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By D. L. Martin, E. R. Parker

In a previous paper one of the authors observed that the rate of cooling from the anneal prior to testing greatly influenced the life of copper under sustained load at 200°C. Furnace-cooled bars of oxygen-free copper (with and without silver) had a life four to twenty-five times that of the water-quenched specimens. The addition of 0.054 per cent silver to the oxygen-free copper increased the life at a stress of 20,000 lb. per sq. in. from about 2 hr. to 50 hr. Fractures in these bars were intercrystalline. An explanation was advanced to account for the profound influence of cooling rate on the rupture properties at 200°C. The suggestion offered was that at the high annealing temperature the minor constituents are distributed at random. By water quenching, this condition is maintained at room temperature, whereas furnace cooling permits some segregation at the grain boundaries. The higher concentration of the minor constituents in the grain boundaries results in a. strengthening, so that a longer life at a given stress and .temperature results. Small amounts of cadmium or manganese have also been found to increase the life of copper at 200°C., and to a much greater extent than silver.2 The increase in the long-time strength of copper resulting from small additions of cadmium or silver appears to be related, indirectly at least, to the higher softening temperatures of such alloys. The elements, such as silver or cadmium, which greatly increase the rupture life of copper also cause large increases in the softening temperature. As little as 0.05 per cent of cadmium or silver is sufficient to raise the softening temperature more than 100°.3,4 The effects of cooling rate and of minor constituents on the rupture properties are of considerable fundamental as well as practical interest; therefore a more detailed study of their nature was conducted and is reported in this paper. Experimental Procedure Materials The materials studied in this investigation may conveniently be classified in two groups: one consisting of a wide variety of commercial coppers, and the other composed of special high-purity, laboratory-prepared coppers. The commercial materials were tested to determine whether or not the effect of cooling rate occurred with all coppers, whereas the high-purity coppers were investigated in order to establish a basis for evaluating the effect of minor constituents on the rupture properties. In Table I are given the analyses of the coppers tested. The samples I to 6 are commercial materials and were obtained for the most part from stock supplies.*

Jan 1, 1944

By R. L. Mauger, P. E. Damon, B. J. Giletti

This report includes the lead isotopic dating of a suite of galenas from Arizona and an application of the K-Ar method to the dating of a Laramide porphyry copper deposit, the Silver Bell Mining District. The lead isotopic data supports prior age assignments based upon geologic inference. The Silver Bell study illustrates the necessity of correlative geologic and petrographic investigations for the interpretation of the results of potassium-argon dating. LEAD ISOTOPIC DATING OF GALENAS FROM ARIZONA ORE DEPOSITS A group of galenas from Arizona ore deposits have been analyzed for lead isotope ratios. The results were used to calculate model ages by the. method of Russell, Stanton and Farquhar,l6 in which the age is calculated directly from the Pb206/Pb207 ratio. The use of Pb206/Pb207 ratios eliminates the errors inherent in measuring the abundance of Pb204. The Holmes-Houtermanns model is the other model commonly used for calculating model ages. Both models assume that any lead sample is composed of primeval and radiogenic components and the calculated age is the time at which the lead was extracted from its source area. Using the Holmes-Houtermanns model, a lead is ordinary if its isotopic ratios lie on an isochron. The growth curve that passes through the experimental point determines the U/Pb ratio in the source area. The RSF model assumes the source area for conformable leads is the mantle, that this has a uniform U/Pb ratio, and thus all ordinary leads must lie on a single growth curve, having a mantle U/Pb ratio. The definition of an ordinary lead differs between the models, and differences in age arise mainly from the assumptions made to evaluate parameters in the model equations. These assumptions depend on the hypothesis chosen to explain ore genesis. In the RSF Model, the Pb206/Pb207 ratio is derived as a function of time. The equation contains three undetermined parameters which are evaluated by assuming three known points lie on the curve. These are the following: 1) Primeval lead from the Canyon Diablo and Henbury meteorites, 2) Modern conformable leads which lie on Patterson's zero isochron, 3) Lead from the Bathurst, New Brunswick base metal deposits. The Bathurst deposits are postulated to be examples of "conformable base metal deposits", as proposed by Stanton.l9 A conformable deposit has a particular genetic history and, as a result, the orebody conforms to stratigraphic layering in the host rock. The metals are brought to the surface in volcanic rocks which originated in the mantle. Weathering products of these rocks, including sulfur and metals, accumulate in areas undergoing sedimentation. The formation of sulfide ion in the sediments by the action of sulfate reducing bacteria causes fixation of iron as pyrite. If the pyrite becomes concentrated in favorable stratigraphic horizons, any base metal deposit eventually formed by replacement of pyrite will have a strata bound character. Compaction and expulsion of pore water from the sediments at depth result in upward mobility of solutions containing soluble base metal chlorides. The strata with high pyrite content act as chemical traps for the base metal ions and replacement occurs. An important result of this general evolutionary model is that, if complete separation of lead and parent isotopes occurred during accumulation of the sediments, any ore deposit formed solely of metals derived from those sedimentary rocks will contain "conformable" lead. This would be true even if the actual ore deposit were formed at a later date by some epigenetic process. In this case, mineralization would be controlled by local conditions, and need not conform to stratigraphic layering. Also, any ore deposit containing lead derived from a mantle or mantle-like source, even though not conformable in Stanton's sense, will fall on the curve for conformable ores and thus give a meaningful model age. Model ages for Arizona galena deposits are listed in Table 1. Fig. 1 is a location map. Jerome-Humbolt District: Galenas from the United Verde mine at Jerome and the Iron King mine at Humbolt give model ages of 1750 m.y. and 1640 m.y. respectively. Both deposits are massive sulfide bodies in a host rock of older Precambrian

