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By K. E. Merklin, F. D. DeVaney

Students of the modern blast furnace seem unanimously agreed that they are observing a major revolution in practice. Rather than changing construction and operation of the furnaces, most of the great advances now under way deal with the raw materials feed. Prepared burdens have gained increasing significance during recent years. Sizing, concentration, and agglomeration have all become bywords to greater production and reduced operating costs. The remarkable results with test furnaces in which self-fluxing sinter makes up part or all of the ore charge foretell even greater improvements. Other investigators have reported many of these advances, and it is enough to predict here that more and more operators will turn to the use of self-fluxing sinter. This change in the operator's requirements comes at a time when one major section of the iron ore regions, the Mesabi, is finding it difficult to maintain, let alone improve, the tonnage and grade of its shipping product. To meet the new demands with respect to quality and structure, the iron ore producers of this area turned first to screening, crushing, and concentrating intermediate ores. More recently, declining higher-grade reserves have led to multimillion-dollar investments in plants to treat the low-grade magnetic taconites.1,2 To yield a suitable concentrate, the Minnesota magnetic taconites must be ground to about 80 pct through 325 mesh, too fine to be charged directly to the blast furnace or to make acceptable feed to the sinter strand. The pelletizing process was developed to meet the structure requirements laid down by the blast furnace operators. Taconite producers are succeeding in their efforts just when the attention of the blast furnace man is being drawn to the great advantages of self-fluxing sinter.3 The taconite operators are ready with an alternative. Why not produce sclf-flus ing pellets? At the Hibbing laboratory of Pickands Mather & Co., where much of the early work was done that led to Erie Mining's 7.5-million ton taconite plant at Hoyt Lakes, Minn., preliminary investigations have been made. Present Taconite Operations: Details of this work will be clarified by a brief review of agglomeration practice in commercial taconite plants. After the taconite has been ground to about 80 pct through 325 mesh to liberate the magnetite grains, the ore is concentrated on magnetic separators, thickened, and filtered to about 10 pct moisture. This structure and moisture fit in closely with the conditions required to produce good balls. It has been found with taconite concentrates that at least 60 pct of the feed to the balling drum must be —325 mesh to obtain good ball compaction within reasonable time. The filter cake moisture usually permits a slight water addition at the balling drum, and further balling control is obtained by adding about 12 Ib of bentonite and 1 1/2 lb of soda ash per dry short ton of concentrate. These additives, and occasionally small quantities of fine coal, are thoroughly mixed with the filter cake ahead of balling. The swelling property of bentonite improves the green and dry strength of the balls so they can be handled without breakage until they are fired. Soda ash is added for pH control to insure maximum performance of the bentonite, and coal is added for more heat in the firing process when required. The balls, normally 3/8 to l-in. diam, are brought to a temperature of 2350" to 2500°F in the indurating furnace. Heat for this process comes from three sources: 1) fuel burned in the combustion chamber, 2) oxidation of the magnetite concentrates to hematite, and 3) coal added to the balls. Pellet strength is developed by grain growth and bridging and, if enough slag-forming constituents are present, by slag bonding. Conversion to hematite is usually close to 100 pct in the fired pellets. Batch Test Procedures: Initial studies of self-fluxing pellets were made by producing balls on a batch basis under carefully controlled laboratory conditions. The l-in. balls, uniform in size, were fired in an oxidizing atmosphere in a standard laboratory muffle furnace. The firing procedure consisted of

Jan 1, 1961

By Harvey S. Mudd

WHEN talking about Europe it is well to endeavor to keep politics and economics apart but they have become so intermingled in recent years that the discussion of one topic inevitably leads to the other. Economic influences formerly prevailed over politics but today national and international economies are governed by political forces. Commerce in raw materials, food, and manufactured products is now so restricted by governmental controls that the capacity of the world to produce and to consume, to exchange goods and to pay for them, cannot be gauged by the past or predicted by a multitude of experts. In prewar days there were some yardsticks but today there are none. Thus it is hazardous to make forecasts, for in all fields of human effort the world has been cast upon an uncharted sea.

