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By J. J. Pye, J. B. Drew

The surface-diffusion coefficients of Ni63 diffusing on low-index planes of nickel single crystals have been measured over the temperature range from 400° to 1000°C using a precision autoradio-gvaphic technique. The activation energy for sur -face diffusion appears to he the same on the {111}, {110), and (100) planes and amounts to -0.60 ev. This is in good agreement with the value (-0.62 ev) reported for (111) planes obtained by mass-transport techniques. In an earlier paper, the authors have reported self surface-diffusion coefficients on silver.' In that work, a deviation of the diffusion coefficients from linearity in the Arrhenius plot was observed at high temperatures. This effect was attributed to a loss of tracer atoms into the bulk by volume diffusion. The purpose of the present work was to extend the technique developed to the nickel surface-diffusion system up to the point where volume diffusion would come into play. The nickel system especially lends itself to this technique due to the high efficiency of the isotope in darkening the film and the large absorption of the weak radiation (0.063 mev /3- particle of the trapped tracer atoms. The diffusion coefficients and ictivation energy for different orientations on nickel can also be compared with a report published by Blakely and Mykura 2 where a mass-transfer technique was used. This paper reports the self surface diffusion of nickel on the low-index planes over a wide temperature range using a precision autoradiographic technique. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The experiment is similar to that described in the earlier publication consisting of a radioactive needle as a source resting on a flat, smooth, chemically polished surface annealed in a dynamic dry-hydrogen atmosphere. The needle is held snugly on the surface by a holder fabricated from commercially pure nickel. The point source is made by grinding down a small-diameter nickel rod until a tip of approximately 0.1 mm radius is formed. It is then etched and the needle tip plated with the radioactive isotope Ni63. Nickel single crystals were used whose main impurities were spectrographically determined as Co 0.05, Fe 0.007, C 0.005, and S 0.003 pct. The surfaces, oriented to within 1/2 deg of the low-index planes, were carefully mechanically polished and etched in a 50-30-10-10 hot solution of acetic, nitric, sulfuric, and phosphoric acids giving a smooth polished surface. The crystals were then washed in distilled water and alcohol. Annealing temperatures ranged from 400° to 1000°C with a furnace arrangement in which the crystals could be brought up to temperature in times short compared to diffusing times. The temperature was maintained constant to ±10°C. In the temperature range investigated, the ratio of the surface-diffusion coefficient to the volume-diffusion coefficient (Ds/Du) was 105 or more and the mean bulk-penetration values, calculated from literature values of volume-diffusion coefficients,3 were on the order of 10-5 cm. After the diffusion anneal, the sintered needle is removed, and both the radius of the needle point and spot left on the crystal face are measured. The crystal is then placed on photographic film. Diffusion profiles are obtained by scanning the film with a recording microdensitometer which has a slit width of 10µ. DISCUSSION AND RESULTS The experimental conditions are such that the source strength and needle radius are essentially constant and the time is adjusted such that the mean bulk penetration is small. An exactly analogous heat-flow problem has been considered by Carslaw and Jaeger4 and the solution can be written in integral form as:

Jan 1, 1964

By Charles H. Fulton

There are comparatively few accurate data on the melting-or the freezing-point temperature of metallurgical slags, or on related physical phenomena, such as fluidity near the melting-point, specific heat, latent heat, etc. With the exception of the work of H. 0. Hofman,' and some older work by R. Akerman, P. Gredt, and H. M. Howe, no information is available that is of direct interest to the metallurgist. Hofman's valuable work is the only one that refers to slags produced in the metallurgy of copper and lead. The classic work of J. H. L. Vogt,2 who views slags from the standpoint of physical mixtures (solutions in which the entities are minerals), has opened up a new field in the study of slags, and has placed the investigation of such properties as melting-temperatures, etc., on a rational basis. The recent work of A. L. Day, E. T. Allen, and W. I?. White, of the Carnegie Institution, at Washington, and of European investigators3 on certain systems of silicate minerals confirms the value of the investigation of silicate series from this standpoint, and it is my aim to apply this method to metallurgical slags, in order to gain exact data of value in metallurgy. The work recorded in the present paper is the result of an investigation of reverberatory-furnace slags made for a Western smelting company to determine exactly the influence of change in composition, within comparatively narrow limits, on the melting-point. For a general discussion concerning the mineralogical character of slags and the principles on which this investigation is based, reference should be made to other work: for the subject is too large to be stated in this paper, except very briefly in the following outline:

Jan 1, 1913

By C. G. Dunn

Many investigations have been made concerning the nature of plastic deformation and recrystallization of metals either in the form of polycrystalline materials or in the form of single crystals. However, similar work on strip materials composed of large grains as thick as the strip and having a high degree of preferred crystal oricntation has not been carried out extensively. Such materials are ideal not only for studying changes in single crystals under conditions where neighboring grains exert their influences but also for obtaining the complete change in orientation of a grain or group of grains during the course of plastic deformation and subsequent recrystallization. It is well known that first-order twins in the form of Neumann bands may be produced during the plastic deformation of ferrite crystals, particularly silicon ferrite crystals.l--3 Furthermore, it is believed that high-stress regions exist in the vicinity of these bands4. and it has been said that these banded regions would be active in recrystallization processes.5 Evidence to that effect in silicon ferrite had already been presented with photomicrographs showing recrystallization among Neumann bands during the early stages of recrystallizati~n.5,6 Similar evidence has been published for nonferrous metals5 Merging of fine parallel deformation bands during annealing to form twin bands of ordinary appearance in alpha brass has been offered not only as evidence of an active role being played by mechanical twins but also as evidence that such twins cxisted prior to recrystalli~ation.5 Proof that such new structures are actually first-order twins, or even twins at all, must be considered inadequate except for those cases where X-ray or optical data have been obtained to confirm the necessary oricntation relationship.7,8 A. B. Greninger has obtained excellent iliustrations of annealing twins in alpha iron.9 Since his material was previously deformed by sharp hammering, a process that generally induces Neumann bands, the existence of twins following annealing might suggest that they grew from mechanical twins. In connection with transformation twins in alpha iron, Greninger reported that grains containing three twin orientations occurred rarely and none occurred with three sets of well-developed bands.9 The work at the Pittsfield Works Laboratory on silicon ferrite in the form of large-grained strip steel deformed a small amount and annealed to partially recrystallize the grains indicates that the deformation and recrystallization processes that lead to annealing twins involvc more complex processes than the formation of Neumann bands and the growth of such bands. Some groups of annealing twins are obtained which contain not only three well-developed twin structures, but also contain more than one order of twins. It is also shown, in one case, that an interrelated group of twins did not arise within one single parent grain and, furthermore, orientations of grains in the group

Jan 1, 1944

By Ingvar Janelid

DURING the last ten years, in the effort to save manpower and costs, methods of drilling and blasting in Sweden have changed and developed in a revolutionary manner. These developments have been accompanied by extensive alterations in methods of tunneling and in mining technique. Since the end of the 1940's there has been a 100 pct change-over in Sweden to the use of tungsten carbide tipped drill steel. Both investigations and practical results have shown clearly that a tungsten carbide chisel bit fastened directly on the drill steel is the most economical for Swedish conditions. This applies to drill steel up to the longest size it is practical to handle. In terms of drilling footage, durability of the drill steel and the tungsten carbide bit is generally the same. In this respect, therefore, a detachable bit offers no advantage over integral steel. Transportation of integral steel to the grinding plant, instead of detachable bits only, involves heavier work, but this is counteracted by placing grinding plants closer together or by grinding at the working place itself. The drilling rate with integral steel is higher, the trouble of changing bits is avoided, and the difficulties which always arise with joints are eliminated.

Jan 6, 1954

By Franz Wever

ACCORDING to Tammann,1 the explanation of the effect of mechanical deformation in producing changes in the properties of metals is one of the most important problems of physical metallurgy, taking rank with the study of the constitution of alloy systems; and this problem has long attracted-the attention of practitioner and scientist alike. Its solution was not advanced materially until Tammann2 set up his translation hypothesis with its crystallographic basis, while other hypotheses, such as the amorphous metal hypothesis of Beilby3 and Rosenhain,4 have been shown by more intensive studies to be less and less satisfactory. The principles of the Tammann translation hypothesis have proved to be useful even up to today and in spite of all of the recent accumulation of experimental data, while the differences of opinion which have arisen relate to the extent to which the hypothesis accounts for the observed changes in properties and to what extent further assumptions are necessary. Stimulated by the proposals of Tammann, there soon developed a lively experimental activity which aimed at the elucidation of the structural or crystallographic changes produced by the mechanical deformation of metals. Parallel movements of crystal "blocks" along definite crystal slip planes had already been observed by lowing and Rosenhain5 in 1900, in metals which had been moderately deformed but without shedding light on the crystallographic nature of the processes accompanying more severe deformation. The solution of this important problem was not advanced until a much later date, or until the methods of X-ray crystal analysis had become available. Shortly after the discovery of the diffraction of X-ray by crystals, symmetrical diffraction effects were

