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By S. S. Clarke

LATE in 1942, the increasing demand for zinc, coupled with the growing shortage of miners and the knowledge that some abandoned mines would have to be reopened for prospecting and development, led to considerable thought as to the possibilities of further mechanization in order to conserve man power. The ore bodies, locally termed "sheet ground," are an important ore bed in some mines and are in the lower part of Boone formation of the Mississippian Series. Some mines contain interbedded layers of nearly pure galena and sphalerite in horizontal sheets ranging in thickness from a thin seam to several inches and is persistent over large areas. This type of ore body offered the best opportunity for study and experiments. The use of jumbo drill carriers was advanced but some doubt was expressed as to the adaptability of jumbos as then in use to mine headings as compared to post and arm mounting (Fig I). Another consideration was the introduction of truck haulage when several mines were trackless. A drill frame, built to carry 2 4-in. drifters, was mounted on a truck chassis. This design proved a failure as it was not rigid and the resiliency of the tires and springs allowed too much play. Long screw jacks were then used to hold the truck firmly in place, but placing the jacks and securing the truck required more effort and time than setting up post drills, so the truck carrier was abandoned. The use of a bull dozer underground had been under consideration for some time to be used in "brunoing" the broken dirt from behind pillars and other inaccessable places so the slusher drags could load without double dragging the dirt. A dozer with hydraulic blade lift was purchased and R. I. Tuthill, Superintendent of Section 30 Mines, suggested that a long drill arm be substituted for the blade, and the drills mounted on the cross member. The hydraulic lift would permit drilling holes at any required spacing. The "cat" was very mobile and answered the problem of a trackless mine. The initial tests showed that the "cat" would make a good carrier, but the hydraulic controls Were not positive enough to keep the drills in alignment while drilling. The next step was to build a small hoist. This hoist was attached to the power take-off on the "cat" and by means of sheaves and a double line of 3/8-in. hoist cable, a positive control for raising and lowering the boom was obtained. To avoid serious injuries to the drillers should the cable break, a safety chain was fastened to the drill boom and hooked into a slot in the back of the "cat" frame. A different power unit was obtained for the "cat," as a state law prohibited the use of internal combustion engines in mines. A custom machine shop had just placed on the market a small hoist powered by a Model A Ford engine that had been very ingeniously converted to a slide valve engine using compressed air. To use this unit on a "cat," our master mechanic de-

Jan 1, 1947

By Elmars Ence, Harold Margolin

The Ti-Fe and Ti-Fe-0 systems were re-examined because of the controversy regarding the existence of Ti2Fe, and to consider all available data points to the existence of Ti,Fe. The Ti-Fe-0 system contains two ternary compounds: E, corresponding to Ti2Fe; and y. SEVERAL authors have investigated the constitution of titanium-rich alloys of the Ti-Fe system. The most extensive study of titanium-rich portions of the Ti-Fe system was by Van Thyne, Kessler, and Hansen,' who investigated this system up to 50 pet Fe and used the highest purity materials available for their alloy preparation (iodide titanium was used for alloys up to 20 pet Fe). According to Van Thyne et al., phase relationships in the region of investigation are governed by phases a,ß, and TiFe. No evidence of an intermetallic compound Ti,Fe was found. although earlier. works by Laves and Wallbaum,' and Duwez and Taylor' reported its existence. Rostoker's study on the occurrence of TilX phases" confirmed the findings of Van Thyne et al. Rostoker proposed that the compound Ti Fe found by Duwez does not exist but is actually a ternary compound, Ti1Fe3O, originated by inadvertent oxygen contamination. The partial isothermal section of the ternary Ti-Fe-0 system as reported by Rostoker' seems to confirm this explanation. In the course of phase diagram work conducted at New York University, however, certain irregularities were observed to be associated with ternary systems of the type Ti-Fe-X. The ternary phase 6, observed in the systems Ti-Fe-Mo' and Ti-Fe-V." was found to be structurally identical to the com-pound Ti2Fe as reported by Duwez and Taylor, and to Rostoker's compound Ti1,Fe2O. Since the amount of oxygen possibly present in the Ti-Fe-Mo and Ti-Fe-V systems could not account for the observed amounts of the compound, it appears that the d phase in these systems is not Ti,Fe,O. On the other hand, considering the amounts of the 6 phase, particularly in the Ti-Fe-Mo system, the location of the phase was uncertain. It was felt that the introduction of the Ti2Fe phase would alleviate some of the inconsistencies of the two systems. Because of the uncertainties relating to the phase Ti2Fe, or Ti1Fe2O, it appeared worthwhile to re-examine the Ti-Fe and Ti-Fe-O systems in the vicinity of these compounds with highly sensitive metallographic techniques and with X-ray methods. Experimental Procedure Alloy Preparation—For the study of the binary system four alloys were prepared, containing 26.9 (30 wt pct), 34.0 (37.5 wt pet), 41.2 (45 wt pet), and 56.3 (60 wt pet) atomic pet Fe, and for the ternary Ti-Fe-O system 18 alloys were prepared in the composition range of 1.6 to 16.9 atomic pet 0 and 24.3 to 55.7 atomic pet Fe. The materials used for the Ti-Fe alloys were iodide titanium (99.98 pet Ti, 0.002 pet 0) and Ferro-vac-E iron (99.95 pet Fe, 0.0052 to 0.0072 pet 0). For the Ti-Fe-O study the materials used were sponge titanium containing less than 0.06 pet 0, Ferrovnc-E iron, and Baker's analyzed TiO2. The nominal weight and atomic percentages of the ternary alloys prepared are shown in Table I. Melting—Charges of 10 to 15 g were melted in a nonconsumable arc furnace in argon atmosphere according to the technique described elsewhere.'" Since there was practically no weight loss through the various stages of melting and oxygen losses have not been observed previously, it appeared justifiable to use nominal composition for interpretation of data. Iodide titanium control buttons, of the same mass as the Ti-Fe charges, and melted under the same conditions, were used to check hardness pickup during melting. A hardness increase of 2 to 3 Vhn was found. Heat Treatment—The specimens were annealed in quartz capsules under argon. To avoid contact between the specimen and capsule material all specimens were wrapped in titanium sheet. The annealing times are given in Table 11. The attain-

