Search Documents

By John Shelton

ONE of the heaviest burdens uselessly cast by our mineral land laws upon the holder of the title conveyed by a patent from the United States is due to the provision excepting known veins from land patented as placer. In many instances the expense of defending such titles from the assaults of the owners of lode locations made upon the theory that the veins so located were known to exist at the date of the placer application for patent has exceeded many times the value of the land in question. Neither the lapse of time, however long after the issuance of the patent nor repeated adjudications by the courts serve to quiet such titles or to prevent them from being questioned. In the passage of laws providing for the acquisition of title to the mineral lands of the United States, Congress provided that the title to known veins should not pass from the United States by a patent based upon a placer location. As construed by the courts, the law (Sec. 2333 R.S.U.S.) provides that the applicant for a patent upon a placer claim may, if any vein of sufficient value to justify the expenditure of money in its development is known by him to exist within the boundaries thereof, include in his patent application an application for patent upon the vein as a lode claim; and failure to do so is to be deemed a conclusive declaration that the applicant makes no claim to the vein nor to an area of surface ground extending for 25 ft. (7.6 m.) on each side of its middle or center. As to such vein and, such area of enclosing surface ground under the circumstances stated, the title remains in, the United States notwithstanding the issuance of a patent that purports to convey the entire surface of a described area and everything beneath it, excepting only the segments of veins the apices of which lie outside of such area. Such known veins with such area of enclosing surface ground are, of course, at any time, so long as they remain unlocated, subject to location and appropriation in the same manner as other veins upon the public domain. The history of the operation of this law in one district will serve to illustrate its effect generally throughout the mining regions of the United States. In the Butte district, the mineral that first attracted the atten-

Jan 8, 1919

By D. N. Witman

One of the special uses to which the electric furnace has been put recently is the melting of an alloy of nickel and cast iron for the production of electrical-resistance grids. The metal sections of these grids, Fig. 1, are quite uniform for each pattern, but there is, among the various patterns, a variety of thicknesses. The cross-sections vary from 1/2 by 3/16 in. to as small as 1/8 by 1/8 in. The electrical resistance of a perfect casting lies within 10 per cent. above or below the fixed listed resistance for each pattern. Good molding is essential to success in the making of these grids, for with absolutely correct metal, a variation of 0.01 in. in width and thickness of section on some of the patterns may mean as much as 12 or 14 per cent. variation in resistance. The service for which these castings are intended demands that the metal, even in the smallest castings, be very soft, showing an open, gray, highly graphitic structure, in order that they may be resistant to shock, and stand up well under rough usage. The metal used for this purpose is a gray iron alloyed with 4 to 5 per cent. of nickel, which element, when the composition of the alloy is correct, imparts toughness and pliability to the metal and helps to overcome the tendency of metal to run white and become brittle because of the rapid cooling action of the sand mold. When cold, these castings can be twisted into various shapes, taking a permanent set without breaking. The alloy has approximately double the e1etrical resistance of ordinary cast iron. The metal specification is as follows: Per Cent. Silicon............................................. 2.40 to 2.60 Sulfur............................................. Under 0.05 Phosphorus......................................... Under 0.08 Manganese......................................... Under 0.40 Total carbon....................................... 3.60 to 4.00 Nickel............................................. 4.00 to 5.00 Copper............................................ 0.50 to 0.70

