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By Thomas T., Read

ALTHOUGH the first colonists in the area that is now the A United States, whether Spanish, French or English in nationality, were usually keenly interested in the possibilities of mineral wealth, it is a curious and interesting fact that none of them happened upon the mineral deposits that eventually were to make this the greatest mineral-producing country; up to 1800 it would probably have been rated as rather poor in minerals. Spanish explorers traversed the southeastern United States with- , out finding the Appalachian gold deposits that aroused so much interest in the early nineteenth century; Coronado sought in vain for the seven golden cities of Cibola; and the important gold \ deposits of California were not discovered until the political sovereignty of the region had passed from Mexico, which had held it for three centuries. The French also held Canada for nearly two centuries (and the British for another century) without finding the mineral deposits in Ontario and Quebec that now are so important. Though they knew of the copper of the Keweenaw peninsula, the lead ores. of Wisconsin and Missouri, and the coal of Illinois in the seventeenth century, these deposits were all too remote for exploitation. In the area held by Great Britain, iron smelting was planned at Jamestown as early as 1619 and was actually begun at Lynn, Mass., in 1643. The industry grew slowly, at first, but had reached considerable importance before the Revolution. Commercial bituminous coal mining began about 1750 in Virginia but anthracite mining in Pennsylvania was not started until 1800. As a result there was naturally little interest in the technical aspects of mineral prodnction here before 1800 by any except the few people who were actually engaged in it. Students of natural science were much interested in minerals, however. The activities of those who rank as geologists are so thoroughly covered in

Jan 1, 1941

By Nicholas J. Grant, H. C. Chang

Microscopic observations during creep tests were made on AI-20 pet Zn, 80 pet Ni-20 pet Cr, and 25 and 3S aluminum specimens. All these materials failed in an inter-crystalline manner under certain stress and temperature conditions. Particular atten-tion was given to the initiation and propagation of intercrystalline cracks in coarsegrained AI-20 pct Zn specimens. The geometry of the grains and grain boundaries in these specimens was known before the tests. On the basis of the observations and a knowledge of the interaction between grains and grain boundaries, a mechanism of intercrystalline fracture and propagation of the fracture has been proposed. METAL, and alloy fracture occurs essentially in two ways: transcrystalline and intemrystalline. In the past most of the work done in this field was centered on the determination of stress criteria for fracture. The specimens used for these studies were tested under varying conditions of stress state, temperature, and strain rate. Unfortunately, very little attention was given to the initiation and propagation of the fracture, whereas the nature of fracture was examined closely only after failure. Several extensive reviews of these studies have been published by Orowan, Smith, Barrett, and Petch.1, 4 It is well known that a material which exhibits a ductile and transcrystalline fracture can be made to exhibit a brittle and intercrystalline fracture by modifying its composition and by heat treatment. This modification may or may not result in microscopically observable precipitation in the grain boundaries." In the creep of any one alloy the transition of transcrystalline to intercrystalline fracture is a function of stress, strain rate, and temperature." The tendency for intercrystalline fracture to occur increases as the strain rate decreases and the testing temperature increases. Extensive work on high purity aluminum (99.995 pet) under creep conditions showed the importance of the interaction between grains and grain boundaries, and the different responses of grain and grain boundaries to the variables: stress, strain rate, and temperature.7, 8 It was also shown that grain boundary deformation necessarily has to be accommodated in the grains by various deformation means as. for example, fold formation. The type of fracture resulting from the creep of high purity aluminum was invariably found to be transcrystalline. On the other hand, 2S and 3s aluminum were, under certain conditions, found to fracture in an intercrystalline manner." One reason given for this was that the grains could accommodate to a lesser extent the deformation of the grain boundaries.19 It was decided to examine this line of reasoning in greater detail and to investigate the particular interactions between grains and grain boundaries that result in the incidence and progression of inter-ct,ystalline fracture. It is also the purpose of this paper to show where and how intercrystalline cracks start and how they propagate to result in fracture. Several alloys—Al-20 pct Zn, 80 pet Ni-20 pet Cr, 2S and 3s aluminum-— were used for this study, but attention was paid mainly to the behavior of an A1-20 pet Zn alloy, since its general creep behavior has been established." From the results of this study a mechanism of intercrystalline fracture is proposed. Experimental Procedure The experimental procedure was similar to that used in previous work and has been detailed elsewhere.' Two parallel flat surfaces were milled from an originally round specimen, giving a gage portion which was 1x0.09X0.17 in. Some round specimens, 1/4 in. round by 1 in., were also tested. The A1-20 pet Zn specimens. which were annealed at 1030°F for 24 hr, showed two to four grains across the width of the test bar, and most of the grains occupied the whole thickness of the specimenu. Before some of the specimens were subjected to creep, the grain arrangement was mapped out in a development drawing, Fig. 1. The initiation and

