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By G. L. F. Powell

Bulk samples of silver have beat undercooled lo a large degree in contact with crystalline siliceous and ceramic oxide materials, indicating lhat stable oxides and oxide compounds are not the heterogeneous nucleants which normally catalyze cryslallization within a feu degrees of the equilibrium freezing point. Since 400-g samples were undercooled 250°C in contact with cristobalite, it is concluded that the undercooling required for homogeneous nucleation of sil11er is greater than 250°C. Undercooling was Jacilitated by precleaning the crucibles with a high-fires -sure blast of gas. IN numerous experiments on the undercooling of metal melts it has been assumed that a solid glassy surface, being non crystal line, will have no effect in catalyzing crystal nucleation from the melt. Conversely, it is usually accepted that any crystalline surface, in contact with a metal melt, will catalyze nucleation of metal crystals from the melt at degrees of undercooling less than that at which homogeneous nucleation will occur. Both these assumptions were implicit in the claim that homogeneous nucleation was observed in experiments1'2 on the undercooling of small metal droplets (10 to 100 mp diam). The droplets were thought to be freed of suspended crystalline particles which would otherwise catalyze heterogeneous nucleation. They were supported on flakes of silica glass which were assumed to be amorphous, and therefore incapable of acting as substrates for heterogeneous nucleation. In later experiments, large samples of molten metal were undercooled to temperatures similar to those achieved by the droplet technique by melting in a fused-silica crucible3 or a boro-silicate glass slag.4 Since these samples were usually fully enclosed in glass at the moment of freezing, it seemed possible that nucleation was homogeneous when maximum degrees of undercooling were achieved, despite the large size of the samples (up to 500 g). In experiments on the undercooling of silver5 the metal was contained in vitreous silica crucibles, the

Jan 1, 1968

By William L. Fink, H. R. Freche

This is the thirteenth paper of a series from the laboratories of the Aluminurrl Company of America presenting the results of investigations of equilibrium relations in aluminum-base alloys prepared from electro-lytically refined aluminum. The ninth paper, on The Constitution of High-purity Aluminum-titanium Alloys,' presented a type of system that had not previously been encountered in aluminum alloys. Subsequent work has shown that there are several similar binary aluminum diagrams including that of aluminum and chromium. The present investigation was limited to the cxtreme alnminum end of the aluminum-chromium system. The first systematic investigation of the aluminum-chromium equilibrium diagram was carried out by Hindrichs.? The resulting equilibrium diagram with some imaginary additions suggested by Guillet3 is shown in Fig. 1. Recently Goto and D6gane4 investigated the constitution of aluminum alloys containing up to 32 per cent chromium, and presented the diagram that is reproduced in Fig. 2. Wide discrepancies in the two diagrams are evident. The following intermetallic compounds have been reported in the literature: A1Crl5,6 AlloCrlzSi,5 AlCr4,6 AlCr3,7 AlaCr.8 Preparation of Alloys and Chemical Analyses With the exception of sample Y4206, which will be described under Determination of Hyperperitectic Liquidus, the alloys were prepared from electrolytically refined alurninum% Of which the analysis is given in

Jan 1, 1933

By Charles E. Hughes

HERBERT HOOVER had to sit through an hour and a half of eulogy of himself at Carnegie Hall last night, said the Sun and New York Herald of Feb. 19. When his turn to answer came he remarked that, although one of the speakers had referred to him as a modest man, he would never, in view of this experience, be able to prove it. The occasion was the presentation by the Civic Forum to Mr. Hoover of its medal of honor for distinguished service, the only recipients in past years having been General Goethals, Thomas A. Edison, and Alexander Graham Bell. Only by distortion of intent could there be said to be anything political in the affair, which was carefully described by the chairman, Charles E. Hughes, as non-partisan. Nevertheless, the praise bestowed on the former Food Administrator by the former Republican candidate for President, proved specially interesting to a much applauding audience which filled the hall to the uppermost gallery. A piece of real news was supplied by Horace V. Winchell, whom Mr. Hoover succeeded on Tuesday as President of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers. He said that Mr. Hoover, when in Europe after the . armistice, caused to be collected the literature of the war in all Europe.