Jan 1, 1947

By J. B. Coher, M. B. Bever

COLD work destroys long-range order, as was first observed by Dehlinger and Graf.1 Dahl2 showed that the mechanical disordering caused by cold work produces changes in those properties that are affected by long-range order. The existence of order has a marked effect on tile manner in which an alloy deforms and therefore on its mechanical properties.L' The relation between order and deformation behavior however, is only beginning to be understood. Seemann and G1ander4 suggested that cold work reduces an ordered alloy to a kind of gruel of antiphase domains. According to Cottrell,5 superdis-locations and pairs of dislocations in a slip plane connected by a strip of anti-phase domain boundary provide deformation mechanisms which do not change the state of order. In general, however, slip may be expected to produce new domain boundaries and destroy order if dislocations move on intersecting planes or cut through existing domain boundaries. The yield strength of an ordered alloy may pass through a maximum with decreasing domain size.5"7 The reduction of domain size resulting from cold work may, therefore, lead to a maximum in strength properties. Flinn8 suggests that dislocations can climb by short-range diffusion during deformation and thus can generate domain boundaries not only on slip planes, but also on other planes which will be those with the lowest domain-boundary energy. It has long been known that the rate of strain hardening of an alloy in the ordered state is larger than in the disordered state.3'9 Also the slip bands in ordered CU3, AU10 and Ni3Mn" are finer than in the disordered alloys. The stress which causes initial yielding in Cu,Au passes through a maximum with decreasing domain size.6'12 A maximum has also been observed in the hardness of ordered Ni3Mn as a function of strain.' These observations suggest, but do not prove, that domain size reduction occurs during deformation. According to Fisher13 slip destroys short-range order and thus the strength of an alloy is related to the degree of short-range order present. Rudman and Averbach14 and Averbach et a1.,15 demonstrated that cold work reduces short-range order in copper-gold and gold-silver alloys. Destruction of long-range and short-range order by cold work implies slip on an appreciable fraction of planes. Yielding of an alloy in which short-range order exists or antiphase domain boundaries are present should be discontinuous because the first dislocations moving across the slip plane meet with the largest resistance.5 Such discontinuous yielding has been observed in CU3AU6,16 and Cuzn.l7 This phenomenon, however, can also be explained by mechanisms not involving order.b The published investigations of the effects of cold work on alloys with long-range or short-range order have not been covered thoroughly in reviews of order-disorder phenomena. These investigations, therefore, will be listed here. They have been concerned with strength properties> 2,3,6,8,9,12,16-21 electrical resistivity,2,4,18,19,21-26: thermoelectric power, magnetic properties,2,18,21,26 and X-ray strain'1,2,14,15,27,28 The slip systems and the appearance of the microstructure after deformation in ordered and disordered alloys have also been investigated. 6.10.ll,l7,23,29,30 The alloys used in these investigations were copper-gold. 1-4,6,9,10,14,16,18 23-26,28,29 copper-zinc. L7. 19. 20,30 nickel-manganese,2 11,21 iron-aluminum. iron-nickel,' copper palladium,4,18,22 gold-silver.4,18,22 and palladium-silver-copper.4 In the work reported here. the changes in properties of polycrystalline Cu3Au were investigated as functions of strain in wire drawing and rolling. Specimens were heat treated before deformation

Jan 1, 1961

By L. F. Reinartz

ANOTHER year has rolled by. We are twelve months further away from the start of the depression and. therefore that much nearer to recovery. The accumulated needs and wants 'of our lame, virile population are ready to burst their bonds as soon as confidence returns and credit is stabilized. The steel industry has been harassed by uncertainty of the Government's attitude toward organized labor's de¬mands, and irregularity in volume of production. Steel labor, if left to its own devices, would in most instances, march shoulder to shoulder with the management of steel plants in their effort to pull the industry nut of the ?red.? Cooperation between management and men has improved considerably during; the year.