Jan 1, 1957

By F. G. Jaicks

RECOGNITION of the benefits to be gained from the continuous casting of molten steel into finished or semifinished products has been given by scientific minds since the very beginnings of steel plant technology. In fact, Sir Henry Bessemer is credited with the first of a long list of patents' issued by the U. S. Patent Office for a process which would accomplish this desirable end. None of these early ideas attained practical success and, as a result, the conventional method of teeming into ingot molds became an integral part of modern steelmaking operations. This procedure, although refined to keep pace with the changes which have come about in steelmaking and finishing facilities, is recognized to have inherent shortcomings which adversely affect manufacturing costs and steel quality. Interest in the continuous casting of steel persists because the process is directed toward avoiding some obvious weaknesses of conventional ingot casting. It has been recognized that should it be possible to substitute any of the continuous casting techniques under current development for ingot casting, it would no longer be necessary to make large capital investments in primary rolling equipment, the sole purpose of which is to reduce ingot castings to a form rollable on finishing mills. The results reported in the continuous casting of non-ferrous metals and specialty steels indicate that in addition to avoiding the primary rolling mills there is some basis for expecting significant improvements in yield, surface, and internal quality. Recognizing the shortcomings of the conventional procedures, the Inland Steel Co., in cooperation with Atlas Steels Ltd. and the Freyn Dept. of the Kop- pers Co. Inc., embarked upon a program to evaluate certain aspects of continuous casting in order to determine whether the process could be applied practically to an existing integrated steel plant producing 'large tonnages of carbon steels. TO assist in this evaluation a study was carried out in which several types of low carbon steel were continuously cast in an existing machine. It is the purpose of this paper to review some of the results obtained in the casting studies and to interpret the information that was obtained so as to indicate factors that must be considered in assessing operating limitations and plant capacities. Despite the early interest in the continuous casting of steel, the actual application to the steel industry is relatively recent. At present, there are about 25 operating plants casting steel, most of which have been built in the past decade. None of these plants could be classified as large in terms of the tonnages that are being processed by the major integrated steel plants. In contrast to the situation in the steel industry, there has been widespread adoption of the continuous process in the casting of nonferrous alloys, particularly aluminum and copper. As a result, much of the basic information that was required to apply the process to steel was developed in the nonferrous industries. In this respect, a most important contribution was the development of the Junghans2 system, which was initially designed for the casting of nonferrous metals and later applied to the casting of steel. Alternative methods for casting have also been proposed by Babcock and Wilcox Tube Co.,'" the British Iron and Steel Research Association,5 and the Gebruder Bohler A. G.13 Each of these methods is now being used successfully for the casting of special steels in small experimental plants or in modest sized commercial steelworks. The Original Junghans process was first developcd in Germany. Further application of the process has been made by Rossi in other countries.'*' The experi-

Jan 1, 1958

By Campbell Brown G F

THE Mount Morgan mine has, from the time of its historical discovery, been the subject of investigation and speculation by geologists and mining engineers. The first examination was made by Dr. R. L. Jack, in 1884. He came to the conclusion, from theevidence then available, that nothing but a thermal spring in the open air-otherwise a geyser-could account for the formation of the ore body. This report attracted world-wide attention at the time. Since then the mine has been examined by most of the leading geologists of Australia, and by many from elsewhere. In all cases the examination has only extended over a period' of a few days or weeks, and in the light of present knowledge of the deposit we know that sufficient data could not be obtained in such a short time to warrant the statement of definite conclusions. It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that a considerable difference of opinion exists as to the genesis of the deposit. That the company considered more detailed investigation necessary is shown by the fact that some thirteen years ago it employed Mr. Charles Walker as geological surveyor on the .mine. At that time also the data available was insufficient to give satisfactory results. It is, however, a matter for comment that none of the geological reports on the property took notice of the increase of copper values in the ore with depth, though the present workings and diamond-drilling...