Jan 1, 1920

Jan 1, 1902

By J. H. L. Vogt

TABLE OF COKTENTS. [ ]

Jan 1, 1902

By AIME AIME

PRODUCTION of nickel in Cuba, a new source of this metal, has been started by the Nicaro Nickel Co., subsidiary of the Freeport Sulphur Co. Construction of the Nicaro plant in Oriente Province, Cuba, and of a refinery at Wilmington, Del., has been "substantially completed," according to Langbourne M. Williams, Jr., president. The initial rate of output is less than capacity operation, which will be reached when "the customary problems incident to the commencement of full- scale production are eliminated." The plant in Cuba for the treatment of the extensive nickeliferous ores of that region, and the refinery, were built by Nicaro for the account of the Defense Plant Corp. construction has been under way for eighteen months. The plants, when operating at capacity, are expected to increase America's sup-

Jan 1, 1944

[NORTH AMERICA UNITED STATES ALABAMA Birmingham Cord, Richard H. Dlsmukes, Edward B. Hunter, Robert A. Citronelle Perrin, Huey P. Fairfield Pagel, Herbert Ervin Fairhope Ruffles, William R. Huntsville Eng, Harvard Kelley, Dean W. Waggoner, J. B. Weber, Thomas C. Mobile Hankins, James D. Horner, William L. Petroutson, Peter C. University Cudworth, James R. Jones, Walter B. Mason, William L.]

Jan 1, 1961

By E. L. Mann

Asbestos is the generic name given to a group of fibrous mineral silicates found in nature. They are all incombustible and can be separated by mechanical means into fibers of various lengths and cross sections, but each differs in chemical composition from the others. The commercial grades of asbestos consist of a spectrum of lengths and sizes and are not definitive as are most organic fibers. It is generally recognized that there are two main groups of asbestos. The first only contains the fibrous serpentine called chrysotile and comprises about 94% of the world production of asbestos. The second group contains five minerals in the amphibole series-crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite, tremolite, and actinolite. The latter two have no commercial importance. Properties Physical The structures of asbestos fibers have been studied intensively over a number of years. X-ray diffraction patterns have been used as a means of identification and classification. Low angle X-ray scattering techniques have shown that chrysotile fibers are "hexagonally close packed" and parallel to each other, having cross-sectional diameters varying from 18Å to 300 Å units, while the amphibole fibers are many times larger in cross section, have considerably smaller surface areas, and the fibers are less symmetrical than those of chrysotile. Electron micrographs of the more common types of asbestos are shown in Figs. 1-4. Fig. 1 illustrates the softness and flexibility of chrysotile which make it suitable for textile-type products. For a number of years there was considerable controversy over the exact nature of chrysotile fiber, but the photographic evidence in Figs. 5-7 clearly show that it is tubular in structure. The curvature is the result of the mismatch in the dimensions of the silica [Si2O5] and brucite [Mg(OH)2] layers which are on the inside and outside, respectively, of a double sheet. This curvature had been predicted by Pauling (1930) years ago based on the molecular dimensions of the two component structures. In contrast to this, the structure of the amphiboles consists of two ribbon chains based on Si4O11 units separated by a band of seven cations with two hydroxyl groups attached to

Jan 1, 1983

By John S. Sumner

The various electrode arrangements used in induced polarization (IP) surveying can be classified according to the geometry of the electric field being measured. The simplest geometry (Wenner, Schlumberger, gradient) is the parallel or plane-wave electric field, while the three-array and pole-dipole array measure the field about a point current electrode. In the dipole-dipole array the characteristics of a dipolar field are approximately measured. The drill hole arrays employ variations of these fundamental geometries, depending on the objectives of the survey. This report compares the relative advantages and disadvantages of each of the commonly used surface and drill hole IP electrode arrays. Factors of each array that are considered are signal-to-noise ratio, EM coupling rejection, speed and cost, and resolution of polarizable bodies. It is concluded that certain arrays are better suited for different exploration objectives and for different geological conditions. Also the type and capabilities of the IP surveying equipment and method limit the choice of arrays.

Jan 1, 1973

By Elmer A. Jones

Like the caboose on the end of a long freight train L made up of mineral and metal processing and consuming industries, the mining industry progresses according to the movement of the train to which it is coupled. Sometimes the caboose rolls smoothly; occasionally it bumps along on the ties; almost always it is under criticism from someone for being too small, too large, too expensive, foolishly progressive, or hopelessly out of date. We who ride in the caboose are used to the rough by now, but it is nice now and then to have a bit of the smooth. Last year the train of industrial production rolled ahead swiftly and smoothly, and, except for a hot-box caused by strikes in copper mines, so did the caboose. As is brought out elsewhere in this issue, the outlook for 1956 is for more of the same.

