Search Documents

By Alfred H. Bell

Drilling activity in the eastern interior coal basin, which includes Illinois, southwestern Indiana and western Kentucky, decreased greatly in 1931. Only 521 wells were drilled as compared with 1438 in 1930.' The decline in oil production (Fig. 1) was due partly to the failure of new production to make up for the natural decline of the old wells and partly to artificial curtailment of production to meet a decreased demand. During the year prices trended sharply downward until July, after which they made a partial recovery (Fig. 2). The average price of Illinois crude, which is the same as that for southwestern Indiana, was $0.852 per barrel in 1931 as compared with $1.616 in 1930, or slightly more than one-half. The cost of drilling has declined only slightly. The 25 per cent curtailment of production which was adopted by agreement of the southeastern Illinois operators on Sept. 1, 1930, ended on June 3, 1931. It was effective for five months in 1931 as compared with four months in 1930. The outlook for 1932 is for drilling activity in the whole area to continue at about the same rate or to decrease somewhat unless it is stimulated by a substantial rise in crude oil prices or by the discovery of extensive new productive territory. Discoveries of new productive areas and new sands during the year were few. A new gas area was discovered early in the year in Busseron township, Knox County, Indiana, in which the producing sand is in the Pennsylvanian at depths of 630 to 730 ft. The wells had a total initial open-flow capacity of 7 or 8 million cubic feet per day but are shut in for lack of marketing facilities. An exceptionally large gas well which was drilled in Gibson County between Oakland City and Francisco reached a total depth of 1490 ft. and produced from the Brown sand of Chester age. The initial open-flow capacity was reported as 13 million cubic feet per day. In western Kentucky a number of extensions to oil and gas-producing areas are reported. The most active drilling campaign was in Hart County, where 124 wells were drilled, most of them in the

Jan 1, 1932

The Pinson Mining Co., which will start production in very early 1981, is the fourth Carbon-In-Pulp plant to be put into operation in the United States. The property is located in Humbolt County, Nevada, 38 km (24 miles) northeast of the town of Golconda. The famous Getchell Mine was also near Golconda and was the site of one of the early Carbon-In-Pulp plants in the 1940s. The deposit was discovered in 1971 by Reno based Cordilleran Explorations, which is founded by a consortium of Canadian mining companies. Cordilleran is a partnership consisting of John Livermore and Peter Galli. In 1972 a second but smaller deposit, called "Preble", was discovered at a location 15 miles south of Pinson. During 1980, a decision was made to place the Pinson deposit into production and Pinson Mining Company was formed. Ownership of Pinson is vested in Lacana Mining Inc. , Rayrock Mines, Inc. , Siscoe Metals, Inc., John S. Livermore, Peter E. Galli and Donald M. Duncan. Three distinct but connected ore zones occur at Pinson. Combined reserves of milling ore total 3, 200, 000 tons at an average (undiluted) grade of 4. 12 g per mt (0. 12 oz per st) Au. Initial mining will be from "A" zone which contains 1, 500, 000 tons with an average (undiluted) grade of 5. 8 g per mt (0. 17 oz per st) Au. An additional 5, 500, 000 tons of low grade ore will be mined from the Pinson deposit and processed by heap leaching. Mining reserves at Preble total at least 1, 500, 000 tons grading 2. 7 g per mt (0. 08 oz per st) Au. Production plans for the Preble deposit have not been formulated at the date of writing. Gold mineralization at both deposits is finely disseminated as sub micron sized particles. The ore at Pinson is structurally controlled and occurs in an Ordovician limestone-siltstone unit. Much of the ore has been silicified to a jasperoid. The ore zones have been entirely oxidized. Preble ore occurs in the Cambrian formation in a carbonaceous, limey shale. Only the upper part of the Preble is oxidized and amenable to conventional cyanide leaching. The Pinson ore body is adjacent to the mouth of Granite Creek in the Osgood Mountains at an elevation of 1, 615 m (5, 300 ft) with the mill being 1. 2 km (3/4 mile) from the mine at an elevation of 1, 495 m (4, 900 ft). Mine development work began in May of 1980 with ore being stockpiled for later processing. Pertinent factors affecting

Jan 1, 1981

GENERAL GEOLOGIC DESCRIPTION The Escalante silver deposit located in southwestern Utah is an epithermal vein system consisting of a hanging wall and footwall vein, straight along strike and dipping about 1.2 rad (70°). The veins consist of banded quartz and calcite fissure fillings between volcanic wall rock that are silicified for some distance outward from the vein. The walls of the veins are sharp and the silver values are irratically distributed through the various bands within the vein. Only very low grade values are to be found in the wall rock on either side. The portion of the veins above the water table have been somewhat leached, with some secondary enrichment below. The mineralogical zonation is variable due to a fluctuating water table through geologic time. SAMPLE MANAGEMENT AND COMPOSITE ASSAYS Sample data for the deposit was obtained from over 50 diamond drill holes, from channel samples cut at intervals across a drift, and from scattered surface trenches along the out- crop of the hanging wall vein. Fig. 13-1 is a surface plan map showing the vein outcrop and some diamond drill locations. Two cross sections through the vein are shown in Figs. 1 3-2 and 13-3. Nearly all of the diamond drill core of vein material was assayed in 0.3-m (I-ft) lengths, from which weighted composite assays were manually calculated for the horizontal thickness of the vein. The centers of the composited samples were plotted in north and east coordinates and by elevation, and locations and assay

