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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 Gerald Sherman

(San Francisco Meeting, September, 1915) THE ore deposits of the Warren district, in which the mines of the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Co. are situated, have been described in a number of technical publications, and will not be-discussed here in detail. Certain of their characteristics, however, control -methods of underground transportation and hoisting of ore. In the Copper Queen mine, the majority of the ore has occurred in a zone encircling the west boundary of the porphyry intrusion of Sacramento Hill. It has a width varying from 800 to 1,200 ft., and a thickness of about 400 ft. It reaches the surface in the older part of the mine to the northwest, but dips to the southeast, where it is reached at 1,400 ft. below the Czar collar, in its farthest extension at present developed on Copper Queen ground. There is one major extension from the northwest end of the zone toward the west along the Czar fault, and others of minor importance. Individual orebodies are scattered through the zone in an eccentric manner, only matched by their own irregularities of form and size. Their most general characteristics are the softness of the ore and their great horizontal rather than vertical extent. It has been estimated that the average vertical thickness of ore in the Czar and Lowell divisions is between 30 and 35 ft. It is calculated by assuming it to be uniformly distributed over its horizontally projected area. In this zone, and for some distance above it, the ground has been .subjected to intense alteration and intense but irregular oxidation. It has resulted in an enormous quantity of earthy or clayey material, which may be either ore or waste, which when wet is both heavy and tenacious. Below alteration, the ground is fairly hard, and the limestones contain primary ores differing from those heretofore considered typical of the camp, and which have not yet been thoroughly exploited. The mine production has been drawn from many orebodies spread . over a great area. A diagram map (Fig. 1), of haulage drifts and loading stations, illustrates the situation in 1914.

Jan 9, 1915

By Oscar E. Harder, H. A. Grove

It is now just a quarter of a century since Fred W. Taylor§(23) pub-lished his classical paper On the Art of Cutting Metals, describing his researches in which he, in cooperation with Maunsel White, had developed what is essentially the modern method of heat-treatring high-speed steels. Regarding this research, Dr. Sauveur,(22) in his address on Steel Wizards, Past and Present, at the annual banquet of the American Society for Steel Treating in Philadelphia in 1920 said, "The discovery of high-speed steel, or if you prefer, of the treatment imparting high-speed properties to certain steels by Taylor and Maunsel White I am inclined to consider as our one epoch-making contribution to the metallurgy of steel." It was at about that same time (1900) that Taylor exhibited high-speed steels, heat-treated by the improved process, at the World's Exposition in Paris and attracted much attention by showing that the steels would operate at such feeds and speeds that the tips of the tools were visibly red hot. This observation must have started metallurgists to wondering regarding the relative hardness of the various steels at red-heat temperatures. Considerable work has indeed been done in an effort to measure the hardness of high-speed steels and related materials in the red-heat range, using various methods. The result's, however, have been only partly satisfactory, owing to experimental difficulties. The present investigation had as it's immediate inception an address by J. V. Emmons, of the Cleveland Twist Drill Co., to the Columbus Chapter of the American Society for Steel Treating in 1931, in which he deplored the fact that comparatively little was known with regard to the hardness of high-speed steels at elevated temperatures, in spite

Jan 1, 1933

By Bradley Stoughton

The regular, bottom-blown Bessemer converter of the present day is a modification of previous forms, and most of the latest proposed modifications of it are merely returns to former types which Ressemer discarded. That he tried almost every conceivable method of blowing iron, with tuyeres at almost every possible position or angle, is well known; and it is to be supposed that he was familiar with the advantages of each type, since he finally settled on that form which has not been improved upon hitherto, for the purposes for which converters will generally be used. Modifications have been tried along two lines: In the arrangement of tuyeres, and in the manner of carrying out the process with tuyeres still blowing vertically upward through the bath. While they have all failed in general competition with the regular modern type of vessel, some of them have found special fields in which they have held their own. The most notable example is in the steel-casting industry, and especially in that part of it concerned with the manufacture of castings which require very hot or very fluid metal, or supply a demand of constantly varying physical or chemical requirements. In this industry the small converters occupy a field between that of the crucible-process and that of the open-hearth process, arid have won a place for themselves in France, England, America, Russia and other countries, which they bid fair to retain until either a new method is discovered of producing cheaply very hot, fluid steel, or the open-hearth process is so improved that very hot steel may be made with it at lower cost of repairs to lining arid roof.