Jan 1, 1965

By AIME

THE wind howls almost incessantly over the mining engineers working in the near desert that is the Division of Namaqualand, the upper Atlantic coastal corner of South Africa's Cape of Good Hope Province. But when these men at the U. S.-owned mines called Nababeep South and East O'okiep (pronounced Oh-keep) tell you about their achievements, they can be heard above the wind. For their O'okiep Copper Co. Ltd. now produces over half the Union of South Africa's annual output of 30,000 tons of copper metal. Moreover, it is a very decent sample of U. S. geotechnical imagination. financial daring, and managerial skill, all operating successfully in a

Jan 1, 1947

By C. S. Smith, L. W. Kempf, C. S. Taylor

The thermal conductivity of aluminum alloys is of considerable industrial importance. This is particularly true in such applications as internal-combustion engines where one of the principal reasons for the use of these alloys is their relatively higher thermal conductivity. In spite of this, relatively few data are available on this property of aluminum alloys. The reason is quite apparent to anyone concerned with the experimental determination of coefficients of thermal conductivity. This determination, in theory so simple, is extraordinarily difficult if any high degree of precision is desired. Fortunately, some .knowledge of the relationship between thermal and electrical conductivity has permitted the use of the latter physical property in deducing the relative approximate values of the thermal conductivities of metals. This fundamental relationship, first enunciated by Wiedemann and Franz' as applying to metallic elements and later shown by Lorenz2 to be applicable to alloys within a single metallic system, has been of service in the industrial application of metals. The electrical conductivity of metals is easily determined with a high degree of precision. It is, therefore, quite desirable that the relationship between electrical and thermal characteristics be determined with the greatest possible precision. This paper presents data on the electrical and thermal conductivities of a number of aluminum alloys of industrial importance. Literature on Thermal Conductivity of Aluminum Alloys Masumoto3 determined the electrical and thermal conductivities of 18 aluminum alloys. His results indicated a relatively constant relationship between thermal and electrical conductivity.

Jan 1, 1937

By AIME AIME

A SIDE from the technical sessions held as noted elsewhere, the chairman of the various sub-committees of the Mining Methods Committee, together with a few other specialists, were invited to a conference with President Bradley, which was held on Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 20. The general plan of a comprehensive series of comparable papers descriptive of mining practice in various parts of the country, launched by this committee some seven years ago having been adopted by the U. S. Bureau of Mines, the feeling was general that the Committee could safely 1eave.that part of its work in these capable hands and turn its attention to other matters. The plans of the Bureau were presented as below by Charles William Wright of the Bureau.

Jan 1, 1929

ALASKA Established November 19, 1947 Meets fourth Monday monthly except June through August Term of office ends October Peter O Sandvik, Chairman Denny G Breaid, Vice-Chairman Douglas W Huber, Secretary-Treasurer School of Mines University of Alaska P O Box 337 College, Alaska