Jan 1, 1980

By Morton Macartney

FOR many years the developers or owners of worthy mining ventures in need of financing have found it almost impossible to obtain such financing under the conditions existing in most other lines of business. High rates of interest and unfair participation in profits have robbed the developers of much of their holdings, and have resulted in over-capitalization and many other like evils. When the general financial condition of the country is bad, this difficulty increases to a point where many operations must cease and hen are thrown out of employment. In 1.934 this situation had developed to such a point that Congress attempted to aid the mining industry. It first authorized the RFC to make loans to recognized and established corporations, individuals, and partnerships engaged in the business of mining, milling, or smelting of ores in June, 1934, limiting such authority to loans adequately secured, the security to consist of mineral acreage. The requirements of the law were stringent and of the 252 requests for loans received up to June 1, 1935, 35 were authorized.

Jan 1, 1936

By Benjamin S. Lindsey, James Norman

BARITE (BaSO4) is the most important industrial barium mineral from the standpoint of quantity consumed. In 1938 the amount was 365,000 tons. Its uses are numerous, some of the more important being in the production of pigments, as an inert filler in a wide variety of products, as a weighting material in oil-well drilling muds, in the manufacture of some kinds of glass, and in the production of barium chemicals. The barite studied in this investigation occurs as the massive variety in a shale replacement formation near Magnet Cove, Ark. It is intimately mixed with quartz and small amounts of iron oxide and residual shale. Complete liberation of barite and quartz is not obtained when the rock is ground to 100 per cent through 325mesh. The crude rock with which all test work was done assayed 85.1 per cent BaSO4, 11.11 per cent Si02, and 2.85 per cent R2O3. Its specific gravity was 4.03. It was found in the course of the investigation that the barite contained a small amount of uniformly distributed carbonaceous material, so intimately dispersed that it could not be seen with the microscope, but gave a definite gray cast to the barite concentrates. The color of the barite in polished sections of the crude rock ranged from gray to almost black, while finely ground powder was a reddish gray. The reddish hue was due to the iron oxide present. In 1939, under the supervision of Oliver C. Ralston,* the Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with the Milwhite Company, of Houston, Texas, undertook to study the flotation of barite from Magnet Cove, Ark. Flotation of several southern barite ores had already been investigated by the Bureau of Mines.1 The Magnet Cove barite was unique, however, in that it had to be ground to such an extremely small particle size for liberation. The flotation of nonmetallic minerals in the presence of a large amount of slime is usually very difficult, and when done is an innovation calling for conditions different from those under which granular material is separated. LABORATORY FLOTATION WORK Preliminary investigation showed that the flotation reagents recommended by O'Meara and Coe1 for separating barite and siliceous material were suitable, but much larger quantities of reagents were required to separate such finely divided material. Moreover, it was found that careful control of the frothing was necessary. When oleic acid and sodium silicate were used a voluminous froth was observed at the beginning of a test, and toward the end there was not enough froth to effect complete recovery of barite. The addition of pine oil as a frother gave proper frothing for the duration of the test, and the substitution of coconut fatty acid (crude lauric acid) for oleic acid produced a more heavily burdened froth. Two different paper-mill fatty-acid products were tested

Jan 1, 1941

By Joseph Zwierzycki

By an extension of drilling activities in 1938, the Polish oil industry succeeded not only in maintaining production but even in increasing it slightly. This increase, however, was from present oil reserves and not due to the discovery of any new fields. Most of the new wells were drilled in the Jaslo district, particularly in the Lipinki-Libuszal oil field, because of the shallow depth of the producing sands. At the Boryslaw field the 12,332 meters drilled could not compensate for the steady drop in production. A drilling campaign similar to that of the previous year in the Stanislawow district resulted in a slight decline of production. A number of the new wells have been subsidized by the Fund for the Advancement of Drilling2 in Poland. As the present sums at the disposal of this fund are insufficient for a great exploration program, they are chiefly used for the maintenance of the actual production. New wells on known folds, but more than 1000 m. outside the present productive areas, are entitled to a subsidy. Applications for wildcats outside the known productive areas have not been received in 1938. Even when the Polish oil industry was prosperous, wildcatting was not frequent and in their present impoverished condition the oil companies are no longer able to bear such financial burdens. The only way to start a large-scale drilling campaign on the still existing promising areas seems to depend on the granting of new substantial subsidies from the Treasury. Such measures are being considered by the Polish Government. It has been suggested that a fund for wildcatting might be raised by a small increase in the price of benzine. An advance of one grosz per liter of benzine would raise, on present home consumption of 108,000 kilogram-tons, about 1.3 million zloty, an advance of 5 grosze more than 6 million zloty.3 This small increase in price would hardly be felt by the motor-car owners, as it would mean an extra expense of 80 to 400 zloty in a year.

