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By J. F. Fidiam, T. F. Ford, A. G. Loomis

It is only within the past 10 years that serious attempt appears to have been made to improve rotary drilling fluids by the application of the principles of colloid chemistry, although the use of chemicals to control the rheological properties of clay slips has long been known in the ceramic industry. The main difficulty apparently lay in the lack of a complete analysis of all of the functions of a drilling fluid in the drilling of the well, together with the lack of adequate consideration of how colloid science could be applied to secure these ends, and particularly how apparent antithetical properties of the fluid could be compromised. Thus one analvsisl of the many requirements of a drilling fluid proved conclusively that the viscosity should be low, in order that cuttings and entrained gas might be eliminated effi-ciently in the settling ditch, while the loss in carrying capacity accompanying low viscosity could be regained by increasing either the density of the mud or the upward velocity of the mud stream in the annular space of the well, and the danger of sticking of the drill stem due to rapid settling in case of enforced suspension of drilling operations could be eliminated by enhancing the thixotropic properties of the fluid. The desired properties of the drilling fluid having thus been established, it was a natural step to treat the fluid with vis-cosity-reducing chemicals, such as salts of weak organic acidsl for example, sodium tannate or gallate—and to adjust the pH to the alkaline side to such a degree of thixo-tropy as would give low viscosity and low yield point under the conditions of flow prevailing in the settling ditch, but rapid gelation and high yield point when quiescent in the annular space during shutdowns. In fact, flow in the settling ditch should be just short of turbulent while flow in the well, together with the flow of mud past the cuttings, is practically always turbulent. The use of chemicals other than those mentioned, such as Calgon (sodium hexametaphosphate) and certain other phosphates together with sodium tannate, has now become standard practice and it is the consensus that this method of treatment has proved to be an important step in the development of the art of drilling oil wells. It is safe to assume that the application of colloid chemical principles can also help in solving other outstanding problems of drilling fluids, such as the development of cheaper and more efficient viscosity reducers ; the development of chemicals that do not lose their effectiveness in a short time during drilling operations; the finding of chemicals to preserve the plastering properties of muds when concentrated brines are encountered or in drilling through salt beds; improvement in the plastering properties of poor muds by further defloc-culation, and, conversely, the prevention of excessive deflocculation of certain marine shales sometimes encountered; the preparation of muds suitable for the successful drilling of heaving shale formations; the finding 0f chemicals to treat the mud to prevent or to diminish lost circulation; the development 0f muds that will not impair 6

Jan 1, 1941

By T. F. Ford, J. F. Fidiam, A. G. Loomis

It is only within the past 10 years that serious attempt appears to have been made to improve rotary drilling fluids by the application of the principles of colloid chemistry, although the use of chemicals to control the rheological properties of clay slips has long been known in the ceramic industry. The main difficulty apparently lay in the lack of a complete analysis of all of the functions of a drilling fluid in the drilling of the well, together with the lack of adequate consideration of how colloid science could be applied to secure these ends, and particularly how apparent antithetical properties of the fluid could be compromised. Thus one analvsisl of the many requirements of a drilling fluid proved conclusively that the viscosity should be low, in order that cuttings and entrained gas might be eliminated effi-ciently in the settling ditch, while the loss in carrying capacity accompanying low viscosity could be regained by increasing either the density of the mud or the upward velocity of the mud stream in the annular space of the well, and the danger of sticking of the drill stem due to rapid settling in case of enforced suspension of drilling operations could be eliminated by enhancing the thixotropic properties of the fluid. The desired properties of the drilling fluid having thus been established, it was a natural step to treat the fluid with vis-cosity-reducing chemicals, such as salts of weak organic acidsl for example, sodium tannate or gallate—and to adjust the pH to the alkaline side to such a degree of thixo-tropy as would give low viscosity and low yield point under the conditions of flow prevailing in the settling ditch, but rapid gelation and high yield point when quiescent in the annular space during shutdowns. In fact, flow in the settling ditch should be just short of turbulent while flow in the well, together with the flow of mud past the cuttings, is practically always turbulent. The use of chemicals other than those mentioned, such as Calgon (sodium hexametaphosphate) and certain other phosphates together with sodium tannate, has now become standard practice and it is the consensus that this method of treatment has proved to be an important step in the development of the art of drilling oil wells. It is safe to assume that the application of colloid chemical principles can also help in solving other outstanding problems of drilling fluids, such as the development of cheaper and more efficient viscosity reducers ; the development of chemicals that do not lose their effectiveness in a short time during drilling operations; the finding of chemicals to preserve the plastering properties of muds when concentrated brines are encountered or in drilling through salt beds; improvement in the plastering properties of poor muds by further defloc-culation, and, conversely, the prevention of excessive deflocculation of certain marine shales sometimes encountered; the preparation of muds suitable for the successful drilling of heaving shale formations; the finding 0f chemicals to treat the mud to prevent or to diminish lost circulation; the development 0f muds that will not impair 6

