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By George Norman

A NUMBER of methods have been developed for the determination of the dust concentration in air, some of which have been reported as very efficient and for research may be more satisfactory than the method about to be described. In practical mine use, however, the accurate research equipment is unwieldy and requires a high degree of technical skill to manipulate it. Also, it gives less general practical information to the operator in the same length of time than the method described here. Moreover, it is doubtful whether at the present stage of affairs the results obtained from the precise methods have any more practical significance than those obtained with simpler and more portable appara-tus, which can rapidly give a sufficiently reliable indication of the rela-tive dust hazard.

Jan 1, 1937

By Kurt Kennedy

A method is described by which three elements can be condensed simirltaneously on a common substrate in such a way that the composition varies with position on the substrate. Almost all possible combinations of three solid elements can be formed in a single evaporation. The three elements are heated by magnetically deflected electron beams. The alloys and cornpounds formed by this method generally correspond to those trade by other methods; however, many exceptions exist. Simple symmetric crystallographic phases tend to form in preference to more complex phases. The Nb-Sn. Cr-Fe-Nt, and other systems of alloys made by this method will be discussed. Phases that form very slowly, such as the o phase in Cr-Fe alloys, may be formed rapidly by this method when certain substrate temperatures are used. STUDYING all the mixtures and compounds of two or more elements by the preparation of individual samples forces the investigator to make sampling sufficiently close together so that the properties of the intermediate compositions can be inferred. A completely unknown system will require a dis c our aging ly large number of preparations in order to fully know all its properties. For the purpose of expediting this type of investigation, methods have been devised to prepare samples that have a continuous variation in composition over some predefined area. The code-position of two elements onto suitable substrates has been used to produce alloys or compounds that have variable compositions depending on their positions on the substrates Composition gradients have been formed by depositing a wedge-shaped layer of one element and then depositing a second wedge-shaped layer on top of it such that the total film thickness is kept constant. Concentration equilibrium perpendicular to the surface is then established by annealing.4 This paper describes a method for the simultaneous condensation of three volatile components on a substrate such that there is a regular variation of composition with position on the substrate. The arrangement of the evaporation sources and the substrate is shown schematically in Fig. 1. Materials to be evaporated are placed in three water-cooled crucibles located at the corners of a 10-in. equilateral triangle. Electron beams from cathodes located below the crucibles are bent 180 deg by magnetic fields and focused on the material to be evaporated. The cathodes are connected in parallel to a constant-current 12-kv power supply. The distribution of emission current from each cathode is controlled by filament temperature. When materials that sublime are to be evaporated, the electron beam is deflected by an auxiliary ac magnetic field so that the beam moves over the surface of the evaporating material rather than digging a hole in one spot. The substrate is a 10-in. triangle of 2-mil stainless steel or molybdenum which is stretched against a slightly curved heat sink by a frame as shown in Fig. 2. This frame and heat sink are located so that each corner is directly above an evaporation source. The heat sink has three radiant heaters at each corner that can be separately controlled permitting the

Jan 1, 1967

By John C. Osmond

One of the least known geologic regions in the U.S. is the area now called the Basin and Range Province. It is paradoxical that so little geologic information has been compiled for a province that has yielded billions of dollars worth of metals and is currently producing a small amount of oil. Regional stratigraphic studies of parts of this large territory have been published only recently, and regional structural interpretations of even parts of the province are rare in the literature. This, of course, does great injustice to the earliest workers: Gilbert, Russell, Le Conte, Spur, Louderback, and others, who recognized the area as distinctively different from the rest of North America. Their simplified picture of the structure of the ranges and the province as a whole is the groundwork for present understanding and has never been superseded. Since their early works, however, geologic data from the province has consisted largely of detailed reports of widely scattered mining districts. Each district has been described as though it were an island in an unknown sea.