Jan 1, 1957

By L. Luini, E. Lee

An exploratory survey of the heat treatment response of commercial titanium alloys (Ti-150A, RC-130B, and MST 3AI-5Cr al-loys) shows a wide range of possible hardness and microstructural characteristics. The hardening is primarily dependent on the solid state transformation of the phase. An age hardening reaction which apparently is associated with ß decomposition and precipitation has been shown. Brittleness and notch sensitivity appear to be characteristic of age hardening to high hardness. Ductility, tensile strengths, and elongations are given. A NUMBER of commercially produced titanium-base alloys have been made available by the titanium metals industry. These alloys were developed to combine the light weight of titanium with increased strength through alloy additions. Usually the properties of these alloys are reported for material in the hot rolled and annealed condition. Since the production of commercial titanium has preceded the investigation of titanium-base alloy systems, the potential of these alloys is not well known. Although heat treatability has been indicated for these alloys, data on the response to heat treatment are quite limited. The heat treatability of titanium is based on the allotropic transformation of the high temperature, body-centered cubic ß structure to the low temperature, hexagonal close-packed a structure at approximately 1625 °F. This transformation in the pure metal is of little practical significance in heat treatment since the high temperature phase is not amenable to controlled transformation. Alloy additions serve to alter the transformation kinetics and permit control of the transformation by heat treatment variables. The effects of different alloys on the allotropic transformation in titanium classify them in two general categories,1 a stabilizing and ß stabilizing elements. The a stabilizers, represented by aluminum and oxygen, raise the temperature limits of the low temperature phase and introduce a two-phase a + ß temperature range. The ß stabilizers, represented by molybdenum and columbium, lower the equilibrium temperature of ß and give rise to an extended temperature range where both a and ß phases are stable. Another type of ß stabilizer, represented by iron, chromium, and manganese, introduces a eutectoid reaction. Some commercial titanium alloys belong to complex multiple element systems. Based upon the phase diagrams of the binary systems, the general effect of commercial compositions is to vary the stability of the high temperature phase and significantly alter its transformation characteristics. Therefore it is expected that the characteristics of alloyed titanium can be altered by heat treatment. The present investigation was undertaken to survey the variations in hardness, microstructure, and mechanical properties as affected by heat treatment variables. Commercial Alloys lnvestigated The commercially available titanium-base alloys selected for this investigation and obtained as 3/4 in. diameter hot rolled and annealed bars are listed in Table I. The producer did not determine the chemical composition of the Ti-150A heats X1052 and L685. The early heats of Ti-150A, prefixed with the letter X, were melted with tungsten-tipped electrodes and cast in approximately 500 lb ingots 12 in. in diameter. The heats prefixed with the letter L were melted under a revised melting practice yielding approximately 1300 lb ingots 16 in. in diameter. The final annealing treatment was at 1200" to 1250°F for 1 hr. The MST-3A1-5Cr alloy was melted in an induction furnace and cast in 7 in. diameter ingots. This practice produces high carbon material and some variation in the amount of carbides was found in different sections of the same bar. The RC-130B alloy was melted with a carbon arc. This alloy showed approximately 2 pct carbides. No large segregation effects were observed.

Jan 1, 1955

By Bailey, Lewis Newton

Bailey, Lewis Newton, Master Engineer, Senior Grade, 4th Regiment, U. S. Engineers, Headquarters Company, died of pneumonia at Camp Merritt, N. J., on Apr. 30, 1918. Baird, Louis, Lieut., Royal Field Artillery, British Army, died on the battlefield in 1915. Ballamy, John H., Capt., 103d Engineers, killed in action near Fismes, Aug. 9, 1918. Bowles, Martin F., 2d Lieut., Co. B, 355th Infantry, killed in action, Sept. 3, 1918. Burt, Andrew, died in active service, 1916. Cobeldick, William Morley, Royal Engineers, died from gas poisoning on Oct. 7, 1915. Dougall, Ralph, 4th University Co., Princess Patricia Regiment, killed in action early in the war. Evans, Alfred Winter, Lieut.-Col., New Zealand Rifle Brigade, D. S. 0., D. C. M., killed in action on Oct. 12, 1917.

Jan 3, 1919

By AIME AIME

T'HE Columbia Section of the A. 1. M. E. took charge of the Western Mining Convention on Oct. 3, and the meeting was held under their auspices. W. L. Zeigler, chairman of the Section, called the session to order. The first paper on the program, "Lead Refining Practice at Bunker Hill Smelter," was presented in per-son by the author, A. F. Beasley, superintendent of the smelter. He pointed out the differences in the refining practice at Bunker Hill from other American refineries. The Bunker Hill plant was the first to adopt the liquation process for silver skims as developed in Australia. Details were given of operating practice with results. F. F. Colcord questioned the author in regard to the kind of metal best suited for kettles, which was said to be cast iron.

