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By Robert H. Richards

This is in part a review paper, indicating the various steps that have been taken in developing hindered-settling apparatus, some of the standard data that have been obtained, and some of the conclusions one is led to as to the effect of it in improving concentrating-methods and machinery, and in part it brings in some unpublished work. Causes oF Loss in ORe-ConcEntration. In making a study of the separation of valuable minerals from the waste gangue, particularly by water concentrators, it is necessary to define, first of all, what are the causes of loss that are likely to interfere with the concentration. Having made this definition, we can then study to see in what may the machines make their losses, and plan remedies for them in an intelligent way. Losses may be stated to occur as included grains, as flat or long grains, as fine free mineral, and as absolute slime. We will take these up one by one, as follows: Included Grains.—Fig. 1 shows by a set of diagrams how included grains may occur : first, where the heavy mineral grains attached to the quartz are of large size; secondly, where they are of small size; and thirdly, where very fine particles of heavy mineral are included in the quartz. We have to decide in regard to included grains whether they are rich enough to go direct to the furnace, or poor enough to throw away, or whether they lie between these two points and require recrush-ing as the only means of severing the values from the waste. This last case is the orlly one requiring special treatment at our hands. We will therefore consider that next.

Jan 1, 1911

By H. M. Howe, Levy A. G.

Four aspects of flow in the plastic deformation of steel by overstrain, such as punching, wire-drawing, tensile rupture, etc, are…

Jan 1, 1915

By Zay Jeffries

Tungsten has the highest melting point of all the known metals, namely 3350 C.; it is one of the hardest of the metals; it has the highest equiaxing or recrystallization temperature after strain hardening, of any pure metal known. It is particularly distinguished because, when composed of small equiaxed grains, it is extremely brittle and fragile at room temperature, and when possessing a fibrous structure it may be ductile and pliable at room temperature. The common ductile metals act in exactly the opposite manner in this respect. The present paper will include a brief note regarding the manufacture of wrought and ductile tungsten. The metallography of wrought and ductile tungsten in the various stages of manufacture will be considered more or less in detail. The general relationships between the properties of tungsten and other metals will also be considered. A discussion will be given explaining why fibrous tungsten is ductile at room temperature, even though past experience with other metals would indicate that it should be brittle. Finally, a brief note regarding some new fundamental metallographic propositions relating to all metals will be given. Manufacture of Wrought and Ductile Tungsten Up to about 10 years ago, it had not been possible to work tungsten mechanically. About the year 1908, Dr. William D. Coolidge, of the General Electrie Go., produced ductile tungsten from what was then supposed to be an inherently brittle metal and which, in fact, was inherently brittle in its normal state, that is, when composed of equiaxed grains. Since that time many products, chief among which are the filaments for electric incandescent lamps, have been made from wrought and ductile tungsten. Tungsten is produced chiefly from the minerals wolframite and scheelite.1-8 The ores may be reduced in many ways. For example, the ore may be fused with alkali carbonates and the fusion dissolved in water; sodium tungstate is formed, which is soluble in water. This