Jan 1, 1931

By Harry M. Mikami

Chromite is the only ore mineral of metallic chromium and chromium compounds and chemicals. Because of this fact, chromite and chrome ore are used synonymously in trade literature. In commercial market quotations, chrome ore is the term commonly used. Chromite per se, because of properties imparted by its chromium content, is used in refractories and in special purpose moulding sands for metal casting. There are many other minerals containing some, generally minor, amounts of chromium, but none are commercial sources of the element (Thayer, 1956, p. 15). Chromium and chromite have many diverse uses that, directly and indirectly, critically affect vast segments of our modern industrial system. Most important are probably the metallurgical applications wherein chromium is a component of heat, abrasion, corrosion, and oxidation-resistant, and high strength alloys of many types. Stainless steels are the largest volume category of chrome-bearing alloys. Chromium chemicals are used in leather tanning, in pigments, dyes and mordants, printing, :hemica1 process industries, photography, pharmaceuticals, metal plating, pure chromium metal production, and for many other purposes. Chromite is a necessary constituent in basic refractories indispensable for the production of steel, copper, cement, and glass. Under present economic-political conditions, he U.S. and for that matter, North America, has virtually insignificant ore reserves of chromite. There are chromite deposits, as will be described, but they would only be used under highly abnormal conditions if all outside sources were cut off. All chromite used in the U.S. is imported from the eastern hemisphere in which are contained the principal world reserves. As the main suppliers in 1971-72 were the USSR, Turkey, Republic of South Africa, Philippines, and Rhodesia, the strategic nature of chromite is obvious.

Jan 1, 1975

By Franklin Moeller

Considering the really short time that has elapsed since hydro-metallurgical processes of extracting copper from ores have been extensively developed, and the large scale on which this method is practised at Ajo, the successful operation of the plant must excite the admiration of every visitor. The application of the mechanical unloader to the purpose for which it is employed at Ajo is but an extension of the use for which it was originally designed, some 20 years ago, for unloading iron-ore vessels at the lower lake ports. At a time when the maximum output of a single machine, with men shoveling the ore into buckets, did not exceed 40 tons per hour, G. H. Hulett invented and constructed a mechanical unloader with a bucket of 10-ton capacity. This machine was of the steam hydrauIic type, and it is still in operation after nearly 20 years of service. Several more machines of the same type were built, but the difficulties of power transmission, and the rapid development of electrical machinery, soon led to the adoption of electrically operated machines, and practically all of the later installations have been thus equipped. This electrically operated unloader has proved so well fitted for the work that the design of the lake boats has been practically revolutionized, with special view to the ease and rapidity of unloading. It is now possible to unload a 12,000-ton vessel with four machines in a little over 2 hr. This has necessitated an increase in the capacity of the machine, and the largest yet built handles an average load of 17 tons, with a possible maximum of 20 to 21 tons. The Ajo excavator is somewhat simpler in design than the iron-ore unloader, in that it is not provided with a larry. In the unloader, the iron ore, picked up by the bucket, is delivered to a larry or transfer car which runs in the lower chord of the bridge; the larry then delivers the ore either into railroad cars, standing on several parallel tracks, or into the stock pile, thereby saving the time that would be required for the bucket to make the trip. At Ajo, the bucket delivers the tailing

Jan 1, 1920

By Howard Willey

Mining operations of the Charcas unit at present are limited to the Tiro General mine at Charcas, in the State of san Luis Potosi, Mexico. The Tiro General mine was first operated during the Spanish occupation of Mexico for rich silver ores in an oxidized zone along the outcrop of the principal vein. In depth the ore is a complex sulfide with widely varying proportions of sphalerite, argentiferous galena and chalcopyrite ; and until recent years, it was economically impossible to carry on mining otherwise than irregularly in sections of the veins richest in galena and chalcopyrite. The advent of selective flotation brought the orebody as a whole within the field of economic interest, and a flotation mill of 650 metric tons daily capacity was constructed in the year 1925. The mining of partly worked-out sections of the mine, as well as the very heavy ground in most of the stopes opened in virgin ore, presented an unusually difficult problem. This paper describes the so-called "filled top slice" stoping method finally adopted as the standard system. Physical and Geological Conditions The principal orebody of the mine is an oreshoot about 1400 ft ng in a fissure vein striking about east and west and with an average lip of 70" to the north. The footwall of the orebody is fairly cleancu and regular both longitudinally and vertically and generally shows a dell-marked post-mineral slip. The footwall rock varies from a fairly strong limestone to a broken, metamorphosed limestone which requires heavy timbering. In some sections it is an altered, crumbly porphyry, which swells badly and necessitates frequent renewal of drift and raise tirnber. The hanging wall is irregular and frequently an assay wall. The stopina width ranges from a few feet up to more than 90 ft.; it averages about 30 ft. For the most part the hanging-wall rock is a shattered and altered monzonite porphyry, nearly aways requiring heavy timbering. The orebody is greatly fractured by post-mineral movement, which usually followed the footwall and left it as a smooth surface frequently covered with a slippery clay gouge. Two well marked transverse faults

