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By R. A. Grange, H. M. Stewart

Man.; steel parts may crack if quenched directly into a bath near room temperature, but not if quenched at a temperature just above the range where martensite forms and then allowed to cool slowly to room temperature. This latter procedure, which is the basis for such modern hardening techniques as "martempering" and "isothermal quenching," may entail some sacrifice in depth of hardening but very little, if any, in intensity of hardening. In planning such treatments, it is necessary to know the upper limit of the martensite range, and often desirable to know the proportion of martensite that would form on cooling to any lower temperature; furthermore, the tendency of a particular steel to crack when quenched is unquestionably associated with the temperature range of martensite formation, and consequently knowledge of this range aids in selecting the optimum composition for a given application. Certain puzzling phenomena associated with the properties of quenched and tempered steel may be at least partly clarified as the manner in which martensite forms is more fully understood. Information on the temperature range of martensite formation, particularly with respect to how much martensite results from quenching to a given temperature, is lacking for most commercial types of carbon and low-alloy steel. These considerations led us to study martensite formation in 14 carbon and low-alloy steels. The resultant data may be directly used in the following ways: (I) for selecting the lowest quenching temperature at which no martensite will form; (2) for selecting the highest quenching temperature at which virtually all marten . site will form, thereby avoiding quenching to an unnecessarily lower temperature with attendant danger of cracking; and (3) in producing a mixture of tempered martensite and bainite, which in high-carbon steels has been found to possess somewhat better ductility than tempered martensite, yet does not require the full transformation time necessary for a completely bainitic (austempered) structure. PART I. OBSERVATIONS OF MARTENSITE FORMATION IN FOURTEEN CARBON AND LOW-ALLOY STEELS Transformation of austenite to pearlite or bainite can be conveniently studied by observing the change that occurs over a period of time at constant temperature; such studies are the basis of the isothermal transformation diagram (S-curve). This isothermal technique is not applicable to martensite formation, which occurs within a time interval too small to measure, at least by any ordinary means. For all practical purposes, therefore, martensite may be regarded as forming only during cooling and not during a period of time at constant temperature. As austenite is cooled below

Jan 1, 1947

By G. W. Leney

Iron ores occur in such a wide variety of forms that nearly every kind of prospecting, geological knowledge, and geophysical technique has some application in the search for them. The type of orebody that is considered desirable depends on political and economic considerations, on transportation and markets, on the characteristics of the orebody, on the metallurgy of the ore, and on its comparison with other available ores. In North America, materials that can be efficiently processed into high grade concentrates and pellets are now the object of most exploration work. These are usually shallow, relatively unoxidized, metamorphosed iron formations that are particularly suitable for geophysical methods of exploration. Magnetic surveys are used for the direct discovery of new orebodies, for mapping stratigraphy and structure, and at times to locate oxidized zones in magnetic iron formation. Gravity mapping provides supplementary information, indicates gross tonnages, is useful in regional studies, and can discover non-magnetic orebodies. Electrical methods have not been fully exploited but self-potential, resistivity, applied potential, electromagnetic and perhaps induced polarization surveys all have restricted but highly useful applications. The use of all geophysical techniques promises to increase as the number of exposed easily discoverable orebodies decreases. A high consumption of steel, and consequently of iron ore is the chief characteristic of an industrial society and this consumption has been increasing at an average rate of about 35% every ten years for the past century. To supply this demand, iron ores and iron bearing materials in a wide variety of forms have been exploited on every inhabited continent and in nearly every country. Nearly every kind of prospecting, geological knowledge and geophysical technique has some application in the search for them. The type of orebody that is con-