Jan 3, 1960

By Ancel St. John

During a session on coal and coke at the February, 1926, meeting of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, the writer called attention to the important work on the X-ray analysis of coal1,2 being carried on in England by C. Norman Kemp and his associates. This aroused so much interest that a paper on the subject was requested for the October meeting. It has seemed advisable to make this paper a preliminary survey of the present status in the application of X-ray methods to coal problems and to follow it from time to time with further articles as the art develops. A survey of this sort naturally divides itself into two parts, radio-scopic analysis of the distribution of constituents through the body of the coal, and diffraction analysis of the state of association of the elementary components. In this article the subject matter concerning radioscopic analysis has been drawn almost entirely from the writings of Kemp and his associates and the illustrations have been sptcially furnished by him. It is a pleasure to record here a great indebtedness for this courtesy and cooperation. The subject matter and illustrations concerning diffraction analysis are taken from the author's unpublished researches. Nature and Properties of X-rays Before proceeding it is well to recall the nature and some of the properties of X-rays, as well as our present conception of atomic structure According to the accepted theory atoms are composed of electrically-charged particles. A positively-charged center, called the nucleus,

Jan 1, 1927

By R. W. Kraft, L. D. Graham

The process of' spheroidization, or more properly coarsening, of Al-CuAl,eutectic alloy specimens with various initial microstructures was studied by quantitative metallographic and X-ray diffraction techniques. By measuring the rale at which specimens with a very fine dispersion of phases (produced by quenching molten droplets of the alloy in water) coarsened it uias determined that the rate-controlling mechanism for coarsening was diffusion, probably of aluminum in the aluminum-rich phase. The lamellae in specimens with a high degree of microstructural and cr-ystallog/uphic anisotropy (produced hy unidirectional solidification of ingots) thickened during heat treatment by recession of the CuAl, platelets from jaulted regzons, yet the specinlens retained a very high degree of. anisotropy after prolonged heat treatments at a temperature within 8°C of the eutectic temperature. In such specimens the crystallographic orientation relationship between the phases remained constant and no change in the crystallographic substructure occurred. Based on these observations a model was developed for the coarsening—or rate of' thicken-ing—oj- the lamellar structures which predicts that the rate of decrease of interface area is proportional to the square of lamellar interface area. Experiments with degenerate and very coarse lamellar microstruc -tures preduced by extremely slow unidirectional solidification) indicate that initial microstructure is a most important factor governing the final micro-structure after heat treatment. The particle size and shape of dispersed phases are important parameters affecting the properties of a wide variety of two-phase materials. As is well-known, varietythe dispersed-phase particles tend to coarsen at appropriately high temperatures because the interface energy of the system is reduced by the concomitant reduction in interface area. The phenomenon of

Jan 1, 1967

By C. R. Hocott

THE viscosity of the oil in the reservoir is one of the properties that influence its movement through the sand to producing wells. Measurements of viscosity, therefore, are pertinent to problems associated with well behavior and with the estimation of recoveries, and afford an indirect means for partial evaluation of various methods of controlling reservoir behavior. The effect of dissolved gases on the viscosity of crude oil has been determined,1,2 but no data have been published on the viscosity of repre-sentative samples of reservoir oils. This paper describes a simple instrument that has been used to determine the viscosities of a number of subsurface oil samples at the temperatures and pressures existing in the reservoirs, and presents the results of the determinations for typical fields.