Jan 1, 1931

By R. T. McLamore

Lack of sufficient native permeability or skin damage caused while drilling wells for in situ leach mining projects may necessitate stimulating injection and production we1ls to increase the leaching rate to economic levels. Such stimulation processes could include acidization, hydraulic fracturing, or explosive fracturing. This paper describes an explosive fracturing process that is being developed primarily to stimulate the production of oil and gas wells, but may be useful in in situ leach mining projects as well. The process utilizes a liquid explosive that has unique safety features. The chemicals that form the explosive are subdivided into two pumpable, non- detonable components. Technology has been developed to pump these two components independently but simultaneously into the well and blend them together downhole to form the explosive. As such, surface facilities and personnel are not exposed to explosive hazards. The explosive formulations utilized in the process have been subjected to numerous safety and characterization tests and been qualified for use in deep wells with temperatures and pressures up to 250°F and 10,000 psi. The explosive composition can be varied to produce an explosive ranging, energetically, from a blasting agent to a high explosive that can be detonated after injection into a borehole, a porous media or into thin naturally occurring fractures within the roc

Jan 1, 1974

By G. H. Clevenger

THE reagents now used in flotation consist of various acids or salts, which may be either electrolytes or non-electrolytes, dissolved in water and some substance or combination of substances which function as collecting or frothing agents. At times the only dissolved salts present are those naturally occurring in the water used. The general effect of the electrolyte is to greatly sharpen the separation between the gangue and the concentrate. Examples of this are: The use of sulphuric acid with zinc ores; and of sodium carbonate or calcium oxide (line) with silver-gold ores. Crude pyroligneous acid is also sometimes used when available. Various oxidizing agents, such as permanganates, bichromates, etc., are added in the selective flotation of lead-zinc ores. Many other reagents for performing certain specific functions, either real or imaginary, have been proposed, and a number of them have been tried upon a working scale. The wild orgy of experimentation which is now going on in flotation exceeds even that which followed the introduction of the Washoe process for the treatment of Comstock ores, when, among other things, sage-brush tea and tobacco juice were reagents added to the pans. Out of all this will, of course, eventually come a more or less standard practice for the treatment of each class of ore. Omitting a discussion of the functions of frothing and collecting agents, the reagents used in flotation for this purpose may be classified under five general heads: (1) Essential oils; (2) fixed or fatty oils;. (3) alcohols and their combinations with organic acids; (4) coal tar and its refined products; (5) petroleum and its refined products. A flotative agent of some kind is required in flotation as now practiced. A single reagent, as, for example, certain. of the essential oils, may perform the dual function of frothing and collecting agent, or a mixture of substances may be required.

Jan 9, 1916

By Eugene Guccione

Before answering the question raised in the title, let's briefly consider how East-West trade is viewed within the entire US political spectrum. Essentially, there are four major schools of thought: (1) The Peaceful-Coexistence School. Advocates of this school call themselves free-traders and hold to the premise that: (a) trade benefits all parties involved, hence it is the best tool to achieve peace; (b) US trade barriers should be removed, and the quicker the better; and (c) negotiations, cultural exchanges, and political compromise should be used extensively.