Jan 1, 1964

By R. Sporcic, P. J. Mudra

During the past year personnel of the Roof Control Research Group of the Bureau of Mines designed and developed encapsulated hydraulic cells for measuring pressure changes in coal in situ. Preliminary results from feasibility tests in progress in the laboratory and field indicate that the cells respond favorably to changes in pressures associated with a coal-mining environment. The ultimate objective is to use these cells to obtain engineering information relating to coal bump or coal outburst phenomena. Mining research has experienced a remarkable growth during the past decade and from all indications should surge forward at even a greater pace in the future. This increased interest in mining research has been brought about by the ever-multiplying number of technical problems being encountered by the mining industry in its effort to produce pay-dirt tonnages safely and economically from greater underground and surface pit depths. Among the various divisions in the field of mining research, the study of ground stress has received a large part of the overall attention. Numerous technical papers have been written with regard to ground stress conditions around mine openings and yet the total usable knowledge concerning this subject is extremely limited. Research teams around the world are endeavoring to bridge the gap between theoretical and laboratory approaches and the solution to design problems in the field. The problem of ground stress is not a new one for the coal mining industry. Operators in both eastern and western coal fields of the United States as well as in many foreign countries have long been plagued with a number of ground stress problems, one of which is commonly referred to as the coal-mine bump. This term or phenomenon has been aptly defined by earlier investigators as the violent and sudden failure of coal and adjacent rock. Direct results of such failures have been the loss of human lives and thou- sands upon thousands of dollars of sustained mine damages. In an effort to alleviate the magnitude and frequency of these failures, mine operators have employed and are presently employing various corrective techniques. These include: Inducing failure in heavily stressed areas by augering large-diameter holes into stressed pillars, using extensively yield-able steel arches in both long-term haulage and short-term face entries, backfilling unused or abandoned entries with mine waste to gain additional support, and using systematic pillar coal panel extraction techniques including mechanized longwall mining. The Health and Safety Activity of the Bureau of Mines has for a number of years contributed considerable time, funds, and talent in an effort to define better the ground stress problems associated with coal-mine bumps. As a part of this investigative program, in situ ground pressures are presently being studied in coal mines located in West Virginia and Utah. The description and development of the device being used to measure these pressures is the specific topic of this paper. CHOICE OF INSTRUMENTATION After consideration and evaluation of the various instruments and techniques that are being used by researchers in the field of rock mechanics to detetmine in situ stresses, a simple hydraulic system was selected for detailed investigation. Aside from simplicity, a hydraulic system is relatively inexpensive and also eliminates the need for electricity in its installation and operation. The hydraulic device referred to is, in essence, a simple unidirectional pressure-measuring cell. Hydraulic cells, which had been used for measurement of pressures in hard rock, were investigated but found not entirely suitable for use in coal, particularly since they involved (1) preparation and emplacement of cement grout at the test site, and (2) a waiting period before the cells became operational. At the outset, it was decided that certain design parameters be established. The cell should be simple and inexpensive, constructed of materials readily obtainable and easily built in the laboratory or field by unskilled labor. It was further decided that it was desirable to encapsulate the cell in a suitable mate-

Jan 1, 1963

By C. Schlumberger

SINCE the, beginning of the year 1928 the senior authors and their associates have applied a series of procedures which makes possible the detailed study in situ of the formations traversed by a drill hole before the casing has been landed. They have given the name "electrical coring" to the ensemble of these processes, which now replace in a large measure the mechanical coring performed by the drillers, and permit the gathering of bottom-hole data hitherto unobtainable. Three years have elapsed since the technique and interpretation of these measurements emerged from the experimental stage and entered the field of industrial application on a large scale. The total length of drill holes so far surveyed by the authors and their associates, all over the world, amounts to several millions of feet. Practical and strongly built equipment has been evolved, which permits the examination in a short time of an open hole several thousand feet long. No comprehensive paper has yet been published discussing the essential principles of the processes applied and bringing into evidence their economic interest. This is the object of the present paper.1 Numerous examples of field work performed under varied geological conditions are given, constituting a concrete illustration of the services rendered by the new methods.

Jan 1, 1932

By Ratnakar Singh, Raj Kishore, Kisor Kumar Sahu, Ranjeet Kumar Singh, Ganesh Chalavadi

The Falcon concentrator is capable of separating minerals in fine size classes based on their differential density. Separation of mineral particles depends upon the fluid flow characteristics and relative movement of particles in a fluid. In the present study, a fluid flow characteristic inside the Falcon concentrator was established through experimentation and modeling. The Falcon concentrator has two fluid entry points: (a) Fluid entering through gravity assisted feeding system and (b) Fluid entering through the fluidized hole on the concentrator wall. In order to identify the role of fluid entering the concentrator, a tracer was injected into the system. As per the tracer based experimentation, it was established that fluid entering through the gravity based feeding system is responsible for thin flowing film formation in the stratification zone where particles are stratified based on their relative density. The momentum balance and continuity equations were simplified for a high centrifugal force field, and the fluid velocity profile was estimated inside the thin flowing film. Estimated fluid flow profiles will help to simulate the particle trajectories inside the Falcon concentrator. The influence of rotational speed, fluid flow rate, and cone angle on the fluid velocity profile were investigated. Fluid thickness over the concentrator wall is also estimated, and it is typically of the order of ~150–200 μm.

By Shun-ichi Satoh

STUDIES by many authorities have proved that nitrogen exerts an injurious influence upon iron and steel, but in the casehardening of steel by carbon, nitrogen has the advantage of accelerating the process of cementation. Its influence upon special steels is quite remarkable; it can produce the hardest layer ever known in metallurgical products-a fact hit upon by A. Fry and studied and ascertained by L. Guillet. As there have been very few investigations on the influence of nitrogen on special steels, the writer has listed important articles dealing with this problem and has conducted experiments on nitrification. He also has tested the influence of nickel upon the penetration of nitrogen in electric-arc welding.

