Search Documents

By Leonard Grimshaw

DIFFUSION Of carbon from gases into iron has been the object of much research, because of its long recognized importance in carburizing processes, but the direct diffusion of carbon from steel into iron has received relatively little attention. Because of the increasing use of clad metals in industry, direct diffusion from steel into iron is becoming of practical importance. Therefore, the object of this investigation was to study the diffusion of carbon from several different kinds of steel directly into relatively pure iron, realizing that elements in the steels other than carbon might influence the rate of carbon diffusion. The previous work on diffusion of carbon into iron has been consider-able, and includes many reports in foreign languages. This work has recently been well reviewed by Mehl1 and Krynitsky,2 and the reader is referred to their excellent bibliographies.

Jan 1, 1937

By H. A. Meyerhoff, R. J. Colony

Deposits of iron are widely scattered in the folded Cretaceous rocks and the associated igneous intrusives of Puerto Rico. Most of them are too small for commercial development, but a few have aroused some scientific and economic interest, among them the large body of residual limonite at the west end of the island near Mayagüezl-6 (Fig. 1) and the mixed hematite and magnetite deposit on the southern slopes of the Sierra de Cayey, about four miles north of Arroyo.7"9 Neither of these orebodies has been developed, nor have investigations of the widely distributed deposits of magnetite, which include all the remaining occurrences of iron deserving of economic consideration, proceeded beyond the exploratory stage. With the possible exception of the mixed deposit near Arroyo, the magnetite is directly associated with andesitic and dioritic intrusives, which invade the Cretaceous rock section, and the bulk of it, occurring in calcareous sediments, is clearly of contact-replacement origin. The small deposit on Rio Portugües, north of Ponce, is found in a limestone band near its contact with an andesite dike.10,11 Two deposits of unde-

Jan 1, 1935

By J. A. Grimes, Paul Billingsley

A. Introduction. 1. Association of Ores and Igneous Rocks. 2. Identity of Granite Rocks. B. General Geology. 1. Geologic Events of the Igneous Cycle. 2. Association of Igneous Intrusions with Tectonic Forces. C. Igneous Rocks. 1. Andesite Period. 2. Granite Period. (a) Diorite. (b) Quartz-Monzonite. (c) Aplite. (d) Quartz-Porphyry. (c) Quartz-Veins. 3. Rhyolite Period. 4. Comparative Analyses. D. Classification of Deposits. 1. Genetic Classification. 2. Parallelism Between Igneous Stages and Stages of Ore Deposition. Part 2.—The Ore Deposits Andesite Period. A. Andesite Phase. 1. Disseminations—Baggs Creek. 2. Contact Deposits—Iron Mines of Ekhorn Mountains. 3. Fissure Veins—Emery District. (a) Fissure Veins in Andesite Walls. (b) Mineralization Along Bedding of Flows. (c) Mineralization of Amygdaloidal Lavas. (d) Mineralization of Breccia. 4. Summary.

Jan 1, 1918

By C. E. Wood, E. P. Barrett, T. L. Joseph

The invention of the Bessemer converter process in 1856 added great impetus to the manufacture of steel and is one of the outstanding contributions to process metallurgy. Although the process of refining pig iron by passing air through the molten metal bears the name of Henry Bessemer, it should be mentioned in passing that William Kelley of Eddysville, Ky., worked on the process as early as 1847. Kelley was granted a patent on the process in 1857, inasmuch as he was able to prove priority in discovery.' After considerable litigation in 1865 the respective interests of Kelley and Bessemer were combined. On Sept. 10, 1856, Robert Mushet of England obtained his first patent on the application of manganese to cast steel. Mushet anticipated trouble in purifying iron by passing currents of air through it: His patent specified that steel made in this way often contained flaws and was red short or cold short. Mushet understood the refining of pig iron into steel well enough to realize the difficulties likely to be cncountered from oxidation of the iron. Mushet was not only an inventor; he was also an investigator. He understood the principle of selective oxidation which takes place in the converter process, and he realized therefore that the remedy for over-oxidation was attainable if a suitable metal could be found at a reasonable cost and in sufficient quantities. His first experiments were made in small crucibles holding a few ounces of metal. Later his work was conducted on a larger scale and with complete success. Manganese had been used in making steel a quarter of a century before the converter