Jan 9, 1974

By Walter Crafts

Structural steels containing chromium have become widely used in the last 20 years. In the earlier part of this period the major applications were in chromium-molybdenum aircraft tubing and similar special high-strength steels. During the past 10 years there has been a notable expansion in the use of chromium-bearing steel for structural purposes when welding was utilized for fabrication. The chromium-bearing steels introduced by Saklatwallal (chromium-copper), Kinzel2 (chromium-manganese-silicon), and Schultz3 (chromium-copper) are being extensively used at the present time. General Effects of Chromium Chromium is so widely known for its carbide-forming tendency that its capacity to stabilize oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus is often overlooked. In low-carbon steels of the structural type these so-called secondary characteristics become more prominent. For this reason also, chromium in structural steel is definitely a toughening agent. As the carbon content is increased, the more widely known hardening effect becomes more evident. In low-carbon steels chromium increases the notched-bar impact strength substantially. This property persists at subzero temperatures and is utilized for low-temperature service in chromium-copper steel.4 Chromium also reduces any tendency to strain-aging embrittlement. In addition to improving the toughness of steels with the usual impurities, chromium has the specific property of counteracting the brittleness induced by high phosphorus.5,6 In steels low in carbon and alloys, chromium has an almost negligible effect on tensile strength, and a hardening influence is noticeable only in the stronger steels. The ductility of welds adjacent to the base plate is also improved by chromium, both in the range of foolproof welding steels having strengths of less than 80,000 lb. per sq. in. as well as in the higher strength steels.

Jan 1, 1939

By Walter Crafts

Structural steels containing chromium have become widely used in the last 20 years. In the earlier part of this period the major applications were in chromium-molybdenum aircraft tubing and similar special high-strength steels. During the past 10 years there has been a notable expansion in the use of chromium-bearing steel for structural purposes when welding was utilized for fabrication. The chromium-bearing steels introduced by Saklatwallal (chromium-copper), Kinzel2 (chromium-manganese-silicon), and Schultz3 (chromium-copper) are being extensively used at the present time. General Effects of Chromium Chromium is so widely known for its carbide-forming tendency that its capacity to stabilize oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus is often overlooked. In low-carbon steels of the structural type these so-called secondary characteristics become more prominent. For this reason also, chromium in structural steel is definitely a toughening agent. As the carbon content is increased, the more widely known hardening effect becomes more evident. In low-carbon steels chromium increases the notched-bar impact strength substantially. This property persists at subzero temperatures and is utilized for low-temperature service in chromium-copper steel.4 Chromium also reduces any tendency to strain-aging embrittlement. In addition to improving the toughness of steels with the usual impurities, chromium has the specific property of counteracting the brittleness induced by high phosphorus.5,6 In steels low in carbon and alloys, chromium has an almost negligible effect on tensile strength, and a hardening influence is noticeable only in the stronger steels. The ductility of welds adjacent to the base plate is also improved by chromium, both in the range of foolproof welding steels having strengths of less than 80,000 lb. per sq. in. as well as in the higher strength steels.

Jan 1, 1939

By James Gayley

The atmosphere, which plays such an important part in the manufacture of iron and steel, is the most variable element involved in its several processes; and particularly is this true of the blast-furnace process, which consumes air in large quantitiee. At no time since the blast-furnace became an important and widely used apparatus—even when it was operated in the most crude manner—have the variations in composition of the raw materials used been as frequent and as great as the variations in humidity of the atmosphere. Important improvements have been made in the blast-furnace and its accessories, such as the hot-blast stoves, the increase in size and change in the shape of the furnace, more efficient blowing-engines, the increased protection given to the bosh-walls, and the careful preparation of the raw material, all of which have exerted a pronounced influence on the furnace-operations from a metallurgical standpoint. But during the past eight years little advance has been made in this direction; the fuel-consumption has not diminished, nor has there been any material increase in production. Within that period, however, there has been witnessed the greatest development in appliances for the economical handling of material. So complete has been the work in this direction, that, except in isolated cases, in this country at least, a further extension does not hold out much promise of a satisfactory return on the investment required. It seemed that, with the exception of the gas-engine, we had about reached the limit, for like a strong wall, the atmosphere, with its humidity as variable to-day as when first blown into a primitive blast-furnace, appeared to stand as a barrier to

Jan 1, 1905

By Alan Morris

Season cracking of brass has received wide attention and there is a wealth of technical literature on the subject. Its causes arc fairly well understood and means for its prevention are inexpensive and effective, so that the frequency of failures from this source has diminished of recent years. But its sister phenomenon, the failure of annealed brass by reason of applied tensile stress plus a certain type of corrosion, has received less attention, though it has been responsible for occasional more or less troublesome cases of cracking of brass in service. The work described in the following pages was undertaken about two years ago to determine the relative resistance of various commercial brass mixtures to stress-corrosion cracking, and to learn something of the controlling factors. By stress-corrosion cracking we mean the cracking of brass free from internal stresses by reason of applied tensile stress and simultaneous attack by certain corrosive agents. Rogers,' in discussing a paper by Hatfield and Thirkell, says: " He had also applied a solution of mercuric salt to tensile test pieces of brass whilst they were under stress in the testing machine. At very moderate stresses such test pieces cracked, and very readily broke." Moore, Beckinsale and Mallinson2 subjected test pieces to simultaneous corrosion and tensile stress. In order to determine the minimum stress detectable in brass by the mercurous nitrate test, tensile samples were placed under stress and treated with mercurous nitrate solution. They found that brass stressed below a minimum did not crack. Dr. McAdam3 has investigated the effect of corrosion on the fatigue limit of brasses, among other materials. He directed a stream of either fresh or salt water against the specimen while it was undergoing fatigue test. The corrosion-fatigue limits thus determined may be considerably lower than the endurance limit without coincident corrosion. The exact