Jan 1, 1929

By Walter Crafts

ALTHOUGH many elements reduce the tendency to porosity in steel castings, manganese, silicon, aluminum, calcium, titanium and zirconium appear to be most generally suitable for the purpose. The manganese and silicon contents are usually maintained in a fairly constant range. Sili-con-killed castings often are made to be sound with little or no addition of the stronger degasifiers. In many cases, however, it is more practical to utilize the stronger degasifying elements, aluminum, calcium, titanium and zirconium. Since they greatly modify the composition, shape, and distribution of the nonmetallic inclusions, and thereby the ductility, the strong deoxidizers must be used in such a way as to form the least harmful types of inclusions. As the reasons for failure always to obtain good results have not been obvious, an effort has been made to determine the mechanism of solidification of steels deoxidized to produce certain types of inclusions. Diagrams representing the mechanism of their formation have been constructed from the appearance of the nonmetallic con-stituents and have not only illustrated the limiting features of specific deoxidizing treatments with respect to inclusion formation and ductility, but have also indicated a relation between inclusions and resistance to hot tearing. Three different types of deoxidation treatment have been used for obtaining sound castings with relatively high ductility. The first method is to make and cast the steel under such conditions that deoxidation with silicon and a small addition of a strong deoxidizer assures soundness. The effective addition that will promote soundness without causing the formation of intergranular inclusions varies with the furnace practice and composition, but may be limited to about 0.025 per cent Al, Zr or Ti. Up to 0.10 per cent Ca and 0.15 per cent V are also used for this purpose. The inclusions in these steels are characteristically glassy silicates and round or irregular sulphides. As pointed out by Sims and Lillieqvist,1

Jan 1, 1940

By Giuli M, Barnaba P, Sacerdote R, Tammaro F

Following a theoretical consideration of the effect of flooding, fluidisation and softening on blast furnace blowing limits, results are presented which show the effect of these parameters on operation. Industrial trials on Oscar Sinigaglia No. 4 BF are reported and results compared with those obtained theoretically and in the laboratory. It is shown that in these trials the furnace operated at levels of fluidisation very much (80-90%) below those theoretically calculated whereas in some cases (high proportion of sinter) actual hot metal output was near the calculated flooding limit. However, it was observed that as the sinter percentage decreases also actual productivity becomes lower than the one caused by flooding. This gap, which increases as other ferrous components (essentially acidic) replace the basic sinter was explained by the softening of the burden under bosh conditions. Softening indices measured on the individual materials yield support to this explanation. Coke rates data show that for approximately every one percent increase in the basic sinter in place of blended sized ore, a coke rate decrease of 1.1 kg/thm results. For acidic pellets this value is 0.6 kg/thm. Results of breakdown and reduction characteristics are also given and their indices compared with actual pt oduction. Measures to improve operations are proposed.

Jan 1, 1975

By M. W. Burkart, B. Lustman

Uranium-base alloys exposed to high temperature water fail either by uniform oxidation or by sudden cracking and disintegration of the metal. The disintegration results from the oxidation of a second phase which is precipitated during the corrosion process. The precipitate has been identified as a metastable hydride of uranium. URANIUM-BASE alloys consisting of the body-centered-cubic ? phase are susceptible to two different modes of corrosion failure when exposed to high temperature water. In the first process, a smooth oxide film is formed on the metal surface which continually flakes off during exposure and results in a uniform weight loss of the specimen. The oxide is present as a thin, adherent layer whose thickness remains approximately constant. As the metal oxidizes during corrosion, a nonadherent layer is built up on this film and continually sloughs off. Coincident with the uniform corrosion just mentioned, another process occurs which eventually leads to failure of the metal by cracking and general disintegration. The failure takes place during a relatively short time compared to the total exposure. To distinguish this type of failure from the uniform corrosion, the cracking or disintegration of the metal will be referred to as discontinuous failure. For the ? phase uranium alloys it is discontinuous failure rather than uniform corrosion that limits the useful corrosion life of the alloy. This paper will be concerned primarily with the mechanism of discontinuous failure. Physical Changes During Corrosion—The alloys used in this investigation were ? phase uranium alloys containing 7 to 12 wt pet Mo or Cb. The preparation of the alloys, the method of corrosion testing, and the actual corrosion results are presented in another paper.' The ? quenching treatment consists of annealing the alloy for 24 hr at 900°C in a sealed Vycor glass tube filled with helium and then water quenching to room temperature without breaking the tube. The corrosion behavior typical of a ? phase uranium alloy is shown in Fig. 1. This specimen was a U-12 wt pet Mo alloy tested in pressurized, degassed water at 650°F. The corrosion rate was practically constant at 0.28 mg per sq cm per hr or increased slightly until about 15 to 20 days of exposure, when the onset of discontinuous failure occurred in this particular sample, and the specimen soon began to crack and disintegrate. The simultaneous increase in the observed corrosion rate is a result of the increased area of exposure due to cracking of the specimen. The microstructure of a specimen that failed by cracking is shown in Fig. 2. The presence of a plate-like precipitate can readily be seen. Metallographic examination of corrosion specimens reveals that the onset of discontinuous failure is always preceded by the formation of a plate-like second phase in the ? uranium matrix. Hydrogen analyses of specimens periodically withdrawn from corrosion test reveal that the hydrogen content of the alloy increases on exposure to the high temperature water, as shown in Fig. 3. The hydrogen is available as a corrosion product resulting from the formation of UO2 by the reaction of the alloy with water. Specimens analyzed just prior to discontinuous failure contained as much as 1200 ppm H, whereas the plate-like phase appears to precipitate out at a hydrogen concentration of between 10 and 25 ppm. The observed increase in hydrogen content prior to and during the formation of the plate-like precipitate suggests that this constituent may be a hydride of uranium. Additional evidence linking the identity of this phase to a hydride is that it can be removed by vacuum annealing at temperatures of 100°C and above. Decomposition products of the ? phase would certainly not dissolve at such temperatures, nor could other likely products of corrosion, such as oxides, be dissipated at any of the test temperatures. The precipitation and growth of the second phase during corrosion is accompanied by an increase in hardness of the specimen. The hardness increase results from the dispersion of the harder precipitated