Jan 1, 1929

By W. A. White

UNDERCLAY squeeze is the plastic flowing of underclay below coal pillars into mined-out entries and rooms. Squeezes may be caused either by wet mine conditions where the moisture is taken up by the clay—making it more plastic—or by the presence of certain clay minerals, such as mont-morillonite, which are plastic when there is enough natural moisture. Under either condition, sufficient stress will cause the underclay to flow. Squeezes may fill an entry or room within several hours, or it may be several months before movement stops. Squeeze areas commonly cover hundreds or thousands of square yards. The Coal Div. of the Illinois State Geological Survey has collected samples of underclays from various mines and from cores drilled by coal companies in the state. From these samples natural moisture content, particle size and particle size distribution, and clay mineralogy are determined. Data from samples collected from the underclay below Herrin (No. 6) coal in the Lumaghi Coal Co. mine near Collinsville, Ill., are used in this report to clarify points in the discussion. Data from samples taken from other mines lead to the same conclusions. A generalized geological section for the area is given in Table I. The underclay below coal No. 6 ranges from a few inches to 3 or 4 ft thick. The upper 6 to 18 in. are noncalcareous; the lower part becomes more calcareous with depth. Limestone nodules become larger with depth, almost grading into the limestone below. In areas where the clay is nearly absent the limestone may thicken to take its place; thus they may complement each other in thickness. There are two types of squeeze areas in a mine. In one type up to 3 or 4 ft of underclay lie in what appears to be a depression in the limestone underneath. This is suggested by a rim surrounding the squeeze area where the underclay is thin and the limestone lies within a few inches of the coal. In the second type the underclay of the squeeze area is surrounded by underclay of similar thicknesses which does not squeeze. Test Methods: Natural moisture content, particle size and particle size distribution, and clay mineralogy were determined by the following methods: Natural moisture is the moisture content a clay contains in its natural environment, expressed in percentage of the weight of ovendried clay (110°C or 230°F). To obtain the natural moisture content, given in Table 11, the clay samples were sealed in containers as soon as the samples were taken in the mines. Particle size and particle size distribution were determined by the pipette method,' and the data were plotted as cumulative curves, Fig. 1, on semi-logarithmic paper. Particle size was plotted on the logarithmic scale and percentage on the arithmetic scale. The quartiles (diameters that correspond to frequencies of 25 and 75 pct) and medians (diameters that correspond to the frequency of 50 pct) of the samples were determined from these curves. The clay minerals were identified from the data obtained by differential thermal' and X-ray powder" techniques. The differential thermal analyses were made on the whole samples, whereas the X-ray analyses were made on fractions of less than 2p. Data and Discussion Moisture Content: After the sealed jars had stood for 24 hr, those that contained squeeze samples had perspired, so that droplets of water had accumulated on the insides of the jars. Table II shows the moisture in the clay after it had perspired for 24 hr. (This perspiring was not noted in samples from nonsqueeze areas.) After perspiration one of the squeeze samples still had a higher moisture content than the samples that did not squeeze. Clay Mineralogy: The thermal analysis, Figs. 2 and 3, indicates that the clay minerals are chiefly micaceous in type; the low-temperature endothermal

Jan 1, 1957

By AIME AIME

THE non-ferrous alloys have been placed in the same class with steel by metallurgical research on hardening, and hardenable alloys of all metals except zinc are now manufactured. The hardening of the non-ferrous alloys is accomplished by a process of heating, quenching and ageing. R. S. Dean, head of the research department of the Western Electric Co., told of the results of this research in 'a lecture on "Recent Advances in the Art and Science of Fabricating Metals," given before the Missouri Mining and Metallurgical Association on Jan. 24, 1929.

Jan 1, 1929

By R. D. Nelson, J. C. Shyne

The ß and a ß transformations in plutonium were studied with particular emphasis on the transformation kinetics and microstructure. Significant observations are: 1) The kinetic data show conclusively that the ß — a transformation in high-purity plutonium can proceed isothermally with no athermal component. 2) Plastic deformation of the stable (3 phase retards the subsequent (3 — a transformation. 3) Plastic deformation of the stable a phase accelerates the a — ß transformation; the acceleration is attributed only to residual stresses. 4) The a and a?a volume changes occur anisotroPically in textured plutonium. 5) An apparent crystallogvaphic relationship exists between the parent and the product phases of the and (3 — a transformations. 6) Both applied uniaxial compressive stresses and uniaxial tensile stresses raise the starting temperature for the ß — a transformation. 7) A given uniaxial tensile stress favors the a — ß transformation more than an equivalent applied uniaxial compressive stress opposes the transformation. These observations of the (ß —a and a — ß phase changes in plutonium are consistent with known mar-tensitic transformations. ThIS paper elucidates some of the characteristics of the a— ß and ß —a transformations in plutonium. Because considerable conjecture exists about the mechanisms by which the phase transformations occur in plutonium, experiments have been performed to provide indirect information concerning the mechanisms responsible for the a —ß and ß -a transformations. Indirect information is of particular value in the study of plutonium because of the experimental difficulties presented by the metal. Single crystals have not been produced in any of the allotropes. The large density results in high X-ray and electron-absorption factors and consequently complicating X-ray and electron diffraction. The kinetics of ß — a and a — ß transformations of plutonium and the behavior of the transformations under a variety of conditions have been investigated in detail. Information about the mechanisms of the allo-tropic transformations of plutonium was obtained indirectly from three sources: 1) the effect of plastic deformation of the stable parent phase upon the transformation kinetics; 2) the behavior of the metal transforming under applied stresses; and 3) the microstruc-tural and crystallographic features between parent and product phases. PHASE-TRANSFORMATION CHARACTERISTICS In characterizing solid-state phase transformations in metals and alloys, it is useful to define several types of transformations. An aim of the present work was to identify the low-temperature transformations in plutonium by type, i.e., as martensitic or nonmar-tensitic. Practical definitions for these terms follow. The terms commonly used to categorize phase transformations lack universally accepted definitions. This confusion arises doubtlessly because some terms specify crystallographic or morphological character while other words have a kinetic or a thermodynamic connotation. For example, martensitic specifies certain definite crystallographic restrictions. Unfortunately, martensitic is sometimes used in an ill-defined way to imply kinetic characteristics. Further confusion attends the use of such expressions as nucleation and growth, diffusional, and massive. From time to time new systems of phase-transformation nomenclature are suggested; unfortunately none of these has gained general acceptance.1,2 The authors of the present paper have no intention of entering the controversy. We recognize that some readers may object to the nomencliture used here. For exampie, the terms military and civilian have recently been used in much the same way as martensitic and non-martensitic are used in this paper. This paper is intended to describe several specific details of the low-temperature phase transformations in plutonium. The authors have found it useful to identify these transformations as martensitic; the term was chosen as the best available to describe the experimentally observed features of the transformations studied. A martensitic transformation is one that occurs by the cooperative movement of many atoms; the rearrangement of atoms from parent to product crystal structure occurs by the passage of a mobile semico-herent growth interface. The geometric features characteristic of a martensitic transformation are a specific orientation relationship between the product and parent phase lattices, a specific habit-plane orientation for the growth interface, and a shape change with a specifically oriented shear component. There is no alloy partition between the parent and product phases in a martensitic transformation. Martensitic transformations may display either athermal kinetic behavior or thermally activated isothermal kinetic behavior. Some martensitic transformations occur isothermally, although more commonly martensitic transformations are athermal. Isothermal martensitic transformations are suppressible by rapid cooling. In athermal martensitic transformations, nucleation and growth are not thermally activated and the transformations are essentially time-independent. Nucleation, growth, or both can be thermally activated in isothermal martensitic reactions. Transformation of the parent phase into a marten-