Jan 1, 1939

By Joseph Zwierzycki

By an extension of drilling activities in 1938, the Polish oil industry succeeded not only in maintaining production but even in increasing it slightly. This increase, however, was from present oil reserves and not due to the discovery of any new fields. Most of the new wells were drilled in the Jaslo district, particularly in the Lipinki-Libuszal oil field, because of the shallow depth of the producing sands. At the Boryslaw field the 12,332 meters drilled could not compensate for the steady drop in production. A drilling campaign similar to that of the previous year in the Stanislawow district resulted in a slight decline of production. A number of the new wells have been subsidized by the Fund for the Advancement of Drilling2 in Poland. As the present sums at the disposal of this fund are insufficient for a great exploration program, they are chiefly used for the maintenance of the actual production. New wells on known folds, but more than 1000 m. outside the present productive areas, are entitled to a subsidy. Applications for wildcats outside the known productive areas have not been received in 1938. Even when the Polish oil industry was prosperous, wildcatting was not frequent and in their present impoverished condition the oil companies are no longer able to bear such financial burdens. The only way to start a large-scale drilling campaign on the still existing promising areas seems to depend on the granting of new substantial subsidies from the Treasury. Such measures are being considered by the Polish Government. It has been suggested that a fund for wildcatting might be raised by a small increase in the price of benzine. An advance of one grosz per liter of benzine would raise, on present home consumption of 108,000 kilogram-tons, about 1.3 million zloty, an advance of 5 grosze more than 6 million zloty.3 This small increase in price would hardly be felt by the motor-car owners, as it would mean an extra expense of 80 to 400 zloty in a year.

Jan 1, 1939

By Cresap P. Watson

ABOUT the time this magazine reaches its readers, Cresap P. Watson will celebrate his 53d birthday. If he spends that birthday at his West Los Angeles home, he won't be far, as distance is measured today, from Santa Barbara, where he was born on July 8, 1895. He is truly a member of a petroleum family; one brother, N. O. Watson, managed Royal Dutch Shell interests in Venezuela for years and is now general manager of the Caribbean Petroleum Co. at. Maracaibo; another brother, Rex, is vice-president of the Drilling and Exploration Co., while brother-in-law Ben Belt is an executive of Gulf Oil. His own life has centered in the petroleum industry since his first job in 1913 as camp cashier for a Mexican oil field at Tampico. Down on the isthmus of Tehuantepec he advanced to tool dresser and' production foreman for the company. The first World War interrupted his Mexican experience by transforming him into an artillery officer in France. Once the Army ceased to demand his services¬by then it was 1919-he returned to the task of furthering his professional career as agent for the Amerada Petroleum Corp. By 1927 he had reached the position in which he could be called an executive in the petroleum industry, having organized and become president of the Federal Royalties Co. His activities in local and national legislation affecting the petroleum industry increased as has his advocacy of the development of oil and gas fields under sound engineering and conservation principles through unitization or other co-operative forms of operation. Considerable amounts of his time go to the promotion of industry public relations.

Jan 1, 1948

By Frank Riddle

THE life of thermocouples is governed, to a large extent, by the protection they receive when in use; particularly when the temperatures being measured are high and the products of combustion are reducing in character. Several types of protection tubes are being used for this work; they are made of ordinary and aluminous porcelain, fused quartz, carborundum, fused alumina, fireclay, and some kinds of metal. All of them may render good service under certain conditions but they must be used for the purpose for which they are intended. For example, fused-quartz tubes are very good when excessive changes in temperature occur, but under certain conditions they will crystallize and lose their strength. Porcelain is used in several ways in connection with the use of thermocouples: for insulating the two wires of the couple and to. prevent short circuits; for protecting the entire couple in a refractory gas-tight tube, which is ordinarily fastened to and is considered part of a properly equipped thermocouple; and for protecting the complete thermocouple from the possibility of physical injury and to support it. This tube is made porous and strong and is ordinarily built right into the wall or crown of the furnace, as the case may be. The insulating tubes must be small and sufficiently refractory to withstand the temperatures at which they are to be used. The length of the tubes, porosity of the material from which they are made, etc. does not particularly matter. The tubes are sometimes made with two or even four holes, the latter being used where it is desirable to have two couples as close together as possible for calibration work. The thermocouple protection tube must be of proper size to permit the thermoelements and insulating tubes to be inserted or taken out easily. It must be porous enough to withstand sudden changes in temperature and yet gas-tight, as well as refractory enough to withstand the furnace temperature, even if the tube protrudes into the furnace in a horizontal position without support for a reasonable distance. If the

