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By Vasily P. Muravjev, Gennady I. Razgildeev

The theory of reliability is a powerful mathematical tool for determining optimum selection of components and application of electrical power to coal mines. In order to make this tool useful, statistical material on equipment life must be gathered and all failures carefully recorded. Statistical data can be applied to new apparatus design and can be used to determine optimum configuration of network and maintenance to reduce costs. Reference is made to underground power systems in the USSR. Technical progress in the last few years has occurred in the design and application of highly productive coal mining and transporting machinery. One of the most important problems facing mining engineers is to increase the availability of the machine to obtain higher productivity. However, machine failures and breakdowns of electrical power supply components cause serious delays in the coal-winning processes. In spite of the fact that electrical equipment and the power supply contribute only a small percentage of direct mine costs, electrical failures as well as power supply delays can result in severe indirect losses. It is necessary, therefore, to consider reliability and safety in the application of electrical equipment underground. To obtain the best results, it is necessary to investigate and evaluate the reliability of the electrical mining components (starters, breakers, motors, cables, etc.) and optimal methods for minimizing maintenance, the desired result being equipment which is efficient and safe. Electrical equipment reliability directly influences economics: the lower the reliability the more frequently failures occur, causing serious working delays and possibly huge economic losses. By the same token, while increasing the number of preventive maintenance calls per unit time might result in fewer failures, thus reducing delays, the cost of making more frequent maintenance inspections will increase; this is one aspect to be discussed in detail. Obviously, failures of identical types of electrical equipment (starters with the same current and voltage, etc.) are influenced variably by different working conditions, environments, quality of the apparatus, maintenance procedures (personnel, frequency, quality), load, and other factors. Hence, the lifetime of identical types of equipment will vary depending upon usage in terms of the foregoing factors. Thus for a given type of electrical component, these factors must be considered quantitatively; the interaction of all these factors are evaluated quantitatively by a statistical method using probability theory. Equipment reliability must be quantitatively determined from a study of equipment life, since no one laboratory test can reproduce all working conditions and environmental effects. Nevertheless, reliability theory applied to electrical mining equipment is a very powerful mathematical tool for selecting as well as evaluating certain parameters. It is necessary to select several reliability parameters so that one can obtain an expression for the total overall economic situation in terms of cost, taking into consideration damage caused by electrical equipment failure and cost of maintenance. To accomplish this result, such characteristics as apparatus lifetime, breakdown idle time, and losses (damages) can be determined quantitatively on a statistical basis. For identical electrical equipment working under similar conditions, the previously mentioned reliability factors are random variables and therefore can be characterized readily by a probability density function. Investigations carried out by the authors in the Kuznetsk Basin (Kuzbas) in West Siberia, USSR, show that the reliability factors of electrical mining equipment are well described by the exponential, normal, or Erlang's distribution in most cases. Mining electrical equipment life is well-described by the exponential law. The distribution of lifetime density is