Jan 1, 1958

By John E. Willson, Ben L. Seegmiller

A portable electronic instrument was designed and constructed to detect unknown stress magnitudes in rocks. The principle used to detect stress is based on the propagation velocity method. This method allows the stress in a rock subjected to a load of unknown magnitude to be determined, provided that the wave velocity-stress relationship for similar rock is known. This is accomplished by measuring the travel time of longitudinal mechanical waves passing between two points a set distance apart in a rock. The velocity of the wave is calculated and the stress determined from the wave velocity-stress relationship. If the sending and receiving transducer spacing is constant, a time vs. stress relationship rather than the velocity-stress relationship may be used. The method is nondestructive and tests can be made without drilling or otherwise disturbing the rocks. The first studies undertaken in the United States to determine stress in rocks using propagation velocity techniques were reported by Obert1,2 in 1939 and 1940. The Soviet Union first reported using propagation methods to study rock pressures in 1951.8 Success of the method led to the development of a pulse-type ultrasonic seismoscope4 in 1953. Using this instrument, Ivanov and Betaneli5,6 in 1963 succeeded in devising and testing under field conditions a method of investigating coal pillar stresses. In 1967 Osipova7 reported results of similar studies in the Nakhichevan salt mines. In France, Tincelin8 has used the propagation velocity method to study the stress distribution in iron ore pillars. Uhlmann9 has investigated stresses in salt and potash pillars in Germany, using velocity techniques. Determination of uniaxial stress by propagation velocity methods is limited to rocks which have readily detectable wave velocity-stress variations. The present stress detection instrument is restricted in application to rocks which have a velocity change under stress of at least 300 fps. Examples of rocks which meet this requirement are sandstones, coal, and possibly some limestones. Testing of this instrument was limited to a laboratory study and the results may or may not be indicative of what would be found in a field test. A program of field experiments to study the feasibility of using this instrument to determine mine pillar and tunnel stresses is in progress. Instrument Design The instrument has two main components: A probe and a control-display unit. The probe is a hand-held device to which two identical rodlike transducers are rigidly mounted. Coaxial cable connects the probe to the control-display unit which is mounted in an enclosed carrying case measuring 7 % x 9 x 13 in. The instrument is designed so it may be carried and operated by one man. Weight of the probe and enclosed control-display unit is approximately 20.1b. The probe consists of two transducers identical in construction. One transducer is used to convert electronic pulses to mechanical waves and transmit these waves into a rock. The other detects the transmitted waves in the rock and converts them back into electronic signals. The basic element in both transducers is a piezoelectric crystal. The crystal is a disk made of lead titanate zirconate and has a natural resonant frequency of 400 kHz ±1% in the thickness mode. A schematic of one of the two identical transducing elements is shown in [Fig. 1.] A spacing of 6 in. between sending and receiving transducers has been found to be most satisfactory. The control-display unit consists of a pulse generator and a 1-in. oscilloscope. Various electronic devices are used for the power supply, amplification, and calibration. The amplitude of the square wave from the pulse generator can be continuously varied between 0 and +20 vdc. Pulse width can be set at 1, 2, 3, or 4 µsec. The repetition rate of the pulse can have the following values: 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 400, 500, 750, and 1000 Hz. The oscilloscope delay system allows the travel time of the longitudinal wave passing through a rock to be measured to an accuracy ±0.1 µsec in the range from 0 to 995 µsec. Fig. 2 is a schematic of the various electronic sections in the control-display unit. Laboratory Testing The first step in using the instrument is to develop a velocity-stress or a time-stress curve for the par-

Jan 1, 1972

By Fred L. Morritz, Harold M. Manasevit, Richard Nolder, Arnold Miller

Experimental evidence is presented which confirnis the epitaxial relationship between the deposited silicon and the sapphire substrate. Four distinct modes of orientation relationships have been established. These have been shown to be Single-crystal gvowth retention as a function of surfaces oriented off ideal has been qualitatively indicated. Both full-circle goniometer X-ray techniques and replica electron microscopy have indicated varying amounts of microtwinning in the silicon. film, which may he caused by the mode of silicon formation. Parameters have been found where twin density is less than I pct. The early stages of' epitaxy of silicon m sapphire have been examined by electron-microscope techniques... and mechanisms have been proposed. THE first report of the deposition of single-crystal silicon on sapphire (single-crystal aluminum oxide) was made at the American Physical Society Meeting in Canada' by one of us and was subsequently published in the Journal of Applied physics.* This paper summarizes some of the work carried on in this area since that time, in addition to reviewing some of our earlier observations. The initial single-crystal deposits of silicon on sapphire reported were obtained on sapphire planes produced by cutting a sapphire rod perpendicular to its fastest growth direction, which is approximately 60 deg from the C axis. Direct correlations between the microstructure and X-ray data as to the single crystallinity as shown in Fig. 1 are evident. These deposits were identified as (111) silicon on the substrate oriented near the (1123) of sapphire. (Sapphire notations are designated according to the c over a ratio of 2.73.) It became evident that substrate quality and surface play an important part in successful epitaxy. For example, in Fig. 2 we observe an interesting

