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By M. R. Geer, H. F. Yancey

WITH the exception of pneumatic processes and ii few special beneficiation methods of comparatively limited application, all mechanical coal-cleaning and mineral- dressing processes involve the admixture of solid particles with a liquid, generally water. Upon completion of the beneficiation process the solids must be reclaimed from the water. With coarse particles separation of solids from water is accomplished readily by the simple expedient of screening, but recovery of fine solids presents a much more difficult problem. Thickening and dewatering are practiced so generally, both within the mineral industry and else- where, that they have been the subject of study through the years and a number of processes for making the solid-liquid separation have been developed. Dorr-type thickeners have been standard equipment for many years, and more recently driers employing centrifugal force have gained in popularity. 1 A cyclone device employed to thicken the loess suspension is a novel feature of the loess heavy-medium coal-cleaning process developed by the Netherlands State Mines in the thirties. The cyclone thickener was first mentioned by Driessen2 in 1939 in a paper describing the loess process and has been the subject of two more recent reports by the same author.3 The cyclone does not differ greatly from cyclone dust collectors used in this country for years, except that it is operated wet rather than dry. Advantages of the cyclone over other thickening devices are its simplicity of construction, high capacity, and the fact that, having no moving parts, it is simple and inexpensive to operate. The Bureau of Mines became interested in the cyclone after one of the present authors observed it in operation in the Netherlands in 1945. The first experimental work with the cyclone conducted by the Bureau of Mines was an investigation of the unit functioning as a heavy-medium cleaner for fine coal-a use for the cyclone that was conceived long after it had been perfected as a thickener. The results of this investigation were published last year.4 The present investigation deals exclusively with operation of the cyclone as a thickener. OBJECT AND SCOPE OF INVESTIGATION Although the cyclone thickener has been dealt with in three reports by Driessen, its use as a thickener was not the principal subject of any of these reports and therefore neither the cyclone itself nor its operation was described completely. The design of the cyclone was described only in a very general way, only limited operating results were given, and virtually nothing was disclosed about the influence of the various possible operating variables. Moreover, the Netherlanders apparently had employed the cyclone exclusively for thickening loess and had not employed it on coal slurries. One English colliery has used a cyclone to thicken coal slurry,5 and as it appeared that

Jan 1, 1948

By J. Washburn

Two simple types of dislocation distribution were introduced into zinc crystal specimens and the effect of each on the stress-strain curve was investigated. Quantitative results were obtained for simple edge dislocation arrays and for an array of screw dislocations lying in the slip plane. A CCORDING to present knowledge, the disloca-tions present in large annealed metal crystals can be divided into two somewhat arbitrary groups: 1—single dislocation lines distributed more or less at random or forming elements of a three-dimensional network in which the distance between adjacent dislocations is of the order of 10 2 to lo-' cm and 2— widely separated planar arrays of edge dislocations forming dislocation walls or small angle boundaries within which adjacent dislocation lines are spaced at much smaller distances (lo-' to 10- hm). The former can be considered as a dislocation interpretation of the mosaic crystal proposed by Darwin and Ewaldl, ' 40 years ago to account for anomalously high integrated intensities of X-ray diffraction maxima. Small angle boundaries, although now known to be present in most single crystals used for mechanical testing, were not generally recognized by the early workers. This was partly due to the fact that only recently have improved X-ray and metal-lographic techniques been available for checking the macroscopic perfection of crystals."" It has long been known that changes in growth conditions and in annealing procedure, which might logically be expected to cause variations in the structural details of both the dislocation network and of dislocation boundaries, produce marked variations in some mechanical properties such as yield strength." However, no quantitative experimental correlations between changes in dislocation distribution and changes in mechanical properties have yet been made. Such a correlation has been difficult to obtain because, even when great care is exercised to keep the histories of a number of single crystal specimens identical, it usually has not been possible to avoid considerable variation in macroscopic per- fection.' The number and orientation of dislocation boundaries vary from specimen to specimen. This has probably been an important contributing factor to the large scatter in the results of most mechanical measurements on pure single crystals. Some recent experiments"% ith single crystals of zinc have shown that the presence of dislocation boundaries in a specimen can increase its resistance to deformation by slip. With polycrystalline aluminum and nickel, there is also evidence that dislocation boundaries within the individual grains of the aggregate can increase the resistance of the material to plastic deformation, either as measured by tension tests at room temperature or by creep tests at higher temperatures.'" " Although the foregoing observations seem to have established the fact that substructure can have a strengthening effect, the test conditions were too complex to give much information concerning the mechanism. In the foregoing cases, a network of intersecting boundaries having various orientations and boundary angles were present. Before their apparent strengthening effect can be understood, it will be necessary to isolate and study separately the effect of a number of variables: 1—boundary angle, 2—boundary orientation with respect to the active slip direction, 3—number of boundaries, 4—intersections of boundaries, 5—detailed structure of the boundaries, and 6—interaction of impurity atoms with dislocations in boundaries. The object of the present work was to study the effect of dislocation boundaries on flow stress under the following simple experimental conditions: 1— substantially pure shear deformation and 2—boundaries of controlled angle, orientation, and number. In this way, it might be possible to distinguish the important variables from the relatively unimportant ones. Experimental Procedure Stress-strain curves of hexagonal metals are generally nearly linear even out to very large strains."