Jan 1, 1971

By R. Schuhmann

D. W. Fuerstenau (Associate Professor of Metallurgy, Dept. of Mineral Technology, University of California, Berkeley, Calif.) In his excellent paper, Dr. Schuhmann has proposed a mechanism for conlrninution which can be utilized to explain a number of phenomena which have been observed in the size reduction of solids. The difference between the product obtained from a ball mill and from a rod mill can readily be explained by Dr. Schuhmann's hypothesis. Consider that the size distribution of the product from each comminution event is given by y; - 100 (x/ki) (1) where Yi is the cumulative percent finer than size x, ki is the size modulus, and is the distribution modulus for the single comminution event. The total product from a cornminution operation will be the summation of the products from all of the individual cornrninution events. If the size moduli from the various comminution events range from kl to kn , the size distribution of the total product will be a straight line on a log-log plot only to a particle size equal to k ,. Considering 100 volurnes of feed, the value of y for x equal to kl is Riven by where y is the cumulative percent finer than size kj, z is the number of comminution events of kind i, and vi is the volume of each particle crushed. y=z1 qv1+z2 qv2 (k1/k2) +.............zn qvn (k1/kn) (3) F or particle sizes greater than k1 7 e. 6. x = k3, the value of y will be given by k3 A y = z1 qv1 + z2bv2 + Z3uV3 + zn zn qvn (k3/kn)(4) Only when x is equal to k, will y equal 100. 'Thus, the total product from a comminution operation will be a straight line on a log-log plot strictly up to a particle size equal to kl and above that size the line will curve so that y will equal 100 for the coarsest particle or k, (see Fig. 1). The actual shape of the size of distribution curve will depend upon the relative number of conmninution events of different kinds. In the case of ball milling, the ratio kn/kl may be pite large and there will be considerable deviation at the coarse sizes in a Schuhmann plot. kIowever, the grinding action in a rod mill is such that fine particles are protected from the rods by the coarse particles. Consequently, kn/kl will be quite small and the product from a rod mill will give a straight line Schuhmann plot almost to y equal 100%. In his paper, Dr. Schuhmann also has presented a very straightforward definition of grindability derived from the basic energy equation E = Ak-a (5) where E is the energy required to comminute a material to a size modulus of k and A is a constant. According to Dr. Schuhmann, the grindability of a material is the volume of material comminuted finer than unit size per unit of energy expended, this being 1/A. For comparison of grindabilities at any size two numbers are required, both = and 1/A, and anyone tabulating grindabilities should give both of these numbers. Concerning the experimental determination of grindabilities, if the material being comminuted possesses distinct cleavage, the energy re quired for comminution is given by E = Ak-(a-y) (6) where y is small number less than = . Because of cleavage, less energy will be required for comminution. To be certain that cleavage does not affect the gindability of the material being tested, it is suggested that the method used by Dr. Charles for determining grindability be used to ascertain if the deviation exponent y is zero or finite. R. Schuhmann, Jr. (Author's Reply) Dr. Fuerstenau's interesting comparison of rod milling and ball milling

Jan 1, 1961

Photographs of Officers

Jan 1, 1923

By E. V. Crane

A tremendous volume of the metal rolled annually into sheets strips and coil stock finds its way to a host of stamping and manufacturing plants which are the quantity production units of the country. Considerable in volume, too, are the rolled and extruded rods which go into forging and manufacturing plants for conversion into the same general line: those widely sold metallic necessities and luxuries of the household, the office, transportation, farming and building construction. Yet, in spite of its age and its importance, the stamping trade has been doing its "engineering" largely by trial and error. Its distinctive method is shearing out and plastically working metal to finished shape in a few quick strokes with high loads and expensive tools which are warranted only by large quantities to be produced. The principal operations have many features In common with rolling and wire-drawing methods. Combinations of stresses are diffcrent, however, and details of operations are infinite in variety. An engineering study of the subject begins with stress analysis, but must go back to metallurgy for its foundation. A grouping of pressed-metal working operations according to whether the metal is (1) sheared, (2) bent, (3) drawn or (4) squeezed has proved useful. All of these groups include instances of both hot and cold operations. For discussions of metal working properties, the division between hot and cold working is taken as the recrystallization range of temperature. This, of course, brings tin, lead and often zinc into the hot-work range at or near room temperature. The outstanding hot-working press field is in forging: particularly of brass; all of which is included in the squeezing group. Shearing Operations The shearing group of operations, including blanking, piercing, trimming, shaving, slitting, shearing, notching, parting and numerous variations and combinations of these enters once or more into the production schedule of practically every stamped or forged article. The transverse stress, set up in shearing, as shown in Fig. 1A, is a combination of an angular compressive thrust and a tensile stress which is also at an