Jan 1, 1903

By D. L. H. Forbes

The application of the cyanide process to complex sulphide ores for the extraction of the gold and silver is no longer a novelty; but, as an example showing modern teudencies in this direction, the following description of the new milling process at the Lucky-Tiger mine is offered: The extraordinary richuess of the ore in the upper workings of this mine made any thought of milling in its early days seem unnecessary. Its location in an almost inaccessible part of the rugged mountains just south of the Arizona boundary-line, and 60 miles from the town of Douglas, made the expense of bringing in machinery and sopplies a very serious consideration. But, after the property had been shipping high-grade ore on mule-back for a few years, there remained in the mine a considerable tonnage of vein-matter that mas too low in value to ship, but which it wag thought could be milled near the mine at a profit. The first milling-experiment consisted in the installation of Nissen stamps in conjunction with concentrating-tables and Frue vanners, but, as the ore from the upper workings contained most of its silver in the form of cerargyrite, this type of mill mas not successful. The proximity of the mine to the great copper-concentrating mills of Cananea and Moctezuma naturally made the influence of copper-milling ideas felt in the company's next instdlation. At considerable expense a stage-crushing concentrating-mill, with a capacity of 100 tons per day, was built. This mill was modeled along the lines of the most approved practice in copper-concentrators at that time, the main idea being that crushing by stages .in rolls was necessary in order to prevent losses from " sliming." Largely owing to the fact that, when the mill

Jan 1, 1913

By John C. Draper

The principal object of an underground coal mine transportation sys tem is to move coal from the face where it is produced to the outside of the mine where it is prepared for market. In addition to the movement of coal, a transportation system must also move supply materials to the inside; it must move men in and out of the mine ; and it must move rock and other debris out of the mine for disposal. Usually, mine haulage is divided into three categories named for the various areas of the mine served: 1) Face Haulage. This is used at face from the mining machine to the intermediate transport system. 2) Intermediate or Secondary Haulage. Generally this is used between face haulage and main haulage. Sometimes this is merely an extension of the main haulage. 3) Main Haulage. This extends from the secondary haulage to the outside and is usually either a track or conveyor system, sometimes a combination of both. Transportation modes of coal in the various areas pose different problems, but the whole system must be synchronized. For instance, at the face the coal should be removed quickly from the various places to facilitate the movement of machines, whereas the intermediate system just passes the same coal on to the main transportation system. Selection of the transportation system must be based on the seam height, mining methods used to extract the coal, capacity required, ease of coal handling, and haulage efficiency. When driving rooms, mine cars can be used. They often simplify supply haulage and rock handling because they can also handle these items. Conveyors could be used and would have a greater haulage capacity but they cannot handle supplies easily or segregate the rock. When using a different mining method, such as longwall, mine cars cannot be used because there is not sufficient space to move the cars at the face nor can the cars haul the coal without delays which would cause excessive losses in production. As for ease of handling

Jan 1, 1973

By S. Ramachandran, R. A. Walsh, J. C. Fulton

A method has been developed for calculating the oxygen content of commercially melted stainless steels. Application of thermodynamics to the de-oxidation reaction in straight chromium and Cr-Ni stainless steels has resulted in a set of equations DURING the past 30 years, many rewarding developments have resulted from the application of physical chemistry to steelmaking. A need still ex- which permits the calculation of oxygen contents. The model was programmed for computer calc~ilations. The validity of the method was demonstrated on routine oxygen samples from numerous commercially melted heats of stainless steel. ists for further progress in the use of thermodynamics to meet the more stringent requirements for cleaner steel. Current electric furnace practices have been developed around minimizing residual-oxygen content, one of the most important factors controlling the inclusion content of stainless steels. The residual oxygen is controlled by the use of deoxidizers during the finishing period and a number of empirical rules have been evolved. Although this feature of electric furnace practice has long been in use, only in recent years has funda-

Jan 1, 1963

By C. G. Dunn

IT is well known that plastic deformation alters many of the properties of a metal and subsequent heat-treatment partially or completely restores these properties.1 In the deformed or strained state, the metal is unstable and tends to change toward a condition called a "strain-free state." The transformation occurs through recovery, recrystallization, and grain growth-processes that may take place singly or in combination. The distortion of the lattice of an individual grain of a metal in a state of strain may be rather complex in nature, because plastic deformation produces: (I) dislocations within mosaic blocks; (2) elastic variations of the lattice spacings; and (3) gross alterations throughout the lattice, especially along slip planes, along composition planes between a grain and its mechanical twins, and along boundaries of deformation bands. These gross alterations are of the nature of bent planes or rotated regions of the crystal lattice and are revealed by a spread in the orientation of the grain. Although we cannot describe these strains and their formation accurately because of insufficient knowledge, we can, nevertheless, use the information as well as possible to obtain a better understanding of recovery processes. In recovery, the lattice of a grain is not made anew as it is in recrystallization, but is improved or mended in such a way that the basic structure remains unaltered. Until recently observations were that recovery produced no marked changes in the shapes of spots in Laue diffraction patterns, whereas recrystallization did, but now it is known for silicon ferrite2 that Laue spots may become quite sharp entirely through recovery. Consequently, the shape of Laue spots alone would not be a suitable test to distinguish between recovery and recrystallization. There is considerable evidence that the micro- structure usually does not change visibly during recovery. Absence of a visible change in the microstructure, therefore, provides a sufficient test of recovery in many cases. However, including this observation in a definition of recovery as a necessary condition (this is usually done) is unfortunate, because recovery may, as will become evident later, produce new grain boundaries that are visible not only in the microstructure but also in the macrostructure. For the present, therefore, let us say that a necessary condition for a process to be one of recovery is that the principal orientation or orientations of a deformed grain be essentially unchanged throughout the transformation toward the strain-free state. Several transformations may occur that fulfill this condition, and the nature of the distortion in a grain indicates what these must be if the lattice is to be mended in part or fully. Consequently, it will be convenient as well as