Jan 1, 1956

By P. F. McIntyre

Electrolytic refining of lead was first carried out on a commercial scale at Trail, B. C., in 1903. The capacity at that time was small, and cell-changing operations were managed with chain block and monorail. Development up to 1922, utilizing crane installations and cell additions, attained a production of 100 tons per day. Successive additions from 1922 to 1926 further increased the rated capacity to 396 tons per day. Other improvements in metallurgical practice have gradually increased production, until for the year 1935 it was 448 tons per day. During the first five months of 1936, an average daily production of 504 tons was maintained without increasing the size of the plant. Lead Refinery Buildings.—The tank room and the lead-melting and casting equipment are housed in two buildings, which parallel each other and which for the greater part of their lengths are joined by a connecting aisle. All basements, walls, sumps and floors are of concrete. Where exposed to the electrolyte, the concrete has a protective coating of asphalt (220" melting point) over a coat of asphalt paint as a primer. Buildings erected before 1924 are of wood. More recent additions are made of structural steel with gunite siding. A brick building, adjoining the older section of the tank room, houses the slimes-treatment plant. The power house, containing motor generators, air compressors and rectifiers, is constructed of tile. Cell Construction.—The electrolytic cells are of reinforced concrete lined with asphalt. They are cast in pairs, the outside dimensions of a double cell being 113 in. long by 73 in. wide by 48 in. deep. The bottom is 6 in. thick and the sides, ends and center wall are 4 in. thick. A ledge 3 in. wide and 2½ in. deep is left along the top of the side walls to carry the insulators and bus bars. Reinforcing consists of ½-in. round iron rods. Cell inspection and repair work is done in conjunction with the cell-changing operations. The repair work necessary is usually confined to renewing chipped asphalt, unless a tank has been accidentally broken. Minor concrete repairs can be easily made in place. The broken concrete

Jan 1, 1937

By Robert W. Thomas

During the past 20 years the advantages of reinforced concrete as a substitute for timbering in so-called permanent mine openings have been fully recognized, and its use has become almost general practice in the larger mines. The term "permanent mine openings" is used advisedly and is assumed to embrace such openings as ventilation shafts, material shafts and main hoisting shafts, with their adjacent stations, ore pockets, etc. In the concreting of such openings, the actual cost as compared with that of timbering has been of secondary consideration, the support of large openings, elimination of fire hazards, and prevention of interruptions to production being the primary objectives. The ultimate economy, however, of lining such openings with concrete when they are to remain in use during the entire life of the mine, and especially when they are in bad ground, will seldom be questioned. During this 20-year period there have appeared in engineering publications a number of interesting articles on the use of concrete in mines, nearly always describing some specific project of major proportions, such as the concreting of ore pockets, large stations or main hoisting shafts. Such articles are unquestionably of interest, since the projects require considerable engineering thought, not only in the method of excavating large openings, but in their engineering design as well. Concreting of main hoisting shafts, particularly when this is done with the least possible interruption to production, provides some interesting problems. The concreting of haulage drifts of the dimensions commonly found in mines, on the other hand, soon develops into a routine operation, therefore it is with some hesitancy that the author attempts to prepare an article on this subject. The writer can recall only one article on the concreting of mine haulageways, although several articles have been written concerning the concreting of tunnels considerably larger in dimensions than those required in general mine practice.' From the scarcity of articles on the subject, it would seem that the concreting of haulage drifts is still far from being considered general

Jan 1, 1937

By C. R. Fulton

The idea of making permanent magnets by sintering is not a new one, but until the introduction of the iron-nickel-aluminum permanent-magnet alloys there was little need for such a process. Permanent-magnet alloys in use up to the time of this development could be forged and machined to the exact size or shape required without too much difficulty. These new Fe-Ni-A1 alloys, which have become known as Alnico in this country, soon became very popular because of their superior magnetic properties, but when they were made by casting they did have some disadvantages when compared with the older type of permanent-magnet steels. Among these disadvantages were the following: 1. It was almost essential that they be cast to size, since they could not be readily forged or machined. The material could be ground but this was quite expensive, particularly for small magnets in large quantities. 2. The material had a large grain size and was mechanically weak. 3. Close tolerances could not be held and on small magnets this meant grinding almost the entire magnet. Because of the brittle nature of the material, there was considerable loss due to chipping and cracking during these grinding operations. 4. Because of its high aluminum content, the molten alloy had a high surface tension. It was difficult to prevent loss of aluminum by oxidation during the melting operation. In view of these difficulties it is not hard to understand why a process for sintering alnico was developed, or why sintered alnico has come into such widespread use in recent years. It might be well to qualify this by saying that it has come into widespread use for small magnets weighing 2 oz. and less, of the type shown on Fig. I. In this size range, sintered alnico has been able to compete in price with cast alnico. Magnets larger in size, of the type shown on Fig. 2, can be made but they do not compare favorably in price with the cast material. An idea of the range of sizes that have been produced is given by Fig. 3, which shows a small magnet weighing 0.006 oz. and a large magnet with a steel insert weighing 4 lb., both made from sintered alnico. Magnets weighing more than 2 oz., however, should not be made from sintered