Jan 1, 1919

By J. W. Freeman, J. P. Rowe, R. F. Decker

HEAT-to-heat variations in properties of an alloy of constant nominal chemical composition have been a perplexing problem to the metallurgist. These heat-to-heat differences have been especially baffling in high-temperature metallurgy. In order to establish fundamental reasons for these heat-to-heat variations, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics has sponsored and financially assisted an extended research program on heat-resistant alloys at the University of Michigan. As part of the program to find the contribution of processing variables, Frey, Freeman, and white' studied effects of heat treating on nickel-base alloys and Ewing and reeman' investigated effects of hot-working practice on N155 alloy. To extend the program to the study of effects of melting practice on high-temperature properties, a 55 Ni-20 Cr-15 Co-4 Mo-3 Ti-3 pct A1 composition was selected for experimentation. The objective of this program was to establish the melting-practice variables which influenced the hot-working characteristics and creep-rupture properties and, at the same time, establish the metallurgical mechanisms for the effects. During the course of the investigation of practices using vacuum melting, it became increasingly evident through chemical analyses supplied by industrial concerns that a major variable was melt reaction with the crucible. This paper is devoted to the results of this phase of the melting-practice study. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES Experimental 10-lb heats were induction melted in the University of Michigan vacuum-melting unit with the melting practices outlined in Table I. Aim analysis for the basic alloy, in wt pct, for all heats was as follows: Cr Co Mo Ti Al 20.0 15.0 4.0 3.1 3.1 Mn Si C Ni 0.12 0.12 0.08-0.15 Bal. Small amounts of boron and zirconium were added to certain heats as listed in Table I. These additions

Jan 1, 1959

By R. E. Somers

I. Introduction...........................604 1. Location, Topography, and Climate...............604 2. Scope of Work and Acknowledgments...............606 3. History and Mining......................606 11. General Geology.........................609 1. Introduction...........................609 2. Granite. :..........................610 3. Quartz Porphyry......................... 612 4. Monzonite........................... 614 5. Volcanic Breccia........,................ 618 6. Gravels............................. 619 111. Economic Geology......................... 619 1. Introduction........................... 619 2. Mineralogy........................... 619 3. Occurrence of the Ores...................... 622 4. Oxidation and Downward Enrichment............... 630 5. Rock Alteration........................639 6. Genesis of the Ores........................ 643 I. Introduction 1. Location, Topography, and Climate The Burro Mountains are located in the southwestern part of New Mexico, in Grant county. The group is made up of two distinct mountain masses, known as the Little Burros and the Big Burros, the former lying about 6 miles southwest of Silver City, and the latter about 9 miles farther in the same direction. They are separated by the valley of the Mangas River, a tributary of the Gila, and a stream only in name, except after a heavy downpour of rain. The Little Burros attain an elevation of 6,625 ft. above sea level, and the Big Burros 8,054 ft., with the surrounding country averaging about 6,000 ft. To the south of these mountains stretches the desert plain, while to the north are the more frequent elevations of the mountainous country.

Jan 1, 1916

By M. Cohen, R. T. Howard

The purpose of this paper is to direct attention to the lower part of the austenite transformation diagram, or TTT curves, where considerable uncertainty still exists as to the blending of the bainite and martensite reactions. The dissimilarities between these two low temperature transforrnations have been summarized recently by Troiano and Greninger.' Of particular importance to the present work is the fact that martensite formation, unlike bainite formation, is not suppressed by the fastest quenching rates attainable. However, most of the investigations in this direction have been concerned primarily with the start of the martensite transformation (Mg) during cooling, rather than with the quantitative aspects of the subsequent reaction on either further cooling or isothermal holding. Several years ago, Cohen2 suggested a form of transformation diagram which reconciled, at least schematically, the isothermal characteristics of the bainite transformation with the insuppressible nature of the martensite transformation. In essence, the diagram consisted of a family of horizontal lines (representing the progress of the austenite-martensite reaction during quenching) which were interrupted in point of time by the bainite family of C-curves extending down from higher temperatures. This picture received later support by metal-lographic3 and dilatometric4,5 studies, but the techniques employed were not sufficiently critical to substantiate some of the details. Elmendorf6 and Grange and Stewardi have shown that the Greninger-Troiano metallographic technique8 may be used not only for M, determinations, but for studying the course of further austenite decomposition. In fact, the latter investigators have observed the amount of martensite formed as a function of temperature below M, in fourteen commercial steels. In the present paper, the Greninger-Troiano technique has been combined with the lineal method of Howard and Cohen9 to provide a unique, quantitative treatment of the austenite-martensite reaction. Furthermore, isothermal transformations have been similarly measured on holding at temperatures above and below M., thus permitting a fairly detailed presentation of the lower part of the conventional austenite transformation diagram. Experimental Details Materials The steels, listed in Table I, were selected for study because they exhibit a satisfactory range of M. temperatures and have not received as much attention as the lower carbon grades. They were prepared as 30 lb induction furnace heats in the laboratories of the Vanadium-Alloys