Jan 1, 1946

THE developments in construction and operation of the basic open-hearth furnace that have taken place in recent years have placed new emphasis on the vital influence played by regulation and control of the combustion system in both furnace production and furnace life. The several factors influencing flame development, such as regulation of fuel supply, air supply, air preheat, furnace draft, and furnace reversal, must be controlled closely if successful furnace performance is to be accomplished. Rugged instrumentation of distinctive design is required to supply dependable information concerning operating conditions, which is requisite to proper regulation of combustion. This chapter attempts to give a practical discussion of the various features of open-hearth practice and instrumentation related to the efficient heating of the furnace, control of temperature, and protection of the furnace structure from accidental overheating. The appended references will be helpful to readers wanting a more detailed treatment of individual topics. OPEN-HEARTH FUELS The most important open-hearth fuels are listed in Table 4-1 together with their compositions and other data useful for combustion calculations. A detailed discussion of open-hearth fuels is not attempted here, but certain factors peculiar to their application to this type of process are briefly indicated on the following pages. Very often an open-hearth shop is forced by economic factors to use a fuel to which its furnaces are not very well adapted, because the general fuel-allocation scheme for the works as a whole seems to demand it. Often a variable marginal supply of coke-oven gas or tar must be consumed by the open hearth, together with another fuel such as producer gas, natural gas, or oil, to fill out total requirements. Most furnaces employ more than one kind of fuel during their usefu1 life; however, the partial redesign

Jan 1, 1951

By Charles W. Eichrodt

So much has already been wimitten on this vast subject of ground movement and subsidence, and so many data collected and commented upon, that in this paper the author proposes to confine himself to the submission of some plans showing what has actually occurred in the mining of several of the orebodies which have come under his direction during the last 20 years or so at Rio Tinto, Spain. Some notes are added for the purpose of describing the plans. The author does not attempt to give his opinion as to the reasons why the subsidences have occurred in the manner in which they are found, but confines himself to giving as true a picture as possible of the movements that have taken place. Effects of Excavation on Ground Movement Broadly, the effects of excavations on the overhead or adjacent ground can be classified under three headings, as follows: 1. Ground movements due to excavations made from surface only, such as those made in opencasts where no excavations underlie them. The stability and strength of the ground to resist movement must determine the slopes. 2. Ground movements due to underground excavations only; i. e., where the surface is not removed. 3. Ground movements due to a combination of both; i. e., from excavations taking place from the surface for the purpose of stripping an orebody and recovery of the ore to a certain horizon combined with excavations being carried out below, at the same time, for the winning of the ore below the horizon at which mining by stripping or opencasting under the specific conditions is no longer economical. Nos. 1 and 2 represent independent and distinct problems and No. 3 is a combination, which presents results much more difficult of explanation. The accompanying plans and sections give examples of what has occurred under the three conditions. Unfortunately, the class of ground is not exactly the same in them all, but the difference is not greater than is generally encountered over districts of equal area. Excavations from Surface To illustrate No. 1 three cross-sections are shown, of excavations made for the stripping and excavation from three different orebodies