Jan 1, 1967

By J. H. Swisher, E. O. Fuchs

Rate equations were derived to describe the kinetics of internal oxidation of cylinders and spheres. The derived equations for cylinders were checked experimentally by means of sub scale thickness and electrical conductivity measurements on Cu-Cr alloy wires. The properties of the internally oxidized samples were examined with conductivity applications in mind. It was possible to produce uniform dispersions of Cr2O3 in copper with an initial chromium content as high as 3 wt pct. While electrical conductivities only a few pct less than that of OFHC copper were obtained, the Cr2Os particle size and spacing were too large for effective dispersion hardening. T.HE process of internal oxidation has been used widely in basic studies of the permeability of gases in metals. In a review article, Rapp1 has discussed the principles of internal oxidation in considerable detail. From a technological standpoint, internal oxidation is often considered undesirable, since it is a means by which inclusions can be introduced into an otherwise clean material. Another important aspect of internal oxidation is its use as a means of dispersion hardening a material. Broutman and Krock2 discuss this and other methods for making dispersion hardened alloys. The only internally oxidized material known to the authors which is commercially available is a Cu-BeO alloy.3'4 This alloy is made from Cu-Be alloy powder, using a so-called Rhines pack. It has a tensile strength of 80,000 psi and retains its strength at relatively high temperatures. The objectives of the present study were to derive rate equations for the internal oxidation of cylinders and spheres, to check the derived equations for cylinders experimentally, and to examine the structure and properties of internally oxidized Cu-Cr alloys. The Cu-Cr system was chosen for this study because uniform dispersions are obtainable at high alloy contents, which is a desirable characteristic in dispersion hardened materials. RATE EQUATIONS FOR VARIOUS GEOMETRIES A number of authors5--9 have derived equations to describe internal oxidation kinetics. These derivations differ somewhat in mathematical assumptions and approximations, and all except one of the derivations deal exclusively with the internal oxidation of plates. The exception is a brief treatment of cylindrical and spherical geometries given by Meijering and Druy-vesteyn9 as a part of a comprehensive paper on the general subject of internal oxidation. These authors did not obtain rate data to check their derivations, although they did show that the hardness profile across an internally oxidized sample is directly related to the rate of interface movement. For cylindrical and spherical geometries, a quasi-steady-state approximation is needed to circumvent mathematical complications in obtaining a solution to the basic differential equations. In using this approximation, we consider the concentration gradient of dissolved oxygen in the internally oxidized zone or sub-scale to be the same as the gradient which would be present if there were no movement of the subscale interface. The steady-state approximation introduces an error of about 1 pct in computing the rate of internal oxidation of an Fe-1.0 pct Mn alloy plate, if the present method is compared to the more exact method of Wagner.7'10 The details of the derivations of the rate equations for cylinders and spheres are given in the Appendix, and only the results of these derivations are given below. The final equations obtained by Meijering and Druyvesteyn9 can be shown to be equivalent to our Eqs. [1] and [2], although the two approaches are somewhat different. Cylindrical Geometry. [2] where r1 is the outer radius of the cylinder or sphere, cm, r2 is the radius of the unreacted core, cm, see Fig. l(a), D is the diffusion coefficient of oxygen in copper, cm2 per sec, %O is the concentration of dissolved oxygen at the surface of the specimen, wt pct, %Cr is the initial chromium concentration in the alloy, wt pct, and t is the reaction time, sec. Plate Geometry. The analogous rate equation for a plate has been derived previously for internal oxidation of Fe-Al alloys.8'11 For Cu-Cr alloys, we may write the same equation as follows: [3] where r1 is the half-thickness of the plate, cm, and r2 is the distance from the mid-plane to the subscale intherate is An analysis of Eqs. [1], [2], and [3] shows that for a plate the rate is completely parabolic. The initial