Jan 1, 1927

By Frank Clemes Smith

The study of the so-called refractory gold-ores of the Potsdam sandstone, ores which are probably of wider occurrence and of much greater economic importance in the Black Hills than is generally supposed, has led the writer to formulate in the present paper some of the results obtained in the course of a special examination of these particular ores, conducted at the State School of Mines at Rapid City, So. Dak. Various circumstances have interrupted the work, and it will easily be seen that relatively little has yet been accomplished; but it is hoped that this little may be of sufficient interest to justify a later supplement. Tellurium, discovered by Muller von Reichenstein in 1781, is generally classed as a very rare metal; it is further mentioned by one of our late writers as " of comparatively little importance," and as obtained from its ores by a " complicated process.'' Concerning its rarity, we have some trustworthy evidence below. Its commercial importance, particularly in connection with electrical appliances, has been passed upon by Mr. Edison ; * and it is certain that, in some metallurgical processes for the treatment of gold- and silver-ores, it may be saved as a byproduct at a relatively reasonable expense. The importance of tellurium as a mineralizing agent is emphasized by the remarks of one of our leading metallurgists,jwho, in his own practice and by a wide series of experiments, has found its occurrence to be much more general than has been supposed. Recently the same writer has discussed the occurrence of tellurides and oxidized tellurium compounds in the gold-ores of Cripple Creek, Colo., and in those of the Black

Jan 1, 1897

By J. C. Reed, P. J. Shenon

The Elk City district is in north-central Idaho about 60 miles east of Grangeville and near the headwaters of the South Fork of the Clearwater River (Fig. 1). At the height of its boom in the early sixties, Elk City had a population of more than 2000 people, Published estimates of the placer production from the district range from $10,000,000 to $18,500,000. Although the first quartz-vein location was made as early as 1870, very little gold was extracted from quartz ores until after the completion of the American Eagle mill in 1902. Between 1902 and 1932 a total of from $750,000 to $1,000,000 was taken from about six properties. General Geology Distribution of Rocks Banded gneiss (Fig. 2) is the most aburldant bedrock in the Elk City district. It is interbedded with schist and quartzite and ill some places these rocks have been intruded by sills and dikes. Banded gneiss prevails in the western part of the area whereas schist prevails to the southeast. Augen gneiss occurs for the most part as irregular bodies, which lie transverse to the trend of the banded gneiss and schist. It is largely confined to two areas; one of which extends from east of the American Eagle mine westward as far as the Black Pine mine, a total distance of about five miles, and another area of about two square miles in the vicinity of the California-Idaho placer mine. Quartzite is fairly abundant. In addition to the bands of the latter interbedded with gneiss and schist, some large lenses crop out in the southeastern part of the dik-trict near the southern contact of the area underlain by granodiorite. Granodiorite crops out over a large area and extends northeastward

Jan 1, 1935

By P. J. Shenon, J. C. Reed

The Elk City district is in north-central Idaho about 60 miles east of Grangeville and near the headwaters of the South Fork of the Clearwater River (Fig. 1). At the height of its boom in the early sixties, Elk City had a population of more than 2000 people, Published estimates of the placer production from the district range from $10,000,000 to $18,500,000. Although the first quartz-vein location was made as early as 1870, very little gold was extracted from quartz ores until after the completion of the American Eagle mill in 1902. Between 1902 and 1932 a total of from $750,000 to $1,000,000 was taken from about six properties. General Geology Distribution of Rocks Banded gneiss (Fig. 2) is the most aburldant bedrock in the Elk City district. It is interbedded with schist and quartzite and ill some places these rocks have been intruded by sills and dikes. Banded gneiss prevails in the western part of the area whereas schist prevails to the southeast. Augen gneiss occurs for the most part as irregular bodies, which lie transverse to the trend of the banded gneiss and schist. It is largely confined to two areas; one of which extends from east of the American Eagle mine westward as far as the Black Pine mine, a total distance of about five miles, and another area of about two square miles in the vicinity of the California-Idaho placer mine. Quartzite is fairly abundant. In addition to the bands of the latter interbedded with gneiss and schist, some large lenses crop out in the southeastern part of the dik-trict near the southern contact of the area underlain by granodiorite. Granodiorite crops out over a large area and extends northeastward

