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By J. S. Ross

Although the opinion has prevailed for several years that bottoni-hole choking under certain flow conditions should effect an increase in flow efficiencies, the use of bottom-hole chokes until recently has been limited in application mainly because of mechanical difficulties encountered in their construction. Within the past year, however, bottom-hole choking, through the development of a removable type of choke, has been applied successfully under various conditions of flow in many Mid-Continent fields. The observation of these field tests indicates that bottom-hole choking, although not applicable to all flow conditions, has an important place in the operation of oil and gas wells. This paper gives briefly the conclusions drawn from the data obtained from the experiments with this bottom-hole choke under various flow conditions, and a description of the choke and its operation. Purpose of Bottom-hole Choking Since, in a normal well, the velocity with which the column of gas is moving generally has a direct bearing upon the quantity of oil it can lift, probably the main purpose of bottom-hole choking is to accomplish an increase in the velocity of this- rising column, particularly in the lower portion of the tubing string. This it does first, by expansion of the free gas accompanying the oil; next, by liberation and expansion of some of the occluded gas normally carried in the oil to the surface; and lastly, by atomization, which results in a more intimate and uniform mixture of the oil and gas. It is apparent, then, that if this velocity, particularly in the lower portion of the flow string, at a given rate of production, is inefficiently low, owing either to an insufficient supply of gas or to excessive surface choking, and slippage takes place, bottom-hole choking should bring about an increased velocity of the gas and hence an increased lifting capacity. But if the velocity of the column of gas at this same rate of production through a surface choke alone is at or above a velocity necessary to lift the oil efficiently, increasing the velocity by bottom-hole choking would probably serve no useful purpose, other than to steady the flow by the better mixture of oil and gas and to lower delivery pressures.

Jan 1, 1932

By B. K. Miller, R. S. Bradley

THE principal producing areas of fire clay in Missouri are: (I) the east central district, which includes Audrain, Callaway, Montgomery, Warren, and Boone Counties [ ] (Fig. I); (2) the St. Louis district, which includes St. Louis and St. Louis County; (3) the north central Ozark district, which includes Franklin, Gasconade, Osage, Maries, Phelps, and Crawford Counties. Most of the semiplastic[$] fire clay is found in Audrain, Callaway, Montgomery and St. Louis Counties, and in St. Louis. Flint fire clay is found in Callaway, Audrain, and Montgomery Counties and in most of the north central Ozark district. High-alumina diaspore clay is found only in the north central Ozark district, except a few deposits found in Montgomery County. This paper is concerned with the semiplastic fire clay that occurs in the east central Missouri district near Mexico, Audrain County, Missouri, which is mined by the open-pit method as practiced by the A. P. Green Fire Brick Co. About one-fourth of the semiplastic fire clay in that district is mined in shaft mines, and three-fourths in open pits.

Jan 1, 1941

By John S. Brown

As a part of a symposium on the relations of structure to ore deposition, in February 1938, the writer presented some tentative opinions derived from his experience with a number of important lead-zinc replacement deposits. These ideas were set forth, as a basis for discussion and a stimulus to further inquiry, in a mimeographed leaflet that read as follows: Intimate acquaintance with a number of lead and zinc deposits in metamorphosed limestones seems to indicate the existence of certain common features from which can be established some general principles governing the localization of ore in this type of formation. It is suspected that these principles can be applied, with modifications, to mineralization in unmetamorphosed limestone. In metamorphosed formations, some observed rules are as follows: 1. Bands or masses of pure limestone are very resistant to replacement by ore solutions, and are likely either to contain no ore or to resist replacement until near the end of mineralization. The reason for this apparently is physical, not chemical, since microscopic data indicate that when ore is deposited by far the greater part of it substitutes for carbonate. The chief factor is believed to be a lack of porosity in massive limestone that has undergone flowage and recrystallization. 2. Masses of intensely siliceous or silicated rock are likewise unfavorable ore receptacles. This seems to be accounted for by two factors: (a) chemical unsuit-ability or resistance to replacement, and (b) physical resistance to small-scale brecci-ation, which might faeilitate the opening of effective channelways for solutions. Some low-grade ore may occur, however, and also sporadic fracture fillings. 3. The optimum condition for ore reception appears to be found in bands or areas containing carbonate and silicates (or quartz) intimately mingled in something like equal proportions. In this situation movement is likely to result in mixed flowage and fracture, producing a finc-textured porosity that admits solutions freely and provides access to an abundance of replaceable carbonate. Cleavage cracks in some minerals such as diopside are believed to facilitate the penetration of solutions. 4. Certain minerals or assemblages are regarded as favorable impurities in a limestone and others as unfavorable. Original quartz, and subsequently developed diopside, and perhaps garnet, are typical favorable pre-ore gangue; in general rather equidimensional, brittle minerals. Tremolite, biotite, and probably wollastonite, are typical unfavorable pre-ore gangue; in general highly elongated and somewhat flexible minerals likely to develop under strong shearing stresses. 5. Tentative opinion is that the ratio of lime and magnesia in a limestone is of little or no importance.