Jan 1, 1959

By R. W. Cahn, C. D. Graham

The rate of growth of a single grain growing into a strained aluminum single crystal, measured by the conventional heat-cool-etch technique, is shown to decrease with time at temperature. The growth rate measured by means of X-rays, with the sample continuously at temperature, is found to be linear. Evidence is presented to show that the decreasing growth rate obtained by the conventional technique is due to abnormal recovery in the strained grain, and that the recovery in turn results from the heating and cooling cycles, rather than from the effects of etching. The experimental apparatus is described in an appendix. FREQUENTLY, the rate of grain boundary motion during recrystallization is determined by heating a sample to a known temperature for a given time, cooling to room temperature, and etching to reveal the boundary position. The cycle of operations is repeated as many times as necessary to establish the rate of boundary motion. Although this heat-cool-etch technique has been used by a number of workers over a period of many years,'-!' other investigators have encountered difficulty with the method."'. " They have attributed the erratic results to the effects of repeated heating and cooling, or of etching, or both, and have adopted an alternative experimental procedure in which a number of identical samples are employed, each sample being cooled and etched only once. This alternative method ove1.comes some difficulties, but introduces others. In particular, the incubation periods of the observed grains are unknown: any effect of crystal orientation on growth rate cannot be determined easily. A preferable method would be to measure the motion of a recrystallizing grain boundary with the sample at temperature without etching," but such measurements have in the past been restricted to nonmetals. This paper describes the construction and operation of a device, the goniometer furnace, with which the position of a moving grain boundary between a recrystallizing grain and the strained single crystal into which it grows can be measured by means of X-rays, with the sample maintained continuously at temperature. Goniometer Furnace The operating principle of the goniometer furnace is shown in Fig. 1. The sample, in the form of a bicrystal strip, is surrounded by a furnace, not shown in the sketch, and can be rotated about the two axes A and B which intersect at the point where the X-ray beam strikes the strip. The strip is oriented so that one of the two grains gives a strong Bragg reflection, which is detected by a suitably placed Geiger-Miiller counter coupled to a counting-rate meter When the strip is moved parallel to its own length in the furnace, arrow C, so that the X-ray beam strikes the second grain, there is in general no strong reflection. By noting the position of the strip at which the drop in Geiger counter reading occurs, it is possible to determine the position of the boundary. Measuring the change in boundary position with time at temperature gives the rate of growth of the recrystallizing grain. Details of the construction and operation of the goniometer furnace are given in the Appendix. Measurements showed that the temperature in the furnace was uniform within ±10°C over its working length of about 28 cm. The temperature at the measuring position, i.e., at the point where the X-ray beam struck the sample, was estimated to be constant within ±2oC. Using the goniometer furnace, the position of a stationary boundary could be measured with a reproducibility of ±0.3 mm. At elevated temperatures, 500" to 625"C, with the boundary in motion and the X-ray reflection less sharp, the estimated accuracy of each measured boundary position dropped to about ±1 mm. Experimental Results The test pieces were single crystals of 99.6 pet A1 —principal impurities 0.19 pet Fe and 0.12 pet Si— 1 mm by 1 cm in cross section and 6 to 10 cm in length, grown by the strain-anneal method. This relatively low purity material was used because of the difficulty encountered in producing strain-anneal single crystals of very high purity—99.996 pet—

Jan 1, 1957

By M. Muskat, R. D. Wyckoff, H. G. Botset

The flow of liquids through porous media is known to follow Darcy's law which states that the velocity of flow is proportional to the pressure gradient. This law is but a statement of the facts obtained from experimental studies and is, therefore, uncontroversial. It should be men-tioned, however, that it applies only when the flow is viscous in nature and that at excessive velocities which tend to produce turbulence, the velocity is proportional to some power of the pressure gradient, the exponent ranging from 1 to 0.5 as the degree of turbulence increases. However., experiments with media having permeabilities corresponding to those of actual producing horizons show conclusively that the actual flow of liquids in a producing horizon must be viscous except perhaps in the immediate vicinity of a well producing at a high rate. Therefore, one is justified in assuming Darcy's law to hold for cases of practical interest, as will be implicitly assumed in this discussion Given this basic law of flow it is possible, theoretically to obtain solutions to any problem of viscous flow of dead liquids1 by the usual methods of potential theory. However, problems of practical interest often present such complex geometrical configurations of sources and sinks (driving sources and output wells) as to make the analytical solutions extremely difficult or even impossible. It is useful, therefore, to note that Darcy's law is precisely equivalent to the law of electrical conduction, so that the pressure distribution in steady state porous flow of liquids is exactly the same as the potential distribution in an electrical conducting medium.2 This analogy permits the use of electrical models wherein the potential distributions may be measured with far greater facility and accuracy than is possible in actual fluid-sand models. Such electrical models were used in determining the pressure distribution about complex arrays of wells, an example of which will be shown later in the discussion of the 5-spot flood. One phase of the porous flow problems which is of considerable practical interest involves the tracing of an advancing fluid front. Thus,