Jan 1, 1965

By C. F. Frey, P. J. Ahern, J. F. Wallace

THE high affinity of molten titanium for oxygen and nitrogen has resulted in considerable difficulty in developing a satisfactory melting procedure. It has been found necessary to perform melting operations either in a vacuum or inert atmos-phere, and failure to obtain a satisfactory crucible material has necessitated the use of special melting techniques. These techniques have included cold-mold arc-melting utilizing both consumable and nonconsumable electrodes, skull-melting, drip-melting, and levitation melting.' It has been recognized generally that the melting of both titanium sponge and titanium scrap would be expedited by the use of induction-melting procedures but the lack of a crucible capable of containing molten titanium without objectionable contamination thus far has prevented the use of induction-melting procedures. An extensive investigation: which included the common refractory materials was not successful in developing a satisfactory crucible for induction-melting. Some success in induction-melting has been attained with the use of a graphite crucible material, but in all instances sufficient carbon contamination was encountered to cause an appreciable reduction in the optimum mechanical properties of the titanium or titanium alloys. These investigations"" report an increase in the carbon content from approximately 0.3 to 1.0 pct. A serious reduction in the tensile and forming properties has been observed as a result of this carbon contamination. The development of a satisfactory induction-melting procedure for titanium without undue contamination undoubtedly would have considerable economic significance. Such a process would be particularly useful in melting the large quantities of low-cost scrap now available that can only be reprocessed at considerable expense and difficulty by the more elaborate techniques referred to previously. In addition, the process could provide a satisfactory method of melting and alloying of bri-quetted sponge for forging ingots.

Jan 1, 1959

By R. J. Wasilewski

Electrical resistivity variation with temperature was measured on a series of alloys containting up to 33 at. pct of oxygen over the range 77° to1500°K. The resistivity behavior is highly anomalous and itzconsistent with simple metallic conduction. Both composition and temperature-depended resistivity singularities were observed. A few experiments carried out on Ti-N and Zr-O alloys indicate the presence of similar anomalies. These observations, together with the published data on effects of substi-tutional alloying on the resistiuity of titanium, suggest that the anomalies are inhevent in the electron structure of this group oj metals. The existence of two-band conduction, and a significant shift of bands relative to each other with temperature and/or the electron concentration are suggested. CONSIDERABLE advances have been made in recent years in the alloy theory of simple metals. Very little, however, is known about the bonding in transition metals and their alloys.&apos; Titanium, with its relatively few electrons, may be expected to show simpler alloying behavior than the more complex transition elements. Its alloys with the interstitial elements appear particularly attractive in an investigation of bonding characteristics because of a) the simple nature of the solute elements, b) the remarkable similarity between the equiatomic structures Tic, TiN, and TiO, and c) the extensive solid solubility ranges of oxygen and nitrogen in a titanium reported.2,3 The Ti-O system was chosen for the most extensive investigation because of the relative ease of preparation of suitable specimens. Since the main object of the work was to obtain data on the bonding and its changes on alloying, electron-sensitive properties were primarily investigated. The present work describes the investigation on the electrical resistivity-temperature-oxygen content relationships. A few experiments were also carried out at selected compositions in the Ti-N and Zr-O systems. EXPERIMENTAL Materials and Method. Polycrystalline specimens were prepared in the form of hairpin strips some 50 by 5 by 0.15 to 0.50 mm by direct metal-gas reaction. This was carried out by controlled oxidation followed by a homogenizing anneal at a higher temperature. All the test specimens were fully homogenized as judged from the uniform microstructure and microhardness. To avoid preferred orientation, each strip specimen was annealed in the ß range prior to the oxidation, this procedure assuring random orientation in the strip;4 hence any texture resulting from the oxidation reaction itself affected all the specimens to a similar extent. Titanium used was of high purity (66 DPN, 10 Kg load; major impurities 0,-43G ppm, N,-70 ppm, C-25 ppm, Fe-14G ppm). The solute content of the alloys was determined by weighing, after the reaction with a known amount of oxygen. The specimens in which the discrepancy between the volumetric and gravimetric measurements exceeded 2 pct (or 0.2 mg for the low oxygen alloys) were rejected. The mean between the two measurements was then taken as the oxygen content of the alloy. Check analyses showed no measurable nitrogen contamination. All oxygen contents are given in atomic percent. Zr-O alloys were prepared in identical manner from hafnium-free crystal bar metal, cold-rolled to strip 0.25 mm thick. Ti-N alloys required very long reaction times at the maximum temperature available (1250°C). In order, therefore, to detect possible oxygen contamination, duplicate specimens were reacted in every experimental run, and one of these was analyzed both for oxygen (vacuum fusion) and for nitrogen (Kjeldahl). Only the specimens in which the check analysis showed < 1000 ppm O were then used for resistivity investigation. Since only relatively high nitrogen alloys (7.1 at. pct; i.e., 2 wt pct N,) were investigated, this oxygen contamination was considered permissible. Dc resistance was measured by the four-probe method as previously described.= The temperature was determined with a calibrated thermocouple placed in the center of the specimen hairpin. The errors in the specimen resistance values thus obtained were estimated at 1 pct due almost exclusively to the finite thickness of the potential wires and the consequent uncertainty as regards the true resistance length of the specimen. For the calculation of the specific resistance, however, no dimensional measurements could be carried out on most of the