Jan 1, 1941

By G. W. Maynard

In this paper I desire to embody the results of some personal observations of the working of the Siemens direct process as I witnessed it for a part of three days at the works of the Siemens-Anderson Company, in Pittsburgh. This preliminary investigation was to have been followed up by one extending over a considerable period of time, and would have embraced analytical and physical tests. Circumstances over which I had no control, resulting in the temporay suspension of work, have postponed the presentation of a complete paper. If the opportunity is afforded me, I purpose doing this at a future meeting of the Institute. To those interested in the development of the process, reference is made to the papers of Dr. Siemens in the Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute for the years 1873 and 1877, and to the paper of our late lamented brother, Holley, in the 8th volume of the Transactions of our owu Institute. Dr. Siemens, in the introduction to his paper "On the Manufacture of Iron and Steel by Direct Process," read before the Iron and Steel Institute in september, 1877, says: " In mixing comparatively rich iron ore in powder with about 25 per cent. of its weight of pounded coal, and in exposing this mixture for some hours to the heat of a common stove or of a smith's fire, metallic iron is formed, which, on being heated to the welding-point on the same smith's hearth, may be forged into a horseshoe of excellent quality. The admixture with the ore of some fluxiug materials, such as lime or clay, will, in most cases, be of advantage to rid the iron of adherent slog." This is the keynote of the Siemens direct process. Dr. Siemens says further: " If we regard the production of wrought iron from an abstract point of view, we perceive that we have to accomplish two things, viz., the deoxidation of the ore, arid the fusion of the earthy matter mixed with it; and if we calculate the amount of carbon necessary to accomplish this end, weshall rind that in using, say, hematite ore, consisting of peroxide of iron with from 10 to 15 per cent. of silica, we shall require barely 40 per cent. of carbonsceous matter per ton of iron contained in the ore to effect its reduction, and also the fusion of the slag."

Jan 1, 1882

By C. H. Ma, J. S. Makris

This paper describes a modified X-ray diffraction microscope wzethod based on the general principles of Berg-Bawett's Method, Lang's Method, and Woosters1 Technique. This new method may be used for stationary or oscillatory photomacrographs, with both reflection and transmission techniques. In the stationary technique, a small point-source of a divergent X-ray beam of white radiation is used; in the oscillatory technique, a monochromatic divergent beam is employed. The chief advantages of the method described herein are that only approximate alignment of the Bragg angle -of-interest is needed during exposure, and that a large portion of a crystal-specimen surface can he irradiated. In recent years, the study of dislocations through X-ray diffraction microscope techniques has received considerable attention as concerns the per,fection of single crystals. Very promising results have appeared in the literature.'-' These techniques are very useful when the dislocation density of a crystal is near 105 per sq cm or lower. The principle of X-ray diffraction microscopy is based on the differential effect of X-ray primary extinction between the distorted parts and the perfect parts of a crystal. When an X-ray beam impinges on a set of planes of a crystal at the correct Bragg angle, diffraction of X-rays will occur with a 90-deg phase shift of the diffracted beam. This once-diffracted beam still forms the correct Bragg angle with the planes ahead of it, if the planes are not distorted. Thus, part of the strength of the once-diffracted beam is rediffracted and the beam continues to travel in the direction of the primary X-ray beam. This twice-diffracted beam not only takes away part of the strength of the once-diffracted beam, but also causes destructive interference with the primary beam because it now is exactly 180 deg out of phase with the primary beam. As the primary beam goes farther and farther into the crystal, its intensity is continuously weakened. Asa result, the ultimate X-ray diffraction power of a set of undistorted planes is largely extinguished. This phenomenon is called primary extinction.1,2'4 If the set of planes ahead of it is distorted, the once-diffracted beam will have less chance to be rediffracted, because it could not meet the exactly correct Bragg angle for rediffraction. If a part of the beam does rediffract, this twice-diffracted beam is not exactly 180 deg out of phase with the primary beam, and thus it causes less destructive interference. As a result, the registered X-ray diffraction power of the distorted part of a crystal appears stronger than that of the perfect part. Thus, point-by-point contrast of a diffraction image is theoretically possible from a crystal containing dislocations. Two most popular X-ray diffraction microscope techniques today are Berg-Barrett's Method and Lang's Method. Both of these techniques require a