Jan 1, 1945

By D. G. Swarthout, J. W. Savage, R. W. Guard

The Nb-N constitution diagvam has been examined from 1100° to 1450°C at 1 atm N2 pressure. On the basis of- our work plus that of Brauer and coworkers the stable nitvide Phases are: a) a solid solutlion, basic niobium (bcc) with nitrogen contained interstitially; NbN,, x = <0.40; b) ß NhNx,x = 0.39 to 0.45; hexagonal (W2C type) (NbzN); a =3.058A,c = 4.961 + 0.001A c) y NbNx x = 0.75 to 0.80; tetragonal (distorted NaCl type) (Nb4N3); a = 4.386A,c = 4.332 + 0.001A; d) 6 NbN,, x = 0.88 to 0.91; cubic (NaCl type); a = 4.3885 + 0.0007A; e) E NbNx x = 0.92 to 1.00; hexagonal (Tip type); a = 2.958A, c = 11.272 * 0.0015A. In addition, a metastuble transition phase 6&apos; has been observed and occurs only during the transition 6 — E. 6&apos; NbN has these distinguishing parameters: NbNx,x = 0.96; hexagonal (anti-NiAs type); a = 2.94A, c = 5 .46A. The high-temperature phase fields in the system are governed by two reactions: a) 6 + Y + E, a entectoid reaction occurring at 1270" ± 20° C; b) o + N2 = E, a 2 012 1 reaction occurring at 1370" ± 20° C. As part of a study of the electronic low-temperature. properties of transition metal nitrides, a number of specimens of niobium nitride were prepared. Preliminary observations on these specimens showed several points of disagreement with data already in the literature. It was, therefore, decided to determine the constitution diagram for the Nb-N system between 1100" and 1450°C. The objective of this research was to define the temperature and composition regions of stability of the various phases and to explain the differences among previously proposed diagrams. Review of Previous Literature. The research on the Nb-N system to 1964 has been summarized by storms.&apos; Although he does not present a phase diagram, his review covers the research on the system thoroughly. One of the earliest works on NbN is that of Ascher-mann and coworkers2 who studied the superconductivity of the cubic 6 NbN. Subsequent work by Horn and ziegler,3 Cook, Zemansky, and Boorse,1 Rögener:5 Schroder6 and sellmaier7 has qualitatively confirmed the first results on superconductivity, although their methods of preparation differed considerably. The constitution diagrams proposed for the system by Brauer and Esselborn8 and Elliott9 are shown in Fig. l(a)and (b). The diagram in l(a) has been modified by more recent results in Brauer&apos;s laboratory (private communication). Although 6&apos; is shown on this diagram, Brauer has indicated that he now believes 6&apos; to be a metastable phase in the temperature range shown. The diagram of Elliott, Fig. l(b), is based primarily on the results of Elliott and Komjathy10 on ni-trided niobium strip or rod specimens examined by X-ray diffraction and metallography. It will be noted that these proposed diagrams are in conflict with respect to the temperature and composition ranges of

Jan 1, 1968

By Stephen Taber

A VEIN may be defined as an aggregation of mineral matter, more or less tabular or lenticular in form, which was deposited from solution and is of later origin than the inclosing rock. This definition differs from the one found in many text-books in that no assumption is made as to the origin of the space occupied by the vein or the manner in which the mineral matter was deposited. In the present paper the writer purposes to discuss the mechanics of vein formation, and does not wish to begin by begging the question. The origin of ore deposits has been diligently investigated in recent years, but, while much has been written concerning the chemistry of the process, the physical side of the question has received less attention. The source of the ore minerals; the chemical composition of ore-hearing solutions; the relative importance of magmatic and meteoric waters as agents of concentration; and the causes of mineral precipitation have all been discussed at length. On the other hand, little has been written concerning the mechanics of vein formation, and the theories given in text-hooks today are essentially the same as those developed by the early Cornish and Saxon miners. Early investigators often regarded both veins and dikes as igneous in origin, but today the theory that vein minerals have been deposited from solutions, either liquid or gaseous, is firmly established. The latter view is supported by the fact that many vein-forming minerals are not found in unaltered igneous rocks; by evidence obtained in the laboratory regarding the solubility of minerals; by the presence of many ore minerals in hot-spring waters; by the occurrence of some veins in regions consisting exclusively of unaltered sedimentary rocks; by evidence as to the temperature at which some minerals are formed; and by the absence of mineral segregation due to difference in specific gravity. There is still, however, much difference of opinion as to whether certain tabular-shaped &apos;masses should be classed as veins or as dikes. Some of

Jan 8, 1918

By C. M. Shigley

Tan record of the largest magnesium plant in the country utilizing sea water as a primary raw material stands as another victory in the struggle for large-scale production of pure chemical elements from the oceans. Bromine was the first element to be economically and commercially recovered when, in 1933, a six million pound per year unit was built on the Atlantic Coast near Wilmington, North Carolina, by the Ethyl-Dow Chemical Co.1 The bromine was reacted with ethylene to produce ethylene dibromide, a necessary associate of tetraethyl lead in ethyl antiknock fluid. Within eight years that plant was doubled and redoubled, and another large unit was put into operation at Freeport, Texas, taking bromine from the Gulf of Mexico. In 1940, in fortunate anticipation of the impending demand for magnesium and the limitations of the production from natural brines, the Dow Chemical Co. turned again to the sea, and designed and erected a plant at Freeport to produce 18,000,000 lb. of magnesium per year from sea water.2 In March 1941, two months after the new plant had been put into successful operation, construction of an 18,000,000-lb. Government-financed addition was started. Late in 1941, as a part of the $400,000,000 defense program intended to produce 600,000,000 t0 700,000,000 lb. of magnesium per year, Dow was asked to build and operate for the Government a 72,000000-lb. plant near its original plant at Freeport. Within a few days after the Japanese made their attack at Pearl Harbor, preparation of a site was started at Velasco, Texas, for the construction of the Texas plant of the Dow Magnesium Corporation-the largest known magnesium plant utilizing sea water as its raw material. Less than six months after the first piling was driven, urgently needed magnesium was in steady production. Five months later, the plant had exceeded its rated capacity. It remained above rated production until the general magnesium curtailment was applied to Government-owned plants in September 1944. Credit for the construction and operation record of the Dow magnesium plant must be divided among the efforts of a very determined group of men, an extremely favorable location, and a simple process. It is with the two latter aspects of the plant that this article will deal. The site for the new enterprise was chosen near Velasco, Texas, on property bordering the Brazos River at a point approximately 6 miles inland from the original magnesium plant and y miles inland from the Freeport Harbor on the Gulf of Mexico. This location was far enough away from the operating units to reduce both interference from construction and the vulnerability of closely bunched manufacturing operations to the then feared air attack. Yet the distance inland was not too great for the economical construction of a barge canal from the harbor to serve both the transportation of raw