Jan 1, 1941

By John F. Elliott

STAFF: Editor, Gerhard Derge Acting Editor, Poul G. Shewmon Carnegie lnstitute of Technology Schenley Pork Pittsburgh 13, PO. Editorial Assistant, M. A. Redmerski Production Editor, Otto T. Johnson THE METALLURGICAL SOCIETY: Rich-ard C. Cole, President; Karl L. Fetters, Past-President; J. H. Scoff, Vice President; R. L. Henneboch, Treasurer, R. W. Shearman, Secretary. PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE OF THE METALLURGICAL SOCIETY: R. E. Lund, Chairmon; T. E. Dancy, P. R. Gouwens, W. A. Krivsky, F. C. Longenberg, E. R. Morgan, R.R. Nosh, Poul Queneou, W.O. Philbrook, J. H. Scoff, L. L. Seigle, and M. E. Wadsworth. Review and selection of manuscripts is under the supervision of the following Publications Committees: Extractive Metallurgy Division: M. E. Wadsworth, Chairmon; R. E. Grace, Vice Chairman; D. H. Baker, Jr., G. M. Bell, D. H. Bridges, J. M. Cigon, G. W. Healy, R. A. Lewis, C. E. O'Neill, A. W. Schlechten, R. E. Shinkoskey, and W. W. Stephens. Iron and Steel Division: T. E. Dancy, Chairman; A. Muan, D.W. Murphy, R. D. Pehlke, J. M. Uys, J. 5. Wagstoff, and R. G. Word. lnstitute of Metals Division: R. R. Nash, Chairman, H. H. Johnson, Jr., Vice Chairman; M. R. Achter, P. A. Beck, J. J. Becker, G. F. Bolling, J. 0. Brittain, J. 8. Clark, R. 5. Davis, A. E. Dwight, R. W. Fountain, L. A. Girifalco, E. L. Harmon, J. J. Heger, A. A. Hendrickson, L. Himmel, J. P. Hirth, R. H. Richmao, H.C.Rogers, W. Rostoker, 0. D. Sherby. E. A. Steigawald, R. Steinitz, H. C. Stumpf, R. A. Swalin, W. A. Tiller, W. R. Upthegrove, D. Walton, H.W. Weart, and D. Wilsdorf. Published bimonthly by the American lnstitute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, Inc 345 East 47th Street, New York 17. N. Y. Telephone PLaza 2-6800. Subscription $30 per year for non-AIME members in United States and North, South, and Central America; $32, foreign;$30per $7 50 for AlME members. Single copies, $6.00, single copies foreign, $6.50. The AlME is not responsible for any statement made or opinion expressed in its publications ... Copyright 1963 by the American lnstitute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, Inc....Registered cable address, AlME New York . .. Indexed in Engineering Index, Industrial Arts Index, and Chemical Abstracts . . Second class postage paid ot New York, N. Y., and Ann Arbor, Mich. Volume 227, Number 4.