Jan 1, 1962

Jan 1, 1879

By F. L. Clerc

THE lead and zinc region of SW. Missouri is interesting, not only by reason of the value of its output, which ranges in the neighborhood of ten million dollars a year, but even more because of the facilities which it offers for the study of certain forms of ore-deposits, of which the loci and genesis are somewhat obscure. Although the mineral species found in the region are few and of common occurrence, crystallization has taken place on a generous scale, and unusual forms abound in many combinations, presenting examples of pseudomorphism, paragenesis, metasomatic replacement and the action of mineral-depositing and mineral-dissolving waters. For the mineralogist, lithologist, and specialist in certain lines of metamorphism, it has peculiar attractions, while the systematic geologist will perhaps find its chief claim to attention in the simplified problem it presents, in the study of ore-deposits. In addition to the phenomena above enumerated, it presents instances of well-developed comb-structure in the ores, fissures and faults, and slickensides-features usually associated with extensive movements in the earth&apos;s crust, and believed by some authorities to prove the deep-seated origin of the ores. In connection with these occurrences, the absence of all igneous rocks from this region is noteworthy and significant. For that reason, the simplified case presented by the Joplin region, from which these rocks have been eliminated as a factor, is specially valuable. Having had unusual opportunities to watch the development of this district, I have been deeply interested in the bearing of the revelations of the Joplin mines upon questions of universal importance to the science of ore-deposits ; and it was to my great regret that the project of a meeting of the American Institute of Mining Engineers at Joplin, proposed in 1892, was