Jan 1, 1930

By Allan T. Gwathmey, J. Bruce Wagner, Kenneth R. Lawless

Between 250°and 550°C in oxygen pressures of 10 to 760 mm Hg, the relative oxide thicknesses formed per unit time on the (100), (111), (110), and (320), decreased in this order. The predominant oxide orientation was (001)Fe3O4 and [110] Fe304 A small amount of a-Fe2O3 which exhibited a fiber pattern was observed in all oxides except those formed at 250°c in low oxygen pressures. IN order to understand the properties and behavior of thin films, particularly their role in oxidation reactions, there is needed more experimental information on their structure, composition, and kinetics of formation on clean surfaces of known geometry. The present study was undertaken to obtain such information for thin oxide films formed on single crystals of a body centered cubic metal, iron. Crystals in the form of spheres were used in order to expose all possible crystal planes to the reactant gases simultaneously. Using this procedure the relative rates of oxidation of all planes could be estimated, and those exhibiting, maximum or minimum oxidation rates could be selected for a more intensive study of composition and expitaxy. Since the three types of information were obtained from the same experiment using a single crystal substrate, any differences between rate, composition, and expitaxy on the several planes may be attributed to the influence of the substrate structure. EXPERIMENTAL The starting material for this study was Armco iron rods, 6 in. long and 3/8 or 1/2 in. in diam. The analysis was reported to be 99.8 pct Fe, with major impurities listed as carbon 0.018 pct, manganese 0.027 pct, phosphorous 0.005 pct, sulfur 0.029 pct, silicon 0.005 pct, and copper 0.11 pct. These rods were cleaned with ether and heated in an atmosphere of moist hydrogen at 950°C for three days. The purpose of this treatment was to decarburize the iron and to provide a consistent, uniform grain size for the growth of single crystals. Crystals in the form of rods, up to 1/2 in. in diam and 2 in. long, were prepared by a method similar to that reported by Leidheiser and Buck.2 Spherical crystals, 3/8 and 1/2 in. in diam and having a handle about 1/4 in. in diam by 112 in. long, were machined from the single-crystal rods. After machining, each crystal was etched in aqueous nitric acid to remove the cold-worked metal at the surface. Before each experiment, the crystal was polished mechanically with metallographic papers through number 4/0, and electropolished in a perchloric acid-acetic anhydride mixture by the method of Jacquet and Rocquet.3 The crystal was washed in running distilled water for at least 5 min. The excess water was blotted with a soft paper tissue, and the crystal was placed in an all-glass reaction vessel (See Fig. 1). The crystal was heated at 550°C in hydrogen for at least 8 hr prior to the oxidation in order to reduce any surface oxides and to help relieve any stresses in the metal. For the structure and composition studies, flat faces were cut parallel to (loo), (111), and (110) planes on the iron crystal spheres. The orientation of these faces was checked by a back-reflection X-ray diffraction technique. The faces were within 2 deg of the desired orientation. The flat faces were treated as described above except that prior to electropolishing they were given an additional polish on metallographic felt saturated with twenty-minute levigated alumina. After the crystal was heated in hydrogen for at least 8 hr, the temperature was adjusted to the desired value, and the hydrogen was evacuated. Commercial oxygen which had been purified by successively passing through tubes containing magnesium perchlorate, Ascarite and magnesium perchlorate was admitted to the desired pressure as measured by a mercury manometer. A resistance-wound furnace surrounded the oxidation chamber, and a temperature controller maintained the temperature within ±3°C. The furnace was provided with a small window for observing the crystal. The changes in thickness of the oxide films were followed by observing the interference colors. The oxidation was allowed to proceed until the desired oxide thickness was attained on a given crystal plane. The experiment was terminated by evacuating the oxidation