Jan 9, 1919

By Edward Richardson

As DEVELOPED up to the end of the Great War, an airplane was essentially a mechanism of wood and fabric, joined and held together by metal fittings and, fastening. The engine and accessories, wire for wheel spokes and other tension members, and the occasional use of metal for interplane struts and the shafts of surface controls required some metal, but essentially it was a. wood and fabric structure. Attempts had been made to use metal for other purposes, such as struts in the drag-trussing of wing panels and for short interplane struts, and Junkers had produced an airplane of iron in 1915. By 1917 he was using steel tubes and duralu-min sheets, securing noteworthy advantages aerodynamically and from the standpoint of weigh PRINCIPLES OF AIRPLANE CONSTRUCTION The loaded weight of airplanes ranges from 500 lb. for the light plane of which we heard so much a short time ago, to about 40,000 lb. The great majority of planes range from 2000 to 10,000 lb. Of this weight from 15. to 30 per cent. is for the dividend-earning load. This percentage is so low that every per cent. saved on the rest of the weight increases the pay load from 3 to 6 per cent. The economic value of every pound that can be saved in designing or constructing a plane is sufficiently great to warrant spending money on refined methods of structural analysis, materials of superior strength properties for a given weight, methods of manufacture which may make possible the use of refinements in structural design, and the like, to an extent unknown heretofore.

Jan 1, 1928

By J. E. Tobey, David R. Mitchell, J. H. Kerrick

DETAILED knowledge of purchase specifications established by coal consumers is essential to the successful design and operation of a coal-preparation plant. ANTHRACITE Specifications should be considered by both the consumer and the producer as guide posts outlining a certain path for both to follow. Plants differ, therefore specifications must differ to meet the varied requirements. Specifications are not of themselves a "cure all" or an assurance of complete satisfaction in fuel utilization. Specifications should not be regarded as a license to engage in an orgy of buying any and all coals that may happen to fall within their limits. This would lead to the-indiscriminate mixing of coals which may vary in their burning characteristics. Different coals of equal grade tend to be individualistic in their burning characteristics. Rather, specifications should be used to help simplify coal selection, to reduce the actual number of coals used over a given period; in other words, to have a stabilizing influence on coal or customer turnover. In the final analysis, the use of too many coals per year in a plant is costly to both the consumer and the producer. Too many sources usually result in higher operating and maintenance costs for the consumer and higher sales costs for the producer. Finally, the statement included in the report accompanying the comprehensive Coal Selection Charts prepared by the Coal Committee of the National Association of Purchasing Agents, and released in 1938, is significant. This Committee worked diligently for a period of 15 years seeking to find a scientific and reliable method for selecting coals. The two following paragraphs are quoted from its report: More important is the fact that no ready-made classification or set of specifications can possibly replace the judgment and resourcefulness of an experienced combustion engineer, or fuel technologist, nor the usual need for full scale plant tests under the exact conditions of use before a final decision is made . . .

Jan 1, 1943

By Max Mason

IN 1923 a Western mining company was experimenting with the device of an inventor designed to locate buried ores by radio. Because the progress was slow and the results were confusing, the company began to doubt the usefulness of the method and invited me to review the whole question of the application of physics to ore detection. I was fortunate in securing the cooperation of several physicists who had worked with me during the war on the problem of submarine detection. This group has been increased and has been studying the problem of physical exploration for ores since that time. It was evident that the problem is a big one, with many angles of approach. Its general features may be set down, in rough outline, as follows: The soils, rocks and ores hidden beneath the surface differ, one from another in many respects. These differences may be made to furnish a clew for the physicists working from the surface. To bring these differences into action the physicist creates some kind of an effect, which penetrates into the ground and is distorted and, reflected when it meets boundaries between different sorts of underground structure. In other words, he sends a message down, and the rocks and ore send back signals in, reply. In picturing this process, we should not regard the ground as dense and impenetrable. The kind of messages used pass through the earth about as readily as a sound wave travels the air. If, then, the fundamental procedure is to shout down questions in the hope that an orebody will hear and answer back to us, it is clear that a large part of the expert's study must relate to the kind of questions best suited to the temperament and intelligence of orebodies. It will be easier for the ore to, reply to some of our questions than to others, and it is for us to find the right questions. In certain cases, we are-spared the necessity of using a messenger, because nature has already provided one. For example, we already have a terrestrial magnetic field which auto-matically and continually conveys messages from underneath. We also have available the earth's gravitational field which furnishes us