Jan 1, 1930

By Samuel Daniels

THE Al-Cu-Ni-Mg alloy is much benefited by heat treatment and, in such con¬dition, is preferable to the Al-Cu-Fe-Mg alloy either as cast or as heat-treated, when both are reheated to temperatures of from 400° to 600° F. and compared, cold, with respect to strength and to hardness. The main differences between the alloys do not arise until the reheating temperature exceeds 400° F., above which they gradually soften. This softening is characterized metallographically by the appearance of intragranular precipitate. The Al-Cu-Ni-Mg alloy is weakest and least hard after being reheated at 600° F., the AI-Cu-Fe-Mg alloy at about 700° F. The former starts to reharden at 700° F., the latter at 800° F. There is a tendency for both alloys to lose strength and hardness with prolongation of time at the reheating temperatures of 500° and of 700° F. The Al-Cu-Ni-Mg alloy is considerably stronger and harder than the Al-Cu-Fe-Mg alloy when both are heat-treated and reheated for long periods of time at 500° and 700° F. Although the latter can be made harder initially than the AI-Cu-Ni-Mg alloy by suitable quenching and aging, heat treatment, in general, favors the retention of this initial (strength and) hardness after reheating to a much greater degree in the Al-Cu-Ni-Mg alloy. The percentage of elongation of the two materials in any condition is very small. CERTAIN aluminum alloys have been used for pistons and other parts operating at temperatures up to 650° F. because of their lightness, high thermal conductivity and specific heat, fair strength and hardness at elevated temperatures, excellent machineability, and moderate resistance o corrosion. In the piston, the inertia forces and the bearing loading and with this the vibration are decreased. The piston head functions at a lower temperature (about 200° F. below one of cast iron), so that, because of the lessened tendency toward carbonization and detonation, higher compression ratios may be used. On the other hand, the aluminum alloys do not have the wearing and bearing qualities of cast iron; also they have a large coefficient of expansion, allowance for which must be made in the design.

Jan 2, 1926

By Marcel R. Daly

The writer has devoted a number of years to practical operations and to the study of geology in the oil fields. In consequence, he has been brought to investigate the theories advanced to account for the accumulation of oil and gas in commercial deposits. It is the result of these investigations and his personal conclusions that he wishes to sum up in this paper. The writer is an advocate of the organic origin of petroleum found in pools. He has been led to believe that the present theories of oil and gas accumulations are incomplete and, in certain respects, incorrect, although they may embody certain elements of truth; that the forces that are called upon to explain the movement are only secondary forces in the process, and insufficient, by themselves, to cause this movement; and that the phenomenon of accumulation is of much larger order than heretofore admitted and bears an intimate relation with the general as well as with the local deformations of the crust and is a direct consequence and a mechanical effect of these deformations to which the term " diastrophie " has been applied. As a complement to this theory, the writer offers a new interpretation of the "rock pressure" and of the mechanism of the "sealing up" of this pressure in oil and gas pools. The Anticlinal Theory The theory most generally accepted to account for the accumulation of hydrocarbons in commercial deposits is the anticlinal or structural theory. This theory, the principles of which have been laid down by I. C. White, Orton, Winehell and others, and which has since been modified and perfected, is too well known to need a detailed statement. A clear interpretation of it may be found, in the paper of W. T. Griswold, in Bulletin No. 318 of the United States Geological Survey, and the reader is

Jan 1, 1917

By Samuel Daniels

The Al-Cu-Ni-Mg alloy is much benefited by heat treatment and, in such condition, is preferable to the Al-Cu-Fe-Mg alloy either as cast or as heat-treated, when both are reheated to temperatures of from 400" to 600" F. and compared, cold, with respect to strength and to hardness. The main differences between the alloys do not arise until the reheating temperature exceeds 400" F., above which they gradually soften. This softening is characterized metallographically by the appearance of intragranular precipitate. The Al-Cu-Ni-Mg alloy is weakest and least hard after being reheated at 600" F., the Al-Cu-Fe-Mg alloy at about 700" F. The former starts to reharden at 700" F., the latter at 800' F. There is a tendency for both alloys to lose strength and hardness with prolongation of time at the reheating temperatures of 500" and of 700" F. The Al-Cu-Ni-Mg alloy is considerably stronger and harder than the Al-Cu-Fe-Mg alloy when both are heat-treated and reheated for long periods of time at 500" and 700" F. Although the latter can be made harder initially than the Al-Cu-Ni-Mg alloy by suitable quenching and aging, heat treatment, in general, favors the retention of this initial (strength and) hardness after reheating to a much greater degree in the Al-Cu-Ni-Mg alloy. The percentage of elongation of the two materials in any condition is very small. Certain aluminum alloys have been used for pistons and other parts operating at temperatures up to 650" F. because of their lightness, high thermal conductivity and specific heat, fair strength and hardness at elevated temperatures, excellent machineability, and moderate resistance to corrosion. In the piston, the inertia forces and the bearing loading, and with this the vibration, are decreased. The piston head functions at a lower temperature (about 200" F. below one of cast iron), so that, because of the lessened tendency toward carbonization and detonation, higher compression ratios may be used. On the other hand, the aluminum alloys do not have the wearing and bearing qualities of cast iron; also they have a large coefficient of expansion, allowance for which must be made in the design. The range in analyses of aluminum alloys, used for pistons in domestic and in foreign internal-combustion engines is shown in Table 1. There seem to be three general types of composition; one containing about 10