Jan 1, 1949

By M. Cohen, R. T. Howard

The purpose of this paper is to direct attention to the lower part of the austenite transformation diagram, or TTT curves, where considerable uncertainty still exists as to the blending of the bainite and martensite reactions. The dissimilarities between these two low temperature transforrnations have been summarized recently by Troiano and Greninger.' Of particular importance to the present work is the fact that martensite formation, unlike bainite formation, is not suppressed by the fastest quenching rates attainable. However, most of the investigations in this direction have been concerned primarily with the start of the martensite transformation (Mg) during cooling, rather than with the quantitative aspects of the subsequent reaction on either further cooling or isothermal holding. Several years ago, Cohen2 suggested a form of transformation diagram which reconciled, at least schematically, the isothermal characteristics of the bainite transformation with the insuppressible nature of the martensite transformation. In essence, the diagram consisted of a family of horizontal lines (representing the progress of the austenite-martensite reaction during quenching) which were interrupted in point of time by the bainite family of C-curves extending down from higher temperatures. This picture received later support by metal-lographic3 and dilatometric4,5 studies, but the techniques employed were not sufficiently critical to substantiate some of the details. Elmendorf6 and Grange and Stewardi have shown that the Greninger-Troiano metallographic technique8 may be used not only for M, determinations, but for studying the course of further austenite decomposition. In fact, the latter investigators have observed the amount of martensite formed as a function of temperature below M, in fourteen commercial steels. In the present paper, the Greninger-Troiano technique has been combined with the lineal method of Howard and Cohen9 to provide a unique, quantitative treatment of the austenite-martensite reaction. Furthermore, isothermal transformations have been similarly measured on holding at temperatures above and below M., thus permitting a fairly detailed presentation of the lower part of the conventional austenite transformation diagram. Experimental Details Materials The steels, listed in Table I, were selected for study because they exhibit a satisfactory range of M. temperatures and have not received as much attention as the lower carbon grades. They were prepared as 30 lb induction furnace heats in the laboratories of the Vanadium-Alloys

Jan 1, 1949

By Andrew Mayer

Early in 1942 National Lead Co. was requested by the War Production Board to construct and operate a plant for the Government to produce magnesium by the ferrosilicon process which had been developed by Dr. E. M. Pidgeon in the laboratories of the Canadian National Research Council. A contract with the Defense PlantCorporation was concluded in May 1942 and Magnesium Reduction Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of National Lead Co., was formed to carry out this project. The capacity of the plant was rated at I0,000,000 lb. of magnesium per year, equivalent to an average production of about 14 tons per day. The Process The process, in brief, is as follows: The raw materials are dolomite and ferro-silicon, 75 per cent grade. The dolomite is calcined, the calcine and ferrosilicon are ground and mixed and the mixture is briquetted. The briquets are charged into tubular retorts of chrome-nickel steel set horizontally in a furnace with the open ends projecting outside the front wall. The retorts are then closed and evacuated. Magnesium is liberated according to then reaction 2(MgOl CaO) + Si = 2Mg + zCaO, Si% It is distilled from the charge and con- densed on a removable sleeve in the throat of the retort. Sodium and potassium, if present, are also liberated, distilled and condensed on a "sodium condenser" in the end of the retort. At the expiration of the distillation period the retorts are discharged and the cycle of operations is repeated. For the rated daily capacity of 14 tons of magnesium there are required approximately 170 tons of dolomite, equivalent to about 85 tons of calcine, and 16.5 tons of ferrosilicon. The retort residue, a bulky powder which at present is waste, amounts to about 87 tons. Choosing the Site The investigation to select the location of the plant was conducted by the Research Laboratories of National Lead Co. This work included geologic and economic surveys of a number of districts, examination of dolomite samples by chemical, spectrographic and petrographic methods and large-scale tests of dolomite from several of the more promising localities. in the last-named tests 2-ton samples were put through the ferrosilicon process in the pilot plant of the Canadian National Research Council, under the guidance of Dr. Pidgeon. The conclusions drawn from the investigation, in regard to the quality of dolomite to be used in the ferrosilicon process, were: First, the dolomite should contain not less than 21 per cent MgO and not more than 2 per cent acid-insoluble material. Second, the dolomite should