Jan 1, 1927

By J. H. Nead, J. W. Halley

The new low-alloy high-strength steels are obviously here to stay. With 75 per cent higher yield strength and 50 per cent higher tensile strength than plain carbon structural steel, they permit 20 to 40 per cent weight savings and 10 per cent or more increase in pay load in the construction of railroad cars, buses, trucks, and a great variety of material-handling equipment. Their cost is low enough so that the extra cost of the new lighter construction over that with carbon steel offers an attractive self-liquidating investment; in some instances new construction with these low-alloy steels may even be as cheap as with plain carbon steel. A considerable and rapidly growing demand for the low-alloy steels has already sprung up. The many steel compositions that have appeared on the market lately18, 27, 28, 29, 30 to meet this demand would seem to indicate that no single composition is uniquely fitted for the purpose. However, no doubt some compositions are more suitable than others. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to compare the effects of the various alloying elements that might be used in the low-alloy steels in order to choose the metallurgically most logical composition, paying due regard, of course, to the economic aspects involved. Properties Desired in Low-alloy Steel A distinction between the new low-alloy steels and the common alloy steels is that the latter are generally used in the heat-treated (that is, quenched and tempered) conditions, whereas the new low-alloy steels are not only not heat-treated but are not susceptible to heat-treatment in the ordinary sense of the term. In this lies one of their chief advantages. Their properties can be obtained in the as-rolled, air-cooled, or annealed condition, just as with mild plain carbon structural steel. There is no need for heat-treating. Such steels can be readily formed hot or cold, and their properties are not appreciably changed by hot

Jan 1, 1936

By J. H. Nead, J. W. Halley

The new low-alloy high-strength steels are obviously here to stay. With 75 per cent higher yield strength and 50 per cent higher tensile strength than plain carbon structural steel, they permit 20 to 40 per cent weight savings and 10 per cent or more increase in pay load in the construction of railroad cars, buses, trucks, and a great variety of material-handling equipment. Their cost is low enough so that the extra cost of the new lighter construction over that with carbon steel offers an attractive self-liquidating investment; in some instances new construction with these low-alloy steels may even be as cheap as with plain carbon steel. A considerable and rapidly growing demand for the low-alloy steels has already sprung up. The many steel compositions that have appeared on the market lately18, 27, 28, 29, 30 to meet this demand would seem to indicate that no single composition is uniquely fitted for the purpose. However, no doubt some compositions are more suitable than others. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to compare the effects of the various alloying elements that might be used in the low-alloy steels in order to choose the metallurgically most logical composition, paying due regard, of course, to the economic aspects involved. Properties Desired in Low-alloy Steel A distinction between the new low-alloy steels and the common alloy steels is that the latter are generally used in the heat-treated (that is, quenched and tempered) conditions, whereas the new low-alloy steels are not only not heat-treated but are not susceptible to heat-treatment in the ordinary sense of the term. In this lies one of their chief advantages. Their properties can be obtained in the as-rolled, air-cooled, or annealed condition, just as with mild plain carbon structural steel. There is no need for heat-treating. Such steels can be readily formed hot or cold, and their properties are not appreciably changed by hot

Jan 1, 1936

By Foster Bain

THE outstanding characteristic of the last hundred years has been the world-wide rise in the standard of living. Man's dominion over nature is increasing with an accelerating pace and more and more the forces and materials of this world are being made to serve man's necessities and his convenience. We demand both quantities and varieties of goods that were beyond the dreams, to say nothing of the reach, of our fore-fathers, and our possession of them has become so much a matter of course that they excite no remark. Literally, thousands of young folks have required an explanation of a recent popular song, "Thanks for the Buggy Ride," for the reason that their own experience does not extend back into the pre-flivver age. This transition from the use of vehicles made mainly of wood and drawn by animal power, to metal made cars propelled by mineral fuels is all but complete and the memory even of older conditions is already fading. This is symbolic of what is happening all around us. In a recent book, Dr. Frank J. Goodenough, president of Johns Hopkins University, referred to Chinese civilization as a ?vegetable" civilization meaning thereby that the Chinese depend mainly upon the plant world for food, clothing and other necessities and luxuries. Our own people did the same hardly more than a hundred years ago. In 1820, this country produced and used only 5 lb. of pig iron per capita, but a quick and enormous change was wrought in the hundred, years that followed, and in 1920 the amount was 119 times as much, or 597 lb. It has since increased even beyond this and touched a peak of 809 lb. in 1923. In that year our output was more than twice that of 1903 and nine times that of 1883. This increase in production