Jan 1, 1931

By L. W. Strock

Metallurgists handling lead and zinc ores have long been familiar with the spectrograph as a routine analytical tool, as its earliest regular use by American industry was in controlling impurities of zinc metal and its alloys. This application has been extended to other metal industries on an extensive scale, accompanied by refinements of procedure to such an extent that a large part of some metals produced, especially magnesium, aluminum and steel, are checked only by spectrographic methods for conformity to specifications. The spectrographic analysis of ores and other poorly conducting powdered solids presents difficulties not encountered with metallic samples, which can be arced or sparked as self-electrodes or can be readily dissolved, so that their solutions can be analyzed, as in the American Society for Testing Materials standard methods for zinc and zinc-base alloys. Spectra of powdered solid samples can be prepared by using carbon electrodes provided with a crater of suitable size, into which the sample is packed. Ore samples and many other powdered solid materials usually analyzed in the chemical and metallurgical laboratory are more complex and varied in composition than samples of metals produced in large tonnages. 'lore preliminary work therefore is usually necessary in devising a spectrographic method for analyzing a given type of powdered sample than for analyzing metal samples, in order to use that method with confidence. The howledge that the standard samples and unknowns produce equivalent line intensities at equal concentration is the fundamental basis of any quantitative spectrographic method. On the other hand, powdered samples have an advantage over metals in that any desired number of chemical compounds can be mixed dry in any desired ratio to produce a synthetic standard. Expcrience has shown, however, that spectra of elements in finely divided compounds introduced into a standard in preparing a synthetic ore sample do not always behave in the electric arc in a manner that produces spectral line intensities similar to those observed at the same concentration in a natural mineral. In ore samples minor elements frequently are contained in the crystal lattice of larger particles of an abundant ore mineral. Their dissociation and volatilization from the sample into the arc then proceeds differently in the standard and sample, with resultant differences in intensity. During the past 10 years I have devised and applied several quantitative spectrographic methods for determining various elements in rocks and minerals in connection with studies on their geochemistry,' but the incentive has gradually changed since the summer 0. 1940 to the specific practical problem of searching for domestic sources of rare and stratcgic metals. The

Jan 1, 1949

By Thomas B. Douglas

INSTRUMENTATION in the process industries can no longer be regarded as a convenience, but rather an absolute necessity. Although many chemical processes must already be conducted with instruments, every properly designed application of automatic process control will improve operation: 1) the product will be more uniform and of higher quality; 2) the manual labor saved will reduce cost; 3) uniformity of flow and uniform control of process will increase production; and 4) surges will be eliminated, making it possible to operate equipment near ultimate capacity at all times. Industrial instruments fall into two general classifications—those that measure and those that measure and control. The cement industry has been using instruments for a number of years, particularly in the burning process, primarily for indicatlng and recording. Automatic process control makes additional use of these instruments, and others, to control variables. Assisted by the instrument manufacturers, engineers at Ideal Cement Co. achieved considerable progress in determining how well the usual recording instruments could be made to control various phases of cement-making. The results of these experiments were used to make the new plant at Houston as wholly automatic as possible. The original Houston plant, built in 1937 by Gulf Portland Cement Co., consisted of only one 8 x 220-ft kiln and the necessary grinding mills and accessory equipment and had a capacity of 900 bbl per day (300,000 bbl annually). Ideal Cement Co. purchased this plant in 1940 and almost immediately started plans to increase its production. In 1941 a 9 x 220-ft kiln was installed and grinding and storage capacity were increased. The growing demand for cement in the Houston area necessitated a third kiln (9 ft 6 in. x 250 ft) in 1947. This brought the plant up to its present capacity of about 1.3 million bbl per year. Calcium silicates in cement are produced in a burning operation at high temperatures from raw mix of argillaceous and calcareous materials that have been crushed, mixed, and ground to a fine powder. The composition of this mixture must be kept consistent within narrow limits. Raw mixing and grinding may be done either wet or dry, but in both instances the materials must be correctly proportioned, finely ground, and thoroughly intermixed before entering the kiln. As the raw mix passes through a long horizontal rotary

Jan 1, 1959

By Marie Kinzel

LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, the birthplace f the atomic bomb, is one of the most famous-and mysterious-places in the world. It leaped into fame on Aug. 6, 1945, when the first atomic bomb burst over Hiroshima. Unheard of until that day, its present life is as hidden from most people as was its very existence in pre-Hiroshima days. Then, those who did know of it dared not breathe their knowledge. "What do you tell your wife when you go to Shangri La?" was the favorite quip of the few consultants who made regular trips from east or west to Los Alamos during the tense months when the bomb was in the making. Security regulations made it impossible even to hint at the rigid secrecy surrounding the project. The puzzled wives in question knew only that their husbands had top priority on airplane flights to Albuquerque. When they had verified the safe arrival of the flight, they undoubtedly breathed a sigh of relief. If they could have visualized the rest of the trip, the sigh of relief would have been replaced by a state of tizzy, until a telegram came saying "Arriving home on Flight X" (on a nice safe airplane).