Jan 1, 1935

By Arthur Notman

THE mineral industries in this country have now had about a year of national planning. Al. though the period is short, the volume of activity and legislation designed to make that planning effective has been nothing short of enormous. Those who have been privileged to see and study a few of the codes to regulate our mineral industry, such as those for oil, coal, steel, and copper, are driven to the conclusion that nothing was really known about the proper way to conduct those industries in this country prior to June, 1933; or if anything was known, nobody in actual practice made use of that knowledge. And yet those industries, in days gone by, helped to make this country the most prosperous in the world, and to maintain a standard of living even today higher than that of any other country. Without wishing to assume any first-hand knowledge of the Russian standard of living, I must confess that the evidence seems to indicate that even with dictatorial authority, national planning encounters unexpected difficulties. Perhaps what really wants

Jan 1, 1935

By Samuel H. Dolbear

NOT WITHSTANDING the extremely low ebb of business activity, the nonmetallic industries have fared somewhat better than some other branches of mining. The average price level in nonmetallics, although far from satisfactory, has resisted any cataclysmic fall such as has been suffered by copper and other metals. Stocks, also, though too abundant, represent no corresponding overhang of the market, which should result, in some branches, in a more rapid recovery. Research work has continued in some industries with interesting developments.

Jan 1, 1933

By J. F. Breedis

The stabilization of austenite in Fe-Ni alloys against martensitic transformation after reversion has been attributed' to the lattice imperfections remaining from previous transformation. More recently, however, such stabilization has been associatedzy3 with compositional changes which occur in martensite during slow heating. Dislocation arrangements in deformed austenitic stainless steels strongly influence transformation to martensite on quenching.4 Therefore, it is of interest to observe the transformation behavior of stainless steel after reversion, especially since previous studies have been confined to Fe-Ni alloys. The transformation-product morphology also differs in the two iron-alloy systems;6 plate martensite forms in the latter while stainless steel transforms to lath-type martensite. Samples of Fe-16 wt pct Cr-12 wt pct Ni (maximum C + N = 0.005 wt pct, 0 = 0.02 wt pct), prepared by vacuum melting and casting from high-purity components, were annealed at 900°C for 24 hr, after cold rolling to produce a 40-p grain diameter. The M, temperature of this alloy is -80°C and samples are fully austenitic after annealing. The amount of martensite present after quenching, annealing, and requenching was determined magnetically, to within 0.01 wt pct, using a vibrating specimen magnetometer. Nearly 14 pct of martensite forms during the initial quench in 1 min at -196°C. Two-min and 2-hr anneals were done in air and in evacuated quartz capsules, respectively. All specimens were electro-polished before making the magnetic measurements.

Jan 1, 1967

By O. U. Bradley

THE extent of losses, due to evaporation, sediment, and water, in crude oil stored in steel tanks, is a very interesting question, and particularly so at this time, when every reasonable measure should be employed to eliminate all possible losses of this important natural product. Available information on this subject is incomplete; e.g., during the development of the Cushing Field, considerable surplus oil was stored in steel tanks, but from time to time, owing to changes in weather, somelosses by evaporation and short storage room on the leases, these tanks were topped out, thus rendering inaccurate any system designed to determine the average rate of evaporation or other losses of the oil over a given period. , Furthermore, the losses, as shown by the records at the time, as a result of hasty gages, failed to take into account the temperature and gravity of the oil. Losses may be classified roughly as occurring from evaporation, presence of sediment and water, and leakage. The coefficient of expansion and contraction of crude oil, in relation to temperature conditions, is of material importance; also, the rate of evaporation is dependent upon the gravity of the oil, as the escape of the lighter hydrocarbons in fresh Cushing oil, of from 40 to 42 gravity, on a warm day is considerable, and from available records of temporary storage, it is safe to assume that a loss of 1 to 13 per cent. in volume will easily occur in light crude oil of Cushing grade over a period of. 6 months, including the summer season. The presence of sediment, water, and other impurities, in the oil will also cause, more or less deterioration in quality, particularly when the fresh production is run direct from the. gage tanks, or from the wells on the lease to steel storage, as is often the case when an oil field is being rapidly developed. The bad oil will settle to the bottom of the tanks and may be determined by thiefing and running a centrifuge test on the sample. The amount of water in the oil depends entirely on the conditions under which it is produced. Sometimes in large producing wells, with heavy gas pressure, some water may come in with the oil, particularly if the well has been drilled to the top of a water sand. Under these conditions, cut oil is often produced, which, if not settled out, is carried over into the steel tanks.