Jan 1, 1964

By Charles S. Barrett, L. H. Levenson

Since 1925, when the preferred orientations in compressed aluminum were first determined1,2 the orientations have been described as a fiber texture in which a face diagonal, [110], of the face-centered cubic lattice is parallel to the compression axis. Subsequent experiments have seemed to confirm this texture,3-5 and a number of theories (recently summarized in references 6 and 7) have been proposed to explain it and to relate it to the behavior of single crystals during compression.3,8-11 The experiments reported in this paper prove that the orientations are not adequately described as quoted above—i.e., as a [110] fiber texture—although this is a first approximation to the actual texture. They also show that the texture cannot be thought of as a stable orientati011 that is reached and maintained after a sufficient amount of deformation. The actual texture, when studied in detail at successive stages of compression, indicates that a hitherto unsuspected range of orientations is present, both in the polycrystalline metal as a whole and in various individual grains in its interior, and that a state of dynamic equilibrium exists within this range. The reasons for the failure of previous theories to predict the actual texture become obvious when the heterogeneous nature of the flow is considered. In addition to the deformation texture, the manner of its development, and its theory, this paper presents data on the following related subjects: the identity of strain markings in aluminum; the orientation changes in aluminum single crystals during compression and a comparison of these with the conditions in individual grains of a polycrystalliile specimen; the origin of asterism ill deformed single crystals, which heretofore has been regarded as a distortion localized at the surfaces or slip planes; and the relation of plastic strain in individual grains ill all aggregate to the strain of the whole.

Jan 1, 1940

By G. S. Scott, G. W. Jones

ECONOMIC waste caused by mine fires may become considerable,15 especially if a fire is allowed to spread or temporarily to get beyond control. It is important, therefore, to act promptly whenever a fire is suspected and to make every action count. To contribute toward its extinction effectively it is necessary to know at the earliest possible moment, and continuously thereafter, what is happening at the seat of the fire, which may be in a remote or inaccessible area, and also to recognize what may be expected as a result of any proposed combative measure. In combatting a fire the mining engineer and the chemist should cooperate, first deciding upon the course of action to be taken and then drawing upon the mining engineer's intimate knowledge of the physical structure of the fire area, the cost and time required to carry out proposed operations, and the probable efficiency with which these operations could be performed, and upon the chemist's knowledge for the results to be expected therefrom. After the initial steps to be taken have been decided, it devolves upon the mining engineer to see that they are carried out and upon the chemist to evaluate the results and to keep the mining engineer continuously informed in regard to a variety of matters-such as the composition and toxic or asphyxiating properties of the atmosphere in which the men may be working, whether the fire is increasing or decreasing in intensity and its probable temperature, the quantity of air leakage and the explosion hazards of the fire area. The purpose of this paper is to discuss what the chemist can and cannot contribute as a member of the fire-fighting personnel. The technical literature contains several hundred papers relating directly and indirectly to mine fires, and this fact alone is testimony to the complex nature of the phenomena involved in the birth, life, and final demise of a fire. A fire may be stopped (I) by preventing oxygen from reaching the coal or (2) by removing the conditions necessary for the rapid reaction of coal with oxygen; i.e., decreasing the temperature. All methods of prevention or control. necessarily must be based upon one or the other, or both, of these two principles. . The chemistry of a fire may be understood readily if the low-temperature oxidation of coal is considered as a starting point; then oxidation at higher temperatures (or combustion) ; and with these, the composition of the solid and gaseous products resulting from the oxidation or from the effects of the heat liberated. This discussion refers particularly to Pennsylvania anthracite, although much of the material applies equally well to coals of lower rank. OXIDATION OF COAL Oxidation of coal fundamentally is confined to the surface; that is, the rate at which oxygen penetrates into the interior of a solid block of coal is so slow that it may be ignored.6,16 Oxidation starts when a fresh surface is exposed, and the rate is