Jan 1, 1940

By C. D. Demond

In reverberatory smelting, fuel is the chief item of expense, as it commonly is in processes using large percentages of it. Hence the most suitable supply is eagerly sought; that is, the supply which, in the end, yields the greatest net profit. The better grades are not infrequently bought, even at an advanced price, because they are apt to be decidedly more economical. High price, of itself, however, is no merit, for freight is generally the largest part of the cost of fuel, and the nearby supply may yield as high efficiency as that from a greater distance. If a poorer grade is reasonably good, and if its cost is low enough to more than offset the decreased technical efficiency, it is of course the more suitable. Any smelting operation depends for both efficiency and economy on raising the furnace atmosphere considerably above the "critical" temperature; that is, above the temperature at which smelting is completed. If this temperature is not exceeded, smelting stops, no matter how much coal is burned; and the real value of a fuel depends on the number of degrees that the temperature is continuously kept above this point. For example, if one fuel maintains 2,500" F. and another only 2,100 F., while the "critical" temperature is 2,000" F., the first is worth at least five times as much as the second, although the increase above atmospheric temperature is only one-fifth more in one case than in the other. This "margin of temperature" above the smelting point is much more significant than the total number of heat units developed from the fuel. The case is parallel to that of water flowing from a pipe. The reservoir may contain a billion gallons of water; but, even though the fluid has come to the nozzle, not a drop will run out, where it can be of practical use, unless the level in the reservoir is higher than the nozzle; and the speed and volume of flow depend on how much higher the level is in the reservoir than at this point. If the temperature in a furnace is not above the critical level there will be no slag to flow over the skimming plate, even though there are enough heat units to bring an unlimited quantity of charge up to the point of slag formation; and just as the value of a water supply for the purpose of putting out a fire depends largely on the effective head, so the difficulties of furnace management

Jan 1, 1915

On the following pages are abstracts of papers published by the Institute during the year 1936 as TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS and CONTRIBUTIONS, papers in bound volumes appearing for the first time, and papers in MINING AND METALLURGY For abstracts of papers that appeared in bound volumes in 1936 but that were published as TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS in 1935, see the YEAR BOOK dated January 1936.

Jan 1, 1937

By Arne Westgren

ONLY in exceptional cases can the ordinary methods of chemistry be used for determining the constitution of compound metallic substances. Recourse has therefore been taken to special methods, the main expedients of which are, as we know, thermal analysis and metal microscopy. To these may be added-though more accessory-the determination of electric conductivity, specific volume, hardness or other properties. The information obtained by these methods has been compiled in equilibrium diagrams. Naturally, the technically most important alloys, such as steel, bronze and some others, have been subjected to very close study, and many investigators have devoted themselves to the solving of their problems of constitution. The equilibrium diagrams of these systems are therefore known today with a comparatively high degree of accuracy, even though it must be admitted that many details regarding their transformation reactions still remain to be completely explained. The equilibrium diagrams of the other alloys as a rule have not been determined so accurately. Most of them are based only on approximate determinations of the homogeneity ranges of the various phases. Thus extensive, detailed studies remain before these diagrams may be considered as established. Unfortunately, it must also be admitted that many of the alloy diagrams given in the present handbooks are as a whole very dubious. As a matter of fact, many of them may really only be viewed as the results of rather superficial, orientating investigations. In fact, there also seems to be a general opinion prevailing in our day that much work still remains to be done before the equilibrium conditions of the alloys may be considered as fully explained. At present, in almost all institutes for research on metals, as well as in many university laboratories, investigations to this effect are being carried out. As a rule, the classical methods of metallography, the thermal analysis and metal microscopy are applied.

Jan 1, 1931

By Cyril Stanley Smith

For many years sulphur and its congeners selenium and tellurium have been regarded as very harmful elements in copper and copper-rich alloys. Like many similar prejudices, this has been found to be partly wrong. All three of these elements actually have no great effect on the working properties of copper and its alloys, and are desirable additions in that they considerably enhance the machinability of alloys in which they are present. Because of their possible commercial importance, a study of the machinability and other properties of the pure binary alloys was made, as described in this paper, and the effect of selenium on a large number of copper alloys was determined. The current opinion regarding the deleterious effects of elements in this group undoubtedly arose because of occasional failures of tough-pitch copper containing unusually high tellurium, and because of the well-known fact that sulphur causes spewing and unsoundness in tough-pitch copper. Siebe,1 also Deretchey and Margolina,2 studied the effect of sulphur on copper and showed that in the absence of oxygen it was present in the form of copper sulphide, which was less harmful to the properties than an equivalent amount of copper oxide. No data have been published on selenium and tellurium, although the statement is often made, following Eggleston,3 that tellurium makes copper hot-short. Copper specifications call for only traces of these elements. Skowronski and Mosher4 give data on the effect of selenium and tellurium on the conductivity of tough-pitch copper. In private communication Mr. Skowronski says that the samples were hot-forged from small castings and drawn to 0.081 in. diameter, but it should not be inferred from this that these elements are harmless to the working properties of wirebars and commercial shapes. Constitution and Microstructure Constitution.—Sulphur, selenium and tellurium exist in their alloys with copper in the form of copper sulphide, selenide or telluride. These compounds are practically insoluble in the solid state and possess limited