Jan 1, 1922

By D. N. Witman

One of the special uses to which the electric furnace has been put recently is the melting of an alloy of nickel and cast iron for the production of electrical-resistance grids. The metal sections of these grids, Fig. 1, are quite uniform for each pattern, but there is, among the various patterns, a variety of thicknesses. The cross-sections vary from 1/2 by 3/16 in. to as small as 1/8 by 1/8 in. The electrical resistance of a perfect casting lies within 10 per cent. above or below the fixed listed resistance for each pattern. Good molding is essential to success in the making of these grids, for with absolutely correct metal, a variation of 0.01 in. in width and thickness of section on some of the patterns may mean as much as 12 or 14 per cent. variation in resistance. The service for which these castings are intended demands that the metal, even in the smallest castings, be very soft, showing an open, gray, highly graphitic structure, in order that they may be resistant to shock, and stand up well under rough usage. The metal used for this purpose is a gray iron alloyed with 4 to 5 per cent. of nickel, which element, when the composition of the alloy is correct, imparts toughness and pliability to the metal and helps to overcome the tendency of metal to run white and become brittle because of the rapid cooling action of the sand mold. When cold, these castings can be twisted into various shapes, taking a permanent set without breaking. The alloy has approximately double the e1etrical resistance of ordinary cast iron. The metal specification is as follows: Per Cent. Silicon............................................. 2.40 to 2.60 Sulfur............................................. Under 0.05 Phosphorus......................................... Under 0.08 Manganese......................................... Under 0.40 Total carbon....................................... 3.60 to 4.00 Nickel............................................. 4.00 to 5.00 Copper............................................ 0.50 to 0.70

Jan 1, 1922

By James B. Duke, Ernest W. Greene

An idea of what is meant by "Ultrafine Minerals Or Slimes" as used in the title can be had by an examination of Fig. I. Particle size distributions are presented for a crude kaolin clay, a coarse fraction and a fine fraction. The crude kaolin as mined was blunged with water, degritted through a 325-mesh Tyler screen, and dispersed with sodium silicate. The dispersed crude was then centrifuged in the laboratory into the coarse and fine fractions shown in the figure. The distribution curves were obtained by the well known sedimentation technique of Casagrande' using a long arm centrifuge to obtain equivalent spherical diameters down to 0.2 microns on the finer fraction. Fig. 1 shows the coarse fraction kaolin to be 50% finer than 3 microns, while the crude kaolin is 50% finer than 1.4 microns, and the fine fraction 50% finer than 0.6 microns. For comparison 53 microns on the horizontal scale would represent Stokesian diameters which would just pass a 325- mesh Tyler screen, taking into consideration the Andreasen sieve correction factor of 1.22 X the screen opening.' Another helpful comparison is the surface areas, which in square meters per gram, are 0.044 for 53 micron particles, 0.77 for 3 microns, 1.65 for 1.4 microns, and 5.0 for 0.46 micron particles. Fig. 2 is an electron micrograph of a similar fine fraction kaolin showing the hexagonal plate- like particle shapes.

Jan 10, 1962

By Howard N. Eavenson

An analysis of the bituminous coal situation by an authority who traces the production, mining, safety, markets and labor trends in comparison with other fuels.

Jan 2, 1950

By Carl Belser

This paper summarizes the data on the oil-shale deposits of western Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. It is based on published reports by the U. S. Geological Survey, on the results of core drilling and sampling by the Bureau of Mines, on the drill cuttings from the Genera1 Petroleum well, on a recent unpublished report by the Geological Survey on the geology of Naval Oil-Shale Reserves No. I and No' 21 and from information supplied by geologists of private companies who have investigated the Green River formation. The paper also contains a revised estimate of the grade and tonnage of minable thicknesses of oil shale of western Colorado. Introduction The oil shales of the Green River formation of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming comprise an important natural resource for the production of synthetic liquid fuels. The oil shale in western Colorado generally is more amenable to exploitation, apparently richer, and probably more persistent than in Utah or Wyoming. Work is now being done by the Bureau of Mines near Rifle, Cola. to ascertain the best procedures for mining the oil shale, producing shale oil from the oil shale, and converting the oil into more salable products. As a part of this program, holes were drilled and cores were taken of the oil shale on Naval Oil-Shale Reserve No. I. In addi- tion, drill cuttings were obtained from a well drilled through the Green River formation by the General Petroleum Co. about 18 miles northerly of the Naval Oil-Shale Reserve. Geology During middle Eocene time a broad, shallow body of water, now called Uinta Lake, covered northwestern Colorado and east-central Utah; a similar lake, known as Gosiute Lake, was in southwestern Wyoming Each of these contemporary lakes was bounded by high hills; the drainage was to the south. The Green River formation was laid down as sediments in the bottoms of these lakes. It is 3000 ft thick and has been divided into the following four members:

Jan 1, 1949

NEW MEMBERS. The following list comprises the names of those persons who became members during the month of March, 1913 BAECHTOLD, CHARLES A., Engr 9G Liberty St., New York, N. Y. BRANTLY, JOHN E., Instructor in Geology Tuscaloosa, Ala. CADDY, JAMES P., Net., ,Lake View & Star, Ltd Fimiston, West. Australia. LONERGAN, PHILIP J., JR., Prof. of Mining, Government University, Peking, China. MCKANNA, EDWIN A., Min. Engr P. 0. Box 834, Oklahoma City, Okla. MACDONALD, ANGUS W., Supt. Labor Dept., Dominion Coal Co., Ltd., 21 Queen St., Sydney, N. S., Canada. TSUBOI, Yoshio, Min. and Met. Engr., Kosaka Mine, Fujita Co., Akita-ken, Japan.

Jan 4, 1913

NEW YORK SECTION J. E. Johnson, Jr., Chairman Edgar Rickard, Vice Chairman. D. M. Liddell, Secretary, 7 Wall St., New York, N.Y. C. A. Bohn, Treasurer John V. N. Dorr Lewis W. Francis. The annual meeting of the New York Section was held on Wednesday, June 6, with about 40 members in attendance. The treasurer re a brief summary of-the financial statement for the year, and the secretary's report was read. These reports were ordered placed on file together with the report of the auditors for the two previous years.

Jan 8, 1917

By A. T. English

X-ray dif action techniques were used to investigate ordering and domain coalescence for the B2 (CsC1) superlattice in this alloy. Essentially complete disorder is obtainable by drastic quenching. isothertmal ordering occurs very rapidly at temperatures between 565° and 680°C, only a few seconds being required for development of substantial long-range order. A very fine antiphase dormain structure, found in samples annealed for short times, undergoes coalescence with further annealing. Domain "size" is found proportional to (t)1/2 . This Yate law can be derived by adapting the formalism of Hillert's analysis 01- metallurgical grain growth. For this Purpose the material is descvibed in terms of a "Swiss-cheese " structure, consisting of two multiply connected, mutually intertwined domain volumes. The observed activation enevgy for coalescence, 70 kcal per g-atom, agrees with an estit~lated value ,for volume diffusion in disordered rrzaterial. It is suggesled that the experimental value vejlects the substantially disordered environment of mobile vacancies located in the moving antiphase domain boundary. The alloy Fe-Co-2V is bcc below about 900'C and orders into a B2 (CsC1) superlattice below about 730c It has important applications in magnetic components, including many requiring extensive cold rolling.* example, Marcinkowski and Brown6 observed a re1atively small as-quenched domain size of about 250Å in B2 Fe3A1. Since there appear to be no published data on domain coalescence in B2 alloys, this process was studied in detail. MATERIALS AND EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES A commercial high-purity alloy, nominally 49 Fe-49Co-2V, was obtained from the Arnold Engineering Co. in the form of cold-rolled sheet 0.004 in. thick. Samples were annealed for 1 hr at 800°C in dry H2 to produce disorder and quenched into iced brine. They were then annealed in a nitrate-nitrite salt bath for various times at temperatures between 525° and 625°C. Estimates of the LRO parameter S and the APD size D were made using established X-ray diffraction techniques. Superlattice peaks are best observed using CoKa radiation, for which the value of (fFe-fCo) is maximized. Peak-to-background intensity ratio was improved by filtering CoKß from the incident beam to eliminate sample fluorescence, and by using a pulse-height analyzer. The LRO parameter S was computed from the ratio of integrated intensities I 100/I 200- Owing presumably to systematic errors associated with the presence of crystallographic texture and X-ray extinction, only rough agreement was obtained between experimental and theoretical (absolute) intensity ratios. For this reason certain experimental refinements (e.g., use of balanced filters) were considered superfluous and were omitted. Emphasis was placed on maximizing intensity in order to reduce the time taken to accurately determine the contour of the very small (loo), peak. This was done by point counting 105 counts at appropriate intervals. Background intensity averaged about 1200 cps.