Jan 1, 1935

The Elk City district is in north-central Idaho about 60 miles east of Grangeville and near the headwaters of the South Fork of the Clearwater River (Fig. 1). At the height of its boom in the early sixties, Elk City had a population of more than 2000 people, Published estimates of the placer production from the district range from $10,000,000 to $18,500,000. Although the first quartz-vein location was made as early as 1870, very little gold was extracted from quartz ores until after the completion of the American Eagle mill in 1902. Between 1902 and 1932 a total of from $750,000 to $1,000,000 was taken from about six properties. General Geology Distribution of Rocks Banded gneiss (Fig. 2) is the most aburldant bedrock in the Elk City district. It is interbedded with schist and quartzite and ill some places these rocks have been intruded by sills and dikes. Banded gneiss prevails in the western part of the area whereas schist prevails to the southeast. Augen gneiss occurs for the most part as irregular bodies, which lie transverse to the trend of the banded gneiss and schist. It is largely confined to two areas; one of which extends from east of the American Eagle mine westward as far as the Black Pine mine, a total distance of about five miles, and another area of about two square miles in the vicinity of the California-Idaho placer mine. Quartzite is fairly abundant. In addition to the bands of the latter interbedded with gneiss and schist, some large lenses crop out in the southeastern part of the dik-trict near the southern contact of the area underlain by granodiorite. Granodiorite crops out over a large area and extends northeastward

Jan 1, 1935

By J. T. Eash, E. M. Wise

Platinum and palladium are the most generally useful, most ductile and least rare members of the platinum family. They have many important applications in the pure state but for other applications it is frequently desirable to harden them and otherwise modify their properties by alloying small amounts of the other platinum group metals with them. These alloys are frequently required to withstand very drastic forming operations and to possess certain mechanical properties to fulfill specific requirements. For these reasons a knowledge of the tensile properties and annealing characteristics of pure platinum and palladium as well as their more useful commercial alloys is important to the user and the fabricator. The present work was undertaken to fill this need. Rather brief (5 min.) annealing treatments were employed to render the data of maximum practical value and all tests were conducted upon 0.050-in. dia. wire, initially reduced 50 per cent in area by cold drawing, for the same reason. Conclusions 1. Pure (thermocouple grade) platinum reduced 50 per. cent by cold drawing exhibits the following tensile properties: ultimate tensile strength, 36,000 lb. per sq. in.; proportional limit, 27,000 lb. per sq. in.; elongation, 2.5 per cent in 2 in.; reduction in area, 95 per cent. When fully annealed by treatment at 1100°C. its properties are: ultimate tensile strength, 20,700 lb. per sq. in.; elongation, 30 per cent in 2 in.; reduction in area, 93 per cent. 2. The addition of alloying elements in moderate amounts markedly increases the strength and annealing temperature without much detriment to the ductility. The behavior and properties of variously hardened platinum alloys are considered in some detail. The behavior of a 20 per cent iridium