Feb 1, 1956

By W. W. Gorr, R. Smith, E. H. Wyche

THE combination of high strength and corrosion resistance of cold-worked 18 Cr, 8 Ni steel has been advantageously utilized for some time, particularly in aircraft and rail car structures. There are, however, certain limitations on the use of such materials because the high strengths can be obtained only by cold-working, limiting the available products to sheets, strip, wire and tubes. The authors sought to overcome these limitations by resorting to precipitation-hardening, which has been used so successfully in nonferrous metallurgy but only to a limited extent in iron-base alloys. Accomplishment of this objective not only overcame the limitations, but also effected certain improvements in mechanical and other properties. This paper is an account of the development by Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation of a precipitation-hardening 18-8 stainless steel (called Stainless W? and tentatively identified as type 322). A description is given of its composition and metallurgical characteristics, heat-treatment, physical and mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW STEEL For a considerable length of time the authors were unable to determine the mechanism of the precipitation-hardening process that had been noted by Ffield 18,19 in 18-8 Ti or 18-8 Cb after cold-working and reheating to moderately elevated temperatures. All known variables were exhaustively studied, but with little success. However, results began to indicate that chemical composition was the most important variable, particularly the ratio of austenite-forming to ferrite-forming elements. The investigators 'then focused their attention upon the composition, and, in particular, upon the element titanium and its mode of alloying in the presence of other elements. A heat was obtained that could not be brought to the softness level of annealed 18-8. The response to cold-straining and aging* was very marked by previous standards, and, more important, cold-straining was found to be entirely unnecessary to produce the precipitation-hardening effect. The chemical composition of this heat was: C, 0.06 per cent; Mn, 0.54; P, 0.016; S, 0.016; Si, o.58; Ni, 7.28; Cr, 17.6o; Ti, 0.90; Al, 0.17. For some time the development work, particularly on composition, was carried

Jan 1, 1946

By Arthur F. Wendt

The earliest knowledge of copper-ores in the Southwest was derived from the Mexicans, who, in the latter part of the last century, discovered and worked the Santa Rita copper mines, now situated

Jan 1, 1887

By Robert Parker

Measurements of the latent heat of transformation from a to 0 titanium were made using a pulse-heating technique. Rapid heating was accomplished electrically by discharging a low-inductance capci-tor hank through a thin-strip specimen. Both high-purity titanium and titanium containing 2700 ppm of 0 were studied. An electrical-resistivity technique and a plot of energy input us temperature rise were used to monitor the phase change. It was concluded that: 1) the latent heat of transformation is 800 i 48 cal per mole; 2) phase change occurred in less than 200 sec; and 3) the percentage phase change that occurs is linearly a function of the energy available for phase change. In addition, this experiment provides a simple and inexpensive method for determining specific heat of electrical conductors over large temperature ranges. The chief advantages of this technique over past pulse-heating experiments are: 1) static measurements of capacitor-bank voltage capacitance and specimen resistance can be made quickly and accurately to determine the energy supplied to the specimen; 2) the specimen is heated so rapidly (10 µ sec) that there is no appreciable heat loss during the heating. THE purpose of this paper is to illustrate the use of the capacitor bank as a tool for basic experimental investigations and to determine the rapid phase-change kinetics of titanium. The capacitor provides a number of unique properties: 1) rapid heating rates in the order of l09oC per sec can be obtained; heating rates as slow as l04oC per sec are available by merely adding a given amount of inductance to the circuit; 2) the energy input can be precisely determined and can be varied from several joules to millions of joules, depending on the bank capacitance and voltage; 3) the specimen can be heated uniformly through the thickness and length or non-uniformly, as desired; 4) the apparatus is simple and inexpensive and can be easily altered; 5) the form of the specimen can be wires, sheets, foils, rods, and cylinders; 6) there is great precision in the timing of events; 7) this technique may be readily used in conjunction with rapid cooling.