Jan 1, 1911

By H. C. Chao, L. H. Van Vlack

Small MnS inclusions with known crystallographic orientations were placed inside powder compacts of low-carbon steel. After the metal was axially campressed with negligible end friction, the deformstions for the metal and the inclusions were compared. The MnS inclusions deformed more when the [100] direction was aligned with the compression axis than when the [111] direction was parallel to this axis. The deformations of the inclusions in the two principal radial directions were equal for each of the above orientations. Inclusions with [110] compression alignments did not deform with radial symmetry. The relative deformation of the inclusion and metal was closely dependent upon the relatiue hardness of the two phases. The relative deformation of the two phases was not sensitive to the rate of deformation. RECENT studies by the authors1.&apos; suggested that the plastic deformation of MnS in steel would probably be highly sensitive to the orientation of the inclusions and to the temperature of the metal. This paper reports an investigation of these factors upon MnS behavior within steel. Manganese sulfide (MnS) possesses an NaCl-type structure and typically has extensive (l10) {110} slip as a separate (noninclusion) crystal.&apos; A secondary slip system, ( l 10) { l l l}, has also been observed where the major slip system is restricted. In general, MnS inclusions must be rated as a highly deformable second phase.3 The amount of sulfide deformation varies, however, with several composition and processing factors. Some of these have been only partially assigned. For example, it is known that minor amounts (<0.01 pct) of silicon within free-machining steels will increase the amount of MnS deformation,4 but the mechanism of the added deformation can only be surmised at the present. Manganese sulfide and steel have sufficiently comparable deformation characteristics so that slip which is started in steel may be continued through the sulfide inclusions and back into the steel if the crystal orientations are favorable.5 A more detailed discussion of previous work on the plastic deformation of NaC1-type crystals and on the plastic deformation of inclusions within a metal is given in Chao&apos;s work.6 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The manganese sulfide which was used in this study was prepared by previously described methods.&apos; Single crystals of MnS, both as cleavage cubes and as spheres, were oriented within steel powder compacts so that the desired crystal directions were parallel to the direction of axial compression. A four-stage hydrostatic compaction procedure was used and involved the following steps. In the first stage part of the powder was placed in a metal die 1 in. in diameter with a thick (1 in. OD, 5/8 in. ID) rubber liner which had one end plugged. The steel powder was hand-rammed, making it as dense as possible before placing a carefully sized MnS crystal (either as a sphere or as a cube) near the center. The crystal was oriented with the chosen direction vertical; viz., [001], [011], or [111], with the aid of a X10 microscope. A pair of tungsten wire threads 0.020 in. in diameter was inserted along the side of this (&apos;core compact" to locate the desired plane after the compression tests. After the crystal was positioned in the center of the die, more powder was added and carefully rammed by hand. The die was then capped with a rubber plug of the same hardness and thickness as that of the liner. The whole assembly as shown in Fig. 1 was compacted by a ram load of 54,000 lb (about 70,000 psi). In the second stage a smaller, 3/4-in, rubber-lined die was used to give a stress of approximately 120,000 psi. The above process was repeated with the initial compact serving as a core for a larger compact. The final product after sintering was a cylinder 1 cm long and 1 cm in diameter, having a density of 7.54 g per cu cm. This was close to the theoretical density since the metal contained a non-metallic phase. There was no evidence of MnS deformation during the hydrostatic compaction or subsequent sintering. Elevated-temperature hardness data were obtained by procedures previously described.2 Compression tests for inclusion deformation utilized the cylinders which were described above. The critical problem in these tests was the lubri-

Jan 1, 1965

By E. A. von Hahn, T. R. lngraham

The rates of cementation of pd11 on electropolislzed copper cylinders were studied in aqueous perchloric acid solutions at pdII concentrations from 0.02 to 0.1 mM. The cylinders were rotated at various high speeds to reduce the diffusion layer to a minimum thickness. In 0.1 M HClO4 solutions, the cemented palladium is dense, adherent, and shiny. The rate data indicate that there are two stages in the deposition. In the initial stage, the rate of cementation is first order with respect to the pd11 concentration. The second stage is much slower. The first stage is consistent with rate control by the diffusion of pd11 ions to the copper surface, and/or chemical reaction at the surface, and the second stage is consistent with rate control by the diffusion of copper ions from the cop-per surface through the deposit of cemented palladium, out to the main body of solution. In 0.001 M HClO4 solution, only the first stage is evident and the rate is more rapid than at higher acidities. This rate enhancement is attributed to PdOH+ ions that predominate at low acidity and aye more reactive than unhydrolyzed pdII. The deposit is porous and loose. All of the cemented deposits are Pd-Cu alloys rather than pure palladium. Activation energies are 9.5 kcal per mole in 0.1 M HClO4 and 7.4 kcal per mole in 0.001 M HClO4. CEMENTATION or displacement reactions occur between aqueous solutions of metal salts and immersed metals according to the general equation: where M1 is electrochemically the more noble metal. Although these reactions find considerable application in metals recovery processes (e.g., the cementation of copper192 or gold3), in electrorefining processes (e.g., solution purification before electrolysis4,5), and in plating and metal finishing processes,6 few studies have been made of the kinetics of such reactions.7-9 The rates of cementation reactions will depend on one or more of the following factors: a) chemical reactions at the metal-solution interface; b) ionic transport to or away from the interface;&apos;-&apos; and c) the character and adherence of the cemented deposit on the substrate metal,6a,10 because the deposit will inhibit the rate of transport of dissolving ions (M2m+) into the solution. In this investigation, the kinetics of the early stages of cementation were studied to obtain an understanding of the reaction mechanism under conditions in which the deposit was sufficiently thin that its inhibiting effect could be disregarded. To achieve this, very dilute solutions in Mn+ were used. Cementation rates are often fast in the initial stages and transport-contr01led.9 To find conditions under which transport control would shift to chemical control, very high stirring velocities were used to minimize the diffusion-layer thickness. Of the many possible cementation reaction systems, the palladous perchlorate-copper system was chosen for this investigation because it was believed to involve simple ion-for-ion exchange. In addition, there are no interfering side reactions, such as the reduction of hydrogen ions, and anion effects are usually absent in perchlorate solutions. EXPERIMENTAL Materials. Reagent-grade chemicals and redistilled water were used in all experiments. Palladous perchlorate stock solutions (0.02 M) were prepared by dissolving 99.5 pct Pd sponge (Johnson Matthey and Mallory Ltd.) in concentrated nitric acid, adding concentrated perchloric acid, evaporating twice slowly (to prevent PdO precipitation) to a small volume, and diluting in a volumetric flask. To prevent gradual hydrolysis of PdII, the stock solutions were made 0.4 M in HC104. Tests for pdIV (Ref. 11) and C1- were negative. Copper strips were cut accurately from 0.025-in. electrolytic tough pitch sheet, Sample 1 (Mines Branch stock or Canadian Copper Refineries Ltd., Montreal), or from oxygen-free, high-conductivity sheet, Sample 2 (American Metal Climax O.F.H.C. brand, sold by Utility Brass and Copper Corp., Brooklyn). The strips were annealed for 1 hr at 335°C in a stream of purified nitrogen (Union Carbide, Linde Division) which had