Jan 1, 1967

By P. H. Dudley

The piping and segregation of ingots of steel is a comprehensive subject, and must be studied in reference to the different grades of soft, medium, and hard steel, rather than to discuss it in a general manner, as though applicable to all grades. Rail steel, however, will receive the most consideration in this paper, for the wheel-loads of the motive power and rolling stock have doubled from 1890 to 1910. Steel rails and tires which were efficient under the light loads, became less serviceable under the double wheel-loads, quadrupled tonnage, and higher speeds. Bessemer Steel. Bessemer steel of from 0.10 to 0.15 per cent. of carbon, for splice-bars, spikes, and tie-plates, rises in setting, and is cast in bottle-mouthed molds, which must be capped to prevent an overflow from the top. This grade of steel rises in the molds and makes a longer ingot than the volume of molten steel when first teemed. The ingots which are allowed to cool and then cut open, show, particularly in the upper part, large occluded blow-holes, and when they are not oxidized or do not contain foreign matter, weld more or less completely when the steel is rolled or forged above 1,100° C., and it is in this way that the blow-holes are closed in the low-carbon steels. Boiler-Plate and Fire-Box Steel. These grades often contain more or less minute laminations, which are the remains of small blow-holes forming after the setting metal has reached a pasty condition. The blow-holes in the low-carbon steels have not been prevented by usiug deox-idizers, though the ingots are slightly improved so far as the soundness of the steel is concerned. This grade of steel also rises in the molds in setting.

Jan 1, 1914

By T. T. Quirke, L. C. McCabe

The object of the present investigation was to discover a physical basis for rank differentiation of coals, particularly the coals of the Illinois basin. Vitrainl was selected as the most appropriate coal material to use in the investigation, because of its homogeneity and ease of acquisition and handling. Previous Investigations.—Hoffman and Jenker2 have shown that their index of reflection is a characteristic of coal rank and that the Leitz slit microphotometer may be used in determining the different intensities of reflection. Zhemchuzhnikov3 measured the luster of several Russian coals with a color analyzer and found that the degree of luster was indicative of rank. Luster-volatile matter curves based on data from Sucan and Donetz coals were satisfactorily used for determining the rank or volatile content of other coals after the luster strength was determined. In 1934 Fisher4 reported refractive indices of 1.76 for bituminous vitrain and 1.87 for semibituminous vitrain. Investigation of Angle of Polarization.—Early in the present investigation several determinations of the refractive indices of the vitrains were made by immersing the minus 150 plus 200-mesh powder in oils. It was found that all the samples fell within the range 1.6 to 1.8. However, difficulty was encountered in securing oils in this high index range that were closely enough spaced to separate some of the coals. The writers made a number of determinations of the angle of maximum polarization from the polished surfaces of the vitrains and derived their refractive indices by the procedure described in the following paragraphs. Johannsen5 states the fundamental concepts underlying this procedure as follows: In general, in an isotropic medium light vibrates in all directions at right angles to the direction of propagation, and when it meets with another isotropic medium at an angle, part of the light is reflected and part refracted. It has been found that after reflection or refraction, the vibrations do not move with the same freedom in every

