a ton of 2000 lb. of raw run-of-mine coal has been used as the production unit throughout this paper.

Jan 1, 1940

By C. P. Lawhon, J. P. Simpson, W. M. Evans

Data obtained under controlled test conditions using a microbit drilling machine showed that oil emulsified in water muds may either increase or decrease the drilling rate, depending upon drilling conditions. A low-viscosity oil such as diesel fuel can give drilling rates in limestone almost equal to that of water. Data obtained for water emulsified in oil muds showed little decrease in the drilling rate in water-saturated cores as the water percentage of the mud was increased above the 5- to 10-percent range. Changes in drilling rate were found to be dependent upon the oil or water concentration of the mud and upon the type of formation drilled. Changes in static filtration on paper (API filtrate) did not correlate with filtration while the mud was circulated across rock. INTRODUCTION Oil additions to water muds have been reported to increase drilling rates, provide hole stability and improve filtration control. Eckel&apos; showed that water-base emulsion muds used in the West Texas area increased drilling rate with increasing oil concentration up to 15 percent oil by volume, but drilling rate decreased at a concentration of 20 percent by volume. Based on laboratory tests using water muds to drill shale, Cunningham and Goins&apos; reported that drilling rates increased and tendency for the bit to ballup decreased with the addition of oil. Percentage increase in drilling rate varied with the particular formation. They showed oil additions to improve drilling rates ap proximately 75 percent in Vicksburg shale and as much as 150 percent in Miocene shale. Each investigation showed an optimum oil content for the particular formation. Most data that indicated improved filtration control due to oil additions were based on static API Eltrates through paper rather than dynamic filtration through permeable rocks. Some types of dynamic test give a better representation of filtration down-hole while drilling and might be more likely to show some correlation with drilling rate. Static filtration would be important, of course, in relation to hole stability and formation damage. This laboratory&apos;s drilling tests, conducted on water-raturated Berea sandstone, indicated that improvements in drilling rate were not evident with increasing oil concentration in water-base muds. Investigation also showed similarity between oil-emulsion (water-in-oil) muds and water-emulsion (oil-in-water) muds while drilling these formations. In Lueders limestone high concentration of water-in-oil muds and high concentration of oil-in-water muds provided the same relative drilling rates. In Berea sandstone there was a large reduction in relative drilling rate with both the oil and water muds that contained low percentages of emulsified fluid. Dynamic filtration rates of water muds on rock did not always decrease with increasing oil percentages even though the static API filtration rates on paper did decrease. Data observed in laboratory drilling of limestone and sandstone indicate that improvements in field drilling operations when water- or oil-emulsion muds are wed may not be the result of increased drilling rates but of improved hole conditions. In some cases, actual drilling rates might be slower but improved hole conditions will result in less total time on the hole. DEFINITIONS Mud pressure—Pressure of drilling fluid as measured after leaving the drilling chamber. This is considered as the approximate mud pressure just past the bit and at the face of the formation. Terrastatic pressure—Pressure representing weight of overburden. Formation pressure—Pressure of formation fluid as measured at outlet of drilling chamber. This is considered as approximate pressure of fluid in the pores of the formation. Differential pressure—Difference between the mud pressure and formation pressure. Relative drilling rate, percent—Drilling rate with experimental fluid divided by drilling rate with water times 100 equals percent. LABORATORY EQUiPMENT AND TESTING PROCEDURES The drilling equipment has been described in previous publications The microbit drill is a closed system (capacity, approximately 7 gal) that can be pressurized to 15.000 psi and heated to 500F. Main components are a drilling chamber, filter-heater, rotary-drive and variable-speed cir-

CHEMICAL PRECIPITATION U.S. 4,067,789 - Removal of soluble manganous ions from a zinc sulfate solution formed by leaching roasted zinc sulfide ore with spent electrolyte. An excess of ammonium persulfate or like oxidant is added to the leach solution to convert manganese to insoluble, filterable gamma-manganese dioxide, and the precipitate separated from the solution by filtration. L. Harris and A. K. Hanson, Jr., assigned to Newmont Exploration Ltd. Jan. 10, 1978. 11 pp. (204-119). Filed: 5-3-76 (682.442). (Drawing on page 67.)