Jan 1, 1938

By Cyril Stanley Smith

For many years sulphur and its congeners selenium and tellurium have been regarded as very harmful elements in copper and copper-rich alloys. Like many similar prejudices, this has been found to be partly wrong. All three of these elements actually have no great effect on the working properties of copper and its alloys, and are desirable additions in that they considerably enhance the machinability of alloys in which they are present. Because of their possible commercial importance, a study of the machinability and other properties of the pure binary alloys was made, as described in this paper, and the effect of selenium on a large number of copper alloys was determined. The current opinion regarding the deleterious effects of elements in this group undoubtedly arose because of occasional failures of tough-pitch copper containing unusually high tellurium, and because of the well-known fact that sulphur causes spewing and unsoundness in tough-pitch copper. Siebe,1 also Deretchey and Margolina,2 studied the effect of sulphur on copper and showed that in the absence of oxygen it was present in the form of copper sulphide, which was less harmful to the properties than an equivalent amount of copper oxide. No data have been published on selenium and tellurium, although the statement is often made, following Eggleston,3 that tellurium makes copper hot-short. Copper specifications call for only traces of these elements. Skowronski and Mosher4 give data on the effect of selenium and tellurium on the conductivity of tough-pitch copper. In private communication Mr. Skowronski says that the samples were hot-forged from small castings and drawn to 0.081 in. diameter, but it should not be inferred from this that these elements are harmless to the working properties of wirebars and commercial shapes. Constitution and Microstructure Constitution.—Sulphur, selenium and tellurium exist in their alloys with copper in the form of copper sulphide, selenide or telluride. These compounds are practically insoluble in the solid state and possess limited

Jan 1, 1938

By Charles Hart

THE-report of the advisory committee to the U. S. Bureau of Mines, on the use of oxygen in metallurgy, brings to the art of steelmaking a radical change in the method of operation of the many processes of this widely diversified industry. When completed, the improvements suggested by the use of oxygen will be far-reaching and revolutionary. As to its effect upon the iron blast furnace, the use of oxygen should be as important as any of the improvements in the art of iron smelting and should take its place beside the German "Hochofen" which was the first attempt to use a shaft for preheating the stock, and beside the hot-blast stove which heated the blast before entering the furnace. The former initially produced molten iron and the latter made unbelievable economies in fuel consumption. It would seem that a discussion of this paper would be best served by following the conclusions on page 17 of the report and analyzing them seriatim. 1. (a) A decrease in costs, due to higher smelting heats is only attainable by taking full advantage of these heat units. This is affected by, adding additional ore to the burden which in turn increases production and yields a larger tonnage upon which to figure costs. These economies appear in decreased cost per ton of iron for coke and limestone consumed, and a proportionate reduction in all items entering the cost above materials. We can take no exception to these. premises. It is a well-known fact that silicon in the iron and sulfur removed" are the result of hearth temperature, other matters remaining constant. To a practical furnaceman the most satisfactory manner of controlling a furnace is by increasing the burden. It is not necessary, therefore, to consider the question of refractories, for this discussion presupposes that the temperatures in the furnaces will be kept practically where they now stand for making the various grades of iron. The same situation obtains in regard to the height of the furnace, which, as intimated, was one of the great strides forward in this art, and its abandonment at this time, is inconceivable. The shaft prepares the stock so that at each succeeding step we have exactly the proper conditions. All the stock entering the furnace is dried and preheated. The limestone is calcined by sensible heat practically at no cost, for this is sensible heat which otherwise would pass from the top with the gases. Under normal conditions, external calcination has been attempted without tangible results. Under normal average furnace operation, limestone requires about 760 B.t.u. for calcination and the loss of sensible