Jan 1, 1933

By J. Shawn Peterson, David S. Yantek, Adam K. Smith

Exposure to excessive noise over time can cause permanent hearing loss. Workers in the mining industry are frequently exposed to A-weighted sound levels in excess of 90 dB. The A-weighted sound level at the roof bolter operator’s location can exceed 100 dB while drilling. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) measured the sound pressure at the roof bolter operator’s position and utilized a phased array of microphones with beamforming software to identify noise sources on a roof bolting machine while drilling. The test data indicates the sound level at the operator’s position is dominated by the 2000 Hz through 5000 Hz one-third­octave-band sound levels. The beamforming results indicate that the drilling noise is primarily from two areas: the portion of the drill steel just below the rock and the drill steel-chuck interface. This paper will discuss the methods used to identify the primary noise sources.

By N. A. Stockett

SOUTHEAST Missouri is the largest and oldest lead-producing district in the United States. For the year 1941, the statistical picture of pig-lead production, stated in short tons (partly estimated by the Engineering and Mining Journal) is as follows. [Tons World production 2,000,000 United States production 460.000 Southeast Missouri production 242,000] The consumption of primary lead in the United States in 1941 was approximately 900,000 tons, or almost double the country's production. The largest previous year's consumption in the United States was 718,000 tons, in 1926. The largest quantities of lead are used for cable sheathing, storage batteries and white lead. During 1941 tetraethyl lead for auto and aviation gasoline consumed 50,000 tons of lead. The entire lead production of Southeast Missouri is now mined by the St. Joseph Lead Co., whose dominant position as the largest producer in the United States of lead directly from ores is best shown by the fact that in 1941 it produced approximately 31 per cent of the lead production of the United States from its mines in southeast Missouri, where 22,000 tons of ore, averag¬ing over 3.00 per cent lead, is mined per working day. It is known that lead was mined at Mine La Motte, Madison County, Missouri, by Renault in 1723. Other white men and Indians probably did some mining prior to that time. Since 1865, the recorded production to Jan. 1, 1942, shows that the St. Joseph Lead Co. and the various other companies that have operated in St. Francois County mined lead ore, which, after milling and smelting losses produced 5,00,000 short tons of pig lead. About 95 per cent of the present lead production of Southeast Missouri is mined in St. Francois County. The northern part of this area is 60 miles south of St. Louis. The remainder of the lead is obtained at Mine La Motte, about 25 miles southeast from the center of the producing area in St. Francois County. PROSPECTING In this district, most of the ore is discovered by surface and underground diamond drills and by prospect drilling underground with rock drills. Each 2-ft. length of the cuttings from these Jackhamer prospect holes is assayed for lead. These holes are marked and the records are entered on maps. It has been found that close drilling--100-ft. centers of holes, and sometimes less-is necessary in order to locate most of the smaller commercial ore bodies, many of which previously had been missed by drilling the areas with holes spaced 200-ft. centers or more.

Jan 1, 1943

By C. R. Kyle, R. L. Perrine

A transparent model of a reservoir has been used to study some characteristics of instability in miscible displacement. The linear model dimensions are 1/4 in. x 91/2 in. x 10 ft. The model is packed with spherical glass beads. Thee groups of experiments have been performed. The objectives were to measure, respectively, the rate of growth of the transition zone, flow velocity variations in the transition zone, and the effect of a graded viscosity zone on stability. All experiments were compared, where possible, with theory. The transition zone grew almost linearly with distance traveled, regardless of flow rate, where adverse viscosity ratios were used. At very adverse viscosity ratios and large distances traveled, some reduction below linear growth was noted. This could be attributed to the effects of mixing. General similarity in flow pattern was commonly shown in different tests, although exceptions occurred at the higher viscosity ratios. Injection of tracer spots permitted direct experimental measurement of velocity variations. Statistical methods were used to compare observed velocity variations with recently published theories. Surprisingly good agreement with some theoretical predictions was obtained. In the experiments using an initially graded viscosity zone, macroscopic stability was reached before predicted by theory. Under conditions theoretically considered to be slightly unstable, any fingering tendency was too slight to become observable within a 10-ft long system. The general correlation of all experiments with published theory was good, and suggests that theoretical predictions can be extended to reservoir problems. INTRODUCTION Early laboratory studies of miscible displacement demonstrated the high recovery efficiency possible with this method. Linear laboratory models showed that, under some circumstances, all in-place hydrocarbons could be recovered using as little solvent as 5 per cent of the pore volume. These results led to a series of pilot field projects. Under realistic conditions, however, other laboratory studies showed that a small solvent bank may not recover much more oil than a conventional gas drive. The cause of this lack of efficiency is unstable viscous fingering. The size of the solvent bank required to give optimum recovery is, therefore, a question of great economic significance. The object of the experiments described in this paper was the quantitative measurement of unstable flow parameters, the verification of present theories on the miscible displacement process, and correlation of these theories with ex peri mental observation. Of the theories which have been advanced, those by Dougherty, Koval and Perrine show promise of predicting reservoir performance with reasonable accuracy.l-7 The present experiments were correlated, where possible, with the theories of Koval and Perrine. Dougherty's theory was not used because of the additional computational difficulty it presented and the belief that no further information would result. EXPERIMENTAL EQUIPMENT A transparent reservoir model, consisting of a vertical reinforced plexiglass column, was used for the experiments. The column was packed with glass beads, which served as the porous medium. To induce a known velocity disturbance in the flow, a double cosine wave restriction in the transverse cross-section was placed at the top of the column. To mark the flow field and provide a means of measuring the local fluid velocity, a dye-spot injection system was provided. The column was 10 ft high by 1/2 in. wide by 1/4 in. deep. The cosine restriction was placed 16 in. from the top of the column. The glass beads were smooth and spherical and had a mean diameter of 0.0102 cm. Liquids entered the top of the column through a manifold allowing three points of entry (left, center, and right, or any combination of these). A positive-displacement pump with variable-speed drive was used to control liquid flow rates. The pump transferred viscous oil from a reservoir to an accumulator, which displaced the test liquid into