Jan 1, 1946

By L. O. Brockway, W. C. Bigelow, J. A. Amy

Specimens of Inconel-X alloy solution-treated at 2050°F and aged for periods of 1, 10, 100, and 1000 hr at 1200°, 1400°, and 1600°F have been examined by electron microscopy and by electron and X-ray diffraction. Four minor phases were identified: titanium nitride, niobium nitride, an M23C6 complex carbide, and the intermetallic ? phase. The two nitrides were found in all of the aged specimens and in the solution-treated alloy, the y' phase formed at all aging temperatures, while the M23C6 carbide formed only on aging at 1200° and 1400°F. Variations in the hardness, rupture strength, creep strength, and yield strength of the alloy have been shown to be related to variation in the size and distribution of the particles of the y' phase within the matrix grains of the alloy, with maximum values of these properties occurring when there is a maximum amount of the phase present and a fine state of dispersion of the particles prevails. THE nickel-chromium alloys containing titanium and aluminum are widely used in applications requiring high strength at elevated temperatures. Studies on relatively simple ternary and quaternary alloys'-4 have indicated that the favorable high-temperature properties of these alloys are related to the precipitation of an intermetallic ?'-phase having a structure based On that of the Ni3A1 phase of the nickel-aluminum system. The present investigation was undertaken to identify the minor phases and to study the microstructural changes occurring in one of the more complex commercial alloys as a result of aging in the service temperature range, with particular emphasis on investigating the role of the ?' -phase. The microstructural changes were studied by electron microscopy and the minor phases were identified by X-ray and electron diffraction. MATERIALS AND METHODS Inconel-X alloy was selected for this investigation because the previous studies of Frey, Freeman, and white6 provided extensive information on the variations in metallurgical properties of this alloy resulting from high-temperature aging treatments. Specimens aged 1, 10, 100, and 1000 hr at 1200°, 1400°, and 1600°F were made available for the present use. These were taken from 1-in. round-bar stock of a commercial heat having the following weight composition: 0.04 C, 0.56 Mn, 6.59 Fe, 0.007 S, 0.38 Si, 0.03 Cu, 73.22 Ni, 14.97 Cr, 0.78 Al, 2.38 Ti, and 1-02 Nb. They were solutjon-treated at 2050 for 4 hr and then water-quenched prior to aging. Powder X-ray diffraction patterns were obtained from insoluble minor phases which were separated from the alloys by digestion in the reagent of Mahla and Nielsen.6 Back-reflection patterns were obtained from electrolytically polished surfaces of the bulk search to detect the ?'-phase' Cu-K a radiation was used in both cases. In the electron-diffraction studies, the general method developed by Heidenreich, Sturkey, and

Jan 1, 1959

For more than 100 years, the Republic of Chile has been one of the leading copper-producing countries of the world. Between 1877 and 1880 Chile accounted for over 50 pet of total world copper production. Today it has the world's largest known reserves of copper ore and a capability of producing over 600,000 tons per year. This capacity can and will be increased as the world demand for copper grows steadily during the remaining years of this century. The Potrerillos mine of Andes Copper Mining Co., a subsidiary of The Anaconda Co., was developed in the rugged, high Cordilleras in the early 1920's, and the townsite, concentrator, leaching plants, smelter, railroad, power and port facilities were completed so that it came into full production in 1927. Since then and until the closing o f the mine in June of last year, 1,762,192 tons o f copper were produced.