Jan 1, 1962

By Robert M. Grogan, Gill Montgomery

Fluorspar, the commercial name for fluorite, is a mineral composed of calcium fluoride, CaF,. Its valuable properties are due to its content of fluorine, and it is the principal commercial source of that element. The name is derived from the Latin word "fluere," to flow, because the mineral has a low melting point and is used in metallurgy as a flux. Cryolite is a sodium aluminum fluoride, Na,AlF,. It is a rare mineral which has been found in commercial quantities in only one place in the world, Greenland. Small amounts of it are shipped from stock in that country, and its place in industry has been taken over almost completely by synthetic cryolite. Because of the relative unimportance of cryolite, discussion of it has been relegated to a short section at the end of this chapter, which is principally concerned with fluorspar. History Fluorspar was used for ornamental purposes by the Greeks and Romans, who fashioned such things as vases, drinking cups, and table tops from it. Various peoples including the Chinese and the American Indians carved ornaments and figurines from large crystals. Its usefulness as a flux was known to Agricola (1564), who wrote about it in 1546. Mining began in England about 1775 and at various places in the United States during the period 1820 to 1840. Production became substantial following the development and widespread adoption of the basic open hearth method of making steel, in which fluorspar is used as a flux. After that, production and usage were stimulated by growth in the steel, aluminum, chemical, and ceramic industries and were accelerated by World Wars I and II. Fluorocarbons entered the picture in 193 1 and the use of anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (HF) as a catalyst in the manufacture of alkylate for high octane fuel blends began in 1942. The development of the froth flotation process in the late 1920s, a differential flotation scheme for separating fluorspar from galena, sphalerite, and common gangue minerals in the 1930s, and the application of heavy-media concentrating methods to the treatment of low grade ores in the 1940s were outstanding technological contributions that enabled increased production of fluorspar concentrates. In recent years the development of pelletizing and briquetting processes for making flotation concentrates into gravel-size particles for use in steel furnaces and the development of more efficient and selective flotation schemes for treating crude ores containing abundant dolomite and barite have been major improvements in the industry.

Jan 1, 1975

By J. E. Ryan

TRONA, Calif., is a miniature urban community of some 3500 people, located on the northwest shore of dry Searles Lake in the extreme northwest corner of San Bernardino County, approximately 186 miles north and east of Los Angeles. Since it is situated on the Mojave Desert, a typically desert climate prevails with wide variations in temperature between day and night, extreme daytime summer heat, and cool to cold winters. Rainfall averages somewhat less than 4 in. per year, and dust storms are common. The rate of evaporation, .however, is great, amounting to 6 to 9 ft of water per year. The extremely low humidity makes the summer heat of 110°F tolerable with only a mild, temporary discomfort. Nature of Deposit During the periods when Searles Basin was flooded, the waters that passed through Indian Wells Valley spread out to form a broad, shallow lake providing, in effect, a settling basin for suspended sediment. The drainage into the deeper and more isolated Searles Basin thus was clarified to a great degree before concentration began. Today, the elevation of the dry surface of Searles Lake is 1618 ft, and the salt deposit measures 5x7 miles. At the eastern and northeastern margins of the main playa zone and just at the foot of the alluvial slope of sand and coarser wash from the Slate Range mountains, a rim of crusted salts rises a few feet above the level of the flat. The deposit is a saline efflorescence composed of salts that were presumably brought up with rising ground waters to be deposited at the surface by solar evaporation. This deposit consists chiefly of trona, and it is after this Trona Reef that the town Trona was named. Strip mining operations have been conducted in the past at infrequent intervals for the recovery of crude trona salts. The main focal point of interest in Searles Lake from a commercial standpoint is the main salt body located almost centrally in the basin. The exposed portion of this porous saline deposit covers approximately 12 sq miles and averages 71 ft deep. Its interstitial voids, which constitute 50 pct of the total volume, are permeated with a brine, which is in equilibrium with the soluble salt deposits. The brine is the raw material for the operations of the American Potash and Chemical Corp. plant at Trona, shown in Fig. 1. The soluble salt deposits are of interest for their potential values in future technologic development. The brine, which is stratified according to slight differences in density, stands usually within 6 in. of the surface of this exposed, firm, salt body. The surface is usually dry and will support the weight of heavy mobile units and drilling equipment. Occasionally, however, surface waters from the higher watersheds encroach upon the main salt body during infrequent periods of precipitation on the surrounding mountains. This water dissolves surface salt, becomes a dilute brine, and has been observed to stand as high as 18 in. above the salt surface when undisturbed. Windstorms will shift the water back and forth across the lake surface. The exposed salt body is surrounded by additional submerged areas of commercial soluble salt deposits covering some 20 sq miles, hidden from view by marginal playa mud. These vary in depth up to as much as 30 ft. Thus, the outline of exposed and submerged salt deposits of commercial value is estimated to cover a total area of 32 sq miles, which is roughly circular but slightly elongated from northwest to southeast. It has been estimated that each square mile contains about 100 million tons% f alkali salts. The results of drill borings in the past 15 years have brought to light the interesting fact that the main salt body lies superimposed on an impervious mud deposit from 10 to 15 ft thick containing relatively little soluble salt. Under this deposit lies a second soluble salt body 35 ft deep. The lower salt body is interspersed with numerous insoluble mud lenses and its composition is considerably different from that of the primary, or main salt deposit. Recent drill borings have not penetrated beyond 300 ft. They have, however, revealed that underlying the lower salt body, the mud sediments carry deposited minerals of trona, nahcolite, mirabilite and much less soluble carbonates or sulphates of calcium and/ or magnesium. This structure is shown in Fig. 2. Current Lake Survey Program Several hundred holes have been drilled in the deposit. However, to carry out a thorough and carefully correlated study of the composition of the soluble salts and other minerals in the dry lake basin, a drilling program was inaugurated recently and is now nearing completion. In this survey, pattern drill holes are sunk at regular lh-mile intervals to a depth of approximately 150 ft. Drilling equipment consists of a No. 51 C. P.