Jan 7, 1918

By Clyde E. Williams, V. N. Krivobok, C. H. Herty

THE extreme effect of the depression on the steel industry is well illustrated by the fact that the amount of iron ore shipped from the Lake Superior district was the lowest in 47 years. Something over 3 1/2 million tons of ore was shipped in 1932, compared with over 65 million tons in 1929. It is not surprising then that practically no advancement in iron ore beneficiation has been made. Improved research and development work, however, was continued at the Michigan College of Mines in the survey of the lean iron ores of Michigan with reference to the possibility of their concentration; at the University of Minnesota in its large-scale jigging studies of Lake :Superior ores; and at Battelle Memorial Institute in the development of improved jigging of iron ores. The successful operation of the new Hadsel mill at a gold property in California gave such low grinding costs on a quartz ore as to give much encouragement in the iron ore industry for a cheapening of the cost of grinding lean ores for concentration.

Jan 1, 1933

By Herbert Hoover

BOTH the directors of industry and your leaders have made great progress toward a new and common . ground in economic conceptions, which, I am confident, has had a profound effect upon our economic progress during the last few years. That is the conception that industry must be constantly renovated by scientific research and invention; that labor welcomes those labor-saving devices; that labor gives its full and unrestricted effort to reduce costs by the use of these machines and methods; that the savings from these reduced costs shall be shared among labor, employer and the consumer.

Jan 1, 1930

By Brian R. Castle, James J. Scott

INTRODUCTION Referring to a ground support system as a 'band-aid' borders on getting cute, but the application of cable slings in U.S. mining is somewhat analogous. Where problems in the roof or rib require additional support, the versatile cable sling is the answer in a variety of conditions. To fully understand how and why cable slings are used today we must briefly review their development history. Much of the thrust over the last five to seven years in ground support fixtures has been the development of hybrid systems. Taking the best of two or more existing roof bolt fixtures and marrying them into a new fixture which exhibits the good characteristics without the bad of the parent systems. Resin point anchored mechanical bolts, continuous threaded rebar bolts, and others have all be- come important fixtures in rock mass stabilization. HYBRID GROUND SUPPORT SYSTEM The cable sling system is also a hybrid, both in its parentage and in its ground support characteristics. See figure 1. Cable slings combine the techniques of cement. grouting high-strength cables, Friction Rock Stabilizers, and truss-like suspension into a versatile and high- strength ground support system. 1/2" high-strength cable is cement grouted in place in a manner similar to pre-