Jan 1, 1945

By Norman Brown, J. V. Rinnovatore

Substructures in explosively deformed and annealed ß brass have been examined by electron microscopy. In the explosively deformed condition, the structure contains a large density of straight screw type dislocations. Subsequent annealing up to 300oC produces low angle boundaries, which are characterized by superlattice dislocations, and expanded and contracted nodes. Evidence is given where two a(111) superlattice dislocations combine to form two a(001) superlattice dislocations. It is also shown that annealing at 400°C the networks disappear and that quenching from 400" C produces square and circular prismatic dislocation loops that lie on (100) and (111) planes, respectively. THE purpose of this work was to determine the effects of explosive deformation and subsequent annealing in a superlattice using electron microscopy. One of the first observations of explosively deformed structures was made by Hornbogen1 on a iron. Hornbogen found that screw dislocations were most prominent in the explosively deformed structure. He explained this result by suggesting that the edge components of dislocation loops move with the velocity of the shock front leaving a trail of extended screw components. Kressel and Brown2 observed explosively deformed Fe3A1, which is basically a body-centered type of superlattice in terms of dislocation geometry, and found that, as in the case of iron, screw dislocations were most prominent. It was also observed2 that, in cold-rolled and explosively deformed nickel, screw dislocations did not predominate, but rather a uniform network of dislocations was present in which the orientation of the dislocations was random. (Cell structures also have been observed by Nolder and Thomas3 for copper and by Johari and Thomas* for nickel). Kressel and Brown2 discussed the difference between dislocation morphology for bee and fee metals in terms of dislocation mobilities. They suggested that edge dislocations have a greater mobility than screw dislocations in bee metals but not in fee metals. Thus, the idea offered originally by Hornbogen1 is not valid since it should apply equally to fee and bee systems but does not. The results of recent work by Mikkola and cohens on explosively deformed Cu2Au are consistent with other observations for fee metals. They found that dislocations were randomly arranged but there was no significant cell formation. At high shock pressures, deformation twins are produced in fee metals.&apos; High pressures in bee metal should induce the bee — fee transformation while the metal is under pressure. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The Cu-Zn alloy used in this work contained 51.4 wt pct Cu. Specimens of 0.5 in. diam and 0.012 in.

Jan 1, 1968

By Theodore Simons

(Butte Meeting, August, 1913.) DURING the last half century a great amount of ingenuity and energy has been devoted to the invention of appliances for the recovery of valuable minerals from very fine sands and slimes. The reason for this is that in almost every dressing plant the greatest losses of values, considered relatively as well as absolutely, occur in the treatment of slimes. The natural aim of mill operators to minimize these losses has in recent years received another impetus, from the fact that the gradually diminishing occurrence of high-grade ores makes a more intense recovery of values from existing resources absolutely necessary for profitable operation. The results of such attempts are found in the appearance of a great number of machines and appliances which make it profitable to-clay to rework old dumps, containing the tailings of older processes. A constantly growing difficulty of obtaining skilled labor and the increase in wages made it prohibitory to employ those types of machines which required much attention, and in the middle of the nineteenth century the various concentrating tables of the percussion type, which automatically discharge their products, began to take the place of the intermittent tables, on which, when the bed had reached a certain thickness, operation had to be stopped in order to allow the skimming by hand of the separate layers formed on the table. In the course of years, two general types of machines evolved for the treatment of fine sands and slimes : The so-called concentrators and vanners, on the one hand, and the buddies and round tables on the other.1 For the profitable treatment of the very finest slimes, round tables have as a last resort proved more satisfactory and economical than other machines.