Jan 1, 1926

By A. R. Elsea, E. E. Fletcher

Cast X-40 alloy with the lowest nitrogen content studied had a 100-hr rupture stress at 1500°F about equal to the reported value for the commercial alloy. Increases in nitrogen content progressively decreased the rupture strength, and with about 0.1 to 0.2 pct N a minimum strength was reached, but there was no accompanying change in microstructure. Further increases in nitrogen resulted in the fomzation of progressively increasing amounts of a lamellar, pearlitic-type structure at the grain boundaries, with accompanying increases in rupture strength, and above about 0.25 to 0.33 pct N, the rupture strength exceeded the normally reported values. Two series of melts representing different melting stocks exhibited minimum rupture strengths at different nitrogen contents. This suggests that some unidentwed trace element not removed by vacuum melting has a strong influence on the response of this alloy to variations in nitrogen content. In a series of melts with manganese contents ranging from 0.6 to 3.2 pct, the material with the lowest manganese content had the highest 100-hr rupture strength at 1500°F. The manganese variations had no appreciable effect on the microstructure. CAST cobalt-base alloys such as X-40* exhibit high strengths at elevated temperatures (1500°F and above), but they also show considerable scatter in high-temperature properties. Since the design of parts for critical applications must be based on the minimum expected properties, this broad scatter appreciably lowers the design strength of the alloy. If the relatively poor properties exhibited by a few test parts from any given group could be improved, the spread in properties would be narrowed, and the design stress could more closely approach the average expected properties. The purpose of this research investigation was to learn what were the causes of these erratic properties and, if possible, to find methods for eliminating them. Earlier unpublished work showed that vacuum melting markedly influenced the high-temperature strength of cast X-40 alloy. There were indications that this behavior may have been the result of changes in the nitrogen or manganese content of the castings. Consequently, in the current investigation, the influence of variations in nitrogen and manganese content on the structure and high-temperature properties of cast X-40 alloy was studied. In this program, X-40 melting stock was vacuum melted to produce a base material that was very low in nitrogen content and in volatile trace elements. Additions were then made to this base material to produce alloys of the desired composition. The metal was cast into investment molds producing coupons which were machined into stress-rupture bars. These bars were subjected to stress-rupture tests and me-tallographic study to determine the influence of changes in analyses (nitrogen and manganese content) on the structure and properties. Material—The melting stock used for these experi-ments was in the form of shot from two master heats of commercial X-40 alloy. Only one master heat was used in a given series of melts. Thus, any differences in structure or properties that showed up in the specimens from a given series would be the result only of the intended variations in composition. The certified analyses of the master heats were as follows: C Mn Si Cr Ni Lot No. 2 0.50 0.71 0.66 25.44 10.53 Lot No. 3 0.54 0.73 0.70 25.95 10.00 W Fe Co P S Lot No. 2 7.45 1.34 Bal. 0.011 0.013 Lot No. 3 7.58 1.53 Bal. 0.005 0.016

Jan 1, 1960

By F. J. Schuh

The drilling industry long has been plagued by failures in the bottom few joints of surface and intermediate casing strings. This paper presents an analysis of the various possible causes of failure and concludes that failures are caused by short-lived, high-energy torque impulses delivered from the drill string through the bit while drilling out the cementing plugs, cement and floating equipment. The magnitude of these torque impulses is shown to be a function of the rotational momentum of the drill string, and a method is derived to calculate the magnitude of these impulses. The available methods of strengthening the bottom joints are reviewed. It is concluded that, while present methods are ineffective, a combination of improved procedures for strengthening and minor restrictions on drillout practices will prevent failures. Introduction In most cases, failure in the bottom few joints of casing strings is not discovered until electric logs record that the bottom one, two or three joints have parted from the casing string and slipped down the hole. However, in some cases the parted section of casing uncovers a high-pressure or lost circulation zone, or shifts laterally restricting the passage of drilling equipment. In these instances extensive remedial work is required to realign the parted pieces and seal the exposed formations. Several methods used to strengthen the bottom joints of casing strings include locking set screws in the couplings, putting wedges in special collars, welding straps across the couplings, welding the couplings and, most recently, using epoxy resin-based, thread-locking compounds. Since none of these techniques has eliminated the problem, this study was initiated to find the cause of failures and to evaluate the available methods of prevention. Mechanics of Casing Failures An analysis of the various possible causes of failure indicates that the casing is unscrewed rather than broken and that therefore failure must occur before the shoe is drilled. Since there is no general agreement as to the causes of casing failure, some possible mechanisms were ATLANTIC RICHFIELD CO. DALLAS, TEX. considered in this analysis. Failure of the bottom joints of casing can occur by only one of three types of stress: tension, torsion or bending. The possible mechanisms of failure were evaluated by determining the forces required to cause casing failure by each of the stresses; and, where applicable, the possibility of failure by fatigue was considered. For casing to part under tension requires a downward load of more than the tensile strength of the casing. The lightest API weight H-40 grade casing requires a bit load on the bottom of the casing of 27,000 to 34,000 Ib per inch of bit diameter (Table 1). Since maximum drill collar weights seldom exceed 10,000 Ib per inch of bit diameter, it is apparent that casing strings cannot be parted by the downward load of the drill string. The second mechanism considered was failure by bending. This mechanism requires that the lowermost casing joints be free to be deflected laterally until the bending stress exceeds the strength of the pipe. To fail, the casing (at a height L above the shoe) requires a force and deflection' at the shoe of To deflect the casing shoe with the drill string obviously requires a dog-leg at the casing shoe. This dog-leg must have a rate of change equal to or greater than the change in curvature of the deflected casing, which is given by