Jan 1, 1983

By Charles E. Parsons

One of the greatest factors in our industrial development is cheap and convenient power. Long-distance electrical transmission has now reached such a stage that it is feasible, and practicable, to utilize the water-power of the country which was heretofore too remote for consideration. In all of the changes of energy from its various sources to its electrical applications, water-power stands pre-eminent in point of economy. Power-users the world over have endeavored to utilize this force in preference to any other, and until long-distance transmission was found practicable it seemed that every available water-power in this section of the country was doing its full share for the benefit of mankind. The success of each great industrial development has been clue in a greater part to some one man one who is just a step in advance of the rest in his particular field; one who is able to grasp a situation and foresee possibilities; and, above all, one who has that indomitable pluck and perseverance which sees in each obstacle one more step toward success. Such a mail is Eugene L. Ashley, for it was through his efforts that the development of the greatest power on the Hudson river was made possible. For several years prior to 1897 the various properties along the river between Glens Falls and Palmer Falls were in the hands of speculators. These men knew the value of waterrights, but they had not the ability to assemble the properties and finance such an undertaking. In 1897 Mr. Ashley began buying these water-rights, and, after two years of litigation, title mas secured to all of the properties along each side of the river, and the Hudson River Water-Power Company was organized to construct a dam and transmit power to the surrounding cities and villages. A contract was let for a dam

Jan 1, 1904

By Hallet R. Robbins

KOREA, the ancient " Hermit Kingdom," is a peninsula jutting out from the coast of eastern Asia. By the natives it is called " Chosen," which, translated, means " Land of the Morning Calm." It lies between the Yellow sea and the Sea of Japan. On the north it is separated from Manchuria and the Russian province of Primorsk by the Yalu and Tiumen rivers ; on the south the Korean straits interpose a rough voyage of 120 miles to the nearest point in Japan. The entire country is situated between the parallels of 34° and 42° N. latitude. The surface of the country is made up of successive ranges of unglaciated mountains, separated by narrow, fertile, and more or less densely populated, valleys. Through all the obscure centuries of its history, Korea has succeeded in maintaining a monastic seclusion, over which, from time immemorial until the late Chino-Japanese war in 1894, China exercised a shadowy sovereignty. Although Korea had been forced into slight foreign contact previously, her first foreign treaty was signed with Japan in 1876. Under the restraining guardianship of China, the Japanese treaty bore but insignificant innovations for Korea; but when, in 1883, a treaty was made with the United States, the first of the western nations, a decade after the American gunboats, under Commodore Rodgers and Lieutenant Schley, forced their way up the Salee river, shooting daylight through the ancient walls and fastnesses, Korea awoke from her sleep of 4,000 years. The Korean peninsula suddenly became the arena where rival nations' enterprises and individuals met in fiercest conflict. Out of this struggle grew two singularly successful American

Jan 7, 1908

An index covering the papers presented at the 19 Open Hearth Conferences from the first meeting at Pittsburgh, April 15 and 16, 1925, through the most recent meeting in Detroit, April 16 and 17, 1936, the reports of the meetings and the discussions that took place has been published, accompanied by a list of the papers presented, grouped by subject matter and a list of books of interest to open hearth men The list below gives the Open Hearth Conference meetings in chronological order and the symbols used to designate them in the index SYMBOL MEETINGS P25 Pittsburgh, April 15 and 16, 1925 C125 Cleveland, Oct 13 to 15, 1925 Ch26 Chicago, April 12 and 13, 1926 P26 Pittsburgh, October, 1926 B27 Buffalo, May 3 to 5, 1927 D27 Detroit, Nov 2 and 3, 1927 Y28 Youngstown, May 3 and 4, 1928 P28 Pittsburgh, Nov 15 and 16, 1928 C129 Cleveland, May 16 and 17, 1929 Ch29 Chicago, Nov 5 and 6, 1929 B30 Buffalo, May 20 and 21, 1930 C130 Cleveland, Nov 20 and 21, 1930 Ch31 Chicago, May 12 and 13, 1931- D31 Detroit, Nov 24 and 25, 1931 P32 Pittsburgh, May 24 and 25, 1932 Ch33 Chicago, June 29 and 30, 1933 P34 Pittsburgh, June 28 and 29, 1934 C135 Cincinnati, April 11 and 12, 1935 D36 Detroit, April 16 and 17, 1936 The list of papers mentioned in the first paragraph above is reprinted on pages 428 to 431 The Index of the Open Hearth Proceedings may be purchased at A I M E headquarters, 29 W 39th St, New York