Jan 10, 1926

By B. C. Mariacher

EXTRACTION of uranium from ores is being ac-complished by processes which. for the most part, subject the entire ore to acid or carbonate leaching. Ore deposits with a U 3 O 8 content below 0.10 pct U 3 O 8 are seldom considered suitable for treatment by leaching. A preliminary concentration that would enrich the uranium content of an ore by a simple, low cost process based on physical properties of the ore might result in some low grade deposits becoming commercial ores. In addition, the process might be employed in existing operations to reduce transportation and leaching costs and to increase capacity of existing leaching plants. A study to attempt the development of a preliminary concentration process for primary uranium ores was undertaken by the Colorado School of Mines Research Foundation under sponsorship of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. The objective of this work was to produce concentrates containing 0.25 pct U3O8 from the low grade ores tested. Ores Tested: The main effort was devoted to the low grade primary uranium ores from northwestern Saskatchewan. Samples were obtained from the Beaverlodge operation of the Eldorado Mining & Refining Ltd. Additional primary ores, obtained from deposits in Gilpin County, Colo., contained from 0.07 to 0.10 pct U3O8. Summary of Concentration Tests: The Beaverlodge ore was tested to determine amenability of the ore to concentration by magnetic, electrostatic, gravity, and scrubbing processes. None of these produced satisfactory results. Both gravity and magnetic processes produced fairly good concentrates when closely sized fractions of the ore were treated, but on the basis of treating the total ore, recovery was poor. Preparation of sized fractions and the low capacity of equipment for suitable concentration made these methods impractical. As flotation offered the advantage of treating the total ore without intermediate sizing, the main effort was in this direction. A flotation process was developed that fulfilled the concentration objectives as set by the AEC. Pilot plant testing was used to verify results obtained from laboratory batch testing. Mineralogy: A petrographic examination of the Beaverlodge ore included a study of polished sur- faces and identification of the radioactive mineral by autoradiograph and X-ray diffraction. Approximate quantitative mineral identification was as follows: quartz, 60 pct; orthoclase feldspar, 20 pct; chlorite, 10 pct; carbonates, 5 pct; and miscellaneous minerals, 5 pct. Included in this last group were plagioclase feldspar, pyrite, mica, chalcopyrite, pyroxene, sericite, magnetite, galena, and uraninite. The most general occurrence of uraninite was in the form of crusts and thin coatings on limonite-stained grains of pyrite, quartz, and pyrite-quartz intergrowth. At least 90 pct of the uraninite was still attached to other minerals in a 100 by 200-mesh size fraction. The uraninite crusts were as small as 10 to 20 µ diam, and 5 to 10 µ thick. The Flotation Process Petrographic examinations of the Beaverlodge ore had indicated the impracticability of attempting to concentrate the uranium by floating individual grains of uraninite. Liberation of the uraninite required grinding to sizes below those suitable for flotation. However, there was preferential association of the uraninite with some minerals while others were free of uraninite attachment. The approach to the development of a flotation process was, therefore, based upon an attempt to concentrate the uraninite by floating carrier minerals. The following paragraphs discuss the various stages of the process with regard to the factors tested and the conditions under which best results were obtained. Grinding: The most effective size range for flotation was —150 mesh + 13 µ. The —13 µ material in the final concentrate had a higher U3O8 content than the total ore, but not as high as the average concentrate; however, rejection of slimes before flotation was prohibitive because of the loss in uranium carried in the —13 µ fraction. Grinding techniques which contributed to a minimum production of fines, such as stage grinding, were then employed. Quartz and Silicate Depression: These minerals represented approximately 80 pct of the ore and were free to a large degree of uraninite attachment. Significant improvement in the grade of the concentrate was obtained by depression of these minerals with hydrofluoric acid or sodium fluoride. Promoter: Selective stage flotation of uraninite carrier minerals was simplified by development of a single promoter mixture. The mixture consisted of an emulsion of a fatty acid, fuel oil, and a petroleum sulfonate and was selected after a comprehensive series of tests. It contained three parts by weight of an oleic and linoleic acid such as Emersol 300,