Jan 1, 1969

By C. A. Bruch, W. E. McHugh, R. W. Hockenbury

EXPERIMENTAL results of the last decade have shown that both accelerator particles and reactor radiations produce significant changes in the properties of metals. These changes, called radiation damage, are important from both academic and engineering viewpoints. An understanding of the radiation damage produced by reactor radiations is difficult, because many kinds of particles having varying energies are present. Therefore, many fundamental studies are being conducted using accelerators in order to obtain nearly mono-energetic beams of various charged particles. Furthermore, many of these experiments are conducted at low temperatures in order to freeze in the radiation-produced lattice defects, after which the specimens are annealed to study the movement of the defects. It is found that although much of the low temperature radiation damage disappears by annealing at room temperature, a significant amount remains. Because there is no assurance that irradiation followed by annealing at a higher temperature will produce the same effect as irradiation at the higher temperature, and because there is an immediate interest in reactor radiation effects during exposures at and above room temperature, a major program is in progress at this laboratory to investigate some of these effects. This paper, representing a part of the program, compares the radiation damage to a group of metals which were exposed under nearly identical irradiation conditions. The metals, representing the three major crystal systems, include copper, nickel, titanium, zirconium, iron, molybdenum, and type 347 stainless steel. The effects of reactor radiations have been treated from a theoretical viewpoint by Seitz' and Ozeroff.' The problem considered by them has been the atomic displacements produced in an infinite medium by mono-energetic beams of both neutrons and charged particles. For reactor experiments, this treatment is not wide enough in scope, because specimens and reactor components are finite, and there are continuous energy spectra of the various particles. Therefore, the theoretical considerations will be extended in this paper to cover reactor conditions and the findings will be compared with the observed radiation damage. Experimental Materials—The six basic metals for this investigation were of commercial or higher purity, and the type 347 stainless steel was of commercial quality. These materials were supplied in various forms ranging from ingots to finished rods, and were fabricated to rods approximately % in. in diam and annealed for specimen stock. A summary of data pertinent to these materials is shown in Table I. The values for chemical compositions include both actual analytical values and typical values supplied by the manufacturer. More information concerning typical

Jan 1, 1957

By E. P. Polushkin, Henry L. Shuldener

This paper describes the results of microscopic examination of a series of brass pipes removed from apartment and office buildings in New York City, adjacent localities on Long Island, and Philadelphia. They were selected as typical of approximately four hundred pipe specimens obtained over a period of five years during an investigation of corrosion in hot-water installations. A part of the investigation is reported in this paper and includes a brief history of the pipes, a description of their inside surface and microstructure, and a study of the effects of corrosion, with particular reference to the structural aspects of local and selective dezincification. Although the bibliography on the corrosion of brass pipes is quite extensive, it refers almost entirely to corrosion in sea water. The authors believe that their examination of this series of pipes, which had been subjected to the corrosive action of fresh water for various lengths of time, may throw some additional light on the problem of corrosion. Pipes Examined The pipes were made by different manufacturers and their sizes range from 3/4 in. to 4 in. nominal inside diameter, the majority being within I to 2 in. They can be divided into two groups according to chemical composition: (I) with a copper content of 60 to 62 per cent and (2) with a copper content of 65 to 68 per cent. The first group (pipes made of Muntz metal) comprises 22 pipes and the second (pipes made of high brass) comprises 18 pipes. The pipes had been in service in various locations in the hot-water systems of the buildings involved. Some were taken from horizontal lines in the basement, some from overhead distributors and some from vertical risers. The distance, in terms of feet of pipe, of the specimens from the hot-water generator was no less than 75 ft. and often IOO to 300 ft. In the majority of cases the water-heating equipment was provided with a regulator to limit the temperature of the hot water supply. The normal range of temperature in pipe systems of this kind is Ioo° to 160°F. Water Supples The average chemical composition of the water supplies carried by the pipes is shown in Table I. In evaluating the corrosiveness of a natural water, four factors are considered of prime importance: namely, hardness, alkalinity, pH and silica content. The waters listed in Table 1 are characterized by relatively low hardness, 10, alkalinity, low pH and low silica content. The waters of lower pH and higher CO2 content are more corrosive. A characteristic of all of these waters is that they do not deposit a protective mineral coating as do waters with high bicarbonate of lime content, which would be reflected