Jan 1, 1966

By A. R. Marder

Fe-C alloys have been investigated at temperatures below the eutectoid transformation to determine whether the superplasticity phenomenon exists for these materials. As a result of void formation at the carbide-ferrite interfaces that led to void coalescence and premature failure, the large elongations characteristic of superplustic matem'als did not develop. It had generally been assumed that the conditions for obtaining superplasticity include: a) T/Tm =0.5, b) a strain rate sensitivity of the flow stress that results in m s 0.3, and c) fine-grain structure. Although superphsticity was not observed in the alloys studied, stress-strain rate measurements indicated that an additional condition for the existence of superplasticitv in Fe-C allovs is that the fine-wain structure be equiaxed in agveement with previous results on Zn-Al al1oys. MANY investigations have been made on the hot deformation of iron-base alloys in order to obtain an understanding of the variables that may affect high-temperature strength and ductility.'-6 However, only a few papers have studied the effect of carbon content on the high-temperature properties of iron-base alloys. Peretayat'ko and Zaikov and Wallquist and carlen4 studied the effect of carbon on strength in the y temperature range, and recently Robbins, Shepard, and sherby6 studied the influence of carbon on the torsional behavior of iron in the a and cu-plus-cemen-tite temperature ranges. In addition to studying hot deformation behavior, current investigations have also been concerned with the phenomenon of superplasticity in nonferrous materials, and, in particular, ferrous alloys. Superplasticity is identified by the increased resistance to necking that results from a high strain rate sensitivity of the flow tress. ackofenr proposed the strain rate hardening coefficient m = d log a/d log e as a measure of strain rate sensitivity and showed that m must be "-0.3 for superplasticity to exist. In addition, a fine-grained microstrcture,- a eutectic or eutectoid ornosition,- and a test temperature in the creep range (TITm > 0.5)" have also been advanced as necessary conditions for superplasticity. Although many workers""23 investigated superplasticity associated with the allotropic transformation in iron and the eutectoid transformation in steel, and recently chadler " and orrison have studied superplasticity in the a - y phase region, no one has measured the superplastic effect in the a + cementite temperature region. Therefore, the purpose of this investiga- tion was to determine the effect of carbon content, microstructure, and test temperature on the strain rate sensitivity of Fe-C alloys at temperatures below the eulectoid transformation. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Fe-C alloys with carbon contents of 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 wt pct were prepared as 100 lb 54 in. ingots by vacuum-induction melting. The compositions are listed in Table I. All the ingots were soaked at 2100°F for 2 hr prior to rolling to 4 in. plate. The minimum finishing temperature for rolling was 1800°F. The plate was sheared in 10-in. lengths and tensile bars were rough-machined prior to heat treatment. The samples were heat-treated according to the schedule in Table I1 in order to obtain a fine-grained microstructure consisting of finely dispersed carbides in a matrix of small ferrite grains. All the tensile specimens were heat-treated prior to finish machining, and tensile testing was accomplished on an Instron machine in conjunction with a clamshell furnace. The buttonhead specimen configuration is shown in Fig. 1. An inert atmosphere, helium, was maintained during testing with a steel tube shroud in a bell jar arrangement. Predried helium was continually purged over the buttonhead specimens and exhausted through ceramic fiber at the bottom of the tube to keep oxidation at a minimum and to prevent