Jan 1, 1967

By H. l. Burghoff, A. I. Blank

The state of knowledge bearing on the stability of copper under stress at elevated temperatures is generally known to be in need of revision and extension. The present investigation, dealing with the creep characteristics of a deoxidized copper of low residual phosphorus content, is intended to contribute in some small measure toward this end. The experimental data presented herein have been correlated by methods of evaluation and interpretation familiar to those who are concerned with crecp of metals. In practice it is common, if not requisite, to use structurally stable materials at elevated temperatures. It is frequently desirable, however, to test materials under conditions that produce structural change, in order to determine the extent of such change and its effect on physical properties, thus making it possible to establish accurately the limiting conditions to which such materials may be safely exposed. The creep characteristics of the drawn copper wire of this investigation arc directly associated with its structural instability at elevated temperatures. Complete realization of this fact is essential to the evaluation of its creep resistance under various conditions. Creep results should apply to steady deformation under equilibrium conditions, but these are seldom attained in only one or two thousand hours. It will be shown that steady creep rate for copper at useful stresses does not usually begin until considerably more time has elapsed. A wholly satisfactory substitute or shortcut for extensive creep testing does not appear to be evident in the application of mathematical analyses to limited experimental data. Material A single lot of phosphorized copper wire was drawn down to 0.125-i11. diameter with a final reduction of 84 per cent. After mechanical straightening, a portion of this wire was annealed to an average grain size of 0.013 mm. in a controlled-atmosphere furnace. The composition and initial properties of the copper in these two conditions are listed in Table I. Photomicrographs of the original structure are shown in Fig. I.

Jan 1, 1945

By G. R. Leverant, C. P. Sullivan

To evaluate the effect of a dispersion of nondeform-able, incoherent, second-phase particles on high-strain cyclic deformation and fracture, recrystallized TD-nickel (Ni-2ThO2) and a commercially pure nickel, Ni-200, were fatigued under strain control at total strain ranges varying from 0.009 to 0.036. Relative to the Ni-200, the slip at the surface of the TD-nickel was more wavy and discontinuous due to the presence of the thoria particles. This made crevice formation (incipient cracking) within slip bands more difficult in TD-nickel than in Ni-200. Both materials cyclically hardened to a constant (saturation) flow stress which increased with increasing plastic strain amplitude. Cellular substructures were developed in both materials during cycling. The cell size in TD-nickel was controlled by the thoria particle distribution and was independent of plastic strain amplitude over the range investigated. The cell size in Ni-ZOO was larger than that in TD-nickel at similar plastic strain amplitudes and was a function of plastic strain amplitude. These results, together with the cyclic stress-strain curves for both materials, are discussed in terms of a model for fatigue strain accommodation at saturation recently proposed by Feltner and Laird. NUMEROUS fatigue investigations have considered the interrelation of slip character, dislocation substructure, and cracking in pure metals and solid-solution alloys. However, except for the studies of the low-strain fatigue of internally oxidized copper alloys1 and cast, dispersion-strengthened lead,&apos; little is known about the effects which small, incoherent, nondeform-able, second-phase particles have on cyclic deformation and cracking processes. Effects due to the particles alone are often obscured by a dislocation substructure introduced during thermomechanical processing of dispersion-strengthened metals. In the present study, recrystallized TD-nickel and a commercially pure nickel, Ni-200, were employed to evaluate the effect of a thoria dispersion on high-strai fatigue deformation and cracking at room temperature. I) MATERIAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The TD-nickel was supplied by DuPont as a 5/8-in.-thick stress-relieved plate which had been subjected to a proprietary schedule of thermomechanical treatments, and the Ni-200 as 3/4-in. bar which was subsequently annealed for 2 hr at 850°C in argon resulting in an average grain diameter of 0.05 mm. The compositions of these materials are given in Table I. The microstructure of the TD-nickel consisted of elongated grains parallel to the primary working direction with an average width of 0.16 mm, Fig. l(a). Many fine annealing twins were present indicating that the starting material was in a recrystallized condition; this supposition was confirmed by the absence of of any extensive dislocation substructure, Fig. l(b). Sheetlike stringers parallel to the rolling direction were occasionally seen both within grains and at grain boundaries. Some approximately spherical particles about 2 in diam, which may correspond to exceptionally large thoria particle aggregates, were also present. The average Young&apos;s modulus of the plate material in the rolling direction was 21.8 X 106 psi which is consistent with a {100}<001>recrystalliza-tion texture3&apos;* being prominent. In transmission microscopy, the 2.3 vol pct of thoria particles generally appeared to be uniformly distributed although some clusters, 0.1 to 0.3 in diam, of larger particles were observed as previously reported for TD-nickel sheet,5 and stringering of particles was present in some areas as welt. The average diameter of the thoria particles was 450A with a calculated mean planar center-to-center spacing of 2100A, as determined by quantitative metallographic analysis.= The 0.2 pct offset yield stress was 36,000 psi which agrees with the value predicted by the modified Orowan relation7 for edge dislocations bowing between thoria particles of the size and spacing observed in the present investigation. Fig. 2 illustrates the specimen design employed for the axial high-strain fatigue testing. Adapters were screwed onto the threaded portions of each specimen so that testing could be performed in the same manner as that reported for buttonhead specimens.8 Stressing was coincident with the working direction for both materials. The gage section of each specimen was electropolished and lightly etched prior to testing. The total strain was controlled, being varied between zero and a maximum tensile strain ranging from 0.009 to 0.036. In addition to these tests, a circum-ferentially notched TD-nickel specimen was cycled over a total strain range of 0.0075. The same strain

Jan 1, 1969

By F. L. Wolf

THE catenary system of line construction possesses so many desirable characteristics from the operating standpoint that it has wide application for all types of electric traction. Many steam roads are electrifying sections of their lines, and in most cases are operating both steam and electric locomotives over the same track. This&apos; means that the overhead catenary system is subjected to the severe corrosive action of locomotive smoke, and data concerning the resistance of various alloys to this form of corrosion are very desirable from every point of view. Reliable and specific information and data on the subject of corrosion due to steam and smoke from locomotives are extremely meager and, on this account, extensive service tests, together with accelerated tests, have been made on a number of commercial metals and alloys. The observations and data recorded in this paper are the result of a, preliminary test which was started in 1923 and which has been carried on to the present time. The recognition of the need for even more detailed and accurate data has resulted in the undertaking of another test which has been in progress for about a year. The result of this test will be published in due course. Some years ago The Ohio Brass Co. was asked by one of the large steam railroad companies to furnish data on construction details for a catenary system which it was considering for one of its divisions. The selection of, materials which would give the necessary physical characteristics as well as withstand the severe corrosive action of locomotive gases caused electrical railroad engineers considerable concern. At that time, there were available no specific or authentic data on these important questions: no systematic investigation of the problem appeared to have been made, even though its importance was generally recognized. Such observations as had been made were crude in that they had been limited largely to visual inspection which too frequently is most misleading. However, the scattered information which was collected gave important clues as to how best to start an investigation.