Jan 1, 1970

By B. M. Blake, R. S. Reppert, A. F. Keiser, E. J. Trinkle

The southern West Virginia coalfield was formed in a rapidly subsiding depositional basin associated with deep-seated growth faults. Subsidence began to the southeast during deposition of the Pocahontas Formation, and then shifted to the northwest during deposition of the New River, Kanawha, and Allegheny Formations. Rocks of all the coal-bearing formations grade into massive sandstones to the northwest. For the No. 3 Pocahontas, Sewell, Campbells Creek, and No. 5 Block coals discussed in this study, the overall sulfur and ash values of each coal seam increase gradually toward the northwest. The thickness of each coal tends to increase toward the southeast. These trends are partly a reflection of the differential subsidence of the coal basin along with varying degrees of peat accumulation and degradation. The northwest side of the coal swamps underwent relatively less subsidence and, thus, more degradation due to increased aerial exposure, with a resulting increase in the sulfur and ash values of the coals, and a decrease in the thickness. The open sea existed to the west of the coal swamps, and this marine environment also contributed to the higher sulfur values to the northwest. Coals of the Pottsville Group in the southern West Virginia coalfield generally have sulfur values between 0.6-1.0% with some as high as 2-3% on the northwest edge of the coal basin.

Jan 1, 1983

By Jacques B. Wertz

Detailed structural studies in southeast Arizona have successively revealed (1) the local attitudes of individual fractures (with lateral and/or vertical displacements), (2) the patterns exhibited by groups of fractures, and (3) the trends and directions shown by fracture groups or zones on a regional scale. The results of the studies have been twofold: First, domes were locally determined from these fracture arrangements, even where other criteria failed; and, second, fundamental breaks brought out the breadth of the Texas lineament in southeast Arizona as well as major northwest- and northeast-trending fracture zones. Coincidence of one or several domes with the major intersections of fundamental breaks can be centers of important mineralization, as in the instances of Bisbee, Ajo and Morenci. THE OVER-ALL STRUCTURE OF ARIZONA A northwest-southeast trending anticlinorium has been suggested as the structural setting of Arizona. Starting in Triassic and culminating in late Cretaceous times, this deformation resulted from stresses of considerable magnitude with varying ratios of com pres sional and uplifting forces. However, the series of parallel flexures could just as well have been caused by isostatic movements involving dilation under tension with only incidental compression, as later emphasized by dike filling and block faulting (Fig. 1). The anticlinorial deformation, which is also suggested by the fact that the Pre-cambrian rocks to the southwest are all concealed by sediments, could be somewhat reminiscent of the conditions that affected the classical swarm of parallel dikes of wager.' ANALYSlS OF DATA As a first step in this analysis, all structural information obtained on such features as fractures and their relative displacements, faults, dikes, anticlines, synclines, and Precambrian and Laramide-Tertiary intrusives were plotted on maps along with structural trends inferred from aerial photographic mosaics. Next, the faults in southwest Arizona were classified according to time of occurrence and relative importance. The fault assemblages were then examined as to geometric or spatial arrangement and correlated with the occurrences of domes and existing Finally, the conjunction of fracture intersections and domes was analyzed and compared with locations of known ore deposits. Differentiation of Faults According to Time and Relative Importance: The faults encountered were grouped as follows: (1) Basin and Range faults, latest in time; (2) secondary faults; (3) primary faults; and (4) lineaments, earliest in time by inference. BASIN AND RANGE FAULTS- Generally concealed by alluvium, the Basin and Range faults are normal

Jan 1, 1969

By ROBERT R. ABUOTT

(Cleveland Meeting, October, 1912.) THE practice of carbonizing steel for the purpose of case-hardening has assumed great commercial importance within the past, 10 years. Formerly, case-hardened steel was held in more or less contempt, since it. was considered a cheap substitute for tool-steel. This is no longer the case. The development of the motor-car industry, and coincidentally that of modern alloy-steels, has resulted in overcoming many difficulties formerly experienced in case-hardening. This result has been accomplished by increased knowledge regarding the analysis of the steel which would respond most readily to case-hardening, and by more careful methods of treatment of the carbonized steel. The ordinary method of carbonizing consists in packing the steel with the carbonizing-material in cast-iron boxes and placing them in a furnace at a temperature of from 1,500° to 1,900° F. for a time sufficient to give the required depth of cc case." The steel is then either quenched directly from the box, or is allowed to cool without unpacking, and finally given a single hardening-heat., or, for special work, two or three heats. During the year 1911, more than 100,000 tons of carbonizing-material was sold in the United States, at an average price of probably $55 per ton. More than 85 per cent. of this material consisted of granulated bone. Within the past four years, many manufactured compounds have been placed on the market, consisting largely of some form of carbon or carbonaceous material, with or without the addition of chemicals. Steel will absorb carbon placed in contact with it at the temperature of the atmosphere. The reaction is exceedingly slow, but. increases rapidly with increasing temperature. Below * Metallurgical Engineer, The Peerless Motor Car Co.