Jan 1, 1965

By William A. Edmiston, R. E. Grace

A simplified model for the theory of reaction rates near equilibrium has been applied to the reduction of wustite. A linear relationship between the net rate of reaction and the Gibbs free-energy change, ?F, is predicted. The reduction of wustite in H2 -H2O gas mixtures was studied with a microbalance technique at temperatures from 850° to 950 °C. The predicted model was found to be valid to -?F/RT = 0.1 or approximately -200 cal per mole away from equilibrium. ThE theory of reaction rates near equilibrium has been developed by a number of authors. Prigogine, Outer, and Herbo1 have studied the catalytic hydrogena tion of benzene in an attempt to deduce some intrinsic connection between reaction rates near equilibrium and thermodynamics. Manes, Hofer, and weller2 have derived more general expressions for reaction rates near equilibrium from classical thermodynamics. Hollingsworth3,4 has commented briefly on the work of Manes et al. Benson5 has summarized in a general way the results of the earlier contributions. It is the purpose of this paper to apply the theory of reaction rates near equilibrium specifically to the reduction of wustite in H2-H2O gas mixtures. The basic premise is that the reduction of wustite proceeds by a surface reaction, rather than by solid-state diffusion ,or gaseous diffusion. Richardson and Dancy6 and Gellner and Richardson7 have suggested that the reduction of wustite may be governed by iron diffusion in wustite. Mckewan8-11 has proposed that reduced iron layers on various oxides are sufficiently porous to offer a negligible impedance to the reducing gas. The linear motion of interfaces reported by McKewan and discussed by Themelis and Gauvin12 indicates the lack of diffusive control during reduction. The reduction studies of magnetite reported by Quets, Wadsworth, and Lewis13 give additional evidence that reduction rates are linear when the reaction products are porous and nonprotective. The interpretation of measurements reported in this paper is predicated upon a surface-controlled reduction reaction, at least in the earliest stages of reduction when the reduced iron layer is thin.

Jan 1, 1967

By Charles L. Harness

STRONTIUM is an essential constituent of celestite (strontium sulphate), of the rarer strontianite (strontium carbonate), and of a few very rare minerals. Celestite is the chief ore but strontianite is more valued except for making the purest strontium salts, because of its ease of processing. The public knows strontium mainly as the source of the red flame in fireworks but it has many other uses. PROPERTIES The celestite of commerce is a massive mineral of varying texture: coarsely crystalline, fibrous, bladed, very fine grained or earthy. The color varies greatly with the nature of the impurities but the purer specimens are light blue (Latin, caelum, sky) or white. The strontianite of commerce is a massive mineral, more or less coarsely crystalline. The color varies with the impurities. Distinctive characteristics are effervescence with acids, density (3.68 to 3.71), and crimson strontium flame. A typical British celestite before World War II analyzed: SrSO4, 96.55 pct; SrCO3, 0.17; BaSO4, 0.25; CaSO4, 0.54; MgCO3, 0.15; R20,, 0.90; Si02, 1.38.10 A German strontianite analyzed: SrCO3, 90.9 pct; CaCO3, 7.5; BaCO3, 0.1; Fe2O3, 0.05; A1203, 0.1; SiO2, 0.04; S, 0.1; P, 0.005.10 ORIGIN AND MODE OF OCCURRENCE According to Clarke,9 strontia forms about 0.02 pct of the crust of the earth and is present in most igneous rocks, but in smaller quantities than barium. Under certain conditions, large masses of celestite are deposited from sea water with anhydrite. The presence of large amounts of celestite in some saline deposits and its absence in others suggests that the deposition of celestite depends on whether certain as yet undetermined concentrations of sulphate and chloride ions are reached in the brines. The most extensive of these sedimentary deposits are those of the Keuper (Triassic) in England, of the Zechstein (Permian) in Germany, and of various Cretaceous formations in Texas, Arkansas, and Utah. Of the deposits of southeastern California and western Arizona,

Jan 1, 1949

By O. M. Schaus

REDUCED activity of mining, because of the business recession, had the effect of lowering working time, hence of reducing exposure to accidents, so it is probable that 1938 will be found to have had a lesser number (both fatal and nonfatal) though the accident rate may remain about the same as in 1936 and 1937. During periods of re-employment, such as occurred during 1936, 1937, and 1938, the new men entering the industry are less experienced and not as well trained in accident prevention as are the older, more experienced men and are frequently subject to more accidents. This situation should tend to correct itself as the new employees be- come better trained.