Jan 1, 1935

By A. L. Galpin

INTRODUCTION For many tailings ponds, particularly those having substantial watershed areas, the control of pond water levels will be a major factor influencing the operation of the pond and the design and construction of the dam retaining the pond. This paper summarizes the basic factors affecting the control of water in tailings ponds, methods of water control, and methods of estimating the variables involved. The influences that pond water levels can have on the design, construction, and stability of tailings dams are explained in order to emphasize the importance of water control in the overall planning of mine tailings disposal systems. Two examples of pond water control planning conclude the paper. BASIC FACTORS The principal factors influencing the control of water in tailings ponds are illustrated on Fig. 1. Fig. 1 (a) shows the general disposition of the tailings solids and water in the pond; the solids settle from the slurry to form "slimes", deposits sloping down into the pond from the points of discharge; these slimes hold volumes of water in the voids between solid particles; water in excess of this "retained" water forms a pool of "free" water laying over the slimes deposits. In some cases, tailings solids (and water) go to the tailings dam for its construction. Fig. 1 (b) indicates those ways additional to tailings disposal in which the pond gains or loses water. These include surface and sub-surface runoff from the pond watershed, water reclaimed from the pond for ore processing, evaporation, and seepage. Seepage losses sometimes include water draining from tailings sand placed in the dam, but a portion of the total seepage flow is often collected and returned to the pond in order to avoid downstream pollution and to recover water for re-use. PRINCIPAL REQUIREMENTS In relation to the control of water in a tailings pond, the first requirement is usually to maintain a pool sufficiently large to ensure adequate clarification of the free water prior to its reclaim for use in the mill, or its discharge from the pond.

Jan 1, 1972

By W. T. Allan

RAW bituminous coal has been in general use as a blast-furnace fuel in Scotland for the last century, and although its use has now been largely abandoned and it has been replaced by coke in the majority of the few furnaces which are at, present in blast in this country, coal-smelted pig iron is not yet a thing of the past; it is still being produced and mar-keted in competition with the more cheaply smelted product of the coke-fired furnace. Various factors have influenced this change in practice; the once plentiful deposits of coal of a suitable nature for the blast furnace are now not so easily obtainable; native blackband and clayband ironstones which are easily smelted in the coal-fired blast furnace, although still far from being exhausted, are not available except at a. cost that is somewhat higher than that of imported ores, making them unattractive to the ironmaster that is compelled by circumstances to smelt his iron at the lowest possible cost. Within the last 15 years overproduction of synthetic nitrogen has led to progressive reductions in the price of sulphate of ammonia, the recovery of which together with the other by-products before that time materially assisted in reducing the working costs of the coal-fired furnace. Now the sale of the by-products recovered yields a diminished profit. When the cost of the product is the only consideration the small, slow-smelting, coal-fired blast furnace cannot compare with its large, modern, coke-fired competitor. Other `considerations do not by any means all support the same side of the argument. In the smelting of pig iron to be used in the manufacture of steel where the quality of the final product depends so largely upon the control of the conversion process and so much less upon the physical quality of the pig iron used, the physical properties of the pig iron do not exert any appreciable influence upon the quality of the steel produced, therefore the methods employed in the smelting of the pig iron matter but little so long as the requisite chemical composi-tion is reached. On the other hand, in ironfounding where the simple melting of the pig iron, which is the only treatment it receives before being cast into its final form, does little or nothing to modify its original charac-

Jan 1, 1937

Primarily, 1961 was a year for widespread application of tools and techniques which have become operational in the past several years • • • Raising --Raise climbers and climber raising techniques have been improved; narrow veins as low as 55° dip are now being mined from climber raises. Climber modifications include: larger motors, tighter radius curves negotiated, improved lubrication and new methods of stowing the climber during a blast. Climber raises are now ventilated in several ways: a 12-in. diam flexible vent tube behind the climber rail; a 6-in. diam pipe behind the climber rail (with fan); or a 6 to 8-in. diam drill hole along the axis of the raise. In hot raises, these ventilating techniques have resulted in more rounds per shift. When driving raises from crosscut and lateral development, mucking machine loading of raise rock is preferred over slusher ramp loading for the following reasons: a) faster set-up and teardown of climber facilities; b) easier access for climber maintenance, repair and loading of raising supplies; c) area at the bottom of the raise can be kept cleaner. Both wide and narrow veins are mined from 7 x 7-ft climber raises at Butte and at Republic, Wash. At Republic, climber rollers have been modified to support increased weight when driving 55°dip raises • Drilling-The new largebore, short-stroke push feed drills are much faster drilling than previous models and are most satisfactory in hard ground. Although reports on maintenance studies of the new drills are not yet available, increased steel and bit wear and breakage, and increased drill maintenance are seen as potential problems. Mines in Montana and Idaho continue to test rubber-collared drill steel. The fabricating methods used are successful but advantages in increased steel life have yet to be proved. Underground applications of down-the-hole drills continue. Drilling speed and accuracy are reported as the outstanding advantages. Manufacturers are now hopeful of making drills which will operate in any direction. Present applications are for ventilation holes (to 8 in. diam) for climber raises, holes for hydraulic fill distribution, drain holes and "predrilled" raises. Good drilling accuracy has been reported to a depth of 200 ft. Cutting holes in drifting is seen as a future application