Jan 1, 1938

By T. T. Quirke, L. C. McCabe

The object of the present investigation was to discover a physical basis for rank differentiation of coals, particularly the coals of the Illinois basin. Vitrainl was selected as the most appropriate coal material to use in the investigation, because of its homogeneity and ease of acquisition and handling. Previous Investigations.—Hoffman and Jenker2 have shown that their index of reflection is a characteristic of coal rank and that the Leitz slit microphotometer may be used in determining the different intensities of reflection. Zhemchuzhnikov3 measured the luster of several Russian coals with a color analyzer and found that the degree of luster was indicative of rank. Luster-volatile matter curves based on data from Sucan and Donetz coals were satisfactorily used for determining the rank or volatile content of other coals after the luster strength was determined. In 1934 Fisher4 reported refractive indices of 1.76 for bituminous vitrain and 1.87 for semibituminous vitrain. Investigation of Angle of Polarization.—Early in the present investigation several determinations of the refractive indices of the vitrains were made by immersing the minus 150 plus 200-mesh powder in oils. It was found that all the samples fell within the range 1.6 to 1.8. However, difficulty was encountered in securing oils in this high index range that were closely enough spaced to separate some of the coals. The writers made a number of determinations of the angle of maximum polarization from the polished surfaces of the vitrains and derived their refractive indices by the procedure described in the following paragraphs. Johannsen5 states the fundamental concepts underlying this procedure as follows: In general, in an isotropic medium light vibrates in all directions at right angles to the direction of propagation, and when it meets with another isotropic medium at an angle, part of the light is reflected and part refracted. It has been found that after reflection or refraction, the vibrations do not move with the same freedom in every

Jan 1, 1938

By R. W. Gurry

WHEN a steel in the austenitic state, with all its carbon in solution, is maintained, at constant temperature, in contact with a gas that removes the carbon from the surface, vet without otherwise altering the composition of the steel, the change in weight of the specimen, after any period of exposure, is a direct measure of the amount of carbon it has then lost. The purpose of the present paper is to show how, by application of established mathematical reasoning based on the fundamental diffusion law and on certain postulates, this loss of weight yields a complete picture of the distribution of carbon throughout a specimen of regular shape after any period of exposure, with all the accuracy required in any practical occurrence of decarburization. Precisely the same is true for the gain in weight during the reverse process of carburization, or for the gradual gain or loss of any element, so long as the steel comprises only a single phase at temperature, provided always that the experimental conditions conform to the postulates. The change in carbon content from surface to center of the specimen is always continuous, when everything is in solution, even though under the microscope the decarburized zone (or carburized rim) may appear to be sharply defined. The experimental procedure is described and some typical results are presented, which are then interpreted by application of the diffusion law. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Initially an endeavor was made to follow the gain of weight during the process of carburization in a hydrogen-toluene atmosphere, but it was soon found that the specimen became coated with graphite, which could not be removed without some loss of metal; therefore it was decided to continue carburization until the steel was saturated throughout, to remove all graphite from the surface of the specimen, and then to follow the loss of weight during decarburization in a moist hydrogen atmosphere at the same temperature as that used for carburizing. The carburizing procedure has been described in an earlier paper;1 it suffices to state here that the carburization lasted about 140 hr. at 760°C. (1760°F.) and 44 hr. at 1110°C. (2030°F.), these periods being long enough-on the basis of the calculations presented later-to ensure that the specimen was about 9.99 per cent saturated at each temperature. The speci¬men was a cylinder about 3.8 cm. long and 0.475 cm. in diameter; the materials were carbonyl iron, a commercial low-metalloid iron, and a steel with 3.6 per cent nickel and the usual proportion of other elements. The fully [carburized] specimen, after cooling at the top of the furnace tube, was placed in a lathe and sandpapered to remove all graphite; then the diameter was measured with a micrometer caliper, and the initial weighing (corresponding to complete saturation) was made. By means of a