Jan 1, 1963

By W. E. Wrather

SERIOUS consideration was given by the Petroleum Division to a wide variety of subjects, during six busy sessions at the Annual Meeting. Beginning with a joint session on engineering research and production engineering, Tuesday afternoon, conducted by E. A. Stephenson and H. C. Fowler, problems of petroleum technology, domestic and foreign production, proved oil re- serves, economics, and stabilization were mooied almost without interruption until nearly everyone was "talked out,' and the meeting was adjourned at the end of the annual Petroleum Division dinner, late Thursday night.

Jan 1, 1933

By J. L. Wyatt

The electrical resistance of titanium as a function of purity and temperature was measured from —325" to 2800°F. Two points of inflection in the data plots were found, and an increase in resistance with increase in temperature above the transformation was observed. IN 1948 Greiner and Ellis' reported on the thermal and electrical properties of titanium, including a study of the effect of temperature on the electrical resistance. The materials used in the research were obtained from the United States Bureau of Mines, where powder metallurgy techniques were being employed for consolidation purposes. These authors found a decreasing resistance with increasing temperature above 1625°F, and concluded that the latter temperature represented the point of transformation from hexagonal close-packed to body-centered cubic structure on heating. They reported a specific resistivity value of 55x10-6 ohm-cm, and showed that dp/dt was positive, decreasing with increasing temperature above ambient. In one of his early texts Hume-Rothery2 mentioned that certain metals, including titanium, exhibited minima in plots of resistance vs temperature. He indicated that this occurred at 212°F. Reporting many years ago on the effect of temperature on the electrical resistance of zirconium, de Boer and Fast³ showed that phase transformation in this sister metal occurred over a range of temperatures, the extent varying with its purity. Graphs of resistance vs temperature, showing transformation effects over a range of several hundred degrees, were presented for relatively impure metal. In the latter case the resistance decreased with increasing temperature throughout the region of partial phase transformation, thereafter increasing as predicted for normal metals by modern theories of the solid state. Since the quality of metal used in previous studies was substandard compared with iodide-type titanium, and in view of the fact that there seemed to be some rather unusual observations in the reported literature, it was decided to undertake a more extensive study of the thermal effects using high purity titanium, and to include temperature ranges beyond those which had been studied in order to ascertain whether or not the characteristics of zirconium would be duplicated. Experimental Materials Materials used in this investigation included commercial quality titanium (Ti-75A produced by the Titanium Metals Corp. of America) in the form of ¼ in. diam rods, and high purity iodide titanium (produced by the Foote Mineral Co.) in the form of crystal bar of irregular size. The latter was cold-swaged into rod form and machined to the desired size. Lead wires to all specimens consisted of 18 gage Ti-75A. Chemical analyses of the stock materials are given in Table I. Experimental Procedures Specimens 2½ to 3 in. in length were prepared with diameters nominally 0.15 to 0.20 in. Two holes,

Jan 1, 1954

By N. V. Hansell

The preparation of low-grade iron-ores by concentration, whether or not followed by an agglomeration of the concentrate, has in the United States only recently been recognized as a metallurgical process of vast economical importance for its iron indust.ry. This importance of the process lies not only in the fact that it makes possible the use of ores heretofore discarded on account of their low iron-content or their too high percentage of elements deleterious in the iron industry, but also in its produetion of a raw material for the blast-furnace that is more uniform in its physical character and chemically purer, with a higher iron-content, than the general run of natural ores. When mixed in the burden of the furnace, it lowers the amount of coke and fluxing-stone required per ton of pig-iron produced. The furnace-operations become more regular and more easily controlled. The pig-iron is of higher quality and more uniform in character. In brief, it is becoming recognized that the beneficiating of the natural iron-ore, even if it makes the furnace-ore higher in cost per unit of iron entering into the burden, may mean a lowering of the production-cost of the pig-iron and an improved product. At the present time, the Lake Superior district furnishes about 80 per cent. of all the iron-ore yearly produced in the United States. If the Southern States arc exempted the percentage runs as high as 93 per cent. These ores are showing a steady decrease in grade from year to year. For the past 10 or 15 years this falling off in the average grade has been about 0.5 per cent. a year. The lowered grade of ore means an in-