Jan 2, 1962

By Harry M. Mikami

Chromite is the only ore mineral of metallic chromium and chromium compounds and chemicals. Because of this fact, chromite and chrome ore are used synonymously in trade literature. In commercial market quotations, chrome ore is the term commonly used. Chromite per se, because of properties imparted by its chromium content, is used in refractories and in special purpose moulding sands for metal casting. There are many other minerals containing some, generally minor, amounts of chromium, but none are commercial sources of the element (Thayer, 1956, p. 15). Chromium and chromite have many diverse uses that, directly and indirectly, critically affect vast segments of our modern industrial system. Most important are probably the metallurgical applications wherein chromium is a component of heat, abrasion, corrosion, and oxidation-resistant, and high strength alloys of many types. Stainless steels are the largest volume category of chrome-bearing alloys. Chromium chemicals are used in leather tanning, in pigments, dyes and mordants, printing, :hemica1 process industries, photography, pharmaceuticals, metal plating, pure chromium metal production, and for many other purposes. Chromite is a necessary constituent in basic refractories indispensable for the production of steel, copper, cement, and glass. Under present economic-political conditions, he U.S. and for that matter, North America, has virtually insignificant ore reserves of chromite. There are chromite deposits, as will be described, but they would only be used under highly abnormal conditions if all outside sources were cut off. All chromite used in the U.S. is imported from the eastern hemisphere in which are contained the principal world reserves. As the main suppliers in 1971-72 were the USSR, Turkey, Republic of South Africa, Philippines, and Rhodesia, the strategic nature of chromite is obvious.

Jan 1, 1975

By F. C. Stanford

The work of an engineer is to direct natural forces so that the: bring about the results that he wishes to secure. Heretofore he ha concerned himself chiefly with physical forces and inanimate objects until he has secured a truly marvelous degree of control over them The great problem of the present age is to secure a like degree of know1 edge and control of the human factor. Progress has already been made along this line, but it is only a beginning. Wilhelm Ostwald says tha scientific knowledge enables a man to be a true prophet; but it must be remembered that a good many people do not seem to be able to main tain a high average in prophecy. In short, 'the average of knowledge is not equal to the average needs of the present time, but continually fails to keep pace with it. It has been aptly said that the really essentia need of the period is for more brains; if we only had sufficient knowledg and sagacity we could not only solve all difficulties, but prevent then from arising. This generalization holds good for an industrial organization. Th most vital need of the management is for more brains. The logica course for an engineer in charge of an industrial organization is, therefore to direct whatever forces may be at his command toward the development training, and guiding of all the brains in his organization. This is easie said than done, for it involves the carrying on toward two objective: the maximum of productive work, and the development of the individual who perform it. This is essentially like the rebuilding and enlarging of plant, keeping it in full operation the while. On the other hand, if th aim is merely for maximum production from an organization, withou offering opportunity for development, the final outcome will necessari be like that of a plant that is driven at full capacity without stoppin for repairs or improvements; it eventually becomes so run down th either a complete rebuilding is necessary or else it has to be abandone