Jan 1, 1979

By C. G. Fink, G. L. Putnam

The dissolution of gold by cyanide solutions was studied by determining the time required for the solvents to dissolve gold leaf. Minute traces, even 0.5 ppm, of sulphide ion retard the dissolution of gold, and this behavior cannot be accounted for by the presently accepted hypotheses involving oxygen-depletion or thiocyanate formation. On the other hand, traces of the salts of lead, bismuth, mercury, and thallium considerably accelerate the dissolution. The beneficial effect of lead is dependent upon the pH and cyanide ion concentration of the solution.

Jan 9, 1950

By U. W. Lisner, V. J. Hucka

Coal, which was discovered in Utah in 1849, covers about 18% of the total area. Production in 1981 was more than 13 Mt (14 million st). However, some Utah coal mines are quite gassy. If longwall face technology is applied, then release of a large volume of methane may be expected during the mining process. Investigations on methane content have been made by use of an isothermic bubble desorbometer. A desorbable methane content of 0.5 to 16 m3/t (20 to 632 cu ft per st) of coal has been determined.

Jan 1, 1985

By J. E. Brantly

THE oil-producing industry may logically be &apos;divided into four independent branches: (1) Acquisition of possible productive lands by lease, fee purchase, concession, or otherwise and the perfection of titles thereto. (2) Studies of the geology of the properties, leading to the location of exploratory wells. These involve reconnaissance and detailed surveys and the use of geophysical instruments, where conditions do not permit surface determination. (3) Drilling of exploratory or test holes and, later, exploitation wells. (4) Actual recovery of the oil from the wells by flowing, pumping, or other methods. These four divisions of the industry are unrelated in detail of accomplishment, but they are entirely complementary, one to the other, and must, in any efficient&apos; organization, harmonize in their respective efforts toward the desired ultimate end. The relative order for the first two branches is not necessarily the proper one; in fact one should have knowledge of the favorable possibilities of a given property before it is acquired, and preferably, also, final opinions as to then proper location for an exploratory well, if such is justified in the light of

Jan 1, 1937

By Paul A. Beck

While the recrystallization properties of most of the practically important metals are known in considerable detail, those of lead are still relatively little known in spite of some valuable contributions in recent years. This condition probably is due to the difficulties involved in applying the usual methods of investigation. The microscopic method of discriminating between the elongated deformed grains of the familiar lenticular shape and the equiaxed recrys-tallized grains is not successful with fully refined lead: lenticular grains cannot be seen under the microscope with any amount of deformation whatever. The probable cause of this phenomenon was recognized long ago. With large deformation the time of recrystallization at room temperaturc is shorter than the period of preparation of the specimen for microscopic examination; with small deformation the deformed grains arc not noticeably elongated in the first place. However, with small cleformation the migration of the grain boundaries can be observed. The only systematic investigations yet published on the recrystallization of lead, those by R. S. Russell, 1-3 make use of the conditions just described. Russell considered recrystallization completed when no further migration of boundaries could be observed. A serious objection to this method arises from the fact that there is no evidence to support the view that grain-boundary migration results only from recrystallization. If such migration does result from other sources after recrystallization is completed—after the deformed grains have been replaced by new unde-formed grains—the "time of recrystallization" as determined by Russell may be too long. Furthermore, the method is subject to the above.-mentioned limitation because of the unavoidable period of preparation of the sample. According to Russell, even with the fastest technique 5 min. clapsed before the deformed samples were ready for examination, and consequently no reearystallization time shorter than 5 min. could be measured. The lack of success in detecting the recrystallization of lead by the usual hardness or tensile tests is again caused by the time necessary for

Jan 1, 1940