Jan 1, 1930

By Louis Huber

THE Liberty tunnels extend through a very steep hill in Pittsburgh (locally called Mount Washington) for a distance of slightly over a mile. The two tunnels parallel each other and are 59 ft. apart, center to center (Fig. 1). They are for vehicular traffic, and in each there is ample space for two lines of vehicles. Northbound traffic, towards downtown Pitts- FIG. I.-NORTH PORTAL OF LIBERTY TUNNELS. NOTE THE WINDBREAK AT END OFEAST TUNNEL. burgh, is confined to the east tunnel and southbound traffic to the west tunnel. The South Hills residential district is separated from downtown Pittsburgh by Mount Washington, a steeply rising escarpment south of and adjacent to the Monongahela River. The Mount Washington district immediately south of the Monongahela River has been reached, for many

Jan 1, 1927

By G. Donald Emigh

Nothing is more important to life-plant and animal-than phosphate. Its compounds are essential to the energy functions of all living systems and for the formation of bones and teeth. Animals get their phosphate from eating plants and other animals, or domestically from feed supplements. Plants get their phosphates from the soil. Man&apos;s most important use of phosphate is for fertilizer; approximately 95% of the world&apos;s phosphate rock production is consumed by fertilizers. Most of the balance is processed in electric furnaces into elemental phosphorus, the important raw material for making industrial phosphates. Recovery of uranium from phosphates has been possible but not widely used. However, recent significant developments have generated interest in such recovery in the US and elsewhere. Phosphate occurs in all igneous and sedimentary rocks, and in all fresh and salt water. However, economical recovery is limited to deposits where natural concentration of the phosphate mineral has occurred. Occasionally natural concentration is great enough that the material can be used as mined; generally, however, the ore is low grade_ and must be concentrated. Phosphate rock is produced in 31 countries. Fig. 1 shows the location of major phosphate rock producers as well as some of the known phosphate deposits not yet in production. In the last decade the world phosphate industry has experienced steady growth. World production rose from 98 Mt of phosphate rock in 1973 to 140 Mt in 1982. Fig. 2 shows the growth curve of rock production and graphically illustrates the almost straight-line rise since 1945 in both US and world production. Table 1 gives the breakdown, by countries, of world rock production, 1974 through 1979. Table 2 shows US rock production by producing areas. Definitions of Terms Used in the Phosphate Industry Phosphate Rock: Commonly called rock in sedimentary deposits and apatite in igneous deposits. Those expressions generally include any mined, or mined and beneficiated, fluorine-containing calcium phosphate used as the raw material for the next stage of manufacturing. The average phosphate content in rocks is 0.1 to 0.2% P2O5, as documented by McKelvey (1973). About 200 minerals contain more than 1 % P2O5. However, the important mineral in igneous rocks is fluorapatite, [Ca5 (PO4),3 F], containing about 42% P205 and 3.8% F2; in sedimentary rocks the important mineral is francolite, a carbonate fluorapatite containing up to 2% molecular CO2. Both are in the apatite family of minerals. Most phosphate rock, whether beneficiated or not, is a fine-grained material. The expression phosphate rock has no relation to its phosphate content. For example, phosphate rock from Idaho used in the production of phosphorus may contain about 24% P205, whereas rock from Morocco may contain 36.6% P2O5. Phosphorite: A deposit of phosphate directly or indirectly of sedimentary origin, which is of economic interest. Grade of Phosphate Rock: The calcium phosphate content of phosphate rock is expressed in different world areas by one of the following terms: BPL (bone phosphate of lime) TPL (triphosphate of lime) P2O5 (phosphorus pentoxide) P (phosphorus-not commonly used) An illustration of relationship is: 80% BPL = 80% TPL = 36.6% P5O2 = 16% P

Jan 1, 1983

By Francis Vanbellen

Umicore Precious Metals Refining operates an integrated precious metals smelting and refining plant in Hoboken, Belgium. Once a smelter and refiner of complex concentrates, the plant today?s feed consists exclusively of industrial and consumer recycled products, making it the world?s largest recycling facility for precious metals. Unlike the fairy tale of the Frog Prince, it took much more than a princess? kiss to successfully realize this makeover. A completely renewed plant has been built over the past decade. The most visible technological innovation was the commissioning of the Pb-Cu smelter. Its flexibility towards very different types of feed makes it perfectly suited as main entry to the Hoboken flow sheet. A new Cu-leaching & electro winning plant and precious metals refinery make up the Precious Metals Operations (PMO) whose targets are fast throughput and maximized yields for gold, silver and the platinum group metals. The Base Metals Operations (BMO), flexibly process the by-products from the PMO, valorizing ?impurities? like indium, tellurium, selenium and others. Off gas and waste water treatments ensure compliance with strict environmental standards. Precious metals recycling is an art that goes beyond mastering a unique flow sheet. Umicore Precious Metals Refining offers a complete recycling service, taking care of sampling and assaying, metals management and logistics. The quality of this integral service is recognized through the attribution of ISO certifications for our operational activities, sampling and the environmental care. And it?s an art that follows Michelangelo?s experience: ?Art is 5% of inspiration and 95% of transpiration.?