Jan 4, 1960

Sykes, W. P.-Effect of Temperature, Deformation, Grain Size, and Rate of Loading on Mechanical Properties of Metals. Discussed by Zay Jeffries, W. H. Bassett, F. E. Carter 3 Evans, Geo. Watkin.-Alaskan Coal Fields. Discussed by P. N. Moore, H. H. Stoek, G. S. Rice, H. Emerson 4 Eavenson, Howard N.-Run-off and Mine Drainage. Discussed by J. R. Campbell, Andrew B. Crichton, J. B. Warriner, R. V. Norris, H. G. Moulton, H. B. Wright 7 Andrews, Allen, and Garcia, John A.-Skip Hoisting for Coal Mines. Discussed by R. V. Norris, Geo. S. Rice, H. N. Eavenson, E. A. Holbrook, Robert Obert, Andrews Allen, T. M. Chance 12 Rice, Geo. S.-Coal-pillar Drawing Methods in Europe. Discussed by Carl Scholz, D. Harrington; H. 1. Smith 16 Knapp, Arthur.-Modified Oil .well Depletion Curves. Discussed by Roswell H. Johnson 21 Alvey, Glenn H., and Alden W. Foster.-Barrel-day Values. Discussed by Roswell H. Johnson 22 Matteson, W. G.-Secondary Intrusive Origin of Gulf Coastal Plain Salt Domes. Discussed by Eugene Coste, E. W. Shaw, Joseph E. Pogue, F. G. Clapp, E. DeGoIyer, W. G. Matteson, H. W. Hixon, R. Van A. Mills 23 Reger, David B,-Carbon Ratio of Coals in West Virginia Oil Fields. Discussed by J. T. Singewald, Jr 33

Jan 5, 1921

NEW MEMBERS The following list comprises the names of those persons who became members during the period Feb. 10, 1916 to Mar. 10, 1916. ALLAN, FERGUS L., Min. Engr., Cons. Min. Engr., Mexico Mines of El Oro, El Oro, Mex. ARMSTRONG, EMERSON WARREN, Met.,. Mina Bibilonia, La Libertad, Nicaragua, C. A. BABB, P. A Blaisdell Coscotitlan Syndicate, Pachuca, Hgo., Mex. BANDY, PERCY J Fundicion Delicias, Calle Delicias, Mexico, D. F. BELLWALD, J. N Apartado 1488, Mexico, D. F. BILLICK, DON CARLOS, Min. Engr., Supt., Hess Gold Mines Co., Alturas, Modoc Co., Cal. BITLER, FRANK L., Cons. Min. Engr., Birkinbine Engineering Offices, Parkway Bldg., Broad and Cherry Sts.. Philadelphia. Pa.

Jan 4, 1916

By J. J. Crowe, G. K. Burgess

PAGE, Theories of Allotropy of Iron........... 667 Previous Determinations of A2 and A3 in Iron........ 668 Critical Ranges as Determined by Expansion........ 669 Critical Ranges by Thermoelectric Observations........ Critical Ranges in Terms of Crystalline Structure....... 670 Critical Ranges as Detected by Mechanical Methods...... 670 Critical Ranges as Given by Electrical Resistance....... 670 Critical Ranges as Determined Magnetically........ 671 Critical Ranges as Determined Calorimetrically....... 673 Critical Ranges from Heating and Cooling Curves....... 673 Summary of Previous Determinations of A3 and A2 in Pure Iron.... 675 The Present Investigation............ 678 The Experimental Method........... 678 Arrangement of the Apparatus.......... 679 The Measurements of Temperaturc.......... 679 The Measurement of Time........... 679 The Thermocouples............ 681 Temperature Scale and Calibration of Thermocouples...... 681 Mounting of Thermocouples........... 682 The Differential Measurements.......... 682 The Furnace and Accessories........... 682 The Vacuum Pump............ 683 The Energy Supply............683 The Rheostat.............. 683 The Materials Investigated............ 685 Sources of Iron............. 685 Preparation and Description of Samples......... 685 Chemical Analyses............. 687 The Experimental Data............. 688 The Preliminary Observations.......... 688 The Definite Series............691 Description of the Plotted Curves........... 694 The Effect of Plotting at Different Intervals........ 694 The Curves of the Definite Series.......... 695 . The Curves of the Preliminary Series......... The Existence of Other Critical Ranges......... 696 The Microscopical Examination........... 697 Summary and Conclusions............ 698 Bibliography............... 701 Plates................ 704