Jan 1, 1942

By G. Willard Quick

TENSILE tests of rail steels at elevated temperatures'' have shown that certain rails, in addition to having low ductility in the well-known bluebrittle range in the neighborhood of 200° C., have marked reduction in elongation and reduction of area in the temperature range from 400° to 700° C. This range of low ductility was called "the secondary brittle range" and the phenomenon, "secondary brittleness." The question naturally arises as to whether this property of the steels would be shown by impact tests performed in the same range of temperature. If so, the impact test, as suggested by Gillett3 would be a simpler and quicker method for the routine examination of steels at elevated temperature than the tensile test. A number of investigators have reported results of impact tests on steels at elevated temperatures, in which the energy absorbed decreased with increase of temperature above 200° or 300° C. Langenberg4 performed Charpy impact tests on several steels at temperatures ranging from room temperature up to 1000° F. (538° C). His results showed an increase in the energy absorbed in specimens tested in the range from room temperature to 200° or 300° C. and then a gradual decrease in the range, 300° to 538° C., the maximum temperature used. Greaves and Jones5

Jan 1, 1932

By S. F. Emmons

IN a report upon the geology of Leadville and vicinity, which is still in the hands of the Public Printer, I have given, at some length, my conclusions as to the genesis of the remarkable silver-lead deposits of that region, and the data, gathered during a long and careful consideration, upon which my views were founded. In the brief abstract of this report, published in 1881, the bare conclusions are given, with but few of the facts upon which they were founded. Since that time, these conclusions have been variously criticised, and it has even been assumed that the views I expressed with regard to these deposits were intended as a theory of ore-deposits in general. Had my final report been printed, no such misconception could have occurred; for, in that I explicitly disclaim any intention of general application of the theories there presented. Even in the abstract I am unable to find any statements which would. justify such a conclusion. Since my Leadville work, however, I have had further opportunities of examining ore-deposits, and have given the general subject much thought and study, and, as a result, I have made in my own mind certain generalizations, which, I am conscious, need the test of a far greater number of practical applications than I have yet been able to make, but which, I think, it may be well to present to the members of the Institute as suggestive, that their own observations may further prove or disprove them. I shall use my Leadville observations and the criticisms which have been made upon them as a sort of text for my remarks. The salient facts, which I thought to have determined with regard to the Leadville deposits, which, as is well known, are silver-lead deposits in a dolomitic limestone, overlain and in

Jan 1, 1913

By T. E. Leontis, D. H. Feisel

MAGNESIUM alloys containing rare earth metals have received considerable attention during the past several years because of the need for light alloys having high strength and creep resistance at elevated temperatures. Although much of the work reported earlier has dealt with alloys containing Mischmetal, it has been shown in two previous papersl, V hat distinctly different effects are produced by various rare earth metals and rare earth metal mixtures on the properties of magnesium. For example, much higher strengths are obtained in magnesium alloys containing didym-ium (essentially neodymium plus praseodymium) than in alloys made with Mischmetal, which contains all the rare earth metals in the proportions in which they occur naturally in the monazite ore. Mg-rare earth metal alloys are characterized by a relatively coarse grain size, which greatly impairs castability. The addition of zirconium as a second alloying ingredient has been shown8,7 to refine the grain size, which also produces a distinct improvement in the strength properties. Certain Mg-Mischmetal-Zr and Mg-Mischmetal-Zn-Zr alloy compositions which are currently being produced commercially have been discussed in dytail by Nelson and Strieter,8,4 who also present some in- formation on a Mg-low Ce-Mischmetal-Zr alloy, and by Nelson.8 A patent issued to Jessup, Emley, and Fisher9 emphasizes the superiority of Mg-didymium-Zn-Zr alloys over the corresponding alloys made with Mischmetal. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of an extensive investigation concerned with the effect of increasing amounts of zirconium on magnesium sand casting alloys containing several different rare earth metal mixtures in varying amounts. The effect of the addition of zinc to some of these alloys is also being reported. Preparation and Testing of Alloys The alloys studied in this investigation were prepared in small laboratory melts according to the melting procedures described by Nelson1" as the Crucible Method. Electrolytic magnesium having the composition shown in Table I was used as the starting material. The rare earth metal alloying ingredients used in preparing these alloys were essentially of the compositions listed in Table 11. Some of the didymium-containing alloys were prepared using a Mg-didymium hardener. The rare earth metal content of this hardener analyzed 1.2 pct Ce, 10.4 pct Pr, 80.8 pct Nd, and 7.6 pct La. The zirconium was added in one of three forms: 1) as sponge zirconium obtained from the Bureau of Mines; 2) as a fused salt consisting of 50 pct ZrCl, and 50 pct alkali chlorides from which the zirconium is reduced by the magnesium; or 3) as a Mg-Zr hardener. The alloying procedures and melt hand-