Jan 1, 2006

By Chandler Morse

RENEWABLE VS. NONRENEWABLE NATURAL RESOURCES Nonrenewable resources, such as minerals, are the inevitable center of attention in discussions of depletion and exhaustion. Nevertheless, it may well be proper to regard some nonrenewable resources as not subject to exhaustion, and renewable resources may sometimes be treated as if they were finite stocks. Thus, the availability of nonrenewable resources is not and probably never will be known completely Chap. 2.5A, and therefore is not subject to firm predictions concerning exhaustibility. Moreover, because exploration and discovery are more or less continuous processes it is often appropriate to regard mineral supplies as flows, and to treat the estimated reserves as working capital, an inventory, continually depleted by use and augmented by discoveries.23 The aggregate economically exploitable stocks of a given mineral are seldom estimated (or estimatable) with precision, as Chap. 2.5A shows, and even when they are, forecasts concerning years of remaining life can be and often are falsified by changes in one or more of the multidimensional conditions of supply and demand; or the productive services formerly derived from an exhausted stock may continue to provided without material impairment by one or more substitutes b Conversely, the renewable resources are all subject to depletion when the rate of use exceeds the natural or induced rate of replenishment, and cases of exhaustion or near exhaustion, as through soil erosion, overcuttmg of forest lands, and overfishing, are rather common c Where exhaustion is a clear possibility the resource may either be exploited on a consciously adopted "sustainable yield" basis or be treated as an exhausting asset." In some cases, conscious treatment

Jan 1, 1976

By E. W. Engle

For several years the Fansteel Products Co. has been engaged in e production and development of various of the rarer metals. It is at present engaged in the commercial production of tantalum, tungsten, and molybdenum in a very high state of purity. The information contained in this paper is partly a general compilation from various sources and partly information obtained as a result of recent years of work in the laboratory of this company. Tantalum, tungsten, and molybdenum form a group peculiar to themselves among the commercially available metals. Their very high melting points (tantalum 2770&apos; C., tungsten 3350&apos; C., and molybdenum 2550" C.) set them apart so far as the metallurgical processes for their production are concerned. Further, when properly prepared and treated they will stand a somewhat unusual degree of cold work, that is work below the temperature at which marked crystal growth takes place. Such cold-worked metal may show a high tensile strength; tantalum to 130,000 lb. per sq. in., tungsten to 490,000 lb., and molybdenum to 260,000 lb., in the form of fine wire. In physical appearance, these metals are not unlike some steels; they may be better described by saying that polished tantalum somewhat resembles lead; polished tungsten, iron; and polished molybdenum, nickel. The polished surfaces of all three remain untarnished in ordinary air. Air containing corrosion-producing impurities will, in general, show molybdenum the least resistant to corrosion and tantalum the most resistant. Molybdenum has, however, a high degree of resistance to corrosion by hydrochloric acid, a property that should render it of commercial interest. On the other hand, it is markedly attacked by some of the weaker organic acids. The three metals oxidize rapidly when heated at or above a dull red in air. This feature limits their use in many applications where their high melting point and strength make them appear usable. Tungsten and molybdenum, at red heat, are quite inert to hydrogen and nitrogen; while tantalum has a rather remarkable affinity for all the ordinary gases, which results in its becoming embrittled in their presence. This

Jan 1, 1925

By S. R. Balajee, I. Iwasaki

The interaction between British gum 9084 and dode-cylammonium chloride (DAC) at quartz and hematite surfaces was established from coadsorption studies and streaming potential measurements. The cationic DAC interacts with the somewhat anionic British gum 9084, leading to the formation and adsorption of a binary complex of DAC-British Gum 9084 at the interface. The parallel ability to depress quartz along with hematite as a result of the interaction between DAC and British gum appears to be the main reason for the ineffective depressant action of starches and starch derivatives in the cationic flotation of iron ores. Amines are not particularly selective collectors for the flotation&apos; of siliceous gangue from iron ores and, therefore, a suitable iron oxide depressant is needed for a satisfactory separation. Various starches and their derivatives have been extensively tested with oxidized iron ores,&apos;-3 and it has been empirically established that British gums and dextrins are preferable. However, for the flotation upgrading of magnetite-taconite concentrates from 8 or 8.5% Si O2 to about 5% Si 02, British gums, which have been used so successfully on oxidized iron ores, have been found to have no effect and oftentimes are actually deleterious.4 In previous articles,5-7, starches were shown by adsorption measurements, flotation tests, and floccula-tion tests to interact with calcium ions in solution, and it was thought that a study on the interaction between starches and dodecylammonium ions would be able to shed some light on the anomalous flotation behavior described above. In fact, starches are known to interact markedly with paraffin-chain-type surface active agents and, thereby, to precipitate the starch or inhibit the iodine-starch reaction.8 From X-ray diffraction studies and viscosity measurements, the formation of a helical complex between mylose and a surface active agent has been postulated.9 The interaction with other types of hydrophilic colloids, such as synthetic polymers and proteins, has also been investigated and is usually explained in terms of van der Waals&apos; force interaction and/or ion-ion interaction. In the present investigation, the interaction of British gum and dode cylammonium chloride on quartz and hematite was studied by adsorption and streaming potential measurements in an attempt to establish the mutual adsorption behavior of British gum and dode-cylammonium chloride on mineral surfaces and to clarify the anomalous depressant activity of British gum in the cationic flotation of iron ores. All the measurements were carried out at a natural pH of near 7 because dodecylammonium chloride gives maximum selectivity of flotation separation at this pH2 and to avoid any third parameter in the system. EXPERIMENTAL MATERIALS AND METHODS Minerals: The quartz and hematite samples used for the adsorption tests were prepared as described in a previous paper,"J except that the specific surfaces of the samples were increased to 5,860 and 16,000 Sq cm per gm, respectively. For the streaming potential measurements, the 48165-mesh fractions screened out of the original samples were etched with hydrochloric acid, washed repeatedly with water, and stored under water in Pyrex bottles. Reagents:DodecyIammonium chloride (DAC) was prepared1 1 by bubbling dry hydrogen chloride gas through a benzene solution of high-purity dodecylamine supplied by Armour and Co. British gum 9084, received from Corn Products Co., was solubilized by first dispersing it in water to produce a 0.05% solution and then homogenizing it in a blender for 5 min. Distilled water was used in the preparation of the samples and the solutions and for all test work. Adsorption Measurements: The procedure for the adsorption density determinations was also the same as that described in the previous paper.1° The residual concentrations of the British gum and the DAC in the supernatant solution were analyzed colorimetrically by the phenol-sulf uric-acid and amine-picrate methods, respectively. The validity of the mine-picrate method for the colorimetric analysis of DAC in the presence of British gum and the analysis of British gum in presence of DAC were checked by establishing calibration curves between optical density and concentration. Streaming Potential Measurements: The cell assembly for the streaming potential measurements was similar to that described by Fuerstenau.&apos; The streaming potential