Jan 1, 1914

By John D. Sullivan

ALUMINUM and magnesium plants in the United States underwent enormous wartime expansion which made many wonder if ghost plants would result when industry swung back to a peacetime basis. Production capacity of primary aluminum ingots was stepped up from 150,000 tons annually to about 1,150,000 tons; magnesium production increased from 2500 tons in 1936 to nearly 200,000 in 1943, with a production capacity of some 300,000 tons. Not only was primary metal production enlarged but also the capacity of prime fabrications such as castings, forgings, extrusions, and sheets was correspondingly increased. In mid-December it was estimated that production of primary aluminum ingots in the United States in 1946 will be about 410,000 tons while consumption will be about 500,000, close to half of the wartime consumption. The 1946 estimated consumption of secondary aluminum is 200,000 tons. The critical shortage of soda ash is hindering production of primary metal, and the outlook for an early relief of this shortage is dark.

Jan 1, 1947

By E. W. Engle

Fox several years the Fansteel Products Co. has been engaged in the production and development of various of the rarer metals. It is at present engaged in the commercial production of tantalum, tungsten, and molybdenum in a very high state of purity. The information contained in this paper is partly a general compilation from various sources and partly information obtained as a result of recent years of work in the laboratory of this company. Tantalum, tungsten, and molybdenum form a group peculiar to themselves among the commercially available metals. Their very high melting points (tantalum 2770° C., tungsten 3350° C., and molybdenum 2550° C.) set them apart so far as the metallurgical processes for their production are concerned. Further, when properly prepared and treated they will stand a somewhat unusual degree of cold work, that is work below the temperature at which marked crystal growth takes place. Such cold-worked metal may show a high tensile strength; tantalum to 130,000 lb. per sq. in., tungsten to 490,000 lb., and molybdenum to 260,000 lb., in the form of fine wire. In physical appearance, these metals are not unlike some steels; they may be better described by saying that polished tantalum some¬what resembles lead; polished tungsten, iron; and polished molybdenum, nickel. The polished surfaces of all three remain untarnished in ordinary air. Air containing corrosion-producing impurities will, in general, show molybdenum the least resistant to corrosion and tantalum the most resistant. Molybdenum has, however, a high degree of resistance to corrosion by hydrochloric acid, a property that should render it of commercial interest. On the other hand, it is markedly attacked by some of the weaker organic acids.

Jan 3, 1925

By F. R. Hensel

PURE silver and silver-lead alloys have been studied as to their suitability for bearings.1-8 A review of the properties of thallium and the silver-thallium constitutional diagram was made by the author to analyze the possibilities of silver-thallium compositions for antifriction materials.† The silver-rich end of the diagram as reported in the literature9-11 was found to be sketchy and it was necessary to carry out considerable experimental work to arrive at definite conclusions. Some of the results of this work are reported in this paper. TEST MATERIALS In the beginning of the work, only fused alloys were investigated. Later, research [TABLE I. Composition of Fused Silver thallium Alloys Tested for Antifriction Properties PERCENTAGE ALLOY No.OF THALLIUM 15330.48 153406 231 HT2.04 2312.10 232 HT3.83Balance 2324.07Silver 233 HT5.86 2336.38 2349.84 234 HT10.07] was carried out on electroplating methods and diffusion processes. In preparing the fused alloys, care was taken to exhaust the toxic fumes caused by the thallium content. The compositions of the series of fused alloys are listed in Table I. The silver-thallium alloys were melted in clay-graphite crucibles and cast into preheated steel molds of 3/4-in. diameter. In the cast condition, they showed a cored structure, as indicated by the micrographs of Figs. I to 3. The etching reagent used was a mixture of 2 grams K2Cr2O7, 8 c.c. H2SO4, and 100 c.c. H2O. The cored structure is unsatisfactory for the type of corrosion resistance required for bearing applications, and homogenizing experiments were carried out at various temperatures, the results of which are shown in Figs. 4 through 8. The alloys with a lower thallium concentration, which were heated for 2 hr. at 525°C. show an almost completely homogenized solid solution type of structure. With higher thallium concentration, the homogenizing temperature was dropped to 475°C. to eliminate the formation of a liquid phase. It is evident that heating for 2 hr. at this temperature did not result in complete elimination of the cored structure. As would be expected, cold-working of the cast structure is an expedient in establishing equilibrium conditions. The fine homogeneous grain structure shown in Fig. 7 corresponds to the cold-worked area under the Rockwell ball penetration when the hardness was taken before heat-treatment. A detailed structural study was made on a cast silver-thallium alloy containing 3.67 per cent thallium. Three micrographs (Figs. 9, 10 and 11) show the transition