Jan 1, 1958

By J. R. Campbell

A DOZEN years or so ago, the general superintendent of our company, now the president, Mr. W. H. Clingerman, detailed me to make a study of the coal-washing problem and collect data, which threw me into contact with the best washery men of the country. and took me to those districts where the washing of coal for metallurgical purposes is carried out. I investigated many kinds of coal-cleaning schemes, made numerous tests on them, and collected voluminous data, yet I confess frankly that I have had but little practical washery experience and that little has been at the Middlefork washery of the United States Fuel Co. at Benton, Franklin Co., Ill., which was put in operation last fall. While this wash-cry installation may not be the "last word," I am quite sure it embodies some long steps in advance over older designs and constructions. From the washery man's standpoint, the removal of pyrites, or marcasite, a disulfide of iron, is the one vital problem, and the one productive of the most beneficial results, so far as elimination of sulfur is concerned. Sulfates and so-called organic sulfur occupy quite a secondary -position and are generally lost sight of in coal washing: The elimination of sulfur in coal in the past has usually been accomplished by jigging in water, but lately the use of concentrating tables has been employed with good success, and some mention may be made of the flotation process on fine coal, though hardly considered practicable. Coal washing, is rapidly coming into its own, due to the depletion of low-sulfur coals for coking purposes, and before many years we predict as careful attention being given to the design and construction of coal washeries, ,as is now being given to byproduct plants and other allied industries. Heretofore, coal washing has been considered only as an incidental and a necessary evil-instead of the big problem it is one worthy of the most careful study by men well trained along technical lines and capable of delving into the fundamental principles.

Jan 9, 1919

By L. Segle, R. Resnick

NUMEROUS experiments in the past few years have proven that void formation occurs quite generally in the diffusion zone of bimetal specimens1-4 The phenomenon has been explained in terms of the accumulation of lattice vacancies resulting from unequal diffusion of the constituents and their eventual precipitation as holes.= Attention has recently been directed to the fact that voids also form within homogeneous metals during high-temperature creep.' The idea has been put forward that these voids form by the condensation of excess lattice vacancies generated by intersecting dislocations.".' If the precipitation of lattice vacancies from solution is treated as a nucleation and growth process, the predicted vacancy concentration for homogeneous nucleation of voids at an observable rate is 100 to 1000 times the normal thermal equilibrium concentration. It appears that voids actually form during diffusion at vacancy supersaturations which are much lower than this8 According to the calculations of Machlin,' the same must be true for voids formed in homogeneous metals during creep, if these are considered to arise from the precipitation of lattice vacancies. Therefore, if the vacancy mechanism is valid, it seems that the holes which form in diffusion and creep specimens are heterogeneously nucleated by imperfections or impurities in the metal. Irregularities in the frequency and distribution of voids in diffusion couples bear out this explanation.' , It is not known at the present time what the nuclei are on which vacancies condense. Various investigators have speculated that they could be certain dislocation configurations, already existing voids produced during solidification or working, gas pockets, or inclusions in the metal. Relatedly, the precise value of the degree of vacancy supersatura-tion for void nucleation is still uncertain. An initial attempt to estimate this value from diffusion data, made by Balluffi, indicated that voids form in diffusion couples at vacancy concentrations which may

Jan 1, 1958

By Theron Wasson

The oil and gas fields of Michigan that have been under development since 1925 are in an area that extends across the middle of the lower peninsula from northeast to southwest, a distance of about 200 miles, and with a width of about 80 miles. In 19 years 70 fields have been discovered. Most of these are relatively small when compared with other oil-producing areas. This is borne out by the fact that since the first wells were drilled these fields have produced a total of only 204,000,000 bbl. However, Michigan is still maintaining its production, for during the past five years the annual production has remained fairly constant at approximately 20,000,000 bbl. Production for 1943, as reported by the Bureau of Mines, was 20,682,000 barrels. Roughly, one third oi Michigan's production in 1943 came from the Reed City field, which was discovered in 1941. During the year, 237 oil wells were completed in Michigan in 1943. The decrease of 56 from the 1942 total is probably due to the continuance of Government regulations requiring a 40-acre spacing pattern over most of the state. Fig. I shows the principal oil and gas fields of Michigan, and the columnar section, Fig. 2, shows the principal producing horizons in relation to the section drilled. The data of Table I and Table 2 have been carefully checked with previous reports to eliminate errors. Six new producing areas were discovered during 1943 and five areas discovered in 1942 were developed during the year. Both the new discoveries and the 1942 discoveries that were developed appear to be small and relatively unimportant. Goodwell Field.—The best discovery of the year is the Goodwell field, T. 14 N., R. 11 W., Goodwell township, Newaygo County. This small structure was located by core testing done by The Pure Oil Co. in 1942 and early 1943. The first producing well, C. R. Harris No. I, was completed on July 5, 1943, ill the Traverse limestone at a total depth of 2742 ft., with ail estimated potential of 1100 bbl. per day. By the end of the year, 18 wells had been completed in this field and approximately 281,000 bbl. of oil produced. The field operated under proration of 262 bbl. per day per well from Oct. I to Dec. I; 150 bbl. per day per well after that date. Woodville Field.—The small Woodville pool, T. 15 N., R. 11 W., 3 miles north of the Goodwell field, was discovered by core testing by the Ohio Oil Co. The discovery well was completed on May 5, 1943, flowing 650 bbl. of fluid, including 18 per cent salt water the first 18 hr., from the Traverse limestone at a depth of 2810 to 2815 ft. Seven wells had been completed by the end of the year and 67,000 bbl. of oil had been produced. Development is now practically at a standstill because further drilling does not aDDear economically iustified.