Mar 1, 1907

By A. E. Lee

THE Blackwell Zinc Co., Inc., a subsidiary of the American Metal Co., Ltd., operates a horizontal retort zinc smelter at Blackwell, Okla. The plant has 14 furnace blocks of 800 retorts each, fired with natural gas on a 48 hr cycle. Over 13,000 tons of zinc-bearing material, chiefly sulphide flotation concentrates, are treated monthly to produce slab zinc and high lead-cadmium fume. In 1942 a program of rebuilding and modernizing the smelter was started. By 1947 furnace smelting capacity had been increased to a point where roasting and sintering facilities were inadequate, and it was necessary to purchase oxidized materials to supplement sinter production. The seven 210 ft Ropp roasters and three 42 in. x 44 ft Dwight-Lloyd machines then in use had been in service at least 20 years and were in need of major rebuilding. Thus it was entirely practical to consider all new equipment and a change of method rather than rebuilding and repairing obsolete units. A study of the problem indicated that roasting as such could be eliminated and roasting and sintering accomplished in one step by a modification of the Robson process,&apos; which had been used since the early 1930&apos;s by the National Smelting Co., Ltd., at their plants at Avonmouth, England, and Swansea Vale, South Wales. Francis P. Sinn, General Manager, Zinc Smelting Operations, The American Metal Co., Ltd., who was familiar with the practice in England, suggested the use of one large machine for the entire operation from concentrate to sinter. One step sintering appeared to best meet Blackwell&apos;s plant requirements and indicated substantial savings in labor, gas, coal, and repair costs. Choice of Machine Size The sinter machine size was set at 12x168 ft for a rated capacity of 540 tons per day. This tonnage, produced on a five day week, would meet the seven day requirements of the 14 furnace blocks. The one large machine was quoted at a lower cost than two or more 6 ft wide machines of similar total capacity. Further, the larger machine could be housed in a smaller structure and only one set of equipment for charge preparation and delivery and for disposal of sinter cake was needed. One machine on a five day week made possible a concentration of the skilled operating personnel and required less men than a plant including two or more machines and related equipment circuits. Fewer units of equipment meant less maintenance, and the two down days weekly allowed ample time to repair and, if necessary, to make up lost production. Experience had indicated better sintering quality and rates with larger masses of material, not only on wider machines, but also in deeper beds. The ratio of windbox perimeter to area for the 12x168 ft machine is 0.179, compared to 0.353 for a 6x102 ft machine and 0.617 for a 42 in. x 44 ft machine. This meant less air leakage with resulting fan power savings and less spoilage of charge along the pallet sides. Performance Initial operation of the new sinter plant was made in November 1951 and regular production attained late in December. The average product sinter output during 1952 and the first half of 1953 has been 18.2 tons per hr. The average for one month has been as high as 22.4 tons per hr. Considerable experimenting with varied operating conditions accounts in part for the below capacity — 24 tons per hr — average output, and work to further improve production rate continues. A typical sinter analyses is 66.0 pct Zn, 0.3 pct Pb, 0.1 pct Cd, 0.3 pct S, 8.0 pct Fe, 2.0 pct SiO,, 0.8 pct CaO, and 0.2 pct MgO. Use of this material has made possible increases in furnace burden and improved furnace operation over the former practice using sinter made from Ropp roasted concentrates. Better lead and cadmium elimination in sintering has permitted the furnace production of slab zinc lower in lead and cadmium. Anticipated economies of operation have largely been gained. The sinter plant is operated by seven men per 8 hr shift — one head operator, three equipment operators and three sweepers — plus one oiler on day shift only. While it has been necessary at times to operate seven days a week to produce the required sinter tonnage, the five day work week usually has been adequate. Consumption of natural gas for sinter bed ignition is 200,000 to 300,000 cu ft per day. Green Ore Sintering Practice The 30 to 31 pct sulphur content of the —200 mesh zinc concentrates is the fuel used to sinter the charge, no coal addition being required. In the feed to the machine, sufficient concentrates are added to crushed return sinter fines containing 0.3 to 0.5 pct sulphur to produce a charge averaging 5.0 to 6.5 pct sulphur. Since the return sinter used in Blackwell&apos;s practice is varied from — 1/2 to — 1/8 in., the actual sintering mixture of fine sinter and concentrates is somewhat higher in sulphur. The coarser sinter particles are too large to resinter and merely aid porosity in the sinter bed. The ratio of concentrates to return sinter in the charge ranges from about 1:4 to 1:5.5. Variations are based on the appearance of pried up bed sections, bed exit gas temperature trends, windbox suctions, and return sinter size. Sufficient sulphur must be used to obtain fritting of the charge into a soft sinter cake and to aid in the elimination of lead and cadmium. Excessive feed sulphur will result in partial slagging of the cake impairing porosity and prolonging sintering time.

Jan 1, 1954

By Donald M. D. Stuart

It gives me great pleasure to accept the invitation I had the honor of receiving through the Secretary of the Institute, to reply to the criticisms made in discussion of the theory advanced in my work entitled, Coal-Dust an Explosive Agent; and to lay before the Institute a further statement of the views which investigations have led me to form upon this subject,