Jan 1, 1918

Unlike the bituminous part of the coal industry, the production of anthracite has been fairly well publicized; in fact until about 1845 whenever the coal industry of Pennsylvania was mentioned in papers, magazines or books, anthracite only was meant. Beginning with shipments by river in 1820 fairly complete records of shipments were published each year, and as this variety of coal was the only one used for domestic purposes east of the mountains and north of the Potomac, there was considerable interest in the producing fields on the part of the public. Transportation of anthracite was the cause of the building of the early canals in the state, and later, of some of the earliest railroads. In most publications it has been assumed that commencement of shipments in 1820 was the beginning of the industry; this is far from being so, and it is with the earlier developments this chapter will deal, leaving the later and better known records to existing publications. (See Table No. 53.) The first reference to coal in Pennsylvania by Gabriel Thomas in 1698 has already been mentioned,1 it could only have been anthracite in that section; although of course, he never saw any coal there. Little coal was used excepting by smiths for many years after that. In 1728 the Coventry Forge paid the expenses of a man "to town for Sea Coall and Steell for ye hammer;”2 in 1729 New Castle coal was sold in Philadelphia;3 in 1740 an advertisement mentioned, "very good Pitt and Sea Coal at 18 pence a bushel; at which price 'tis allowed to be cheaper Fewel for Hearth Fireing than Wood at the present Rates,"4 a view not shared by most of the people there for about eighty years; in 1752 Newcastle coal was again mentioned.5 There are no references to coal in the writings of any of the Moravian missionaries, although some who settled near Mauch Chunk in 1746 said that the Indians there made their pipe heads of a soft black stone, which was much more apt to have been slate than anthracite." Several stream

Jan 1, 1942

By P. J. Shenon, J. C. Reed

The Elk City district is in north-central Idaho about 60 miles east of Grangeville and near the headwaters of the South Fork of the Clearwater River (Fig. 1). At the height of its boom in the early sixties, Elk City had a population of more than 2000 people, Published estimates of the placer production from the district range from $10,000,000 to $18,500,000. Although the first quartz-vein location was made as early as 1870, very little gold was extracted from quartz ores until after the completion of the American Eagle mill in 1902. Between 1902 and 1932 a total of from $750,000 to $1,000,000 was taken from about six properties. General Geology Distribution of Rocks Banded gneiss (Fig. 2) is the most aburldant bedrock in the Elk City district. It is interbedded with schist and quartzite and ill some places these rocks have been intruded by sills and dikes. Banded gneiss prevails in the western part of the area whereas schist prevails to the southeast. Augen gneiss occurs for the most part as irregular bodies, which lie transverse to the trend of the banded gneiss and schist. It is largely confined to two areas; one of which extends from east of the American Eagle mine westward as far as the Black Pine mine, a total distance of about five miles, and another area of about two square miles in the vicinity of the California-Idaho placer mine. Quartzite is fairly abundant. In addition to the bands of the latter interbedded with gneiss and schist, some large lenses crop out in the southeastern part of the dik-trict near the southern contact of the area underlain by granodiorite. Granodiorite crops out over a large area and extends northeastward

Jan 1, 1935

By J. T. Eash, E. M. Wise

Platinum and palladium are the most generally useful, most ductile and least rare members of the platinum family. They have many important applications in the pure state but for other applications it is frequently desirable to harden them and otherwise modify their properties by alloying small amounts of the other platinum group metals with them. These alloys are frequently required to withstand very drastic forming operations and to possess certain mechanical properties to fulfill specific requirements. For these reasons a knowledge of the tensile properties and annealing characteristics of pure platinum and palladium as well as their more useful commercial alloys is important to the user and the fabricator. The present work was undertaken to fill this need. Rather brief (5 min.) annealing treatments were employed to render the data of maximum practical value and all tests were conducted upon 0.050-in. dia. wire, initially reduced 50 per cent in area by cold drawing, for the same reason. Conclusions 1. Pure (thermocouple grade) platinum reduced 50 per. cent by cold drawing exhibits the following tensile properties: ultimate tensile strength, 36,000 lb. per sq. in.; proportional limit, 27,000 lb. per sq. in.; elongation, 2.5 per cent in 2 in.; reduction in area, 95 per cent. When fully annealed by treatment at 1100°C. its properties are: ultimate tensile strength, 20,700 lb. per sq. in.; elongation, 30 per cent in 2 in.; reduction in area, 93 per cent. 2. The addition of alloying elements in moderate amounts markedly increases the strength and annealing temperature without much detriment to the ductility. The behavior and properties of variously hardened platinum alloys are considered in some detail. The behavior of a 20 per cent iridium