Jan 1, 1944

By A. R. Troiano, W. J. Barnett

IN recent years the demands of space limitations and increased loads, particularly in the aircraft industry, have accelerated the trend toward utilization of ultra-high strength steels. The increased application of such steels has focused attention on the phenomenon of delayed failure or static fatigue. Parts subjected to a static load, after successfully sustaining the load for an extended period of time, may fail in a brittle manner. Subsequent examination of such failed parts by conventional laboratory tests in many cases reveals no apparent signs of embrittle-ment. That is, the material exhibits good ductility and impact resistance. Furthermore, consideration of the service conditions (environment and temperature) under which this brittle failure occurred eliminates its classification as a stress-corrosion or creep type of failure. Recently this unique time dependent fracture process has been the subject of numerous investigations. The most significant result of these studies was the recognition of hydrogen as the source of embrittlement. While the effect of numerous variables on the occurrence of static fatigue failure has been defined, an adequate explanation of these behaviors is lacking. The occurrence of this phenomenon in steels generally has been limited to strength levels in excess of 180,000 lb per sq in. Although steels at high hardness levels have exhibited delayed failure in the absence of hydrogen introduction after heat treat-ment,'.' this behavior was most prevalent when the material in processing had been subjected to an environment conducive to the absorption of hydrogen. Delayed failures have been produced in high strength steels by the introduction of hydrogen

Jan 1, 1958

By Robert F. Mehl

THE purpose of a symposium, I take it, is to gather together a group interested in a common intellectual field, in order to exchange views, and to appraise the state of knowledge. Symposia are the more successful, the greater the activity in the chosen field and the wider the range of applicability of the information gained. From time to time, as emphasis changes from one field of research to another, a given subject may enjoy popularity and later retire into a scientific somnolence, for fashions change even among engineers and scientists. The subject of this symposium, however, enjoys the advantages of wide applicability and of high current interest and productivity in results. It is a timely subject for a symposium; with much new information, surely metallurgical engineers should now devote an increasing attention to its application to practice. In beginning the symposium, I shall attempt briefly to appraise our basic knowledge in the field, to survey instances of practical usefulness, and to suggest where new work might be most productive of useful results. There are many examples of direct practical application of diffusion knowledge, and it is the purpose of the several papers in this symposium to review these. In this introduction I shall attempt to take a broad view, which, while it will but poorly serve the engineer in the solution of any given problem, may perhaps be of some use in assessing the state of knowledge in this field. RATE OF DIFFUSION Liquid Metals The process of diffusion among liquid metals, of gases in liquid or solid metals, or among solid metals, is ubiquitous, to say the least. The manufacture of alloys by the intermelting of metals, the addition of ferroalloys to molten steel, the deoxidation of molten alloys, all involve diffusion in the liquid state. The oxidation of molten copper for purposes of purification, the unsought oxidation of alloys generally during melting and casting, the reaction of liquid steel with oxidizing slags in the open-hearth furnace, the absorption of nitrogen by liquid steel, particularly in the bessemer furnace, all operate by the diffusion of gases in liquid metals. These processes have not been studied much from the viewpoint of rates of diffusion. Alloys are made by melting metals with stirring and with allowance of time for mixing (which is diffusion) but I know of no studies that seem to define the necessary times, and though in only very rare cases can faulty properties of the finished castings be ascribed to inadequate mixing, and though certainly in most cases, with stirring, the rate of diffusion is adequate to give sufficient mixing, a more quantitative treatment would be good to have. It is not wholly certain that thorough and sufficient mixing is at all times attained, for I suspect that ferroalloy additions to steel, and that additions of aluminum to steel as a deoxidizer, especially in the sampling of steels