Jan 1, 1897

By Luis Toron, Salvador Cortes-Obregon

John D. Price (Colorado Fuel and Iron Corp., Pueblo, Colo)—The paper on the coal fields of the Oaxaca district as prepared by engineers Toron and Cortes-Obregon of the staff of the Bank of Mexico bears witness to the thorough and careful way in which the men associated with this organization perform their work. There is little to be added to their paper in way of discussion other than to confirm and amplify some of their statements. Since the only extensive and well-developed field of coking coal lies in the northeastern section of the country adjacent to Sabinas in the state of Coahuila, it follows that blast furnace plants would be located in that same region. Two such plants are now operating at Monterrey and Monclova, using coke produced at the Sabinas district mines. But the nearer of these two plants is 600 miles from Mexico City and even farther from the center of population. Transportation of products from these mills to the market area is therefore expensive, both because of the distance and the difficulty of the terrain over which it must be carried. The development of an integrated steel industry closer to the center of population has therefore long been a goal toward which the Mexican technicians have been striving. While the presence of coal of some grade has been reported in many of the states, and many ideas have been advanced regarding its possible uses in iron and steel production, deposits of anthracite in Sonora and the various coals of the Oaxaca district as reported on in this paper are the only ones that have been explored in a serious manner. The coking coal from the Mix-tepec zone appears to offer promise of producing a coke which could be used in a standard blast furnace. Several problems are indicated, however: 1—The ash in the coal is high as mined, but indications are that it can be washed to an ash content of 15 pct with a recovery of 70 pct of washed coal. 2—Such washing would increase the volatile content from 17.4 pct to about 20 pct, and in a byproduct oven this should give a coke yield of close to 80 pct with an ash content of coke under 20 pct. 3—A free swelling index of 5 appears low for a good coking coal, and below that of the coals from the Sabinas district, which show between 6 and 9. But washing of the coal should result in an improvement in this regard; in the United States coals from Utah with an index even lower than 5 have made a usable coke. 4—A coal with volatile as low as 17.4 in raw coal and 20 in washed coal would come close to being classed as a low-volatile rather than medium-volatile coal, and low-volatile coals are notorious for their high expansion properties. Several plants in the United States are making coke from straight medium-volatile coal of 26 to 28 volatile content, and one at Rosita,, Mexico, from coal of 25 volatile. But no plants to my knowledge are using coal as low as 20 volatile. Since the Rosita coal appears to be a borderline coal from the angle of its expansion properties the coking of one of the straight lower volatile must be approached with caution. 5—There are few coals possessing any degree of coking properties which cannot be used in coke production by careful attention to its preparation and blending. The fact that coals of other types are available in this same region make improvement through blending very possible. 6—There are other workable methods of reducing iron ore other than the conventional coke-blast-furnace method. These will not be discussed here but it is known that their use has been considered. The technicians of not only Mexico but also of the other Latin American countries are keenly aware of their natural resources and their national needs. This paper emphasizes the fact that the Mexican technicians are working on their problem and attempting to speed the day of self-sufficiency for their country. Salvatore Cortes-Obregon (author&apos;s reply)—I wish to thank Mr. Price for his kind remarks. The Mixtepec coal as shown in Table II has 30 pct ash and a free swelling index of 5, but when the same coal is washed to 15 pct ash it has a free swelling index of 8 to 9 and the volatiles increased from 17.4 to 20.7 pct. A satisfactory coke has been produced from blends made in the Mexican laboratory using at least 40 pct of the Mixtepec coking coals with the other Oaxaca non-coking coals. Koppers in Germany report good coke obtained from the Oaxaca coal with a blend of 80 pct Mixtepec coal. Consideration is being given the possibility of using methods other than the conventional blast furnace for the reduction of iron ore near the Oaxaca area; electric furnaces appear promising. The non-coking coals could be used to produce cheap electric energy and the coking coals to make metallurgical coke.

Jan 1, 1955

By J. E. Johnson

The general construction of blast-furnaces has undergone no radical change in more than a generation. When the old style of masonry construction was replaced by the steel shell, the masonry piers were simultaneously replaced by columns, never lese than 6 and frequently 12 or 16 in number, set under the mantle-ring. These columns were at first unvaryingly made of cast-iron, but in more recent years have frequently been made of structural steel. The furnace itself has recently been the subject of radical changes; in some cases the thin-lined construction has been adopted for the whole furnace, and in other cases it has been adopted for a zone immediately above the bosh, raising the mantle several feet to make this possible, but still the style of construction with columns set immediately under the mantle has been universally followed. In spite of the apparent fixity of this type of construction it is open to grave disadvantages from the operating point of view, which may be briefly outlined as follows: The slope of the bosh and size of the crucible are such as to leave scant room inside the columns for the necessary water-piping, etc. The bustle-pipe must necessarily be outside the columns and the penstocks have to pass between them, with the result that the columns are frequently much in the way when changing the tuyeres or otherwise handling the penstocks. Moreover, the hearth-jacket requires a diameter but little smaller than the circle of the inside of the columns, and as a result the cooling-water ditch for protection against breakouts is exceedingly limited in width. As a consequence of these conditions, when any work requires to be done around the furnace, such as changing a tuyere or working on the cooling-water pipes, the amount of room left between the columns, pen-