Jan 1, 1913

THE metal iron has physical and chemical properties which are somewhat different from those of steels, but a knowledge of the pure metal is a useful starting point in studying the behavior of steels. Solid iron exists in two different crystalline forms, called alpha (a) and gamma (?) iron, the former being the ordinary form at room temperature. When heated above the "A2 point," 1400°F. (760°C.), the metal becomes non-magnetic, and at the "As point," 1670°F. (910°C.), it undergoes a change in crystalline form to become gamma iron. In the range 1400 to 1670°F., it is sometimes called beta (0) iron to distinguish it from the magnetic alpha, but the two are identical in crystal structure. When gamma iron is further heated to 2550°F. (1400°C.), it changes into delta (d) iron, which is identical with beta or non-magnetic alpha iron. Pure iron melts (in a hydrogen atmosphere) at 2795°F. (1535°C.); the melting point is generally lowered by alloys or impurities. PROPERTIES OF IRON AT HIGH TEMPERATURES Many of the properties of iron undergo abrupt changes at the transition temperatures. (1) For example, in heating through the As point a sudden shrinkage in volume occurs. Similarly, melting is attended by sharp physical changes such as an increase in volume. Table 27 contains a summary of the measured physical properties of pure iron at several temperatures. Usually the properties change smoothly within the range of stability of a given form, but this is not always the case. For example, the specific heat reaches a sharp maximum at the A2 point although no transformation occurs. Solvent Powers of Liquid Iron. Liquid iron is capable of dissolving most of the other metals and many nonmetallic elements as well. Of the metals which are liquid at the melting point of iron only lead, silver, and bismuth refuse to dissolve to an appreciable extent. The non-metals presumably dissolve by virtue of the formation of an iron compound; for example, sulphur is thought to dissolve as the compound FeS. However, there is no satisfactory method of proving that this

Jan 1, 1944

By R. A. Wood, R. I. Jaffee, H. R. Ogden, D. N. Williams

CERTAIN titanium alloys when quenched to retain the 0 phase at room temperature show extensive transformation of 0 to martensitic a during deformation. Alloys of this type are usually characterized by low tensile yield strength, a large spread between yield strength and ultimate strength, and high uniform elongation. A previous investigation of this phenomenon concluded that the principal contribution of the martensitic transformation was to increase the amount of deformation prior to fail-

Jan 1, 1964

By Cyril Stanley Smith

For many years sulphur and its congeners selenium and tellurium have been regarded as very harmful elements in copper and copper-rich alloys. Like many similar prejudices, this has been found to be partly wrong. All three of these elements actually have no great effect on the working properties of copper and its alloys, and are desirable additions in that they considerably enhance the machinability of alloys in which they are present. Because of their possible commercial importance, a study of the machinability and other properties of the pure binary alloys was made, as described in this paper, and the effect of selenium on a large number of copper alloys was determined. The current opinion regarding the deleterious effects of elements in this group undoubtedly arose because of occasional failures of tough-pitch copper containing unusually high tellurium, and because of the well-known fact that sulphur causes spewing and unsoundness in tough-pitch copper. Siebe,1 also Deretchey and Margolina,2 studied the effect of sulphur on copper and showed that in the absence of oxygen it was present in the form of copper sulphide, which was less harmful to the properties than an equivalent amount of copper oxide. No data have been published on selenium and tellurium, although the statement is often made, following Eggleston,3 that tellurium makes copper hot-short. Copper specifications call for only traces of these elements. Skowronski and Mosher4 give data on the effect of selenium and tellurium on the conductivity of tough-pitch copper. In private communication Mr. Skowronski says that the samples were hot-forged from small castings and drawn to 0.081 in. diameter, but it should not be inferred from this that these elements are harmless to the working properties of wirebars and commercial shapes. Constitution and Microstructure Constitution.—Sulphur, selenium and tellurium exist in their alloys with copper in the form of copper sulphide, selenide or telluride. These compounds are practically insoluble in the solid state and possess limited