Jan 11, 1924

By C. S. Matthews, H. M. Girner, C. D. Williams, M. J. Edwardson, H. R. Parkison

Quantitative interpretation of electric logs requires knowledge of formation temperature. In this paper, methods are developed for computing changes in formation temperature caused by circulation of mud during drilling operations. The basis of the method is the mathematical solution of the differential equation of heat conduction. The solution of this equation is presented in a series of graphs. These graphs are used to determine formation temperature disturbance at various radii for arbitrary mud circulation histories. Example comparisons with field results show reasonable agreement. It is concluded that, in general, the temperature disturbances caused by circulating mud are small beyond 10 ft from the wellbore but are quite significant near the wellbore. INTRODUCTION Quantitative interpretation of electric logs requires knowledge of the formation temperature in order to establish the resistivity of the formation water with accuracy. To determine the formation temperature, the temperature disturbances produced by circulating drilling mud must be evaluated. -The objective of this investigation was to develop a method for the numerical determination of these temperature disturbances at any distance from the wellbore as a function of time. The first step was to solve the differential equation describing the temperature behavior in the formation during and after mud circulation. This solution was used to calculate a series of curves relating temperature disturbance to shut-in time for various circulating periods. An "exact" method for computing formation temperatures with the use of these temperature-disturbance plots is described, and the results of an application of this method to a well in Montana are presented. Procedures for approximating formation temperatures are also discussed. BASIC EQUATIONS AND ASSUMPTIONS With the assumptions that (1) cylindrical symmetry exists, with the borehole as the axis, (2) heat flow is 1. The formation can be treated as though it is radially infinite and homogeneous in extent, as regards heat flow. 2. The presence of mud cake can be disregarded. 3. The effect of heat generated by bit action is negligible. 4. After mud circulation ceases, the rate of radial heat flow at the wellbore is negligible and is assumed zero for purposes of calculating temperature change with time. These assumptions are believed to be reasonable because of the agreement achieved between calculated and measured borehole temperature in a well, to be discussed later. Further, the agreement at the wellbore indicates that temperatures in the formation were also approximately correct. since it is the formation temperatures that determine wellbore temperature after ceasing circulations SOLUTION OF THE DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION AND ITS APPLICATION The solution of Eq. 2 for the temperature behavior during and after a single period of mud circulation is

By Joseph Singewald

INTRODUCTION FOR a number of years Russia, India and Brazil have outranked .all other countries as producers of manganese ores. During the 5 years immediately preceding the European war, the average annual production of Russia was 844,000, of India 694,000 and of Brazil 200,000 long tons. Since the outbreak of the war there has been a considerable falling off in the Russian and Indian production, particularly in the former, whereas the production of Brazilian ores has been greatly increased, amounting in 1914 to over 250,000 tons and in 1915 to nearly 350,000, with conditions favorable for a still larger production in 1916. Manganese is one of the few industrially important metals that are not produced in the United States in quantity commensurate with our needs, so that we have been compelled to import annually about 300,000 tons, having a value of over $2,000,000, and these ores have been obtained from the three countries mentioned above. Their rank as contributors to our imports of manganese ores was India, Russia, Brazil; and in 1913, Brazil contributed only one-fifth. During the past 2 years Brazil has furnished rapidly increasing quantities to this country, and, with the falling off of imports from India and Russia, has become our principal foreign source. In 1914, Brazil furnished two-fifths of the imports and more than India or Russia, and in 1915 over nine-tenths. The manganese ores of Brazil are consequently of more than usual interest to us at this time.