Jan 1, 1942

• Phelps-Dodge Corp. signed an agreement with the Defense Materials Procurement Agency to increase copper production from the east ore deposit of the company's Copper Queen branch at Bisbee, Ariz. The company agreed to undertake a $25 million expansion program, including construction of a concentrating and leaching plant at the Bisbee mine and enlargement of the Douglas smelter. The Government agreed to buy the first 112,500 tons of the first 150,000 tons produced at 22e per lb if the company could not sell at a higher price. The new facilities will have a yearly capacity of 38,000 tons and should be in production by late 1954 or early 1955. • American Smelting & Refining Co. has started construction of a new building to house the Central Research laboratory at South Plainfield, N. J. It will have approximately 75 individual laboratories and an equal number of offices and shops. Modern apparatus to be installed will include electron microscopes, electric and fuelfired furnaces, miniature copper refineries and zinc plants, wire drawing machinery, and large pilot plant laboratory. In the new building scientists study the base metals, and the development of new uses for a number of Asarco by-products, arsenic, and little

Jan 11, 1951

By O. B. Hopkins

As prefatory to the body of this paper, a few general statements will be made (1) in regard to the history and importance of the asbestos, (2) as to the principal sources of the raw material, and (3) as to the types and modes of the occurrence of asbestos.

Jan 1, 1915

By A. J. R. Curtis

THE Portland Cement Association was organized more than a third of a century ago by a group of cement manufacturers, to do cooperatively the educational and research work needed to ensure proper use of their product. Specifically, the Association has a threefold purpose: (1) to search out facts to ensure the best possible service from concrete; (2) to give the widest possible circulation to facts affecting the use of concrete; (3) to urge practical application of those facts on actual building projects. An organization of technically trained men conducts many research projects in the Association laboratories, interprets their findings and applies them practically in the field. The net effect of this work has been to improve the design and prolong the life of roads, bridges, industrial, commercial and public buildings, homes, farm structures and concrete products. The results of this technical research and experimentation are made available to the entire construction industry through bulletins and reports. Information is also released to the general public through newspapers, magazines and Association publications. In addition to a technical staff in the general office in Chicago, the Association has district offices in 22 cities. Field engineers cover 37 states, the District of Columbia and British Columbia, to give service to users of Portland cement. ACCIDENT PREVENTION During the early part of the century, there began a complete transformation in the processes of manufacturing cement. Electricity, with its attendant hazards, was beginning to replace steam; huge rotary kilns and tube mills were being substituted for the vertical kiln and "coffee grinder" mill. Only a few far-sighted leaders realized the import of these innovations, and they also recognized the fact that workmen must be protected against the hazards of the new machinery. By their sincerity and firm purpose they infused into the whole industry the concept of industry's responsibility for safeguarding employees. Even before effective compensation laws had been passed in most states, the Portland Cement Association had assigned to an Accident