Jan 1, 1945

By G. S. Cole

The temperature has been measured ahead of stationary solid-liquid interfaces under conditions approximating luzidirectional heat flow and therefore unidirectional solidification. Natural convection flow patterns may be deduced from the temperature distributions , temperature fluctuations, and shape of the interface. Fluid flow increases with the height and the rate of heat transfev through the interface and this is further manifested by a deviation of the interface from aflat vertical plane. The influence of fluid flow on solute inhomogeneity during alloy crystal growth can be inferred from the observed temperature distributions. A buoyancy force exists in the liquid ahead of a vertical solid-liquid interface, caused by a difference in density between cold fluid near the interface and warmer fluid in the bulk liquid. When the viscous and inertia forces in the melt exceed this buoyancy force, a flow of fluid takes place, termed natural or free thermal convection. Natural convection in purely liquid systems has been extensively studied for many years. 1"u On the other hand, fluid flow during horizontal crystal growth has oniy recently been the subject of experimental investigation."-25 The requirements for horizontal crystal growth differ from other heat flow systems. The small aspect ratio (ratio of height of cold wall to length of fluid) has never been considered. The uniform furnace gradient which supplies heat radially (and not necessarily symmetrically) differs from previous boundary conditions of uniform heat flux at the cold and hot ends. And most important of all an isothermal s/l interface is present which can adjust its shape and position to conform to heat and fluid flow. All of these boundary conditions involve complexities which cannot be readily solved analytically. Preliminary observation has demonstrated the penera1 shape of the natural convective flow pattern in transparent media.20'24'25 The flow is circulatory, directed toward the interface at the surface of the liquid, down and away from the interface at the bottom, and then up at the hot end of the melt. During crystal growth such a flow may interact with the solute boundary layer at the s/l interface to affect solute incorporation.M'1B|28'i!T Evidence has also been presented recently to show that thermal convective flow will affect the structure of ca~tin~s.~~-~~ The rate of heat transfer (conduction plus convection) in a given fluid system is a function of the temperature difference between the hot end of the liquid and the s/l interface and the height of the interface. At the lowest values of these variables* all heat is *It has been shown' that adverse temperature gradients as low as O.OOS°C oer cm are sufficient to cause convection. transferred by conduction. When the temperature difference or interface height are increased, laminar fluid flow commences and heat transport takes place by laminar convection as well as by conduction; turbulent heat transfer takes place at higher values of these variables. In the transition region between laminar and turbulent flow, boundary layer separation takes place; fluctuations in temperature are also noted and increase in amplitude and frequency as turbulence becomes dominant. In this paper, fluid flow patterns in the melt ahead of a stationary interface are deduced from observations of temperature distribution and fluctuations, heat flow rate, and interface shape. The fluid flow ahead of advancing interfaces and the effect of such flow on solute incorporation may be inferred from these measurements on stationary interfaces. Observations during enforced fluid motion will also be considered. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The metal was contained in a lava boat 10 cm in length, 1+ cm in width, and 2 cm in height, as shown in Fig. 1. A water-cooled, molybdenum block heat-sink is at one end of the boat; surrounding this assembly is a slotted stainless-steel tube noninductively wound with a nichrome heating element. Temperature was measured by 38-gage Chrome1 vs Alumel thermocouples sheathed in 0.05-cm-diam graphite-coated stainless-steel tubing, which were moved longitudinally and vertically through the melt by means of a two-dimensional motorized micrometer stage. In some experiments the thermocouple junction was exposed, but in the majority of experiments the junction was welded to the sheath tip; no significant difference