Jan 1, 1957

By R. A. Oriani

The partial molal volume of hydrogen is one of the parameters that describe the elastic interaction between the solute and the stress fields about inclusions, dislocations, and cracks. As such the partial molal volume is probably of importance in the elucidation of phenomena such as hydrogen embrittlement and hydrogen yield point. A knowledge of this quantity would also be helpful in thinking about the state of dissolved hydrogen in iron. However, because of the very low lattice solubility of hydrogen in iron the usual ways of determining the lattice expansion are not practicable. It is therefore of interest to apply the thermodynamics of stressed bodies to two sets of measurements of the effect of elastic stress upon the permeability of hydrogen in order to deduce a value of the partial molal volume, VH, of hydrogen dissolved in a iron. Beck ..' and previously de Kazinczy, observed that a uniaxial tensile stress increases the permeability of hydrogen in iron and in various steels. Beck et 01. employed Armco iron and A.I.S.I. 4340 steel, whereas de Kazinczy used a steel the composition of which was 0.13 C, 0.23 Si, 0.46 Mn, 0.006 P, and 0.038 S. Upon releasing the stress the permeability increment disappeared if the stress was below the elastic limit. Both investigators employed cathodic charging to introduce the hydrogen. de Kazinczy measured the permeation through a thin-walled tube by collecting the gas, whereas Beck et al. measured the permeation through sheets of various thicknesses by a very sensitive electrochemical technique. Both investigators measured the steady-state permeation at constant rate of hydrogen ion discharge, and Beck measured in addition the hydrogen diffusivity by a time-lag technique which is independent of the boundary conditions. Beck et al. and de Kazinczy found a linear relationship between log (J,/Jo) and the stress, where Ju/Jo is the ratio of the flux of hydrogen when the metal is under uniaxial tensile stress, a, to the flux under zero stress, for the same temperature and charging current. Beck et al. found in addition that the diffusivity of hydrogen is not changed by stress. Both investigators concluded that the observed change in permeability is due to an increase in hydrogen concentration, and furthermore that the increase in concentration is due directly to the thermodynamic effect of stress upon concentration. Accepting this assessment of the situation for reasons given below, one may use the equation3j4 in order to evaluate I/H, the partial molal volume of hydrogen. This equation is valid for the domain of a/E «¦ 1 (where E is the Young's modulus) and under the assumption that hydrogen expands the lattice isotrop-ically. From the data of Beck el al, one calculates V7H - 2.0 cu cm per g-atom, and from those of de Kazinczy one obtains 1.8 cu cm per g-atom. That the increase of concentration with stress is indeed of thermodynamic origin is attested to by the facts that the experimental results conform to the thermodynamic relation, Eq. [I], and that the results are the same whether a pure iron1 or each of two different steels172 is used. Neither of these facts wou1.d necessarily be expected if the effect of stress were, rather, to increase the ratio kn/k, of the kinetic factors of the following competing reactions: H(ads) — H (dissolved) Such a change of kinetics at the surface could be an alternative explanation of the effect of stress on the permeability. Although this writer does not deem this explanation to be the correct one for the reasons given above, it must be admitted that unambiguous proof that the phenomenon has a thermodynamic origin does not yet exist. Two kinds of experiments may be suggested. One is to plate a variety of metals on the input surface of the steel and repeat the stress experiment at a variety of hydrogen charging currents. The other is to employ somewhat thicker specimens in order to be able to apply uniaxial compressive stress. Eq. [I] shows that ln(c,/c,) depends on the sign of the stress, but it is difficult to see a physical basis for which k2/kl would depend on the sign of a. The present value of V^ in a iron agrees with phragmen's5 estimate, which he based on comparisons with the lattice expansion by hydrogen of titanium, zir-

Jan 1, 1967

By Junius D. Edwards

WHEN Charles Martin Hall invented the electrolytic process for the production of aluminum, one basic requirement was a supply of pure alumina. Now, more than 50 years later, the same requirement still holds, and there are no technical straws in the wind to indicate that this situation is likely to change. Long ago, Aluminum Company of America took a number of steps to see that this country should not face shortages of alumina and aluminum in time of emergency. As one step to this end, the Company developed and used a supply of bauxite in South America in order to conserve dwindling Arkansas reserves. Another, and more a program than a step, was to investigate every type of process that might bear the possibility of utilizing the low-grade ores of aluminum that are more plentiful than bauxite. It is a long story, but the investigation included electric-furnace processes, acid extraction processes and alkaline extraction processes, with or without preliminary furnace and sinter treatments. Some of the processes developed were operated in commercial production. This work has been continuous since the first World War. The turn of the wheel came sooner than was expected when, in 1942, bauxite shipments through the Caribbean became uncertain and hazardous through the operation of submarines. The tremendous requirements of aluminum for the war effort were consuming high-grade bauxite at an alarming rate and a national search for substitutes began. High-grade bauxites, for technical and economic reasons, have been defined as those containing about 7 per cent or less of silica. While bauxite of this grade was limited in amount in the United States, there was in sight a substantially greater volume of low-grade, high-silica bauxite not amenable to economic treatment by the Bayer process, but richer in alumina than the clays or other available low-grade ores. It was at this point, and after several years of intensive research on this particular phase of the problem, that Aluminum Research Laboratories brought to completion the invention of one of its research staff, which made practical the utilization of large reserves of low-grade bauxite in America. BAYER PROCESS The Bayer process has been almost universally used for the 'production of alumina from bauxite. This process, in outline, comprises the digestion of finely ground bauxite in a solution of caustic soda (NaOH) under pressure and at an elevated temperature. Alumina in the bauxite goes into solution as sodium aluminate and the impurities-oxides of iron, titanium and silicon-remain undissolved. The undissolved residue, known as "red mud," from its color, is separated and run to waste. Aluminum hydrate (A1202.3H20) is precipitated from the solution of sodium aluminate, and the liquor containing the caustic soda and some alumina is returned to the process for digesting more bauxite. The aluminum hydrate, after washing, is calcined at a high temperature to produce