Jan 1, 1937

By S. E. Bronisz, Dana L. Douglass

a Uranium was deformed by cold rolling, and the effects of this plustic deformation on the microstruc-ture of the metal were observed by the technique of transmission elecbon microscopy. The recrystalli-zation of selected cold-wmked samples was also studied by this method. The samples were prepared for examination by electrolytic thinning in a standard metallographic electrolyte which has not been previously reported as being used in producing thin foils of uranium. The microstructural changes observed in the a uranium were generally similar to those seen by optical microscopy. The changes in the microstructure of a uranium following cold work and recrystallization treatments have been the subjects of several studies employing optical and X-ray techniques.12-19 These studies indicated that twinning was the redominant mode of deformation at room temperature20 and that the regions of high energy associated with the deformation twins were preferred sites for the initiation of recrystallization.15,18, Recently several workers have prepared thin foils of uranium suitable for examination by transmission electron microscopy.'-lo The foils thus prepared have been used to study fission fragment damage; a particular dislocation reaction,' and gas precipitation." At this laboratory the microstructural changes occurring during the cold working and recrystallizing of a uranium samples have been studied by using transmission electron-microscopy techniques. The foils used in this work were electrolytically thinned in a polishing bath not reported previously in the literature as being used for this purpose. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The uranium used in this investigation was depleted a uranium sheet 4 mils thick. The results of a spectrochemical analysis of this material are shown in Table I. The as-received uranium was cut into strips, 1 in. wide by 5 in. long, and annealed in vacuo at 600°C for 2-1/2 hr. The resulting microstructure consisted of relatively uniform, equiaxed grains having diameters of 10 to 50 p. Cold Working. The cold-worked samples were prepared by rolling several of the annealed uranium strips to various thicknesses. The strips were reduced 3.5 ± 0.5, 6.0 ± 0.6, 10.0 ± 0.5, 19.5 ± 1.0, and 28.5 ± 2.0 pct in thickness. It was not possible to achieve these reductions with a single pass through the rolling mill, so the strips were turned end for end during the rolling procedure. The cold-rolled strips were stored in dry ice until samples from them could be thinned and examined (within 24 hr after rolling). Annealing. The samples used in studying the re-crystallization behavior of a uranium were obtained by annealing sections of the strips which had been reduced 10.0 and 28.5 pct. These samples were sealed in evacuated Pyrex capsules and were annealed in a tube furnace at temperatures from 200" to 600°C and for times from 1/2 to 2 hr, see Table l. Thinning: The samples from the rolling and heat treatments were prepared for examination in the electron microscope by electropolishing in a bath composed of 25 g chromic acid, 133 ml glacial acetic acid, and 25 ml water. This electrolyte has been used and recommended for preparing specimens for optical metallography It was necessary to mask the edges of the sample with a stop-off paint in order to prevent preferential attack in these areas. The paint used was made by dissolving polystyrene in benzene. The electrolytic cell consisted of a cylindrical stainless-steel cathode placed in a beaker containing the electrolyte, with the sample as the anode positioned at the cell axis. The temperature of the electrolyte was held below 15°C by cooling with liquid

Jan 1, 1963

By H. V. Winchell

An examination of the Pachucal and El Oro districts in July, 1920, although cursory and incomplete, disclosed facts of more than passing interest to the student of ore deposits; and inasmuch as the literature on these districts is limited and some of their features are little understood, a brief account may prove valuable as reconnaissance observations to be amplified by more thorough and competent observers in the future. Where no complete monograph of important mining camps has been published a partial presentation of the data is often useful, as it sometimes leads to fuller and more accurate descriptions, by stimulating discussion. The following notes are presented with the consent of A. F. Main, managing director of the El Oro Mining and Railway Co., whose fund of information and wide acquaintance with both districts alone made it possible to cover so much ground in a short time. I have also to acknowledge gratefully the aid of C. A. Lantz and D. S. Calland of the Santa Gertrudis and Real del Monte companies, respectively, in connection with permission to inspect geological features of interest in their mines. Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mex. This mining camp has been described by Ezequiel Ordonez2 and by A. F. J. Bordeaux.3 Reported to have been discovered in 1522, it has produced silver valued at between $250,000,000 and $375,000,000. Subsequent to the discovery here, by B. de Medina, of the patio process. in 1557, its production was increased, and now, using cyanidation, the output of the camp is nearly one-sixth of the production of the world. Topography and Climate The Pachuca district consists of a series of mountains and valleys, the minor features of which extend in an easterly and westerly direction and reach elevations of 8000 to 10,000 ft. (2438 to 3048 m.) above the