Jan 1, 1970

By Barnes GJ

The gabbroid-hosted nickel sulphide deposits of the East Kimberley constitutes one of Australia&apos;s most prospective emerging nickel provinces. Sally Malay Nickel NL (SMN), a wholly owned subsidiary of Gindalbie Gold NL, has established the East Kimberley Nickel Project (EKNP). The EKNP project tenements cover about 2000 sq km. The tenements cover the northern potion of a corridor containing mineralised or potentially mineralised layered mafic-ultramafic intrusions which includes the Ni-Cu-Co sulphide deposits at Sally Malay and Keller Creek. The Sally Malay deposit is located 225 km south-south-west of Kununurra (Figure 1). The sealed Great Northern Highway passes 3 km to the east of the deposit.

Jan 1, 1996

By Francis Vanbellen

Umicore Precious Metals Refining operates an integrated precious metals smelting and refining plant in Hoboken, Belgium. Once a smelter and refiner of complex concentrates, the plant today?s feed consists exclusively of industrial and consumer recycled products, making it the world?s largest recycling facility for precious metals. Unlike the fairy tale of the Frog Prince, it took much more than a princess? kiss to successfully realize this makeover. A completely renewed plant has been built over the past decade. The most visible technological innovation was the commissioning of the Pb-Cu smelter. Its flexibility towards very different types of feed makes it perfectly suited as main entry to the Hoboken flow sheet. A new Cu-leaching & electro winning plant and precious metals refinery make up the Precious Metals Operations (PMO) whose targets are fast throughput and maximized yields for gold, silver and the platinum group metals. The Base Metals Operations (BMO), flexibly process the by-products from the PMO, valorizing ?impurities? like indium, tellurium, selenium and others. Off gas and waste water treatments ensure compliance with strict environmental standards. Precious metals recycling is an art that goes beyond mastering a unique flow sheet. Umicore Precious Metals Refining offers a complete recycling service, taking care of sampling and assaying, metals management and logistics. The quality of this integral service is recognized through the attribution of ISO certifications for our operational activities, sampling and the environmental care. And it?s an art that follows Michelangelo?s experience: ?Art is 5% of inspiration and 95% of transpiration.?

Jan 1, 2006

By Roy A. Lindgren

Since the year 1643, when the first blast furnace in America for treating iron ore was built at Saugus, Mass., out of mica schist quarried in the neighboring district, the procurement of a suitable refractory for furnace lining has been a problem of concern to the operators of furnaces. The stacks built of mica schist continued to smelt iron ore until about 1836, when, according to F. H. Norton, the first firebrick were produced1, at Queens Run, Pa. Other writers speak of brick having been molded and burned in Massachusetts about the year 1834. In 1841, Andrew Russell began to produce medium refractory plastic clay brick near East Liverpool, Ohio, that were used for lining blast furnaces1. The well-known Kentucky clay-producing district was not opened up until the year 1871, but since then it has produced a large percentage of the linings for iron blast furnaces. While some strides have been made by the refractories industry during the 100 years that have passed since the first firebrick were produced, it has been only during the last two decades that any real progress has been made towards bettering the product, even though the method of production had improved. Perhaps the fault lies with the user of the brick rather than with the producer, for not sooner demanding a superior product. During the past 15 years the tonnage produced per lining has increased from 500,000 gross tons to 1,000,000 gross tons, and now some furnaces are producing 1,600,000 gross tons and better on a single lining. It is true that enlarged capacity of furnaces and improved practice have accounted for some of this increase in tonnage, nevertheless better quality in firebrick must be given credit for its share. However, we are not yet ready to say that we have reached a maximum life of furnace lining. We believe that a better product can be produced and that the refractories industries of America will, through their extensive research depart-