Jan 1, 1952

By G. L. Oldright

NEARLY all of the present schemes for treating complex (i. e. lead¬silver-zinc-copper) ores are based on the idea that lead holds, and will hold for some time, the strongest economic place from the viewpoint of supply and demand of all the non-ferrous metals. Copper, it is thought, will come back to its own when European affairs are stabilized, although at that time competition from Chile, Peru, and Katanga, in particular, will be more severe than in pre-war days. The future for silver and for zinc is uncertain. New uses are developing for zinc, and the market has remained better than many expected, but the stabilization of world markets will bring in foreign competition instead of relief. The cost of producing zinc from simple zinc ores, by the retort process, will, from the nature of the labor required and the increasing cost of fuel, increase steadily. As a result, the small producers of purely zinc ores around Joplin are shutting down their mines, even with a good market price for zinc; on the other hand, the producer of lead from complex ores, in the Rocky Mountain states, is confident of a profit from the sale of his lead, and is seeking means to make the zinc in his ore pay some part of the cost of treatment. However, the tonnage costs for mining and ore dressing are much higher in the Rocky Mountain states, as may be seen by comparing tax-return statements from the various states. Even before the recent drop in the price of silver, many mines were operating on a very slender margin of profit; labor and supplies cost more. Mining at greater depth has shown most orebodies to grow increasingly more complex, so that improvements in mining and ore-dressing practice have not been sufficient too compensate for the additional expense involved in beneficiating these ores. The smelters have had to meet the same general economic situation, so they can only give

Jan 3, 1924

THE paper on "Specific Efficiency of the Blast Furnace" by Richard Franchot, which was pub-lished in the September issue of MINING AND METALLURGY, was presented for discussion at the Pitts-burgh meeting. The session opened with a discussion among S. P. Kinney, Mr. Franchot, and J. N. Reese as to the methods and results in sampling for cyanides in the blast furnace. This is covered in detail in writ-ten discussion below. T. T. Read objected to the use of the term specific efficiency as likely to be confusing. The blast furnace has to perform the function of reducing Fe, 03 to Fe as well as that of fusing the metal and, since the reduc-tion of Fe, 0? involves a CO equilibrium, it seems mis-leading to calculate efficiency on the basis of burning the , all carbon to CO? since it is not possible. Mr. Franchot replied that he used the term in the sense defined by Richards in his "Metallurgical Calculations;" but a subsequent search failed to reveal the term in Richards, who says (page 245, 1st edition): The practical conclusion is that a blast furnace generates in itself not much over 40 per cent of the calorific power of the fuel used, and rejects nearly 60 per cent; by using part of the waste gases to heat the blast, however, some of this rejected heat, to an amount representing net 5 to 10 per cent of the calorific power of the fuel used, is returned to and injected bodily into the furnace, thus rendering available for the purpose of running the furnace about 50 per cent of the calorific power of the fuel as a maximum. The efficiency with which the furnace applies this 50 per cent usefully to the objects of the reducing and smelting is another question for investigation.

Jan 2, 1927