Jan 1, 1922

By J. S. Marsh

Joseph Priestley prepared oxygen on Aug. I, 1774, and noted with great surprise "that a candle burned in this air with a remarkable brilliant flame." On Aug. 2, 1774, some ironmaker possibly began to wonder if this substance could be used to increase his rate of production; at any rate, there is no disputing the fact that the notion of using oxygen for steelmaking in concentrations greater than that available in great abundance—as air—has been in existence for years. Action was delayed by the lack of enough oxygen at a cost within reach of the steelmaker. Within the last several years enough has been available to permit large-scale tests of its use for both combustion, with which this paper is concerned, and for decarburization. The literature is now enormous and easily available; it is sufficient here to cite three items of historic importance in that all are about 25 years old and in that all are remarkably consistent as far as they go, with what is known today.1,2,3 Significance of High-temperature Heat The principal function of the open-hearth furnace is to supply sufficient high-temperature heat to melt the charge and then to increase its temperature to a range suitable for tapping, ordinarily in the neighborhood of 2900°F. That heat is required to make steel is understood by everybody; however, there seems to be some confusion now and then about the significance of high-temperature heat. Transfer of energy—and heat is energy— is always from a point of higher potential to a point of lower potential and, other things being equal, the greater the potential difference, the greater is the rate of transfer of energy. In the open hearth the flame, of course, is the high-potential source. Perhaps the most satisfactory approach is through the notion of theoretical flame temperature, which is the ratio of heat input to the heat content of the combustion products,* the former is composed mainly of heat of combustion of the fuel plus sensible heat of the fuel plus sensible heat of the combustion air. Thus, flame temperature can be increased by increasing the value of the numerator, by decreasing the value of the denominator, or both. The first method is as old as the open-hearth process and, of course, makes use of preheated air; its possibilities have been by no means exhausted. The second method can be put into effect only by changing the composition of the combustion air, since the combustion of a given quantity of fuel produces a definite quantity of product, and since the denominator includes the non-reactive fraction of the air, principally nitrogen. In other words, the denominator consists of the volume of exit gas multiplied by its heat capacity and that volume consists of carbon dioxide and water vapor as reaction

Jan 1, 1949

By J. S. Marsh

Joseph Priestley prepared oxygen on Aug. I, 1774, and noted with great surprise "that a candle burned in this air with a remarkable brilliant flame." On Aug. 2, 1774, some ironmaker possibly began to wonder if this substance could be used to increase his rate of production; at any rate, there is no disputing the fact that the notion of using oxygen for steelmaking in concentrations greater than that available in great abundance—as air—has been in existence for years. Action was delayed by the lack of enough oxygen at a cost within reach of the steelmaker. Within the last several years enough has been available to permit large-scale tests of its use for both combustion, with which this paper is concerned, and for decarburization. The literature is now enormous and easily available; it is sufficient here to cite three items of historic importance in that all are about 25 years old and in that all are remarkably consistent as far as they go, with what is known today.1,2,3 Significance of High-temperature Heat The principal function of the open-hearth furnace is to supply sufficient high-temperature heat to melt the charge and then to increase its temperature to a range suitable for tapping, ordinarily in the neighborhood of 2900°F. That heat is required to make steel is understood by everybody; however, there seems to be some confusion now and then about the significance of high-temperature heat. Transfer of energy—and heat is energy— is always from a point of higher potential to a point of lower potential and, other things being equal, the greater the potential difference, the greater is the rate of transfer of energy. In the open hearth the flame, of course, is the high-potential source. Perhaps the most satisfactory approach is through the notion of theoretical flame temperature, which is the ratio of heat input to the heat content of the combustion products,* the former is composed mainly of heat of combustion of the fuel plus sensible heat of the fuel plus sensible heat of the combustion air. Thus, flame temperature can be increased by increasing the value of the numerator, by decreasing the value of the denominator, or both. The first method is as old as the open-hearth process and, of course, makes use of preheated air; its possibilities have been by no means exhausted. The second method can be put into effect only by changing the composition of the combustion air, since the combustion of a given quantity of fuel produces a definite quantity of product, and since the denominator includes the non-reactive fraction of the air, principally nitrogen. In other words, the denominator consists of the volume of exit gas multiplied by its heat capacity and that volume consists of carbon dioxide and water vapor as reaction

Jan 1, 1949