Jan 1, 1936

Andrew Carnegie, America's best-known ironmaster and philanthropist, died at his home at Lenox, Mass., Monday, Aug. 11, after a three days' illness. A pioneer in the steel industry, he introduced into this .country the Bessemer process And formed the plans that have resulted in this country's supremacy in the steel markets of the world. Known throughout the world for his, gifts, he is also known to engineers as the donor of the home of their National Societies and as the founder of the Carnegie Institute of Technology, of Pittsburgh. For many years, also, he was an honorary member of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and of the Engineers Club of New York. What he considered the secret, of his success is shown by the epitaph he wrote for himself, "Here lies a man who knew how to enlist in his service better men than himself." He was buried Thursday, Aug. 14, in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Tarry-town, N. Y., the funeral services being private, in accordance with his wish.

Jan 9, 1919

By John Wellington Finch

WHAT is an engineering opportunity? To the mining .engineer the natural assumption is that the first requisite 'is a mineral deposit, but, of course, it is not so simple as that. There are at various points on the earth really very great mineral deposits which, on account of geographic location, backwardness of the country, or hostility of its natives, are now, and for a long time to come will be, quite valueless. The mining engineer, and for that matter the civil engineer, is more dependent upon the decisions of capital than upon any other factor in his profession. Ordinarily it is to be assumed that money will go to any place where it is clear that an adequate return upon its investment can be secured, but for many years it has not been safe to depend upon this. ' As already stated, there are many places where local conditions are such that mining is not safe to engage in and there are still other places in which conditions have been so aggravated by the Great War and by the social unrest which has upset the Asiatic region that capital is naturally most reluctant to venture, even when engineering data makes the undertaking appear attractive. It will be evident, I. believe, that there are many factors vital to the success of a mining enterprise in some of the remote countries which we do not have to consider in the United States and which do not, in fact, exist here.

Jan 1, 1924

Officials of the State Department have expressed their hope that a considerable number of technical men will take the examination for consular service. The Department recognizes that the interest of the United States will be served best if technical men are made available through these examinations for vacancies at points where their training will be of special value. Industrial engineers who have passed the con-sular examination will be assigned to industrial centers of Europe or South America. Mining engineers, chemists, electrical engineers, etc., will be assigned to industrial centers requiring special training.

Jan 11, 1919

By AIME AIME

DURING my senior year at college a professor said to his class that a student who failed to obtain a passing grade in that certain subject could not graduate with his class and that his diploma would be withheld until the failure had been removed. In that way for four years a diploma had been made to appear to us as the objective in attending college. We grew up to think that a diploma was the means of providing employment; consequently, a diploma could not be jeopardized and, heeding the professor's remarks, we resolved to put forth special efforts and make good. During one of our class periods this same professor digressed briefly from his prepared lecture in metallurgy and advised the boys to join a national technical society. He spoke with earnestness and sincerity. After class we students discussed those remarks. We concluded that the professor had not convinced us. We were already members of technical societies at school and saw no need of joining another. In fact, even up to that moment a society had never indicated to any of us that joining it had any relation to landing a job, and we were fully aware that joining another society meant paying out more money, for fees and dues, which money we then needed to buy food, clothes, and perhaps a new slide rule. Furthermore, we knew that joining a society was not part of the curriculum and, therefore, the diploma could not be withheld if we did not follow the advice. Our conclusion was that we would not join but would concentrate on our work that assured getting our diplomas.