Jan 1, 1944

J. W. Tomlison—It seems probable that the author's conclusion, that the conductivity of the slags decreases with increasing content of FeO, is erroneous due to the method of plotting the data. Thus, the results of other workers2,3,13,15 show that the conductivity of molten oxide slags increase with increasing temperature, indicating that the trend of the curve shown by the authors is due to the fact that the data for the slags containing relatively small amounts of FeO are at higher temperatures than those for the slags containing relatively large amounts of this oxide. In this connection the work of Wejnarth2 may be mentioned in which in an investigation of a series of iron silicate slags, the conductivity was found to increase with increasing content of FeO; the fact that the author's slags contained TiO2 probably does not affect the issue since it has been shown15,16 that, at least as far as conductivity is concerned, this oxide behaves essentially the same as silica and that mixtures of the oxide with silica have a very low conductivity of the order of 10-4 mhos at 1750°C. In connection with the experimental technique it may be noted that bubbles of carbon monoxide would probably be produced at the surface of the graphite electrodes in contact with the melts thus rendering the accuracy of the measurements somewhat open to question. J. L. Wyatt (author's reply)—Dr. Tomlinson makes reference to works by Martin and Derge, which indicate that slag systems containing no TiO2 are characterized by an increase in conductivity with an increase in temperature. Further, I have cited his examples, which indicate a drastic increase with small temperature change. The results of Dr. Derge's work have no bearing whatsoever on the results of this paper, since the slags under study here contained up to 70 pct TiO2 One cannot generalize on slag systems as a whole on the basis of any one family, for there are definite compounds of ionic nature formed in each system, and the ionic mobilization of these is something that cannot be determined without actual experimentation. Dr. Tomlinson makes reference to an unpublished work which, he claims, shows that titanium dioxide behaves the same as silica in regard to conductivity. Since I have not had 'an opportunity to see the paper I cannot make any comments, but unless the same slag system was studied there can be no specific comparison of results. If the decrease in conductivity of the slag was due entirely to temperature phenomena, as Dr. Tomlinson indicates, then one is without an explanation of the values shown in the paper for slags containing from 10 to 20 pct FeO. I cannot agree that the deviation in findings was appreciably related to temperature change; further, I believe this point was completely covered in the paper. References 13 Endell and Hellbrügge: Glasstech. Ber. (1942) 20, 277. 14 Bockris, Kitchener, Ignatowicz and Tomlinson: Faraday Society. Discussion (1948) 4, 265. 15 Tomlinson: Thesis, London 1949. 10 Bockris, Kitchener, Ignatowicz, and Tomlinson: Unpublished work.

Jan 1, 1951

By Reginald E. Hore

Since the discovery of silver at Cobalt, Ontario, in August, 1903, more than 100,000,000 oz. of silver have been produced by the mines in the Nipissing district, and there is reason to believe that at least as much more will be produced in the nex five years. The estimated value of the aggregate output o ore to the end of 1910 is $48,327,280. The ore yielded 93,977,833, oz. of silver and was mined at a net profit of abou $16,000,000. For 1910 the production was 30,558,825 oz., valued at $15,436,894, and yielding a profit of about $9,000.000. The details of the production of the Cobalt district for the years 1904 to 1909, inclusive, as reported by the Ontario Bureau of Mines, are given in Table I. The shipments from Cobalt are in the form of smelting-ore, concentrates from milling-ore, and bullion. The smelting-ore is largely high grade, averaging about 3,000 oz. per ton A smaller return is from what is called low-grade ore and which