Jan 1, 1944

By John Sasadi, Karl Heinz Zepter, Leonard Sugin, Roger L. Hulette

Mt. Newman Mining Co. is now completing an expansion program, begun even before initial construction was complete, which will result in the ability to ship up to 35 million tpy of iron ore by early 1973. Located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, the mine at Mt. Whaleback is about 700 road miles north of Perth and 265 railroad miles south of the port facilities at Port Hedland. Development of the tertiary crushing and screening facilities best illustrates the orderly, but rapid, sequence through which the capacity of the port loading terminal has been expanded. When the present program is completed, crushing and shiploading capability will reach - - 35 million tpy. Operations commenced in 1969 with 3 crusher lines in service; and despite the 5-million annual ton rating, 6.46 million tons of ore were shipped during the first full year of operation. With continuing increase in ore sales, expansion to an annual capacity of 12 million tons was authorized, and installation of two more crusher lines was begun. As a part of this program, provision for installation of a sixth crusher at some future date was included in the planning; but before construction was completed, new ore sales contracts demanded further expansion to an annual rate of 20 million tons, and the sixth crusher line was authorized. The distributing and collecting conveyors had been designed for extension in length and increase in capacity, therefore, conveyor service was provided for the additional crushers with additional belting and hardware only.

Jan 6, 1972

By B. M. Larsen

IN spite of the great amount of operating experience and of studies directed toward elucidation of the interrelation of the several processes going on in the blast furnace, the present picture of its operation is based largely on indirect evidence and on speculation. The reason for this unsatisfactory situation is the extreme difficulty of making direct observations and significant measurements while the furnace is operating, and of translating laboratory experience to the conditions obtaining in the smelting process. Yet there are questions that can be investigated with some promise of a definitive answer; and it is the purpose of the present paper to set forth some of these questions, as a basis for discussion, which may, it is hoped, lead to active work on some of them. In order to provide a starting point for this discussion, some views held tentatively by the writer are outlined, along with a certain amount of evidence gathered from operating records and interpreted on the basis of the ideas expressed. These opinions may prove not to be pertinent, and may well not be in accord with the opinions of others; they have been included to encourage others to do likewise and on purpose to provoke informal discussion. In this way it should be possible to transcend the limitations of formal papers; to bring forth suggestions of new hypotheses or new methods of investigation; and to promote better understanding between investigators and operators in this difficult field. The statements made express the present views of one physical chemist who is not too familiar with all the difficulties of maintaining these enormous reaction vessels in reasonably smooth and economical operation; who, however, is persuaded that some of these difficulties would be less formidable if surer knowledge of the several interrelated and concurrent processes were available and made use of. For these difficulties arise largely, it is believed, from variation in conditions which the operator must meet as best be can, and should lessen as these conditions can be brought under control so that they are either made substantially constant or the variations are neutralized by compensating methods. A. VARIATION IN BURDEN AND IN MIXING OF CHARGE To the scientific investigator, who aims to control the conditions of experiment and to limit the number of variable factors, the most perplexing aspect of the blast-furnace process is that nothing seems to remain constant for long. Variations of burden seem to be unnecessarily frequent; and, even if the charge were constant from hour to hour, its constituents usually are not mixed as intimately as they might well be. It is understandable that separate layers of coke and of ore, also separate layers according to size, promote permeability and the