Jan 1, 1937

By F. H. Vitovec, D. W. Hoeppner

Pusk-pull fatigue tests were conducted on copper tricrystals of 99.988 pct purity to ascertain the role of grain boundaries in the initiation and propagation of fatigue cracks. Significant differences in behavior were found for specimens which possessed different transverse-boundary misorientation. In speciwens with low boundary angles cracks initiated within the transverse boundary, while higher angles led to transcrystalline fatigue failure. It is suggested that at low angular misorientation moving dislocations may interact with dislocations of the boundary or dislocations present in adjacent pains on favorably oriented glide planes, thus initiating a fatigue crack. MANY fatigue studies have been concerned with fatigue-crack initiation within grains and the mechanism causing initiation and propagation1-3 Although the initiation of fatigue cracks in or near grain boundaries of pure metals has been observed and reported in the literature, the mechanism of this phenomenon has received little attention.4"11 EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM Testing Procedure. To investigate the role of grain boundaries regarding initiation and propagation of fatigue cracks, copper tricrystals were tested in push-pull. Axial-stress tests were used to avoid the stress gradients introduced by stressing of some other nature. Copper was selected as the most suitable test material since extensive work has been done on the formation of fatigue-induced slip in copper. Tricrystal specimens were used to provide a grain boundary geometry with one boundary transverse to the principal stress axis and one or more boundaries nearly coincident with the direction of maximum resolved shear stress. The boundary energy and the slip characteristics in the vicinity of the transverse boundary depend on the relative orientations of grains across the boundary. Testing was done at room temperature, at a frequency of 700 cpm, in an atmosphere of either air or argon. It is known that the incidence of grain boundary cracking increases with increasing temperature and decreasing frequency.4 The fatigue machine applied a uniaxial tension-compression load to the specimen by a flat spring which was actuated by an adjustable eccentric. Use was made of an adjustable head and a load cell which had strain gages mounted at 120-deg intervals around its periphery, thus providing a means for eliminating any detectable superimposed bending moment. A clip gage was mounted between the gripping heads to record the cyclic strain amplitude applied to the specimen. Each specimen&apos;s hysteresis characteristics were recorded by supplying the load and strain signals to an oscilloscope. Microstructural changes were observed and recorded with an optical microscope which was mounted on the fatigue machine. Immediately prior to insertion in the machine, each specimen was chemically polished. Extreme care was exercised while inserting the specimen in the test machine to avoid either bending the specimen or introducing a mean load. Each specimen was stressed in the tensile direction first and subsequently the load was reversed. Specimen Preparation. Tricrystal fatigue specimens of 99.988 pct Cu were grown from the melt using a modified Bridgman technique. Ingots about 1 in. high were grown to the configuration shown in Fig. 1. Upon sectioning the resultant ingot, several specimens were provided with an identical shape and grain boundary orientation. Except for plane sectioning and final polishing, this method eliminated machining the specimens. The apparatus used for growing the tricrystals is shown in Fig. 2. A spectrographically pure graphite mold, Fig. 3, was inserted in a vycor tube which was mounted on a vertical zone-refining table. Prior to insertion in the tube the mold was assembled as follows. The insert and graphite rods were fixed in position in the mold. The copper was then placed in the mold and the entire mold assembly was positioned in the vycor tube, Fig. 2. At this point the tube was sealed, evacuated, purged with helium gas, and finally placed under a slightly positive helium pressure. The heating coil was then adjusted to melt the copper charge, after which it was raised at a speed of 4 in. per hr. It is also possible to use

Jan 1, 1964

By Donald B. Evans, Robert D. Pehlke

The solubility of nitrogen in liquid Fe-B alloys has been measured up to the solubility limit for the formation of boron nitride. The activity coefficient of nitrogen increases with increasing boron content in the range 0 to 7 wt pct B. From experimen -tal data, values have been calculated for the B-N interaction parameter e3 at temperatures in the range 1550" to 1750°C. A value of 0.038 has been estimated for the boron self-interaction parameter eg at 1550°C. The standard free energy of decomposition of boron nitride into the elements dissolved in liquid iron has been determined to be: ?F° = 45,900 -21.25T in the range from 1550° to 1750°C. The nitride is assumed to be of composition BN. BORON nitride has an unusual combination of properties which make it appear attractive in a wide range of engineering applications. Some of its more important and most recent applications are in the nuclear area, particularly in connection with the liquid-metal cooled reactor concept now receiving considerable emphasis. Boron nitride has a high degree of stability at elevated temperatures. It also has excellent ma-chinability and the ease with which its crystals deform suggests applications as a lubricant. These properties stem from a hexagonal layer-type structure similar to the structure of graphite. One of its primary uses to date has been for seals in liquid-metal pumping systems. It is also used in nuclear reactors as an insulating layer to separate two solid metals which are not themselves compatible under the conditions of temperature and atmosphere in which they are used. Its inertness to liquid metals has also suggested use as a mold-release agent in casting processes. In addition to its excellent machinability and reported inertness to liquid metals such as iron, silicon, aluminum, copper, and zinc, boron nitride has high thermal conductivity and excellent thermal shock resistance. This combination of properties would make it appear ideal as a refractory crucible material for refining of high-purity liquid metals, for example high-quality steels. However, since it is known that concentrations of boron as low as 50 ppm can have a marked effect on the physical properties of certain steels,&apos; in particular on the creep and stress-rupture properties, an investigation was undertaken to define accurately the chemical equilibrium among boron, nitrogen, and liquid iron in the range of steelmaking temperatures. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Two experimental approaches to this problem were employed: a Sieverts&apos; method and a quenching method. In the first method, the Sieverts&apos; technique was used to measure the equilibrium nitrogen solubility in liquid Fe-B alloys of 0 to 7 pct B as a function of nitrogen gas pressure over the melt. The solubility limit of the boron nitride phase formed was determined by the point of departure of the nitrogen absorption from Sieverts&apos; Law. This technique has been applied to liquid Fe-Ti alloys by Rao and parlee,&apos; to liquid Fe-A1 alloys by Evans and Pehlke,3 and to solid Fe-V alloys by Fountain and Chipman.4 In the second method a melt of liquid iron was held in a crucible of boron nitride under a known partial pressure of nitrogen gas. After thermodynamic equilibrium was attained, the melt was quenched in a stream of helium and then analyzed by wet-chemical methods for boron and nitrogen. The Sieverts&apos; apparatus used in the first method was essentially of the same design as the one described by Pehlke and Elliott.5 The charge materials were vacuum-melted high-purity iron (Ferro-vac E) supplied by the Crucible Steel Co. and -325 mesh boron powder supplied by Cooper Metallurgical Associates of Cleveland, Ohio. The boron contained less than 0.02 wt pct O, according to supplier&apos;s analysis. Recrystallized alumina crucibles were used to contain the melt. Examination of solidified melts showed these crucibles to be satisfactory with no evidence of any reaction or physical penetration of the crucible wall by the melt. The melt temperature was measured by a disappearing filament-type optical pyrometer sighted vertically downward on the melt surface through a 1/4-in.-diam sight hole in the crucible lid. The pyrometer was calibrated against the melting point of pure iron in the same apparatus, taking the emissivity of

Jan 1, 1964