Jan 1, 1912

By A. W. Griffith, R. G. Beverly, W. A. Millsap

THE Grand Junction Pilot Plant, operated by National Lead Co. Inc., for the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission, is engaged in the amenability testing of orebodies to establish design and cost data for commercial mills and to test new processes for recovery of uranium from ores. Test work was performed to study the effects of several variables on leaching of uranium ores in carbonate solutions. Many of these variables had been investigated in the laboratory, but pilot plant tests were desirable to evaluate their importance in semi-works equipment and to predict optimum operating conditions for future commercial mills. The results of these tests should serve as a guide in selecting the most efficient and economical method of leaching uranium ores amenable to a carbonate process. This article is concerned with a process in which uranium is extracted from the ore by a hot Na2CO3- NaHCO3 solution; the uranium-bearing solution is separated from the solid residue by filtration, and uranium is then precipitated by chemical means.

Jan 9, 1957

By R. M. Brick

THE etched microstructures of cold-worked alpha brasses, after reduc-tions in excess of about 20 per cent, exhibit dark lines or markings, which have been termed "deformation bands," "etch bands," and "strain markings." The terms will be used synonomously in this report. The markings are similar in their general appearance to etch figures found in cold-worked iron, aluminum and other cubic metals but in certain respects may differ noticeably. At reductions of from about 20 to 50 per cent in brass, they appear as straight dark lines of irregular spacing and at random directions in different grains, but apparently intimately associated with definite crystallographic planes, usually {111}, in each crystal. At higher reductions, the markings on the rolling plane tend to appear in a direction transverse to the rolling direction in all crystals but may bend away at considerable angles, particularly near grain boundaries. Samans,1 on the basis of X-ray and micrographic studies of two single crystals of brass, rolled to a 50 per cent reduction, showed that the lines of deformation were the edges of thin mechanical twins parallel to octahedral planes. Barrett and Levenson2-4 have made comprehensive studies of the deformation of iron and of aluminum. They show that in these two metals the deformation markings originate by division of the original homogeneous crystal into banded areas differing in orientation by an amount that increases with the degree of deformation. The markings thus cannot be twin bands, and Barrett, in a review of this subject,2 attributed Samans' results on brass to an accidental choice of deformation that left the bands in approximately a twinned relationship. On the other hand, Mathewson5 has suggested that in some cases mechanical twinning offers a better rationalization of the coverage of some (111) pole figures of worked brass than the assumption of band rotation into sym-metry positions. Considering next a deformed and annealed alpha brass, the most striking aspect of its microstructure is the multiplicity of twin bands.

Jan 1, 1940

Jan 1, 1959

On the following pages are abstracts of papers published by the Institute during the year 1936 as TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS and CONTRIBUTIONS, papers in bound volumes appearing for the first time, and papers in MINING AND METALLURGY For abstracts of papers that appeared in bound volumes in 1936 but that were published as TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS in 1935, see the YEAR BOOK dated January 1936.