Jan 1, 1970

By Roger L. Beals, George A. Tweedy

The results of the cyanide-operations, given in detail in the following paper, show the progress that is being made at the Minas del Tajo. The old pan-amalgamation process, in operation up to and including 1905, while paying a profit on high-grade ores, was no longer able to treat profitably the ores in sight at that time; hence an alteration in the process was imperative. The success of this alteration is eloquently expressed by the following data : Pan-Amalgamation. Cyanidation. 1905. 1905. " 1908. Tons treated,.... 51,387 58,983 69,200 Value per ton (U. S. currency),. $ 10.78 $8.39 $8.28 Extraction, per cent.,.. 65.00 88.56 87.45 Extraction, per ton,.. $7.00 $7.43 $7.24 Total cost, per ton treated, . 6.50 4.36 4.01 Profit, per ton treated,.. 0.50 3.07 3.23

Jan 1, 1911

By Herbert Clark Hoover, Lou Henry Hoover

SINCE the Sixth Book has described the iron tools, the vessels and the machines used in mink, this Book will describe the methods of assaying1 ores; because it is desirable to first test them in order that the material mined may be advantageously smelted, or that the dross may be purged away and the metal made pure. Although writers have mentioned such tests, yet none of them have set down the directions for performing them, wherefore it is no wonder that those who come later have written nothing on the subject. By tests of this kind miners can determine with certainty whether ores contain any metal in them or not ; or if it has already been indicated that the ore contains one or more metals, the tests show whether it is much or little ; the miners also ascertain by such tests the method by which the metal can be separated from that part of the ore devoid of it ; and further, by these tests, they determine that part in which there is much metal from that part in which there is little. Unless these tests have been carefully applied before the metals are melted out, the ore cannot be smelted without great loss to the owners, for the parts which do not easily melt in the fire carry the metals off with them or consume them. In the last case, they pass off with the fumes ; in the other case they are mixed with the slag and furnace accretions, and in such event the owners lose the labour which they have spent in preparing the furnaces and the crucibles, and further, it is necessary for them to incur fresh expenditure for fluxes and other things. Metals, when they have been melted out, are usually assayed in order that we may ascertain what pro- portion of silver is in a centumpondium of copper or lead, or what quantity of gold is in one libra of silver ; and, on the other hand, what proportion of copper or lead is contained in a centumpondium of silver, or what quantity of silver is contained in one libra of gold. And from this we can calculate whether it will be worth while to separate the precious metals from the base metals, or not. Further, a test of this kind shows whether coins are good or are debased ; and readily detects silver, if the coiners have mixed more than is lawful with the gold ; or copper, if the coiners have alloyed with the gold or silver more of it than is allowable. I will explain all these methods with the utmost care that I can.

Jan 1, 1950

By T. M. Broderick

INVESTIGATIONS into the possibilities of economically mining and concentrating low-grade iron ores of the Lake Superior region are attract-ing increasing attention. Among the organizations that are carrying on the work are the United States Bureau of Mines, the State of Minne-sota (which spends about $80,000 annually on problems of the 'iron and ferroalloy ores of Minnesota), and the State of Michigan (which spends about $10,000 annually of its iron-ore research). Several of the mining companies are also financing research. Of the states in the Lake Superior district, Minnesota has done most in iron-ore concentration. In 1930, thirty-seven concentrating plants were in operation on the Mesabi Range, beneficiating about one-third of the total ore shipped. About one-half of these plants reduced silica; the others reduced moisture or improved the structure of the ore.1 Research into the possibilities of magnetic concentration of the Eastern Mesabi magnetite ores indicates that vast tonnages of that ore may be utilized at a profit in the not distant future. Magnetic concentration has also been tried at Sellwood, Ontario, on the Moose Mountain deposit, and at the Berkshire mine in Wisconsin on the magnetic ores of the Western Gogebic Range. There have been few attempts to concentrate Michigan iron ores. In order to determine the possibilities of such concentration, iron-ore research has been carried on at the Michigan College of Mining and Technology for the past few years. After a general survey of the iron ores of the state, a program of more detailed experimentation was out-lined, starting with work on the Ironwood formation of the Gogebic Range. The results of this research led to the belief that gravity methods will produce fairly satisfactory concentrates from the parts of the iron formation that are made up of comparatively thick alternating beds of rather high-grade ore and lean chert.