Jan 1, 1968

By R. J. Burgess, A. R. Ramey, A. R. Adams

During interpretation of pressure buildup tests on gas wells in a tight dolomite gas reservoir, peculiar behavior was noticed. Two straight lines were apparent. Effective permeability to gas taken from either straight line was about the same, and the Miller-Dyes-Hutchinson dimensionless time check for the straight line was proper for both straight lines. Geological data indicated the likelihood of scattered trending fractures in the reservoirs. Since the first straight Iine yielded permeability values close to the geometric mean permeability from core analyses, it was postulated that the reservoir model was that of an acidized well completed in the tight dolomite, but that widely scattered hairline fractures caused the mean permeability of the reservoir distant from the well to be higher than the matrix permeability. Because all other studies of fractured reservoirs to the authors' knowledge assumed that the fracture matrix was dense enough to communicate directly with the well, no interpretative methods were available. The Hurst line-source solution for a radial change in permeability for interference between oil reservoirs was adapted to pressure buildup testing. The result indicated that the first straight line should yield the proper matrix permeability and wellbore skin effect. The second straight line may be extrapolated to obtain static pressure. The time of bend between the straight lines was used to estimate distance to a fracture. Application to field test data is shown. It is believed that the methods developed and the case history presented will add to present tools available for pressure buildup interpretation. Introduction Since the pioneer studies by Miller, Dyes, and Hutchin-son1 and Horner' in 1950 and 1951, well test analysis has become recognized as one of the most powerful tools available to both production and reservoir engineers. Well test analysis serves as a logical basis for well stimulation and completion analysis, and for long-term reservoir engineering. Since the early 19501s, much effort has been placed on the development of well-test analytical methods. Reservoir and well conditions of increasing complexity have been considered systematically to provide the analyst with a catalog of causes and effects. Matthews and Russella state that some 200 papers dealing with this subject have been published in the last 35 years. Developments in well test analysis appear to have originated in one of two ways. Either a physically realistic field condition was anticipated and analytical solutions for the condition achieved, or anomalous field test behavior was recognized and interpretative methods sought for the anomaly. In recent years, it has appeared that the latter has inspired an increasing number of studies. The analyst today finds an increasing number of known cause and effect studies available for well test analysis, the classic of which is that of finding the specific flow problem that generated the answer — the well behavior. Although it may be impossible to achieve this goal uniquely, the analyst often is able to select a useful interpretation that combines all known performance and geologic data — or to show that various logical alternatives would not significantly affect the interpretation. During a recent reservoir study, we observed gas well test behavior that did not appear to fit behavior described previously. Although it cannot be said that we have found a unique interpretation, we shall present in this paper the peculiar behavior observed, and describe the reservoir and interpretative methods developed. Reservoir Description The subject gas reservoir is a 9-mile-long, narrow dolomite reservoir lying within a limestone of Ordovician age. (See Fig. 1.) The dolomitized rock in the field consists of dark brown to buff, dense to coarsely crystalline, vugular dolomite containing numerous hairline fractures, many of which may have been closed in the reservoir and parted when cores were brought to the surface. Larger fractures are also apparent in core, but usually are filled and sealed with euhedral dolomite crystals. Portions of the north flank of the reservoir are known to be cut by a sealing fault downthrown to the north. Gas wells located near the fault have higher open flow potentials than those more distant from the fault. This is believed to be a result of higher permeability near the fault due to more extensive and open fractures. Detailed coring and core analysis have been performed on several of the wells in this reservoir. Fig. 2 presents permeability variation' plots for both horizontal and vertical

Jan 1, 1969

By J. E. Lamar, J. S. Machin

INSULATING materials include a wide variety of nonmetallic mineral products such as exfoliated vermiculite, expanded gypsum, 85 pct magnesia, diatomite, asbestos, perlite, cellular glass, pumice, silica aerogel, expanded aggregates and mineral wool. Except mineral wool, most of these products, or the materials from which they are manufactured, are described in other chapters of this book. PROPERTIES OF INSULATING MATERIALS The insulating properties of the materials considered in this chapter result in general from entrapping extremely small pockets of air in such a manner that heat is not transferred by convection. The minimum heat conductivities of such insulating materials are slightly greater therefore than the conductivity of still air. In addition, conductivity varies with the overall density of the material, the temperature range in which the measurements are made, and the form into which the material is fabricated. However, the numerical value of heat conductivity should not be the sole criterion of an insulating material; for a particular application it may be advantageous to use a material of somewhat higher conductivity in order to secure other desirable engineering properties. This is especially true with certain materials that are used because of their refractoriness. Comparative insulating values of some commonly used insulating materials are shown in Table 1. In comparing the values presented in this table it should be borne in mind that heat conductivity varies with the mean temperature, with the overall density, and with the amount of moisture present. With fibrous or granular materials it varies with fiber or grain size and with the amount and kind of binder, if any is used. Under some circumstances it may vary with the arrangement of

Jan 1, 1949