Jan 7, 1913

By Matti J. Saarivirta

The relative machinabilities of the precipitation-hardenable Cu-0.9 pct Cr, Cu-0.25 pct Zr, and Cu-0.9 pct Cr-0.25 pct Zr alloys are improved from 18 to 80 pct by 0.75 to 1.25 pct Pb. The Lead also improves the tensile strength, hardness, ad resistance to softening of the Cu-Cr and Cu-Cr-Zr alloys. When the alloy containing 0.7 to 2.2 pct Cr, 0.10 to 0.25 pct Zr, 0.75 to 1.25 pct Pb, and balance copper is solution-annealed at 1000°C (1830°F) and then aged at 525°C (Y75°F), tensile strength of 65,000 psi, 16 pct elongation, 62Rb hardness, and 84 to 87pct IACS electrical conductivity are obtained. The copper base Cu-Cr, Cu-Zr, and Cu-Cr-Zr alloys have high electrical and thermal conductivities, high strength and resistance to softening at elevated temperatures, but their machinability is poor, i.e., close to that of the pure copper. In the manufacture of various components such as welding electrodes or electrical and thermal conductors it is ofter desirable that the alloy have good machinability for high production rates and long tool life. Thus, alloys that combine these properties may be used not only for existing applications, but for new ones where good machinability is a requirement. This investigation was undertaken to improve machinability without impairing other desirable characteristics of the Cu-Cr, Cu-Zr, and Cu-Cr-Zr alloys. These commercial alloys contain about 0.4 to 1.2 pct Cr, 0.10 to 0.25 pct Zr, and balance copper. Lead was selected as an element that should improve the machinability and possibly other characteristics of the alloy. WORK PROCEDURE This investigation began with a study of the effect of lead on the hardness, tensile strength, electrical conductivity, and machinability of the binary alloy containing 0.10 to 1.30 pct Cr and balance copper. This was followed by an investigation of the effect of lead on the Cu-0.1 to 0.4 pct Zr and Cu-Cr-Zr alloys. The alloys were made from initially oxygen-free copper and for comparison some castings were made from phosphorus-deoxidized Lake Copper. Commercially pure chromium, zirconium, and lead were used for alloying. In melting the chromium was added to molten copper at 1400°C (2550°F), the heat held for 15 min at temperature, and the temperature then lowered to 1350°C (2460°F) when the other elements were added. The alloys were held for 15 min at this temperature and cast into a cast-iron mold. One-kilogram, 3-in.-diam castings were made. An argon cover was maintained during melting and casting to prevent oxidation. The chemical compositions of the alloys are shown in Table I. The micro structure and properties of the alloys were studied in the cast and wrought conditions prior to and after various solution-annealing and heat-treating cycles. The relative machinability was determined as a function of the lead content and compared with the free-machining Cu-lpct Pb alloy. To determine the machinability, 13/16-in.-diam cast specimens were cut by a machine hack saw using a constant cutting speed of 50 fpm, a fixed feed force, and a new blade for each alloy specimen. Molybdenum highspeed steel saw blades, 0.032 in. thick with 14 teeth per in., were used in all tests. No cutting fluid was used. Five tests were made on each specimen and the average elapsed time per test was taken as a measure of the relative machinability for that alloy. The variation of cutting time for each alloy was less than 110 pct.

Jan 1, 1969

By John C. Branner

Shales rich in oil are found at several places along the coast of Brazil. The material has been prospected at several places, and samples have been examined and reported upon by competent authorities. So far as I am acquainted with them, these oil-bearing beds are of Tertiary age. A glimpse at the distribution and character of the Tertiary rocks of the region should give us some idea of the possible distribution of these oil-bearing shales. Tertiary rocks skirt the northeast coast of Brazil from the northern part of the State of Espirito Santo almost or quite to the Amazon valley. Here and there this narrow strip is cut in two by the encroachment of the sea, and the underlying gneisses, granites or other crystalline rocks are exposed upon the beach. In other places, the Tertiary belt widens out until it is 80 kilometers or more in width. Fig. 1 is a sketch-map of a part of the coast-area referred to. Along the coast from Prado, in the State of Bahia, northward to Natal, there is a line of bluffs from 15 to 90 meters high, interrupted here and there by stream-valleys. As seen from the sea, these bluffs are rather conspicuous and highly colored yellow, brown, red, white, black, and purple. These colors are often so mingled as to give the beds a mottled or parti-colored appearance. Fig. 2 shows a characteristic bit of the coast in the State of Parahyba do Norte. In some places, especially in the southern part of the State of Sergipe, and in the northern part of Rio Grande do Norte, the immediate coast is covered with sand-dunes. Here and there these sanddunes have been carried inland over the top of the Tertiary beds, and the subsequent encroachment of the sea has exposed the Tertiary rocks again, where they form the bases of the bluffs. This is well shown in Fig. 3, from a photograph taken at Bahia Formosa, on the coast of Rio Grande do Norte.

Jan 1, 1901

By Leonard D. Jaffe

In recent years, the advantages of tempered martensite as a microstructure for steel parts have been well established. For parts that must not fracture brittlely when loaded at high rates, at low temperatures, or under conditions of combined stress, tempered martensite is especially desirable. One of the factors that determine whether a steel part will have a martensitic structure after heat treatment is the hardenability of the steel. Despite the large amount of recent research, there are still many unsettled basic questions concerning hardenability and its relation to chemical composition, and, indeed, considerable disagreement among investigators in the field. Much of the uncertainty that beclouds the existing knowledge of hardenability arises from the fact that hardenability is still a wholly empirical concept, and has not been quantitatively related to the more fundamental knowledge of isothermal decomposition of austenite. Hardenability is, essentiaily, a measure of the time required for small percentages of austenite to decompose, during continuous cooling, to pearlite, bainite, proeutectoid ferrite, or proeutec-toid carbide. In the practical heat-treat- ment of steel, also, the decomposition of austenite is usually not isothermal but rather during cooling, or, in general, is not at a single constant temperature. Thus, both hardenability and practical heat treatment involve anisothermal decomposition of austenite. In a previous publication1 the author and his collaborators outlined the principles that govern the relations between isothermal and anisothermal decomposition of austenite, and reviewed the experimental information available in 1945. To avoid repetition, familiarity with that article (Paper I) will be assumed, and attention given primarily to work carried out or published since 1945. The method generally employed was explained in Paper I: anisothermal transformation is studied through investigation of the effect of holding austenite at one temperature upon its subsequent decomposition at another temperature. Both temperatures are below the stability range of the austenite. This paper is confined to studies in which only a small amount of transformation occurred at the first temperature. This is the only case of importance in practical heat treatment when an essentially martensitic structure is sought. Materials and Procedure It was necessary to use different steels for the studies involving proeutectoid ferrite and for those involving proeutectoid carbide, beeause the two constituents have not been found to form in the same steel. Several steels were tried and rejected