Jan 1, 1936

By I. M. Roberts

THE war emergency has affected every phase of industry. The gas and coke-oven companies have sought faithfully to discharge their responsibility in this critical period and have willingly modified their operations where possible to meet the ever increasing demands made upon them. Our company made commitments for blast-furnace coke for war purposes which necessitated a reduction in coking time in order to produce the amount required to. meet the new demands. At the same time there were certain customers of long standing, who had been supplied with foundry and egg-sized coke produced on fairly long coking periods, who also were engaged in war work and whose patronage we desired to retain. Coke produced on short coking rates from the coal mixture we were then using would not have been satisfactory for these customers. The average width of our ovens is 19 ¾ in., which is a little wider than the more modern ovens of the present day. They were originally designed to give somewhat cool tops in order to produce a rich gas. This necessitates carrying the heats a little on the warm side so that the tops will be fully carbonized. A reduction in coking time, as is generally known, is accompanied by a reduction in the average size of the coke produced. This is due to the greater shrinkage that takes place at the higher temperatures required to carbonize the charges in a shorter time. The net result is that the coke is more cross fractured and longitudinally fractured and breaks up into small sizes on handling. The cokes produced from the better coking coals seem to be more susceptible to fracture at high temperatures than those from poorer coking coals. A coal mixture that produces a beautiful foundry-sized coke at 30 to 36 hr. may yield a product at 18 hr. that would be so badly fractured as to be unsatisfactory for foundry practice. COKING CHARACTERISTICS OF COALS Our problem was to find some economical innovation and develop a method that would enable us to reduce the coking time and still produce a coke satisfactory to our foundry trade. However, before discussing the results of our present operations, it might be well to present a few observations on the coking characteristics of coals in general. Most coke-oven operators carbonize a blended mixture of coals. It may consist of a single high-volatile coal with a single low-volatile coal, or of a combination of several high-volatile and low-volatile coals. Medium-volatile coals of the Eagle seam are used for the production of high-grade foundry coke. Medium and high-volatile coals are often blended with one or more low-volatile coals. The possibilities are almost infinite, but the combinations are limited by such factors as cost and facilities for handling multicoal mixtures, and by other practical considerations. Every coal has characteristics that make it blend better with a particular coal or coals in preference to others. This property has

Jan 1, 1944

By N. R. Morrow, C. C. Harris

The experimental points which describe capillary pressure curves are determined at apparent equilibria which are observed after bydrodynamic flow has ceased. For most systems, the time required to obtain equalization of pressure throughout the discontinuous part of a phase is prohibitive. To permit experimental points to be described as equilibria, a model of capillary behavior is proposed where mass transfer is restricted to bulk fluid flow. Model capillary pressure curves follow if the path described by such points is independent of the rate at which the saturation was changed to attain a capillary pressure point. Aemodified suction potential technique is used to study cyclic relationships between capillary pressure and moisture content for a porous mass. The time taken to complete an experiment was greatly reduced by using small samples. INTRODUCTION Capillary retention of liquid by porous materials has been investigated in the fields of hydrology,l soil science,2 oil reservoir engineering,3 chemical engineering," soil mechanics,5 textiles: paper making: and building materials In studies of the immiscible displacement of one fluid by another within a porous bed, drainage columnsl and suction potential techniques2 have been used to obtain relationships between pressure deficiency and saturation (Fig. 1). Except where there is no hysteresis of contact angle and the solid is of simple geometry, such as a tube of uniform cross section, there is hysteresis in the relationship between capillary pressure and saturation.2 The relationship which has received most attention is displacement of fluid from an initially saturated bed (Fig. 1, Curve R2), the final condition being an irreducible minimum fluid saturation Swr. Imbibition (Fig. 1, Curve A), further desaturation (Fig. 1, Curve R), and intermediate scanning curves have been studied to a lesser but increasing extent.2 ,3,9-12 This paper first considers the nature of the experimental points tracing the capillary pressure curves with respect to the modes and rates of mass transfer which are operative during the course of measurement. There are clear indications that the experimental points which describe these curves are obtained at apparent equilibria which are observed when viscous fluid flow has ceased; and any further changes in the fluid distribution are the result of much slower mass transfer processes, such as diffusion. Unless stated otherwise, this discussion applies to a stable packing of equal, smooth, hydrophilic spheres supported by a suction plate5 with water as the wetting phase and air as the nonwetting phase. The discussion can also be applied, in many

Jan 1, 1966