Dec 1, 1912

By Anthony Lucas

THE discovery of oil in 1901 on the Spindletop dome, Texas, inaugurated a new industry on the Gulf Coast, an industry which has grown with the discovery of successive fields, until today it engages the services of thousands of workers and employs enormous capital. New fields are being discovered from time to time and doubtless some still remain to be found, though of late years discoveries have become more infrequent. Nowadays several hundred dry holes are drilled each year in a fruitless and blind effort to discover new fields, for as yet geologic science has developed no effectual method of locating the coastal oil deposits in advance of drilling. Moreover, despite the occasional discovery of new fields, the total production of the Gulf Coast is today no greater than it was in 1906, for the added production of the new fields has been offset by the rapid decline and more or less complete exhaustion of some of the older ones. Careful geologic work within the fields has in some cases increased the production temporarily, but has developed no really new supplies. The Gulf Coast oil industry seems to have passed its period of greatest expansion and to be declining at a fairly steady rate, and this condition is naturally viewed with alarm by the more farsighted operators. In my opinion, the time has come for the adoption of radical and aggressive methods of prospecting, and a fraction of the money wasted yearly in drilling shallow wells in hopeless locations might well be devoted to this purpose. Many facts lead me to believe that all the salt-dome oil has had a common origin; that it has migrated up from considerable

Jan 7, 1918

The Telfer Project, one of the world's newest gold mines, is located about 300 km (190 miles) northeast of the Mt. Newman iron ore project in the northern part of Western Australia. The first mineral claims were staked in 1972; and by mid-1975 ore reserves of 3. 8 million mt (4. 19 million st) of 9.6 g per mt (0. 28 oz per st) ore had been indicated. It is interesting to note that Newmont spent more than 10 years and A$10 million in Australia for extensive mineral exploration before finding the Telfer deposit, and then spent approximately A$3 million in exploration and feasibility engineering on Telfer. Including this A$3 million, a total of A$27 million was spent to complete construction of the mine, village, gold treatment plant and associated roads, airport, water and services. Over 50% of the capital cost is in the metallurgical facility, or approximately A$10, 000 per ton per day. All economically significant gold mineralization at Telfer occurs in a series of layered quartz-limonite reefs in which the former pyrite has been oxidized to limonite to a depth of 100 m (330 ft). The most important gold reef occurs at the base of the siltstone-shale horizon within the enclosing sandstone dome -like structure. At the Main Dome structure the dipping ore horizons will be mined to a vertical depth of about 60 m (200 ft) by open-cut methods. The waste-to-ore ratio is approximately 12:1. Eventually 44 million mt (48. 5 million st) of ore and waste will be mined. Mining of the waste is by contract; however, the ore and a thin layer of waste is company-mined. Dilution from mining the geological ore reserve is about 10%. The ore is completely oxidized and the gold occurs free within the reef, material as discrete particles of varying but mainly fine grain size. Most of the gold is "free milling"; that is, over 50% of the gold is coarse enough to be recoverable by gravity concentration. Two duplex mineral jigs receive the two cyclone underflows from the grinding circuit. The rougher jig concentrate is up-graded on a continuous strake from which the concentrate is tabled to produce a final free gold product. Jig tailings are returned to the ball mill and the concentrates are amalgamated. Gold amalgam is pressed, retorted, and melted into gold bars. The gravity gold recovery circuit is the same as was used in many of the gold mills in California in the 1930s.

Jan 1, 1981

By A. Mitchell, T. Bagshaw

A recent paper by Thomas1 has presented new data on the solubility of hydrogen in solid silver at 1 atm pressure in the temperature range 600° to 963°C. However, no data is reported in the literature on hydrogen solubility in liquid silver. The Sieverts technique which has been described previously2,3 was used in the present work. Charges of approximately 160 g were melted in Morgan "purox" recrystallized alumina crucibles and purified helium was used for the determination of the "hot volume" during each experiment. A chemical analysis of the silver indicates that the impurity content (Cu + Al) is less than 0.02 wt pct. Hydrogen solubility in the temperature range 963° to 1200°C was investigated. The results of three experiments are shown in Table I. Fig. 1 shows an Arrhenius plot of the present work together with the solid-state data of Thomas, Steacie, and johnson,4 Eichenauer et al.,5 and Siegelin et al.6 The following expression has been derived from the Arrhenius plot of the present data: log (solubility of hydrogen, cm3 per 100 g) = 2.154-3512.0/ToK The heat of solution derived from Fig. 1 is 31,150 cal per g mole H2 compared with the value of 33,020 cal per g mole H2 obtained by Thomas and 12,000 cal per g mole H2 obtained from the data of Steacie. It was observed that hydrogen evolution took place when the silver melts were solidified under 1 atm of hydrogen, which would not be expected from an extrapolation of the results of Steacie. Schenck and Lange7 have observed that, for several transition metals at their melting points, the ratio of the hydrogen solubility in the liquid to that in the solid lies in the range 2.1 to 3.1. The present results and those of Thomas are in accord in this respect having a ratio of 2.8. 'C. L. Thomas: Trans. TMS-AIME, 1967 vol. 239, pp. 485-96. 2T. Bagshaw and A. Mitchell: I. Iron Steel Inst., 1966, vol. 204, p. 87. 'M. Weinstein and J. F. Elliott: Trans. TWS-AIME, 1963, vol. 227, p. 382. 'E. W. R. Steacie and F. M. G. Johnson: Proc. Roy. Soc. (London), Ser. A, 1928, vol. 117, pp. 662-79. 'W. Eichenauer et al.: Z. Metallk., 1958, vol. 49, pp. 220-25. 6W. Siegelin et al.: Z. Elektrochem., 1957, vol. 61, pp. 359-66. 'H. Schenck and K. W. Lange: Arch Eisenhuettenw., 1966, vol. 37, no. 9, pp. 739-48.