Jan 1, 1938

By Cyril Stanley Smith

For many years sulphur and its congeners selenium and tellurium have been regarded as very harmful elements in copper and copper-rich alloys. Like many similar prejudices, this has been found to be partly wrong. All three of these elements actually have no great effect on the working properties of copper and its alloys, and are desirable additions in that they considerably enhance the machinability of alloys in which they are present. Because of their possible commercial importance, a study of the machinability and other properties of the pure binary alloys was made, as described in this paper, and the effect of selenium on a large number of copper alloys was determined. The current opinion regarding the deleterious effects of elements in this group undoubtedly arose because of occasional failures of tough-pitch copper containing unusually high tellurium, and because of the well-known fact that sulphur causes spewing and unsoundness in tough-pitch copper. Siebe,1 also Deretchey and Margolina,2 studied the effect of sulphur on copper and showed that in the absence of oxygen it was present in the form of copper sulphide, which was less harmful to the properties than an equivalent amount of copper oxide. No data have been published on selenium and tellurium, although the statement is often made, following Eggleston,3 that tellurium makes copper hot-short. Copper specifications call for only traces of these elements. Skowronski and Mosher4 give data on the effect of selenium and tellurium on the conductivity of tough-pitch copper. In private communication Mr. Skowronski says that the samples were hot-forged from small castings and drawn to 0.081 in. diameter, but it should not be inferred from this that these elements are harmless to the working properties of wirebars and commercial shapes. Constitution and Microstructure Constitution.—Sulphur, selenium and tellurium exist in their alloys with copper in the form of copper sulphide, selenide or telluride. These compounds are practically insoluble in the solid state and possess limited

Jan 1, 1938

By Charles G. Yale

(San Francisco Meeting, October, 1911.) A FEW years ago somebody connected with one of those self-constituted bodies of unofficial character, like a Chamber of Commerce, Board of Trade, or State Development Board, started a catch-phrase referring to California as " The Land of Sunshine, Fruit, and Flowers," and the railroad magazines and folders keep it steadily in use, working day and night. Yet it altogether ignores the substance which brought the State into the Union, which peopled it, and which made it famous through-out the world. You ladies and gentlemen who have come from what we here call "the East," have in your own States, no matter which one, sunshine, fruit, and flowers. But your Eastern States, having these things as we do, have not the gold that we do. Therefore, the old designation of "The Golden State," applied to California, should be revived, as being the most distinctive term. It is worthy of remembrance, too, that during the dark days of the civil war this State handed over $172,000,000 in yellow gold, and saved the credit of the nation. Gold-mining has been carried on in California since " The days of old, The days of gold, The days of 49," and it still continues. Since that historic year, and up to the end of 1910, the State has produced, in gold alone, $1,530,214,468. Since 1792 the entire United States production of gold has been $8,261,573,500, so that the single State of California has, in that period, produced within $201,144,564 of one-half of all the gold from Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and the Southern and scattering States. In other words, all the other 25 gold-producing States of the United States combined

Mar 1, 1912

By JOHN R. SUMAN

COMMENCEMENT exercises this year have a peculiar significance because the graduating students are entering upon their life's work at the most critical time in the history of the United States. We are engaged in a great struggle the outcome of which is none too clear even to the best informed students of international affairs. We are starting late in a vicious world conflict where it is generally recognized that our adversaries have distinct superiority over us in armament on the land, on the sea, and in the air. We have the gigantic task of building up our armed forces and armament and at the same time supplying our allies with equipment which they must have. We can do this job if we are given sufficient time, but there is a possibility that the war will be over before we are ready. Few realize the seriousness of this situation. If this fight is to be won-and we dare not try to visualize the future of this country if it is lost-all dissension and bickering between Congress, capital, labor, and agriculture must cease. When and where voluntary co-operation proves inadequate for the successful conduct of the war effort, laws must be enacted or strengthened to achieve our purpose.