Jan 1, 1939

By Kenneth P. Katen

INTRODUCTION Though the use of continuous mining machines consolidated the operations of cutting, drilling, blasting, and loading in one machine that would theoretically provide uninterrupted production, it was soon realized that the face haulage and roof support operations remained as major impediments to continuous production. The ability to provide not only continuous cutting and loading, but also continuous haulage and roof support (see Fig. I), was the basis for the introduction of mechanized longwall systems in this country from Europe in 1951. The early systems employed friction props for roof support, but were to become obsolete shortly after introduction of the first hydraulically powered, self-advancing supports in 1960. Since then, use of the longwall technique has grown to the point where it is currently providing more than 5% of the annual output of underground coal mines in the United States. The shortwall system had its origin in Australia, but was first introduced into this country in 1962 following the development of powered roof supports. It, too, provides for continuous cutting, loading, and roof support (see Fig. 2), but has not experienced the widespread popularity of longwall due to its inherent inability to easily provide for continuous haulage. While there are in the neighborhood of 100 longwall systems currently in operation in this country, there are only a handful of short- wall operations providing production of slightly more than 907 184.7 t/a (1,000,000 stpy). Both of these systems provide uninterrupted roof support for face operations by means of hydraulically powered steel roof supports. In each case, the coal removal consists of open-end cuts made from the narrow end of a large rectangular pillar (panel) which has been blocked out by continuous miners developing entries around its perimeter. However, this is the extent of the similarities between the two systems. It is hoped

Jan 1, 1981

By S. S. Cole, H. Sigurdson

The melting points of mixtures of titanium dioxide and other titanates have been reported to a limited extent as binary systems and some results have been reported in conjunction with silicon dioxide. The limited data indicated that a low melting zone might exist in a ternary or quarternary system of CaO-MgO-TiO2-Al2O3, since the eutectics reported in the binary systems of MgO.TiO2-TiO2, Al2O3TiO2-TiO2 and CaO.TiO2-TiO2 were of about equivalent composition of TiO2. The importance of a low melting region with a high titanium oxide value in the developing of high titanium slags is fully appreciated by metallurgists. A comprehensive study was undertaken to establish basic information on low melting titanate mixtures. Compounds in the System CaO-MgO-TiO2 -Al2O3 Preparation of the titanates of CaO, MgO and Al2O3 confirmed reported data that the following compounds could be formed under oxidizing conditions in solid state reactions: CaO.TiO2, 2MgO.TiO2, MgO.TiO2, MgO-2TiO2 and Al2O3.TiO2. Under oxidizing conditions it was not possible to react MgO with TiO2 in mol ratios higher than 1:2 without having unreacted TiO2 in the product, nor was it possible to form calcium or aluminum titanates with a higher mol ratio of CaO and A12O3 to TiO2 than 1:1. By fusing mixtures of Al2O3-TiO2 and MgO-2TiO2 together a series of solid solution products were obtained, which showed an MgO-2TiO2 X ray diffraction pattern shifted to smaller inter-planar spacings. Range of Investigation Data in the literature1 indicated that these titanates had melting points which ranged from 1645 to 1860°C. Since the purpose of the study was primarily to provide useful data for smelting titaniferous ores, the work was restricted to the zone of the system which would include the crystalline phases present in the slags. The explored limits were bounded by CaO.-TiO2-MgO.TiO2-TiO2in the base plane. The system was extended to a fourth component Al2O3-TiO2 since many titaniferous ores contain appreciable amounts of A12O3. In the quarternary system CaO-TiO2-MgOTiO2-TiO2-Al2O3TiO2, a tetrahedron was used to represent graphically the components, with one component at each point of the tetrahedron. In the base plane, mixtures were pre- pared to represent fairly uniform changes of composition over the desired range expressed on a mol percent basis. Al2O3-TiO2 was brought into the system in increments of 10 mol pct up to 40 pct. Mixtures were then made up for each of the Al2O3-TiO2 planes. The ranges employed were then represented by five planes cutting the tetrahedron at 10 mol pct Al2O3-TiO2 intervals. Choice of Equipment Although it was necessary for all smelting work to be done in a strongly reducing atmosphere, it was decided that all melting point determinations should be done under oxidizing conditions. This decision was prompted by the fact that TiO2 reduced to lower oxides in a reducing atmosphere with consequent changes in melting points. The use of a micropyrometer and a platinum strip furnace for work of this type is adequately described in the literature.2 With modifications, equipment was selected which provided a fairly rapid method of determining melting points of refractory oxides. The final assembly, which was used, consisted of a platinum strip furnace and a Leeds and Northrup disappearing filament optical pyrometer attached to a special telescope which magnified the sample about 20 diam. The furnace assembly consisted of a platinum strip 0.005 X 0.3 X 2.2 in. mounted on brass posts on a refractory base. This was enclosed in a black steel shell which had a 2-in. opening at the top for purposes of sighting the telescope. The platinum strip was in series with two 0.04 ohm nichrome resistors connected to the secondary of a 2 kw transformer which supplied 17 volts. The current to the primary was varied