Jan 1, 1937

By B. Chalmers, L. Bäckerud

The growth temperature of dendrite tips has been measured in a binary alloy system, Al-Cu, as a function of rate of formation of solid phase. Metallographic examination has rerealed the dendritic structure dereloped during different stages of the freezing process and factors influencing the undercooling, such as solute buildup, surface tension, and kinetic effects, have been estimated. Practical implications of the results are discussed. THE development of a dendritic growth pattern during the solidification of metals and alloys has an influence at least equal to that of grain size on the properties of the casting or ingot being produced. and consequently much interest has been devoted to the study of this phenomenon. A review of the knowledge gathered up to 1964 has been given by Chalmers.' Among recent publications in the area the works of Jackson et al 2 and Flemings and his coworkers3,4 are of special interest. This work is an experimental study of the factors which influence the development of a dendritic pattern during the solidification of a typical binary alloy system, A1-Cu, when there is no heat source in the liquid. This means that the temperature and the temperature gradient are controlled by the heat extraction from and latent heat evolved by the growing crystals. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Samples were prepared from a master alloy made up of aluminum, 99.995 pct, and copper. 99.99 pct, of the concentrations given below and of sufficient size to fill cylindrical graphite molds of 35 mm ID and 35 mm height. Bottom. wall. and lid of the graphite molds were all of 6 mm thickness, Fig. 1. Thin ceramic thermocouple shields could be introduced at different positions in the sample through holes in the lid. The assembly was heated in a small vertical resistance furnace to a suitable temperature. 700° to 720°C. which is well above the melting point of the sample. It was thereafter taken out of the furnace and chilled at selected rates, and the temperature changes in the sample were recorded. For high sensitivity in the temperature recordings, a reference thermocouple was held in a solidifying pure aluminum melt. which was very well insulated and therefore was at a constant temperature. 660°C, for nearly half an hour. The thermocouples were connected so that the difference voltage was fed into the recorder of which the most sensitive range was 1 mV. Temperature variations could be read to within 0.l°C. The thermocouples used were of the Chromel-Alumel type (28- or 38-gage wires) and the recorder a two-pen Moseley strip chart recorder. The different rates of chilling were obtained in the following way. a) The graphite crucible was wrapped in one or two layers of an insulating. feltlike material (Fiberfrax paper from the Carborundum Co.). The drop in temperature per unit time after complete solidification could thereby be varied from 8" to 18°C per min. This corresponds to a rate of heat extraction in the given samples from 0.08 to 0.17 cal cm-' sec-I. 6) The bare graphite mold was placed free on a piece of firebrick. The measured temperature drop was around 50°C per min (-0.5 cal cm-" ' sec- I). c) By blowing compressed air through a tube with many holes surrounding the mold in a ring shape. the rate of heat transfer could be raised to 150' to 200°C per min (-1.7 cal cm-3 sec- I). d) Cooling rates around 1000 C per mill (-9.4 cal cm-3 sec-l) were obtained by substituting the air in the device used in c by water. The range of cooling rates used in these experiments correspond to technical casting processes from slow solidification as obtained in sand molds to very rapid freezing which occurs in some continuous casting and welding processes. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS The A1-Cu system was chosen for the experiments: the relevant part of the phase diagram is reproduced in Fig. 2. Observation of the Center Temperature. When a thermocouple is inserted in the center of the melt. the type of cooling curves obtained at slow solidification rates differs little from numerous published curves from similar systems. and the solidification pattern

Jan 1, 1970

By Philip B. Bucky

[ ] FOREWORD THIS symposium brings together points of view, experiences and ideas on rock bursts from a goodly portion of the globe. Some conceptions, particularly those regarding the necessity of depth, have been fairly well shattered, as we find that they are present in the water tunnels of New York, on the surface at marble quarries in Vermont, and in the coal mines of the United States, as well as in the deep mines of the South African and Kolar gold fields, and in the nickel, copper and gold mines of Canada. Their occurrence under such a variety of conditions is, therefore, a challenge,