Jan 1, 1949

By P. B. Leavenworth

Twenty-six fields were found in the Texas Gulf Coast in 1940 as compared to 17 fields in 1939. Of these, 14 were oil fields and 12 were gas and distillate. About 150 wells were drilling at the end of the year. Production for the year 1940 amounted to 104,127,247 bbl. as compared to 100,-253,937 bbl. for 1939. Considerable wildcatting for Wilcox production featured the exploration, but discoveries were few and the type of fields found mainly gas and distillate. On the whole, the program was discouraging. New Fields Alta Lomu. Galveston County.—The Alta Loma field was discovered on May 20, 1940, by the Stanolind Oil and Gas Company&apos;s No. I John A. Hulen, which blew out at a depth of 9166 it. and ran wild for several days, with an estimated production of 400 bbl. per hour of 36" gravity oil from a sand in the top of the Frio. Water soon appeared but the well produced more than I3o,ooo bbl. of oil between May 20 and June 10, together with a large amount of salt water. Later the well was killed and recompleted on Nov. 23, for 276 bbl. of 34" gravity oil per day. Probably this was the most sensational discovery of the year, although development to the end of the year was disappointing. The discovery was the result of reflection seismograph work of the Stano-End Oil and Gas Co., the principal leaseholders. Bailey&apos;s Prairie, Brazoria County.— Glenn H. McCarthy9s No. I W. B. Munson was completed in a lower Frio sand from perforations 11,345 to II,349 ft. for 8 bbl. of fluid (50 per cent black oil, 27" gravity, and 50 per cent B. S. and W.) on Sept. 24, 1940. It was finally recompleted as a gas well from perforations 11,631 to 11,651 ft., on Oct. 9, 1940. The well had been drilled to a total depth of 11,860 ft. This well produced for only a short time and the area is at present inactive. Blessing, Matagorda County.—The Texas Company&apos;s No. I A. B. Pierce was completed from a Frio sand from 8265 to 8300 ft. on July 8, 1940, for an initial production of 29 bbl. of distillate, I 1/2 million cu. ft. of gas. One other gas and distillate well was completed in 1940. Borden, Wharlon County.—J. F. Hutch-ins&apos; No. 2 A. P. Borden Estate was completed on Feb. 11, 1940, for 108 bbl. of 35,6° gravity oil, from a Frio sand at 4758 to 4771 ft. This is the second well drilled in the area by Hutchins. Two other wells in 1940 were failures and there was no activity at the end of the year. Dyersdale, Harris County.-The Dyers-dale field was opened by the completion, on Sept. 15, 1940, of H. C. Cockburn&apos;s No. I G. Burkitt from a sand in the top of the Frio, through perforations from 4067-4072 ft., for 240 bbl. of low-gravity oil. By the end of the year the field had been fairly well outlined and did not appear to be a major discovery. Duck Bay, Calhoun County.—Coronado Oil Company&apos;s No. I Welder, alter having drilled to 10,002 ft., perforated casing from 5654 1/2 to 5659 it. and was completed for 60 bbl. of 36.8° gravity oil On July 27, 1940, from a Miocene sand.

Jan 1, 1941

By H. J. Donnell, B. C. Parks, O&apos

In 1930 the late Dr. Reinhardt Thiessen set up a method of microscopic analysis and type classification of coal that has since been followed as standard practice in the coal-petrography laboratory of the Bureau of Mines. Thiessen&apos;s terminology which designated the constituent parts of coal in terms of botanical origin was introduced in 1920.1 The technique, however, of preparing a completely representative series of thin sections from a column sample of coal for use in making quantitative determinations of coal components with a microscope was developed about 10 years later by Thiessen and coworkers G. C. Sprunk and H. J. O&apos;Donnell.2 Complete thin-section analyses subsequently have been made of 126 column samples of various ranks and types of American coals. The data and information were assembled from these thin-section studies and published in a large number of reports dealing chiefly with investigations of the coking and hydrogena-tion properties of certain American coals. In the years following adoption of Thies-sen&apos;s method, a considerable amount of work was done in collecting column samples of many coals, making routine thin-section analyses of these, interpreting the results, and finding practical application for the information in other fields of coal research. The many reports and papers covering the work in coal petrography, however, offer very little discussion that can be considered as critical appraisal of the technique. Criticism outside the Bureau most often has voiced questioning opinions concerning the accuracy of the method used of measuring coal components microscopically and classifying the coal into arbitrary types on the basis of the quantitative determinations. The principal purpose of this paper is to discuss in some detail and present data showing the results of certain investigative work done in the petrography laboratory on the accuracy of the Bureau&apos;s method of microscopic measurement of components in coal thin sections. Data from microscopic analyses on file made by G. C. Sprunk and H. J. O&apos;Donnell were freely used in the investigation, and a table of columnar analyses from an unpublished manuscript by Sprunk is included in this paper for reference. In the course of the experimental work a method was developed for measuring in-strumentally with a planimeter the components shown in micrographs of selected thin sections. Measuring coal components with a planimeter furnished useful information for studying the accuracy of microscopically measuring the same components in thin sections. Petrographic Components and Type Classification of Coal Thiessen considered coal to be composed of two visibly different major components present in various types of coal in greatly varying proportions. He named