Jan 1, 1945

By Henry M. Howe

The object of the present paper is to suggest injecting into the hearths of iron blast furnaces, whose temperature has become unduly lowered, some form of fuel whose calorific intensity, under the peculiar conditions existing there, is considerably higher than than of liquid petroleum, the rose of this substance for melting out chills having grievonsly disappointed the high hopes which were at first entertained of it. A chill being a fall of the temperature below that needed for the complete liquefaction of the slag, which requires, according to Plattner, about 1800' C., one would suppose that the chief thing to be accomplished in curing it would be to raise the temperature in the crucible of the furnace. The most obvious ways of doing this seem to be to raise the temperature of the blast, and to increase the amount of fuel in the crucible itself. Simply increasing the rate at which the blast enters the furnace, if carried beyond a certain point, should lower the temperature in the crucible. The existence of a chill shows that the fuel is arriving too slowly at the tuyeres. If air be introduced so rapidly as to he in excess of that required for the combustion of the fuel, all that excess will simply lower the temperature around the tuyeres, carrying the region of intense heat upwards, and weakening its intensity by increasing its size. Up to a certain point, increasing the rate of introducing the blast will increase practically pari passu the rate at which the fuel reaches the tuyeres. But when mechanical obstructions, which so often accompany chills, retard the descent of the fuel, there must be a point beyond which this does not hold good, and beyond which farther

Jan 1, 1883

By Joseph C. Buchen

IN principle, production of salt from sea water is a simple operation. Sea water is trapped in ponds, the sun and wind cause evaporation of the water, and what is left is principally salt. Commercial production of solar salt, however, requires a careful consideration of many factors. Obviously, sufficient evaporation must take place throughout the making season to produce an economically adequate crop. Other factors are density of soil, contour of ground, height of ground above sea level, minimum dilution from fresh-water streams, and distance from market. Unfortunately, in the United States the localities of greatest evaporation, allowing for the other factors, are not the most suitable for the manufacture of sea salt by solar evaporation. The south end of San Francisco Bay most

Jan 1, 1937

By L. E. Wemple

Previous to 1915, zinc refining had not become a general practice among the zinc smelters in the United States. Such refining as had been carried on was confined chiefly to remelting very high-leaded zinc, such as third-draw metal from the retort furnaces, and slab dross, and hard spelter from galvanizing pots. In this remelting operation, the lead and iron were settled out and the refined spelter obtained graded fifth class, ie., Prime Western. Owing to the presence of lead in most zinc ores, the bulk of the spelter produced by direct smelting is of this Prime Western grade. Careful selection of ores of low lead content gave purer grades of spelter, z.e., Brass Special and Intermediate; and smelters which could secure ores carrying practically no lead produced high-grade spelter. Thus, in general, the grade of spelter produced by any smelter was predetermined by the purity of the ore it could obtain. The needs of the warring nations of Europe for enormous quantities of cartridge and other high-grade brass resulted in such a demand for the purer grades of spelter that the available supply of lead-free and low-lead ores could not produce the quantity required. Prime Western grades went begging, so to speak, while high grades sold at times from 5 to 15 c. per pound over the Prime Western market. The great demand, coupled with the wide market margin, which permitted the inherent costs and losses, resulted in the conversion of the lower grades into higher grades by processes of refining. These conditions also accentuated the development and size of the electrolytic plants, which were being worked out at the time this increased demand for pure grade of metal occurred. The electrolytic process, where available, produces a higher grade of spelter from impure ores than does the fire process; a large portion of those impurities in the ore, which by the distillation process would be carried into the spelter, are removed in the leaching of the ores and the purification of the solutions. The refining process, adopted at a number of smelters for the purpose of converting low-grade spelter into grades suitable for bras4 was that of redistillation.