Jan 1, 1933

By W. R. Kube, W. H. Oppelt

Five low-rank coals, including two lignites, a steam-dried lignite, and two subbituminous coals, were carbonized at 940°F, in a bench-scale carbon-ize~ with a nitrogen and hydrogen atmosphere, or both, using pressures from atmospheric to 1000 psig. Coking characteristics were observed, and yields, composition, and distribution of products from thermal degradation were determined. The influence of pressure on yields from coal carbonization, as well as on modification of coke structure, has long been of interest. One of the first attempts at pressure carbonization was that of Capps and Hulett1 who in 1917 investigated the effects of pressure ranging from 1 to 20 atm on yields at 600° C for bituminous and subbituminous coals. High-pressure carbonization has not been used commercially for coke production. More recently, carbonization at relatively high pressure in the presence of catalysts and hydrogen has been proposed for the production of metallurgical-grade coke from low-rank fuels.' Another approach involves carbonization at high pressure in a hydrogen atmosphere to produce heating gas and a solid residue that is gasified with oxygen and steam to produce the hydrogen required for hydro-genation 3-4 or, alternatively, is burned to raise steam. Recently it has been proposed to carbonize coal under pressure, burn the gas in a gas turbine to produce power, and use the solid residue as fuel in a conventional steam-power plant.5 Our primary interest in pressure carbonization stems from an attempt to determine the influence of pressure on the coking characteristics of lignite to design a high-pressure slagging gasifier using oxygen and steam. At atmospheric pressure, North Dakota lignite is generally considered to be non-coking. However, lignite and subbituminous coals have been reported to show increased agglomeration properties in steam, hydrogen, or carbon-dioxide atmospheres at elevated pressures, although no strong coke was formed at pressures up to 3000 psig.6 If lignite would agglomerate seriously under gasification conditions, proper flow of charge through the gasifier could not be maintained without installing a mechanical stirring device or destroying the caking properties of the coal before gasification. Data on the caking properties of lignite or other gasification fuel, as well as on yields of products under conditions simulating the carbonization process in the pregasification zone, were required in the preliminary design stage of the gasifier. No information was available concerning the influence of pressure and type of atmosphere on North Dakota lignite. To provide this basic data, the U. S. Bureau of Mines investigated the effect of pressure and a hydrogen or nitrogen-rich atmosphere on the yield of products and on coke formation in a bench-scale pressure carbon-izer. SCOPE OF INVESTIGATION Five coals were tested at 940°F in nitrogen and hydrogen atmospheres, at pressures from atmospheric to 1000 psig. Yields and composition of solid, liquid, and gaseous products were determined as a function of the process pressure, and attention was given to the physical appearance of the solid residue. Percentage of carbon converted, sulfur retained in char, and thermal balances were calculated. In this paper, primary consideration is given to carbonization in a nitrogen atmosphere and to data concerning the solid phase. The effect of pressure in hydrogen is presented in detail for only one lignite. More complete information on the response of the other coals in a hydrogen atmosphere will be published in a USBM Report of Investigations. DESCRIPTION OF EQUIPMENT Details of the bench-scale pressure carbonizer are given in Fig. 1. The body of the carbonizer was

Jan 1, 1961

By A. J. Teplitz, R. J. Goodwin

A new type water shut-off for use in air drilling has been developed. The method has been 99 to 100 per rent effective in several different formations of inter-ranular-type porosity. Since costs for materials, time and equipment used are relatively small, the process should extend economies of air drilling to many new areas. The treatment involves a new technique for forming a water-inroluble precipitate within the pores of a rock. Advantage it taken of the difference in mobility of a liquid and a gas in porous media to achieve the greatest volume of precipitate in a given pore. Reactants selected for the laboratory (2nd field tests were aluminum sulfate solution and gaseous ammonia. This process has been tested in both intergranular and fractured-type porosities. It has consistently shut-of between 99 and 100 per cent of the water flowing from formations having intergranular-type porosity and perrlreuhilities ranging from a few millidarcise to over a darcy The treatment is not particularly suitable for shutting-off water from fractured formations although plugging of the order of 50 per cent or greater has been achieved in all such applications. Among advantages of the treatment are: (I) no reaction waiting rime after a relatively short placement time, (2) a low mate-rials cost of about $3/f1 of hole treated, (3) use of common service-type equipment for treatment, and (4) no unusual requirements for mixing and placement. INTRODUCTION In rotary drilling with air or gas it has been possible to increase bit life by tenfold and more than double rate of penetration over corresponding performance when drilling with mud. These factors have amounted to as much as 22 per cent savings on total cost of drilling a well. However, these advantages are rapidly lost when water is encountered in an air- or gas-drilled well because water interferes with the removal of cuttings from the hole and also gives rise to other difficulties. In attempting to combat water troubles, operators have commonly resorted to such measures as mist drilling, treatment with cement or chemicals, converting to conventional mud drilling, or setting casing. In many cases these measures have either been costly or ineffective. In an effort to overcome this problem, studies were undertaken to develop an effective and economical water shut-off technique for use in formations possessing inter-granular-type porosity. Extensive laboratory experimentation finally led to a unique method for producing a water-insoluble precipitate within the pores of a sandstone. The unique part of the treatment is use of a liquid and a gas to form the precipitate, and in this case the reactants used were aluminum sulfate solution and gaseous ammonia. The reaction between these two materials is shown in the following equation. Al2 (SO1)3 - 18 H20 6NH2? saturated Water- Solution Cat 2A1(OH)3 . n H20 3(NH4)2SO • n H20 Solid Solid That is, a solid precipitate consisting of aluminum hydroxide and ammonium sulfate is formed when ammonia reacts with aqueous aluminum sulfate. The aluminum hydroxide is insoluble in water and the ammonium sulfate, though soluble, can only be removed from the formation pores by diffusion—an extremely slow process. Although the precipitate formed by the reaction is not particularly firm, great strength is not needed for a precipitate to bridge and plug intergran-ular-type porosity. A flow path in such a system is extremely tortuous and involves a great variety of pore