Jan 1, 1969

By Robert H. Carpenter

Major trends in exploration geochemistry during the past year included an increased level of geochemical exploration by both government and private industry: greater sophistication in sampling, analytical and interpretive techniques: and increased activity on the part of universities and state geological surveys. The evolution of applied geochemistry in North America from a useful prospecting tool to an invaluable exploration method is largely due to efforts of the mining industry, the USGS and the Geological Survey of Canada. In the U.S., there has been a distinct reluctance on the part of universities to conduct research or to offer courses dealing principally with applied geochemistry. Most university geochemists have not been responsive to industry needs because government sponsorship of geochemical research in universities has been overwhelmingly in favor of theoretical, rather than applied research: and, because of the mistaken notion that exploration geochemistry is not sufficiently academic. A critical shortage of specialists in this field has resulted. Specialists in Exploration Geochemistry Needed Based on the response to a brief questionnaire sent to universities in the U.S. and Canada, there is some evidence suggesting a reversal in this trend. Graduate courses devoted to exploration geochemistry are currently being offered in geology departments at the following universities: University of British Columbia, Colorado School of Mines, University of Idaho, McGill University, University of New Mexico, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Utah. Other departments report that applied geochemistry is included in general geochemistry courses. A survey of recent publications suggests increased research interest in exploration geochemistry by university geologists.

Jan 1, 1970

By I. W. Walling, F. B. Plummer

Bastin and others have demonstrated the presence of sulphate-reducing bacteria in oil wells producing salt water. Analyses show that at 125°F. bacteria alone reduce sulphates in East Texas salt water by only 3 per cent in 30 days, forming principally hydrogen sulphide and sodium or calcium hydroxide. The hydrogen sulphide reacts with soluble iron compounds to produce iron sulphide in the absence of oxygen, and ferric hydroxide where oxygen and air are present. Where iron or other metals and iron sulphide are already in the water containing bacteria, I00 per cent reduction of the sulphates is complete in 30 days or less; where magnesium is present, reduction is complete in 15 days. The effects of changes in temperature, of different bactericides, and of concentration of bactericides on sulphate reduction are described in detail and illustrated by tables and curves. The significance of sulphate reduction on corrosive properties of oil-field water is briefly discussed. Chemistry of East Texas Oil-field Water The chemical composition of the water in the East Texas field salt-water disposal pits is shown in Table I. This salt water corrodes pipes, pumps, and steel tanks excessively, principally because of its content of oxygen, hydrogen, sulphide, and carbonic acid. The carbonates in the water when exposed to air tend to give up carbon dioxide and to precipitate calcium carbonate in large quantities. This forms coatings in tanks, settling pits, and ditches, and soon, unless removed by acid treatment, will effectively clog an injection well and reduce the flow of water back into the ground. The iron compounds in the water, most of which are dissolved from tanks and pipes, are in the ferrous form, and when exposed to the air are oxidized from soluble ferrous carbonate to insoluble ferric hydroxide, resulting in the precipitation of a gelatinous precipitate that will clog oil-field sands effectively: 2Fe(HCO3)2 + O + H2O -> 2Fe(OH)3 + 4CO2 The sulphates in strong sulphate-bearing water may be attacked by swarms of sulphate-reducing bacteria and more hydrogen sulphide may be produced. The hydrogen sulphide reacts with soluble minerals in the water to form black sludges. A knowledge of the chemistry of each reaction in oil-field water is important to the oil-field engineer, since means must be devised to prevent the formation of harmful precipitates that clog injection wells and to prevent corrosion of tanks by harmful products of biochemical processes. Methods of Treating Water before Injection into Ground* The open system of handling the waste salt water in the East Texas field consists of aerating and chemically treating the water to precipitate the unstable iron,