Jan 1, 1942

By Charles Barrett

THE copper-silver system presents several points of special interest in the study of segregate structures. The system is simple eutectic, with limited solid solutions terminal with the pure component metals. The extent of solid solubility decreases with decreasing temperature for both the copper-rich and the silver-rich alloys, thus offering a possi-bility for the formation of Widmanstätten figures and also a possibility for aging after quenching. In contrast to the structures studied previ-ously the structures in this system are unique in their; origin, for one terminal solid solution will precipitate the other, and ice versa. In most of the other systems for which crystallographic data on the precipi-tation (or transformation) process are available, either intermetallic compounds or intermediate phases partake in the decomposition process; the absence of such phases thus distinguishes this system. The lattice structures of the two solid solutions are identical in type, differing in lattice spacing by approximately 10 per cent; because of this it seems difficult if not impossible to predict on the basis of present theory either the outward form of the precipitate or the lattice orientation relationships between matrix and precipitate. The eutectic temperature in the copper-silver system1 is 779°C. At this temperature copper -dissolves 4.3 atomic per cent (7.0 weight per

Jan 1, 1935

By F. Z. Schellenberg

(Pittsburg Meeting, March, 1910.) SYSTEMATIC exploitation in the Pittsburg coal-seam on a large scale is simple where the boundaries of the property do not interfere by forcing drainage-, ventilation-, and transport-lines of entries to be run to particular confined fronts. A prime condition governing development is the natural direction of the seam's perpendicular cleavage-planes, giving long lines of smooth faces near together and parallel, bearing about 65° to the left of the meridian and therefore crossing the basins. The gradients of dip into the basins change from 10 per cent at the east rim to practical flatness northwestward across the great coal-fields, a hundred miles wide; the clip being halved in rate at each successive crossing-over of an anticlinal crest. Elevations above sea-level on this transverse section, in scope of present development, differ by 1,000 ft. between low trough and high outcrop. Local irregularities of dip are found, but the main feature to be recognized is the pitch of the basins-the general rise northeastward at 20 ft. per mile, from 100 ft, below sea-level at the low point near the. SW. corner of Pennsylvania to 1,500 ft. and more above tide, and the appearance then, at the surface, of the lower coal-seams carried in the next deeper-lying thousand feet of rock-measures; below which series come the oil- and gas-sands of Oliphant's charted column of strata, reaching down altogether 3,000 ft. below the Pittsburg coal-seam. Because of -the general regularity of occurrence of the coal-seam, the mine-map depicting the courses of economic operation to be undertaken and the steps in controlled exhaustion, need be but a projection of two dimensions on the horizontal plane of space, and this for the most part composed of natural, almost unbroken lines, on the face and on the end of the coal, co-ordinating rectangularly.

Jul 1, 1910

By L. G. Jones, A. S. Odeh

A theoretical developtment is presented which provides a straightforward method of handling the drawdown analysis for both oil and gas wells flowing at variable rates. In the past our inability to analyze variable-rate drawdowns has been a major obstacle in using them for formation evaluation. This method should permit wider use of these tests in the future. INTRODUCTION Pressure build-up analyses are widely used to obtain reservoir data such as the effective flow capacity of the formation. On the other hand. although pressure drawdowns have been run for a long time, they have not been used extensively to evaluate reservoirs because they are difficult to analyze. One of the difficulties in analyzing pressure drawdowns has been that the theory developed until now has required the test to be run at a constant rate. For both oil and gas wells this is a difficult requirement to satisfy. especially during the early period of a well's life when drawdown tests are usually run. In spite of this limitation, drawdown tests are often run with build-ups as a check. In this paper a theory, which handles the drawdown analysis for variable rates, is presented for both oil and gas wells. Thus, one of the biggest deterrents to running drawdowns is removed, and they should become a much more useful engineering tool in the future. THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS 011, RESERVOIRS The general equation used for describing the unsteady-state radial flow of slightly compressible fluids in homogeneous porous media can be written in cylindrical coordinates as where r is the radial distance in cm, t is the time in seconds, p is the pressure at r and t in atmospheres, + is the fractional porosity, p is the viscosity in cp, c is the compressibility in vol/vol/atm, and k is the permeability in darcies. There are a number of solutions of Eq. 1 for various boundary conditions. One of these is the so-called "point-source" solution, which approximates the case of an infinite oil reservoir with a well located at r = 0 and produced at a constant rate. The point-source solution of Eq. 1 is