Jan 1, 1942

By C. Scala, M. Gondouin

Published laboratory data have established that very significant streaming potentials can exist across mud cakes subjected to pressure differentials such as exist between a mud column and formation fluids. Since shale is similar in kind and in properties to a well-formed mud cake, it appeared possible that streaming potentials might also arise across shales. A practical consequence would be that the streaming potential contribution to the SP would be smaller than might otherwise be assumed since the SP is measured with respect to the "shale bare line". The resultant contribution would be the difference between the streaming potential across the shale and that across the mud cake. In order to investigate this possibility, a laboratory apparatus was devised for measuring streaming potentials under pressure conditions normally encountered in wells. Reported data on streaming potentids across mud cakes were verified. More important, appreciable streaming potentials were found across shale samples. As in the case of mud cakes, the shale potentials varied with the concentration and nature of the impregnating electrolyte. Dependence on pressure was In a different rela-tion than that for mud cakes, possibly because of the lower compressibility of shales. The differences in streaming potentials between the shales md mud cakes were generally small, although they might vary considerably in practice depending on the relative electro-kinetic properties of the particular shale-mud cuke combination. A "poorly eflective" shale with a "very eflec-tive mud cake" would produce the largest negative addition to the electrochemical component of the SP. Results of field experiments with pressurized wells were considered in the light of the laboratory results. INTRODUCTION Field experiments wherein the pressure of the mud column in a borehole was varied have often indicated the presence of a streaming potential, but its magnitude was not easily predictable and its sign sometimes changed from one formation to another in the same well.' In the interpretation of SP logs from standard surveys, nevertheless, the correct value of R,, is very frequently obtained, within the limits of field accuracy, using only the simple electrochemical expression of the SP provided that proper corrections are made for bed thickness, ion activity, etc.' Accordingly, it was apparent that the streaming potential component of the SP in a borehole was considerably more complex than commonly assumed and clarification was indeed necessary The close similarity in nature and constitution of a shale to a well-compacted mud cake suggested that a streaming potential might also exist across shales as pointed out by M. P. Tixier in 1953 and as recently emphasized by Wyllie." e practical consequence would be that the streaming potential across the mud cake would be canceled, at least in part, on electrical logs since the SP is recorded with respect to the shale potential as a base line. This appeared to be a plausible explanation for many of the effects observed but no supporting data were available. In 1955 preliminary experiments at low pressures were conducted in our laboratories which supported the hypothesis of the shale streaming potential and formed the basis for later studies at borehole pressures.* EARLY LOW PRESSURE EXPERIMENTS The early experiments were conducted primarily to determine the possibility of a streaming potential across shales. The shale used was a compact type designated as No. 7 from Reagan County, Tex. (Permian). Cut samples were saturated for over one month in .2 to 2.0-N NaCl solutions. In order to eliminate all electrode polarization effects, a dynamic method was used. A transient pressure of about 1 atm was applied across

By H. Y. Bassett

THIS paper attempts to show the various major operations used in nonferrous tube mills and does not necessarily represent the current practices at the two plants of the Wolverine Tube Div., of Calumet and Hecla Consolidated Copper Co. Inc. The operations now utilized in the production of tubing are quite varied and show the continual interest and advance metallurgically and mechanically to produce the best quality at the lowest cost. Naturally, any advance or lowering of cost is dependent on large production runs, which mean longer machine running time with maximum worker productivity. Standardization of tube sizes and elimination of unnecessary alloys are therefore very necessary, otherwise the development of costly new production machines would be of little benefit to the consumer as a whole. It should be noted that in such a short presentation it is impossible to describe in any detail the major operations. The short descriptions, it is hoped, will enable all who are interested to obtain a general idea of present, day practices in the copper tube producing field. Fig. I is a flowchart or sequence of operations showing the steps usually employed in tube production. RAW MATERIALS Quality starts with the raw material, and it is absolutely necessary that raw material be controlled and held to rigid specifications. Little need be said, however, regarding the raw materials for the casting of bars or billets, as the material always is purchased and checked against the various governing A.S.T.M. specifications. CASTING Casting, as is indicated in Fig. I, is quite varied and for convenience can be classified into two groups: The casting of solid billets, and the casting of hollow tubes, each of which is the base for subsequent operations. In the melting of the raw materials various types of furnaces are used, and the selection of any one is dependent on many factors outside the scope of this paper. However, as of general interest, a short description will be made of each. Induction Furnace (Low Frequency) This is popular in the melting of copper-base alloys, Fig. 2. In the induction furnace the principle of an inefficient transformer is used for the production of the necessary melting heat. The primary coil is.arranged around a transformer core made of high permeability silicon steel sheet. The secondary circuit is through a melting channel around the primary coil and opens into a hearth which contains the main charge. The heat is generated only in the melting channel, but because of the stirring action there is a constant flow of metal around the channel, which when mixing with the charge causes very rapid melting. The volatilization losses are very low as the furnace atmosphere above the charge is heated only by the heat from the melting metal. The stirring action, however, makes the use of any slag cover difficult. Such furnaces- must be started with molten