Jan 1, 1946

By F. B. Plummer, I. W. Walling

Bastin and others have demonstrated the presence of sulphate-reducing bacteria in oil wells producing salt water. Analyses show that at 125°F. bacteria alone reduce sulphates in East Texas salt water by only 3 per cent in 30 days, forming principally hydrogen sulphide and sodium or calcium hydroxide. The hydrogen sulphide reacts with soluble iron compounds to produce iron sulphide in the absence of oxygen, and ferric hydroxide where oxygen and air are present. Where iron or other metals and iron sulphide are already in the water containing bacteria, I00 per cent reduction of the sulphates is complete in 30 days or less; where magnesium is present, reduction is complete in 15 days. The effects of changes in temperature, of different bactericides, and of concentration of bactericides on sulphate reduction are described in detail and illustrated by tables and curves. The significance of sulphate reduction on corrosive properties of oil-field water is briefly discussed. Chemistry of East Texas Oil-field Water The chemical composition of the water in the East Texas field salt-water disposal pits is shown in Table I. This salt water corrodes pipes, pumps, and steel tanks excessively, principally because of its content of oxygen, hydrogen, sulphide, and carbonic acid. The carbonates in the water when exposed to air tend to give up carbon dioxide and to precipitate calcium carbonate in large quantities. This forms coatings in tanks, settling pits, and ditches, and soon, unless removed by acid treatment, will effectively clog an injection well and reduce the flow of water back into the ground. The iron compounds in the water, most of which are dissolved from tanks and pipes, are in the ferrous form, and when exposed to the air are oxidized from soluble ferrous carbonate to insoluble ferric hydroxide, resulting in the precipitation of a gelatinous precipitate that will clog oil-field sands effectively: 2Fe(HCO3)2 + O + H2O -> 2Fe(OH)3 + 4CO2 The sulphates in strong sulphate-bearing water may be attacked by swarms of sulphate-reducing bacteria and more hydrogen sulphide may be produced. The hydrogen sulphide reacts with soluble minerals in the water to form black sludges. A knowledge of the chemistry of each reaction in oil-field water is important to the oil-field engineer, since means must be devised to prevent the formation of harmful precipitates that clog injection wells and to prevent corrosion of tanks by harmful products of biochemical processes. Methods of Treating Water before Injection into Ground* The open system of handling the waste salt water in the East Texas field consists of aerating and chemically treating the water to precipitate the unstable iron,

Jan 1, 1946

By A. L. Jamieson, H. Rosenthal

The action of mercury on stressed brass to produce cracks was known before Moore, Beckinsale and Mallinson1 showed that actual season cracking did not occur spontaneously but could be induced by ammonia. These investigators studied other substances, including diphenylamine, without finding that anything other than ammonia could cause season cracking Grimston2 reported season cracking in cartridge cases stored in wooden boxes wetted with dilute sulphuric acid pickling solution. Season cracking associated with sulphur dioxide, water vapor and air has been reported by Johnston,3 although he reported that trimethylamine and pyridine did not cause cracking. Jevons4 has ascribed season cracking of brass in certain instances to trimethylamine, "aldehyde amine," "ketone amine" and pyridine, but no experimental work was done evidently to prove this definitely. Pyridine was investigated by Morris,5 who found it to have considerable cracking power. In the present investigation, the object was a qualitative evaluation of a number of representative amines with respect to their ability to cause season cracking. Thus it was desired only that an appreciable vapor pressure of each amine be obtained in order to make the test as severe as possible, without attempting to test equivalent concentrations for comparative purposes. MEthods Specimens TWO types of specimen were used: 1. Unannealed 70-30 brass CUPs formed from 0.040-in. thick sheet. Height of cup Was 13/8 in. and diameter was 17/8 inches. 2. First draw pieces of caliber .50 cartridge cases in the unannealed condition (70-30 brass)- The cups were representative of a thin wall and thin base specimen, whereas the draw pieces have a thick base (1/4 in.) and a thick wall (approximately 3/32 in.). Both types of specimens contained high residual stress and cracked in less than one minute in a solution of I per cent mercurous nitrate and I per cent nitric acid provided that this was receded by a 30-sec. pickle in 40 per cent nitric acid. Specimens were prepared as follows: (1) degreased in trichlorethylene, (2) rinsed in H2O, (3) pickled 5 min. in 10 per cent by volume H2SO4 (1.84 SP. gr.), (4) rinsed in H2O, and (5) dried. Amirtes Tested In selecting the amines, representatives of the three series of amines, and one series of substituted amines were chosen. The aliphatic series was represented by the methyl and ethyl primary, secondary and tertiary amines. These are the simplest aliphatic amines. For the aromatic series, the phenyl primary, secondary and tertiary amines were selected as being the simplest. The heterocyclic series was represented by pyridine, which is a simple heterocyclic base (tertiary amine).

Jan 1, 1944

By Alan Probert

IN his inaugural address in 1949, President Truman made a policy declaration which launched the foreign technical assistance program known to the world as Point Four. Congress passed Public Law 535 defining the scope of the program and holding activities to certain limitations. It also provided $34.5 million for the first fiscal year. The Technical Cooperation Administration was established within the Department of State to coordinate and direct a program to include "economic, engineering, medical, educational, agricultural, fishery, mineral and fiscal surveys, demonstration, training and similar projects." The mineral programs of Point Four have been staffed and managed by two agencies of the Department of Interior, the Geological Survey and the Bureau of Mines. The Geological Survey is concerned primarily with water-supply problems, the discovery of mineral deposits, and the determination of habit, shape, and grade of mineral deposits. The Bureau of Mines is concerned with determining the commercial potentialities of mineral deposits, mineral technology, and the production and distribution of mineral commodities. Mineral projects comprised only 1 pet of the first year's budget. In spite of the relatively insignificant expenditure compared to those for food, agriculture, and health, a commendable record has been achieved.

Jan 1, 1952