Jan 1, 1966

By W. H. Bassett, J. C. Bradley

Beads of metal frequently appear at the ends of cast-copper wire bars and on the sides of wedge cakes near the top. These are richer in cuprous-oxide than the rest of the casting. A micrographical study of these exudations has been made. 11 is suggested that the materical is forced through the surface while the copper is solidifying. If not eliminated in process of manufacture, it shows on the finished polished sheet copper in patches differing in color from the main body of the shad. Figures 1 to 4 show the copper exudations, at different magnifications, as they appear on the ends of cast wire bars, and on the sides, usually near the top, of wedge cakes. Sometimes the exudations are in fine "drops;" at other times, large masses of the material are found. Microscopic examination of the copper exudation indicates that it is high in oxide and of eutectic proportions. Because of the difficulty of securing a suitable sample, the protuberances have not been analyzed chemically; but the spectroscope shows no indication that there are any more metallic impurities present than in the balance of the copper. The lowest copper plus silver content of the coppers studied for this paper was 99.914 per cent.; the highest, 99.966 per cent.; so the oxygen content of the whole casting would be well under 0.07 per cent. Structure of Protuberances The segregation of oxide between grains in the interior of the cast bar, not far from the "set," is shown in Figs. 5 and 6. In general, the amount of cuprous oxide begins to increase at a point about 0.01 in. below the normal surface of the casting, i. e., the base of the drop; but it does not attain maximum concentration in the main body of the metal. Vertical sections, Figs. 7 to 12, show that there is a definite line of large cuprous-oxide globules at the base of the drops. Horizontal sections at this place show that these large globules lie in a thin billowy

Jan 1, 1926

By John Wulff, J. H. Hollomon

THE opinion has been widely held that the corrosion of alpha brass occurs by the selective solution of zinc. As late as 1939, Fink1 and Evans2 suggested that in the initial stage of the corrosion the selective solution of zinc produces copper-rich areas, which subsequently act as cathodes that facilitate the deposition of copper. Previously Abrams3 had shown that most of the copper found on corroded brass was redeposited and not residual, although he did not consider the nature of the initiation of the corrosion process. Enough data exist to indicate that any metal surface is sufficiently heterogeneous to provide the anodes and cathodes necessary for the initiation of corrosion.4,5 Thus, for alpha brass we need postulate not an initial selective solution of zinc, but only the existence of local differences in electrochemical potential. The heterogeneity responsible for potential differences may arise from oxide and other films as well as from alloy concentration gradients. Even though selective corrosion may be possible in some alloy systems, previous data on alpha brass as well as the experimental work reported in this paper do not require this supposition. Bengough and May,6 in a discussion of Abrams' paper, first suggested the addition of small amounts of arsenic (0.03 per cent) to alpha brass to prevent the redeposition of copper (dezincification). This suggestion was later substantiated by Nixon.7 In their studies of the inhibiting influence of arsenic, Evans and Fink were led to the selective-solution hypothesis in order to explain the initial corrosion of such alloys. They believed that an arsenic film covered anode areas and prevented the formation of copper-rich spots capable of acting as cathodes for the deposition of copper. They did not consider, however, the mechanism by which the arsenical film was formed. Bengough and May,8 in another publication, suggested that the commonly found gray or black arsenical film may act to: (I) carry oxygen to the brass surface, (2) increase the discharge potential of copper on brass, (3) precipitate cuprous chloride from colloidal suspension in chloride solutions. Masing9 assumed that the film found upon arsenical brass was metallic arsenic. His measurements of hydrogen overvoltage of bulk arsenic led him to believe that the inhibition of dezincification occurs because the overvoltage of a brass surface is lowered by the arsenic film. He reasoned that this film would permit the more rapid reduction of hydrogen at the cathode, which would prevent the redeposition of copper. In a recent paper,10 we have pointed out that the film formed during the corrosion of arsenical brass and copper in stagnant solutions is essentially arsenious oxide (As203),