Jan 1, 1945

By J. S. Bowles

THE martensite transformation in lithium, dis- covered by Barrett,' has been studied extensively by X-ray techniques by Barrett and Trautz,² and Barrett and Clifton.V he present paper reports the results of an investigation into the metallographic characteristics of lithium martensite. Such an investigation has not been carried out before. The spontaneous transformation in lithium consists of a change from a body-centered cubic to a close-packed hexagonal structure with the hexagonal layers in imperfect stacking sequence." As far as is known at present, this transformation can be regarded as being crystallographically equivalent to the body-centered cubic to close-packed hexagonal transformation that occurs in zirconium,5 although stacking errors have not been reported in zirconium. From a study of the orientation relationships in zirconium, Burgers5 as proposed that the martensite transformation, b.c.c. to c.p.h., occurs by a heterogeneous shear on the system (112) [111]. The crystal-lographic principle underlying this proposal is that the configuration of atoms in the (112) plane of a b.c.c. structure is exactly the same as that in the (1010) plane of a close-packed hexagonal structure based on the same atomic radius. The pattern in 2v2 both these planes is a rectangle d X 2v2d where v3 d is the atomic diameter. Thus a close-packed hexagonal structure can be built up from a body-centered cubic structure by displacing the (112) planes relative to each other.* This mechanism leads to orientations that can be described by the relations: (110)b.c.e. // (0001)c,p.h.; [111]b.c.c. // [1120]c.p.h Observations confirm these relations. In zirconium, Burgers' measurements indicated an angle of 0" to 2" between the close-packed directions, while Barrett's measurements on lithium indicated an angle of 3". According to the Burgers' mechanism, the martensite habit plane for this transformation would be expected to be the (112)b.c.c. plane, for this plane would not be distorted by the transformation. One of the purposes of this investigation was to find out whether the observed lithium habit plane agrees with this prediction of the Burgers' mechanism. Experimental Procedure Materials: The lithium was from the same purified ingot used by Barrett and Trautz.² The Bridgman technique was used to produce single crystals. To maintain a temperature gradient in the melt, during the production of these crystals, it was necessary to use a steel mould with a wall thickness of only 0.015 in. Metallographic Techniques: Lithium specimens could be given an excellent metallographic polish by swabbing them gently with cold methyl or ethyl alcohol.? The best results were obtained with methyl alcohol saturated with the reaction product, lithium alcoholate. With higher alcohols the reaction became progressively slower and the attack became an etch pit attack rather than a polish attack. Butyl and amyl alcohols were used for macroetching. After polishing, it was necessary to remove all traces of alcohol from the specimens; otherwise, on subsequent quenching in liquid nitrogen, the alcohol froze to a glassy film. The alcohol was removed with dry benzene. The benzene in turn had to be removed before quenching, but since it does not react with lithium it could be allowed to evaporate. The specimens could then be quickly quenched before they began to tarnish. This operation could be carried out in air on all but excessively humid days when it was advisable to use an atmosphere of dry nitrogen or argon. For examinations at room temperature, the specimens could be transferred directly from the benzene bath into a bath of mineral oil. In mineral oil the specimens oxidized slowly by the diffusion of oxygen through the oil but the structure remained visible for about an hour. Lithium Martensite: Specimens prepared in the manner described above transformed spontaneously to martensite with an audible click when quenched into liquid nitrogen; i.e., M, was above the boiling point of nitrogen (77°K). The disparity between this result and the M, temperature of 71°K, found by Barrett and Trautz, is probably to be attributed to the large grain size and freedom from mechanical deformation of the specimens used in the present work. The relief effects produced by the transformation did not disappear when specimens were quenched from liquid nitrogen into mineral oil at room temperature. This permitted the microstructures to be studied at room temperature where, of course, the martensitic phase was no longer present. Typical micrographs of lithium "martensite" made at room temperature are reproduced in figs. 1, 2, and 3. As anticipated by Barrett and Trautz, the microstruc-

Jan 1, 1952

By AIME AIME

Council.* PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL. JOHN HAYS HAMMOND NEW YORK, N. Y. (Term expires February, 1908.) VICE-PRESIDENTS OF THE COUNCIL. HENRY M. HOWE NEW YORK, N. Y. J. B. GRANT DENVER, COLO. JAMES D. HAGUE NEW YORK, N. Y. (Term expires February, 1908.) SAMUEL B. CHRISTY BERKELEY, CAL. JOHN A. CHURCH NEW YORK; N. Y. New PERSIFOR FRAZER PHILADELPHIA, PA. (Term expires February, 1909.)

Mar 1, 1907