Jan 1, 1949

By G. O. Prickett, P. Somasundaran

An experimental progmm based on statistical principles is used for optimizing a flotation operation for the separation of minerals. In this case, flotation of sylvite from sylvinite ore with amine and starch as the flotation reagents was studied to find the optimum reagent levels at various slime levels. The experiments were first done on a two-level three-factor design. Analysis of the results showed that the interactions between various factors were significant. Hence, a first-order linear model of the flotation response would not be accurate. The two-level three-factor design was expanded into a composite design in order to test the fit of a higher-order model. Data were treated to obtain an expression for flotation response as a function of the different variables, to predict the optimum reaaent levels at various slime levels, and also to determine the path of steepest ascent. Tests around the predicted optimum and along the path of the steepest ascent were done until a near-optimum region was obtained. Exploration of the nature of the response surface in that region established the actual location of the maximum response. The optimum amine level was found to be 0.20 lb of amine per ten of ore at all slime levels, while the optimum starch level varied as a function of the slime present. Computer access at the laboratory by means of a teletype terminal on a commercial time-sharing system enabled efficient and accurate treatment of experimental data. The efficiency of experimental investigations can be improved significantly by the use of experimental design and data analysis based on statistical principles. The common approach used in experimental research is to study a property of a system as a function of "one-variable-at-a-time". Several authors&apos;-4 have pointed out the inadequacy and deceptiveness of this method. Results obtained for the effects of a variable on the measured response of the system using

Jan 1, 1970

By F. G. Miller, T. D. Mueller, L. B. Davidson

A mathematical model of reservoir behavior during one cycle of the intermittent steam injection process is presented in this paper. A cycle of the process is considered to be composed of three stages: injection, condensation and production. The model concentrates on behavior during the production stage. The influence of several parameters on production improvement is described, using the results obtained with a numerical equivalent of the model. Reservoir system parameters considered are thickness, reservoir thermal conductivity, oil viscosity, solution gas-oil ratio and the change in oil effective permeability with temperature. Operating parameters investigated are heat injection rate, steam temperature and cumulative injection time. In the face of considerable uncertainty, the model appears to give a fair prediction of the behavior observed during an actual test. This makes the model a useful means of selecting projects. It is shown that the model may also be utilized to select an optimum set of operating conditions for a particular project. Results of this study show the extent to which production improvement depends on each of the parameters investigated and give an indication of the range of system conditions within which the process would be effective. INTRODUCTION In recent years the intermittent steam injection or steam soak process of oil recovery has become a popular method of improving recovery in reservoirs bearing high-viscosity hydrocarbons. Production improvement due to the process results from heating the reservoir near the wellbore. The process is applied on an individual well basis and is executed in a series of cycles, each consisting of three stages: injection, condensation (the soaking period) and production. During the injection stage, high-pressure steam is injected into the reservoir surrounding the well-bore. This study assumes that injection is carried out over the entire vertical section of the reservoir rock that can be exposed to fluid injection. The condition of steam entering the reservoir is considered to fall within the following limits: (1) steam pressures less than 1,000 psig, (2) steam temperatures between 300 and 700F and (3) steam quality less than 90 percent. The last restriction is due to equipment limitations. Normally, injection re maintained for less than 3 weeks. After termination of injection, the condensation stage begins. The well is shut in for several days, supposedly to make certain that the injected steam condenses. This condensation would insure the retention of injected heat. The production stage is initiated when the well is opened again. Reservoir response during this stage determines the effectiveness of the process (response is defined as the oil production rates, the water production rates and the wellbore temperatures observed during the entire production stage). The immediate response of the reservoir is sometimes quite good. Sets of case histories by Longl and by Owens and Suter2 give some typical figures for response. Duration of the production stage is equal to the time needed for the oil production rate to decline to some predetermined value. This usually requires 4 to 6 months. Termination of the production stage coincides with the start of the next cycle. The process is continued, cycle by cycle, until it becomes unprofitable to continue. One simple model2 and two more sophisticated models3,4 of the process have been presented. These are based on fundamentally different assumptions than those used in this investigation. Although the three models might be modified to fit the assumptions used in this study, it is felt that greater rigor would result by developing a