Jan 1, 1947

By John F. Knudsen

Following the flowsheet from the primary crushing plant of Ray mines division through the final products sample mill, there are eight exhaust systems ranging in size from 12,000 to 30,000 cfm. Where possible, hood face velocities are kept around 500 ft per min, permitting branch velocities of 2500 ft per min. Tight-fitting enclosures are provided over all ore drops, crushing operations, and vibrating screens. All enclosures are exhausted either primarily or secondarily, except those around conveyor head-pulleys where the ejector effect of the falling ore creates sufficient indraft to abate dust dissemination. IN 1947 an Industrial Hygiene Department was organized to represent and assist the four western mining divisions in industrial hygiene problems. Department headquarters are located at the Utah Copper Division, Magna Plant, Magna, Utah, with a branch office at the Chino Mines Division, Hurley, N. M. The headquarters staff includes a director, a department secretary, an industrial hygienist, a supervising ventilation engineer, and two ventilation designers. To be in closer association with work at the Southwest properties, a field engineer at the branch office conducts field studies which include ventilation problems at the New Mexico and Arizona properties;i.e., the Chino and Ray mines divisions. Functions of the department are to discover and evaluate existing hazards and to develop protective measures, either by personal protective devices or by proper ventilation, depending on the nature of the contaminant. Other than dust counting, all air samples collected at the four properties are processed at the home office. If through plant surveys or by suggestion of management some type of ventilation or air conditioning is required, the problem is usually handled by the ventilation section of the headquarters department, where general arrangement or line drawings are prepared, showing hoods, ducting, and equipment. Some hood and special parts detailing is done at headquarters; otherwise, required detailing is done by the respective plant engineering departments. Prior to the design of industrial ventilation, either new projects or the revamping of old ones, a thorough survey is made of existing conditions. In so far as possible weighted average exposures are determined and adequate ventilation provided on the basis of maximum allowable concentrations of the contaminant in question, as well as medical case histories, if these are available.

Jan 1, 1954

By Bradley Stoughton, Henry M. Howe

This paper presents an experimental verification of some of the predictions made by one of us1 concerning the influence of certain conditions of casting upon the size and position of the pipe, and the position of the segregate, in steel ingots. The predictions which we have been able to verify are the following: A. That the pipe is shortened and the segregate raised: 1. By slow casting; 2. By casting with the large end up instead of down; 3. By retarding the cooling of the top, e.g., by means of a sinking-head. B. That the pipe is shortened by slow cooling. C. That the pipe and segregate lie in the last-freezing part. Our procedure was to cast ingots of wax (commercially pure stearic acid) containing a little bright green copper oleate (usually 1.5 per cent.) under varying conditions; to saw each ingot open along a longitudinal plane passing through its axis; and to examine the longitudinal section thus laid bare. In order to make the segregate or enriched part more distinct in color from the impoverished part, a very little red cerasine was added. An experiment which will be described later showed that the cerasine itself does not segregate markedly, if at all. Hence we may assume that the strong contrasts between the green and red shown in so many of our ingots are due, not to segregation of cerasine, but to that of the green oleate, in the wax which in itself is uniformly reddened with cerasine.

Jan 1, 1908

By Dan Crackel, G. G. Ramos, Mark Heisel

INTRODUCTION Feasibility studies indicated that a cratering type stoping method was best suited to the character of the first ore block at Carr Fork. This method known as vertical crater retreat (VCR) has since been modified to a combination cratering and deck blasting using VCR drop raises for initial undercut development . The modified form retains many of the advantages of VCR while allowing high tonnage production blasts which have offset many of the disadvantages. FIRST CONCEPTS AND PREMISES Geologic Considerations The Steep Highland Boy (SHB) skarn orebody, the first of several blocks being developed, is a steeply dipping 70° to 90° limb of a syncline, with a width averaging 25 m (82 ft). The bed has a consistent east-west strike length of over 400 m (1300 ft) and extends from the surface to depths of over 1000 m (3300 ft). The footwall is highly fractured quartzite and the hanging wall grades from garneti te to limes tone and hornfe 1s. Because of the limestone in the hanging wall, the hanging wall appears more competent than the footwall. The ore is garnetite with lenses of massive sulphide and magnetite. The quartzite footwall is highly fractured not only because of the bedding but also due to the folding and intrusion of the quartz monzonite. This irregular footwall outline of some stopes in- creases the likelihood of excessive dilution. The principal ore mineral is chalcopyrite with some bornite. The garnetite ore is quite variable in terms of compressive strength and drillability. In addition to the sulphide and magnetite lenses, it is transected by clay- altered dikes and major and minor north-east faults. TABLE (1) gives the range and mean strengths of the rocks. Investigating Mining Methods Initial consideration of a suitable mining method centered around maximum safety and efficiency with minimum potential dilution. The following major methods were considered and investigated. Cut and fill mining was eliminated because of low productivity, the cost and problems associated with providing fill, and the relatively unsafe nature of the method. Sublevel caving was rejected due to the unpredictable cavability of the waste and the geometry of the ore body. Conventional sublevel or blasthole methods require excessive development, as fan and ring drills are limited to efficient drilling in the 18 to 25 m range (60 to 80 ft). Mining downdip with equipment drilling small diameter holes would have required eight separate extraction/drill horizons with crosscuts and associated excavation in the main ore block. The use of down the hole (DTH) machines cap- able of drilling 165 m (6g in) diameter holes

Jan 1, 1981