Jan 1, 1950

By K. B. Nowels

Data pertaining to pipe line flow for both oil and gas in horizontal or nearly horizontal pipe lines are both extensive and accurate. However, the pipe formulas used to determine pressure drop for flowing fluids (liquids and gases) under conditions of horizontal flow are not generally applicable to flowing oil and/or gas wells. Except for some data developed in small laboratory set-ups, little or no information was available concerning flow of oil and gas mixtures in vertical pipes, when, in 1928, the writer began the development of a method for computing pressure drops in the pipes of flowing oil wells, as outlined in this paper. In 1929, Urenl presented some findings based on laboratory experiments in which vertical flow of an extremely heavy crude oil was induced by means of air through a 2-in. pipe, 41 ft. long. The friction factors derived from the experiment, as well as values for pressure drop per 100 ft., are not believed satisfactory in their application to flow problems in the field. Versluys,2 also in 1929, presented a mathematical development of the theory of flowing oil wells, and in 1930, gave a companion paper3 setting forth some principles governing the choice of length and diameter of tubing in oil wells. Since the termination of the study presented in this paper, another valuable contribution pertaining to the problem of vertical flow was made by Moore and Wilde.4 Although there were writings dealing with the principles of the gas-lift, a search of the available literature indicated that specific information on vertical flow was lacking with the exception of the writings of Uren, Versluys, and Moore and Wilde, to which reference has been made.

Jan 1, 1932

By John C. Sawyer

A brief review is given to show that catastrophic oxidation of stainless steel in the presence of lead oxide is similar in many respects to catastrophic oxidation as caused by MoO3 and V2O5, Experimental data are presented to show that lead oxide accelerates the normal oxidation process of stainless steel by chemically altering the normally protective oxide film formed on the base metal. Data are given to show that similar reactions occur during oxidation of stainless steel in the presence of MOO3,and V2O5. THE mechanism by which pure metals oxidize at high temperatures has been the subject of intensive research for many years and much has been accomplished towards understanding the processes involved. The mechanisms by which alloys oxidize have also been investigated, but due partly to the fewer number of investigations and partly to the complexity of the oxide systems present, available knowledge is not as extensive as with pure metals. When oxidation processes are further complicated by atmospheres contaminated with sulfide, halide, or oxide vapors, the knowledge of fundamentals becomes meager or altogether lacking. Thus, it is not surprising to find that the catastrophic oxidation of stainless steels in metal oxide vapors of MOO, and V2O5 is not a well understood phenomenon despite the fact that a number of investigations have been undertaken. The literature in dealing with the subject of catastrophic oxidation is primarily concerned with the effects of MOO3 and V2O5, but does mention that other metal oxide vapors, one of which is lead oxide, appear to promote a similar type of accelerated oxidation. While this latter effect is virtually unknown, the deleterious effect of lead oxide is of considerable commercial importance, as it is believed to be one of the fundamental reasons for exhaust-valve failure in gasoline engines. For this reason studies have been in progress for many years attempting to better understand the mechanism involved. Modern exhaust-valve alloys"2containing 20 to 25 pct Cr plus nickel and/or manganese are in effect high-grade austenitic stainless steels exhibiting ex- cellent oxidation resistance in air at exhaust valve operating temperatures of 1100° to 1700°F; yet these same alloys are prone to corrode during engine service because of the conditions attending their operation. These conditions are such that the valves become coated with deposits of complex lead compounds mainly derived from gasoline additives of tetraethyllead, ethylene dibromide, and ethylene dichloride. Literature searches3-7 and discussions with various investigators show that considerable difference of opinion exists as to the nature of the lead-bearing deposits found on the surface of exhaust valves and the atmospheres to which they are subjected; yet, all seem to generally agree that corrosion, a gradual transformation of alloy to nonmetallic products of corrosion, is a consequence of the presence of lead compounds. This majority opinion seems to be substantiated by laboratory engine tests which show that corrosion does not occur to any appreciable extent when lead-free fuels are used. The first observations of catastrophic oxidation reported in the literature were probably made by pfeil,8 but it was Leslie and Fontana9 who undertook the first detailed study of the phenomenon. Their work was chiefly centered on the acceleration of oxidation which took place when stainless steels containing more than 3 pct Mo were heated in air with restricted circulation. These investigators reported that the presence of other oxides near the surface would further accelerate the rapid oxidation which occurred. While they recognized that the effect was attributable to the presence of molybdenum, it was Rathenau and Meijering" who emphasized the fact that the presence of molybdenum in the alloy was incidental to the presence of MOO3 vapor in the atmosphere surrounding the specimens. Evans,11 as well as Cunningham and Brasunas 12 studied similar

Jan 1, 1962