By J. A. Scott, F. R. Hensel

The paper deals with the investigation of two types of coreless induction furnaces, one of 60 cycles, the other of 5000 cycles. Nickel was used as test material and the absorption of oxygen by molten nickel was chosen for determining the influence of the frequency on the metallurgical characteristics of the furnaces. Dr. Herty&apos;s aluminum method, slightly modified, was found suitable for determining the nickel oxide content in nickel. Also an electrolytic method for determining alumina in nickel was worked out. The solubility-temperature relations for nickel oxide in molten nickel were determined approximately. It was found that the solubility of nickel oxide increases with the temperature. Comparative tests on the rate of oxygen absorption made in a 60 and a 5000-cycle furnace showed that the absorption of nickel oxide in nickel is an increasing function of turbulence, time and temperature. The rate of oxygen pickup in the 60-cycle furnace is about three times as great as in the 5000-cycle furnace. In the 60-cycle furnace the maximum oxygen content of the melt comes close to the saturation limit. Melting under an oxygen-free atmosphere prevents oxidation in both types of furnaces. DISCUSSION (Iloward Scott presiding) H. Scott, East Pittsburgh, Pa.—When Professor Desch was in Pittsburgh recently he mentioned that the induction furnace has practically replaced the crucible furnace in Sheffield except for the carbon tool steels. Dr. Hensel is to be congratulated on the development of analytical methods for determining inclusions and for getting two different methods to agree. F. R. Hesnsel—Recently the purification of molten metals with hydrogen or other suitable gases has become an important issue and a number of patents have been taken out covering gaseous treatments of molten metals. In this connection I wish to call

Jan 1, 1933

By B. Ancker, E. R. Parker

The small-angle dislocation-boundary density of nickel and some of its alloys was investigated as a function of strength. It was found that the strength is a linear function of the density for pure nickel and for Ni-Ti alloys, but not for Ni-Co alloys. The results are interpreted in terms of dislocation theory. THE processes by which metals deform are still poorly understood, even though there has been a concentrated research effort in this field during the past fifteen years. Single crystals and individual grains in polycrystalline aggregates often develop a subgrain structure when deformed. Substructure formation occurs as a result of local plastic bending and its development is augmented by annealing at moderate temperatures.&apos; Investigations made to date, largely qualitative in nature, have shown that the substructure is composed of a network of small-angle boundaries. The purpose of the present paper is to present some quantitative data on substructure (obtained by X-ray techniques) and to correlate the results with the strength of the metal in which the substructure existed. Nickel and some of its alloys were used for the experiments. The presence of certain kinds of foreign atoms greatly alters the formation and effect of the substructure. Polycrystalline tensile specimens were prepared from high purity nickel, two Ni-Ti alloys, and two Ni-Co alloys; the composition of these materials is given in Table I. Tensile specimens having a reduced section 1/4 in. diam by 3 in. long were machined from materials which were refined, cast, forged, and swaged in the authors&apos; laboratories. The specimens were annealed for 1/2 hr at 1150°C, a treatment which produced grains having a diameter of approximately 0.5 mm. This rather large grain size was used to facilitate later examination of the substructure. Duplicate specimens of pure nickel and of each alloy were strained various controlled amounts in tension at room temperature and recovered for 1 hr at 800°C. (This strain induced prior to recovery will be referred to hereafter as the "prestrain.") One of each of the recovered specimens was pulled in tension at room temperature to obtain the stress-strain curves. The other bar was cross-sectioned in the gage length, carefully polished, and deeply etched to remove all cold-worked material. This specimen was then examined by the X-ray microscopic technique2 to determine the nature and magnitude of the substructure. The use of duplicate specimens permitted a direct correlation between tensile properties and substructure characteristics. X-ray microscopic studies were made with an apparatus constructed to have an average resolving power of about 4 microns. The monochromatic radiation reflected from grains which were oriented favorably was recorded on fine-grain photographic plates. These were examined at Xl00 which represents the true magnification, since there was essentially none in the X-ray system. This permitted detection of angular differences between subgrains of as little as 10 min. A very large number (over 100) of grains for each specimen was examined at this magnification and the number of substructure boundaries per grain was tabulated. An accurate relative measure was obtained under fixed experimental conditions, e.g., same grain size, resolving power, magnification, etc. The greatest source of error lay in counting the subboundaries, but this proved to be surprisingly small when repeated counts were made by different investigators. Furthermore, as the subsequent analysis indicates, whatever human error was introduced was not significant. Analysis of the Substructure Data When the number of substructure boundaries per grain was plotted against the frequency, skew (asymmetrical) distribution curves of the type shown in Fig. 1 were obtained. These are smoothed curves for the 1 atomic pct Ti in nickel alloy subjected to various prestrains and are representative of the curves obtained with all the metals. Since skew-distribution curves cannot be analyzed by elementary statistical methods, detailed investigations were undertaken in order to 1—test the consistency

Jan 1, 1955

The regular activities of the Insti¬tute are financed mainly by income derived from members&apos; dues, from advertising in MINING AND METALLURGY, and from the sale of publications to the public. In addition, collateral activities and special projects are financed each year by means of income from endowed funds controlled and administered by the Institute. In the aggregate, the principal sums of these endowments amount to more than $560,000. An active effort is being made to in¬crease the endowment funds of the Institute through a standing committee, of which H. T. Hamilton is chairman; Paul D. Merica, vice-chairman, and of which the other members are: W. H. Aldridge, George D. Barron, Cleveland E. Dodge, John V. M. Dorr, Howard N. Eavenson, D. C. Jackling, Henry Krumb John M. Lovejoy, Harvey D. Mudd and J. V. W. Reynders. This committee feels that there exists a tremendous opportunity for the Institute to be of ever-growing service to the public, to the mineral industries, and to the profession. It welcomes suggestions as to names of men of means who are vitally interested in the mineral industries, and to whom the opportunity to make a contribution or bequest might appeal favorably if presented in the proper light by the committee.

Jan 1, 1943