Jan 1, 1918

Domestic: Middle West-,11.. B. Newcombe Eastern District-J. French Robinson1 Kansas-Henry A. Ley 2 Oklahoma-Henry A. Ley 3 Texas, except Gulf Coast and Panhandle-M. G. Cheney 5 Texas Panhandle-W. E. Hubbard and H. E. Crum 6 Gulf Coast-L. P. Teas 7 South Arkansas, North Louisiana and Mississippi-H. K. Shearer 8 Foreign Mexico-V. R. Garfias and C. 0. Isakson 9 Canada-Line M. Farish 10 Venezuela-C. W. Hamilton 10 Colombia-J. T. Duce 12 Peru-O. B. Hopkins 12 Trindad-Williaim J. Millard 13 Dutch East Indies-Fred B. Ely 13 Rumania-I. I. Gardescu . .. . 14 India-Eric J. Bradshaw 14

Jan 1, 1931

By J. H. Brophy, A. L. Prill, H. W. Hayden

An error lzas been found in the conventional way of determining the time exponent of linear shrinkage for the solution-precipitation stage of liquid-phase sintering. Large amounts of shrinkage due to initial rearrangenzent result in erroneously low exponents and tni si dentification of the rate-controlling process. Two alternative, mathematically correct, methods of calculation are applied to existing data on Fe-Cu, WC-Co, and Tic-Ni-Mo. This results in reidentifi-cation of the rate-controlling process and somewhat better agreement with related data. In each case the solution-precipitation process is solution-controlled and not diffusion-controlled. THE liquid-phase sintering process has been the object of a considerable amount of research for many years. Linear shrinkage vs time data at various sintering temperatures have been used recently in an attempt to identify the prevailing mass-transport processes in a number of metallic and nonmetallic systems. There is an analytical error inherent in the methods previously used for handling data during the "solution-precipitation" stage of shrinkage which must be recognized before the correct rate-controlling processes can be determined. It is the purpose of this paper to show how the error has affected previous conclusions and to suggest corrections. A number of mechanisms have been proposed to explain experimental observations during sintering in the presence of a liquid phase. The earliest of these is due to Price, Smithells, and williamsl who attributed the observed growth of the solid phase to the simultaneous solution of smaller particles and growth of larger particles. From the work of Lenel et al.2,3 and Gurland and Norton4 has come the suggestion that the liquid-phase sintering process may be divided for analysis into three steps: 1) rearrangement upon formation of the liquid phase; 2) solution and reprecipitation of the solid phase in the liquid; and 3) "coalescence" or a final stage of sintering, characteristically slower than the solution-precipitation process. The sequence of steps is shown schematically in Fig. 1. Kingery5 presented a thermodynamic and kinetic analysis of the first two "stages" of the liquid-phase sintering process in which the functional dependence of lineal shrink- age on time at temperature was used to identify the rate-controlling mass-transport process. Table I summarizes the time dependences and processes considered by Kingery.5 This method of data presentation has been employed by Kingery and coworkers for Fe-CU,6 WC-Co, and a number of nonmetallic systems," and bv Whalen and Humenik for Tic-Ni-Mo and Fe-cu.8 In each of these studies, the rate-controlling step during the "solution-precipitation" stage was identified from the slope of the curve in that stage on a logarithmic plot such as Fig. 1. However, in all of the previous studies, at a certain composition, relatively large amounts of shrinkage due to rearrangement preceded the solution-precipitation stage. Under these conditions, the larger the amount of rearrangement shrinkage the

Jan 1, 1965