Jan 1, 1935

By C. A. Czako

INTRODUCTION In recent decades sintering and pelletizing of finely divided materials have become the primary tonnage producing modes of agglomeration. This statement is especially true in the iron and steel industry and, to a lesser degree, in the nonferrous, chemical and non-metallic minerals processing industries. In every industry the main objectives in agglomerating fines are essentially the same, namely to convert ores, minerals and chemicals of undesirable fineness into agglomerates characterized by a size consistency desirable for subsequent use or processing. Depending on the type of agglomeration process selected and the conditions maintained during agglomeration, the physical process of increasing size is complemented by a number of other unit processes. These processes can occur simultaneously, consecutively or in an overlapping manner. Some of these additional unit processes are incidental to the agglomeration operation, but at the same time can be critical, depending upon the subsequent use of the product. Accordingly, during processing, conditions have to be controlled to either suppress or enhance the extent of completion of these unit processes. The purpose of this report is to review laboratory testing as the basis for engineering modern sintering and pelletizing plants. Considering that most typical applications are for the iron and steel industry, agglomeration of ferrous materials is reviewed and discussed. When these total processes are adapted to suit non- ferrous materials, chemicals, or non-metallic substances, the over- all approach remains the same; only the processing parameters are affected as necessitated by the different nature of the materials.

Jan 1, 1977

By Earl S. Greiner, Eric R. Jette

The literalure on the binary alloys of iron and silicon has been reviewed by Stoughton and Greiner.1 Another even more extensive and detailed survey of the present knowledge has been prepared under the auspices of the Alloys of Iron Research Committee by Greiner, Marsh and Stoughton. Since the latter surrey has already been issued in its preliminary form, it will be unnecessary to review the literature in the present article. However, in this connection there should be noted the important work on the crystal structures of the iron-silicon alloys by Phragmén,2 who investigated the entire system, identified the various phases and determined the homogeneity ranges of these phases. It was evident in the surveys cited above that in the range from 0 to 15 per cent silicon, which includes the commercially most important, alloys, the results obtained by thermal analysis, microscopic examination and the determination of electrical, magnetic and mechanical properties were extremely confusing. From time to time various compounds between iron and silicon have been postulated to account for the results yielded by the classical methods, and much argument has ensued. It was presumed that if compounds occurred which are sufficiently diverse in their properties to account for the characteristics of the alloys, they should be recognizable as separate phases but satisfactory proof of this sort has not been found by thermal or microscopic methods. Contributing to the confusion is the fact that the electrical, the magnetic and some of the mechanical properties are "structure sensit'ive"; i. e., they are influenced to a marked degree by the presence of minute amounts of impurities, the specific characters of these impurities, the grain size, the character of the grain boundaries, small general or local strains, etc. Thus interpretations of the discontinuities in the various property versus composition curves that identified these discontinuities with phase changes or compound formation have always been open to question.

Jan 1, 1933

By J. A. Jr. Church

I. EARLY FURNACES. COPPER blast-furnace construction in America has long recognized a general standard in the rectangular mater jacketed shaft with separate forehearth. The details, however, and especially those relating to shaft dimensions, have had to meet a great variety of conditions, and show no uniformity whatever. Selecting a few of the present day Western plants, we find furnace lengths varying from 12.5 to 87 ft., widths at tuyere level from 42 to 84 in., and heights above tuyeres from 5 ft. 4 in. to 22 ft. 4 in. ; and comparing present designs with those of the past, we meet contrasts no less striking. Unlike its transverse section, the length of a furnace has come to depend rather on the size of unit desired than on the requirements of smelting ; and if the question of length be ignored, several of the various existing designs can be grouped together on the basis of a common transverse section. This section, having a width at tuyere level of 56 in. and a height above tuyeres of 18 ft., was developed at Great Falls, and the story of its development contains some interesting features. Ground was broken for the Great Falls works in the spring of 1891. About a year later, the concentrator was able to begin operation, followed within the next few mouths by the Brueckner, reverberatory, and converter departments, and in April, 1893, by the first blast fur-

Jan 7, 1913