Jan 1, 1942

By AIME AIME

WEST TEXAS, New Mexico and Northern Mexico form one of the most interesting regions in America for geologists and mining men and are full of points of historical and human interest for others. Including as the region does, a representative portion of the high plateau of Mexico, the front range of the Rocky Mountains and the great down-dropping plains of Texas, there is variety as well as interest in the geological and mining problems there to be studied. Gold and silver mining were the pioneer industries and are yet of high rank in importance. Among the papers to be presented at the El Paso meeting of the Institute this month will be two dealing with silver mining and ore treatment at the Shafter mine in Texas, that most un- usual property which has for so many years been the largest mining enterprise in its region. West Texas is now better known for its petroleum and gas, and in another paper will be described the problems involved in uding natural gas for smelting at the well-known El Paso smelter of the American Smelting and Refining Co. In still other papers, presented at the session sponsored by the West Texas Geological Society and cooperating organizations, the general geology of the region, the potash and the sulfur deposits will be de- scribed. At El Paso the refineries of the great com- panics will be available for visits.

Jan 1, 1930

By E. P. Jennings

Large deposits of titaniferous iron-ore occur at Caribou, an old silver-mining camp in Boulder county, Colo., 17 miles west by south of Boulder, and a few miles northwest of the tungsten-mines. Professor Regis Chauvenet1 published a part analysis of the ore many years ago, but gave no description of the wall-rock. Caribou hill, which contains both the silver-bearing veins and the iron-ore deposits, is a low dome of gabbro surrounded by the Archæan schists and gneisses of the Front range of the Rocky mountains, the peaks of which, a few miles west of Caribou, attain an elevation exceeding 12,000 ft. The gabbro stock is roughly elliptical in outline, with approximate diameters of 1 and 3 miles. The crest of the dome is 10,500 ft. above sea-level, and the town and ore-cleposits are 500 ft. lower. Outcrops of the iron-ore occur in the town and extend NW. for 2,000 ft., where they disappear under the swampy meadows of Caribou park. Portions of the deposit are covered by drift, but one continuous outcrop is 900 ft. long and from 200 to 250 ft. wide. A second deposit is 0.25 mile south of the town along the eastern slope of the hill. It is not as well defined as the north bed, but is approximately 1,000 ft. long and from 100 to 200 ft. wide. The easily disintegrated ore does not form prominent outcrops, but the outlines of the deposits are readily traced by the large amount of ore fragments that cover the ground. Trenches and pits sunk on the outcrop expose a roughly banded magnetic iron-ore, with pyroxene as the principal gangue-mineral. The Gabbro. This rock was classified in the field as a gabbro from the presence of pyroxene and striated feldspars, and for convenience the field-name will be retained.

Jan 1, 1913

By F. X. Tartaron

This article is a continuation of a previous paper by the writer in which Kick's Law was stated to be a part of comminution theory. ln the present paper, a broadening of ideas is attempted in order to state a general theory. The word "general" is employed because the new theory includes all previous laws and generalizations which are considered to be essentially correct. These ideas are combined into a coherent whole and the general theory can be expressed by the equation In the author's previous paper on comminution, ' the equations developed were based on Charles' equation of exponents a-n +1 = 0. 2 This paper is divided into two parts, designated as First Approach and Second Approach. In the First Approach, the equations of the previous paper are utilized, with Charles' equation of exponents being necessary. In the Second Approach, a separate and independent method is used to derive the same conclusions as in the First Approach, but without the use of Charles' equation of exponents. Holmes accepts the theoretical foundation of Kick's Law as sound but denies that the law as such operates in comminution. His idea is that Kick's Law requires homogenous matter whereas the presence of cracks, flaws and cleavage planes, which predominate in the coarser particles, makes matter unhomogene-ous. This explains why there is no experimental evidence to support Kick's Law. However, since the basis of the law is theoretically sound, all experimental evidence must be viewed as emanating from it. This requires modification of current comminution equations to fit this concept. Holmes makes the modification by changing the constant exponent n in the general energy equation used by Charles (E = - JCdx/xn) to a variable exponent r. The writer asserts that Kick's Law operates in comminution without modification but it does not

Jan 1, 1963