Jan 1, 1951

By W. B. Boggs, J. N. Anderson

An account of the operation of the Noranda smelter covering the period from December, 1927, when the smelter started, until December, 1929, was given in a paper published by the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy early in 1930.' The object of the present paper is to review matters of interest in the original paper and to describe the present construction and operation of the smelter, with particular reference to the reverberatory-furnace practice. The Noranda smelter was built by Noranda Mines, Ltd., from the designs of A. E. Wheeler, consulting metallurgist of New York, for the reduction of ores and concentrates from the Horne mine and to treat, on a custom basis, ores and concentrates from other mines in the Rouyn district. The smelter is at Noranda, about 330 miles directly north of Toronto. Construction work was started in June, 1926, and copper was first produced in December, 1927. The smelter was built throughout as two duplicate units, each with a rated capacity of 500 tons of ore per day. Operations were started with one unit and after several months it was found that one unit alone could smelt 1000 tons of ore a day. At that time there was only one hoisting shaft, No. 3, and its hoisting capacity and the capacity of the original crushing plant were insufficient to supply ore for the two units at the increased tonnage. Accordingly No. 4 shaft was sunk and a new crushing plant provided to handle the ore hoisted there. Operating two units at capacity also required the installation of two more converters to treat the additional quantity of matte produced. This work was completed in the latter part of November, 1929, and since then both smelter units have been operating continuously. In 1928, a mill to treat 500 tons a day of concentrating ore was completed. Since then the concentrator capacity has been increased twice, and at present 2000 tons a day of ore are being concentrated. The layout of the surface plant of the mine, concentrator and smelter is shown in Fig. 1 and the general plan in Fig. 2. The smelter is shown in more detail in Fig. 3. The original hoisting shaft, No. 3, is now used only for handling men, supplies and waste rock, and the original crushing

Jan 1, 1934

By Arthur F. Taggart

Some years ago, A. M. Gaudin and one of the authors published a paper showing removal of tar acids from solution by sulfides preferentially as compared to gangues (specifically by galena as compared to quartz).' The underlying phenomenon was classed as adsorption, and the paper went on to develop the general thesis that so far as water-soluble frothing and collecting agents in flotation are concerned, the phenomenon of adsorption is one of controlling importance. Adsorption was defined in that paper as "a process of rearrangement of a system, which results in establishing a difference in concentration, as between the interfacial layers and the bulk of the phases, of a substance or substances initially uniformly dispersed in one or several of the phases." The paper went on to develop the relation between adsorption and surface cnergy according to Gibbs' equation (which may be thrown into the form U/c = KdT/dc, where U = excess concentration in surface layer, c = concentration, T = surface tension, and K is a constant), and pointed out that, according to this equation, degree of adsorption and change in surface tension vary directly. The present paper offers a somewhat different definition for the term adsorption; and sets up, in sweeping terms, the generalization that simple chemical reaction underlies the functioning of the flotation reagents which control mineral collection, when these reagents are soluble in and act from solution in the water of the pulp. Adsorption According to the modified definition, adsorption means concentration at an interface between different phases in a heterogeneous system (thus far the definition runs as before), by the action of some mechanism, of which nothing is properly implied in the word, and concerning which the user of the word is probably in entire ignorance. Thus defined,

Jan 1, 1930