Jan 1, 1913

By B. F. Fackenthall

The Durham Iron Works of Messrs. Cooper & Hewitt, near Riegelsville, Pa., occupy a site which has been almost continuously the scene of iron-manufacturing industry since 1727. Doubtless if Anthony Morris and his thirteen associates, who in that year erected a blast-furnace on the Durham Creek, a short distance above where the Durham Iron Works now stands, could have had a vision of the improved and enlarged apparatus of their successors, they would have been not less astonished by the huge stack, the hot-blast ovens, and the blowing-engines of the modern blast-furnace, than by the railroad which now follows the bank of the river on which their clumsy " Durham boats " once floated pig-iron to Philadelphia. In one particular, posterity must confess their snperiority. We are told that in November, 1728, they shipped three tons of Durham iron to England. The proprietors of the Durham Iron Works are not now shipping iron to England. The present Durham furnace was built (in place of two smaller ones) in 1874 and 1875, and made its first blast in 1876. A description of it, with other works of the same proprietors, at Trenton, N. J., by A. L. Holley and Lenox Smith, was published in London Engineering for January 31st, and February 21st, 1879. Since that time, a number of improvements, dictated by experience, have been made in the details of the furnace and fittings; and the recent roilclusion of a long and successful blast presents a convenient opportunity for a description of the works and a statement of the results of practice. The accompanying drawings will show the general arrangement of the works. The furnace, Plate I., Figs. 1 and 2, is 75 feet high by 19 feet bosh. The hearth is 11 feet 4 inches in diameter, with seven tuyeres 5 feet 6 inches above hearth-line. The tuyeres project 9 inches into the furnace, making the interior tuyere-circle 9 feet 10 inches in diameter. The front is a modification of Luermaun&apos;s

Jan 1, 1886

Jan 1, 1908

By C. S. Barrett, O. R. Trautz

PREVIOUS investigations have shown that lithium is body-centered cubic from near its melting point to the temperature of liquid air1,2,3 Nevertheless there was an incentive to search again for a transformation at low temperatures: C. Zener4,5 has remarked that the low value of the elastic modulus (11 - C12)/2 of body-centered cubic metals and alloys implies a rapid increase in free energy with decreasing temperature, which would favor the occurrence of a transformation; also the shear movement to which this modulus applies is one that can transform a body-centered cubic structure into a slightly distorted face-centered cubic structure. It was confirmed that lithium does not transform spontaneously at liquid nitrogen temperature, but it was found that a transformation can be induced at this temperature by cold working the metal,6 and at slightly lower temperatures a different transformation occurs spontaneously. Transformations were also found in solid solutions of magnesium in lithium. THE NATURE OF THE TRANSFORMATIONS Before presenting a detailed treatment of the technique used and the specific data obtained, it would be well to give a brief survey of the general characteristics of the transformations. A new crystal structure begins to form spontaneously in a specimen when it is cooled below a critical temperature. In lithium the structure appears to be close-packed hexagonal; in the Li-Mg alloys most of the diffraction lines (but not all) are near those for hexagonal lithium. The transformation proceeds as the temperature is lowered and soon stops if the temperature is held constant or raised. The course of the transformation on cooling is indicated by the curve at the lower left of Fig I. This curve is drawn in stepped fashion because the transformation goes by discrete steps with audible clicks. Because of the similarity to the decomposition of austenite into martensite in steels, it seems appropriate to designate the beginning of the spontaneous transformation on cooling as the Ms point. On heating to room temperature after the low temperature treatment only the usual BCC structure is found. On heating, the low temperature modification begins to disappear at a temperature which will be designated as Ac. The transformation on heating is halted when the rise in temperature is halted. The temperature must be raised 40 to 50°C above Ac before the reversion is complete-an interval which is sensitive to the rate of heating and to the time of holding at temperatures above Ac. This behavior on heating thus has similarities also to the formation of martensite in the cooling of steels.

Jan 1, 1948

By T. A. Rickard

The Cripple Creek district occupies a cluster of foot-hills on the south side of Pike&apos;s Peak and is a portion of an extensive, though uneven, plateau which unites the eastern range of the Rocky mountains with the Sangre de Cristo. It is essentially a small volcanic area, of about 20 square miles, amid the granite of the Front range. But though, when regarded as a rich mining district, it may be considered as an isolated area,* yet, geologically, it is, as Whitman Cross has pointed out, only an outlying portion of a much larger volcanic region, which stretches to the south and west, around Silver Cliff and the Rosita hills, forming the picturesque country cut by the deep cañons of the Arkansas river and its tributaries. The mines are situated amid a volcanic complex, consisting of tuffs and breccias which have been penetrated by an extensive system of dikes and other intrusive masses. The prevailing formation is an andesite breccia, which lies upon the worn surface of the granite and fills the deep basin around a volcanic vent. The breccia, since its deposition, has been broken into by several eruptions of phonolite and, later still, by a series of thin dikes of basalt and other allied rocks of a highly basic composition. The successive sedimentary formatione which, elsewhere in Colorado, lie upon the basal granite, are not represented in the district; whatever sediments were laid down before the volcanic period must have been removed by erosion, and there is very little evidence which affords a datum-line whereby the geological age of the volcanic eruptions can be determined. Whit-

Jan 1, 1901