Jan 10, 1916

By J. L. Lamon, W. Crafts

P. Coheur and L. Habraken—We read this paper with great interest and are glad to congratulate the authors for their valuable work, supplying an important contribution to the mechanism of tempering on the carbides in vanadium steels. We are in a good position to appreciate this work since we have been studying, for more than a year, Cr-Mo steels of a composition similar, but less highly alloyed (namely 0.1 pct C, 3 pct Cr, 1 pct Mo). Our results are quite in concordance with the authors', however, we wish to point out that it is very interesting to use equally the electron microscope in order to observe the variations of microstructure in steels. We have studied simultaneouslv the evolution of the carbides in situ with the electron microscope, and, after extraction, again with the electron microscope, and then with X-rays. The first results which we have obtained have been communicated at the Congress of Delft (July 1949) and at the "Journbes de la Metallurgie" in Paris (October 1949). These may be summarized as follows: After tempering with varying either the tempering temperatures or the tempering times, the carbides show two evolutions. The first one is connected to the carbides existing in the steels, principally in the boundaries of the grains. For some groups of steels these carbides may coalesce and for other groups they may

Jan 1, 1951

By Robert Keeney

Before the outbreak of the war in 1914, the only electric-furnace smelting plant operating on a commercial basis west of the Mississippi River was an electric pig-iron plant in California; rare metal ores were not smelted, concentrates of molybdenum, tungsten, uranium, and vanadium ores being shipped east for reduction. Practically no- chrome ore was being mined, and only comparatively small amounts of manganese ore. Today there are two electric smelting plants in California, one in Washington, one in Iowa, and four in Colorado; two plants are under construction in California, and one in Montana. Ores of manganese, chromium, molybdenum and tungsten are now smelted in the West, and although uranium and vanadium concentrates are still shipped to the East, they will probably be treated in western plants in a short time. The four electric-furnace plants in Colorado are listed in Table 1. TABLE 1.-Electric Smelting Plants in Colorado Capacity, Company, Location Kilowatts Products . Tungsten Products Co Boulder 800 Ferrotungsten, ferromolybdentun. Boulder Tungsten Production Co. . Boulder 400 Ferrotungsten. Ferro Alloy Co Utah Junction 1200 Ferrochrome, ferrotung-sten. Iron Mountain Alloy Co Utah Junction 3000 Ferromanganese. Power for all of these plants is supplied by the Colorado Power Co.

Jan 8, 1918

By John Chipman, Carl F. Floe

A year ago the authors published a paper on the solubility of sulphur dioxide in molten copper.l The data in that paper agreed closely with that obtained by previous investigators, which, however, did not agree with the theoretical predictions for solubility of triatomic gases of this type. It has generally been assumed that the reaction of solution is: 6Cu(l) + SO2(g) = Cu2S (in Cu) + 2 Cu2O (in Cu) [I] _ (CU2S)(CU2O)2 K = (Cu)6(Pso2) [2] Neglecting the slight change in copper concentration and considering that the concentrations of sulphur and oxygen are both proportional to the volume of gas absorbed, it follows that this volume should be proportional to the cube root of the pressure. It was found that a plot of the volume absorbed versus the cube root of the pressure gave a straight line, but that this line did not pass through the origin. Calculations of the equilibrium constant for the reaction showed that it was fairly constant for pressures above 100 mm. but that actually it approached zero at lower pressures. The conclusion was made therefore that the solubility as determined could not be expressed by Eq. I or by any other simple equation, particularly at low pressures. Other investigators have concluded that the solubility of sulphur dioxide in copper as well as in several copper alloys is more nearly proportional to the square root of the pressure.* Such a conclusion, however, does not satisfactorily account for the results, even when rather complicated mechanisms for the solution are assumed. The highly improbable speculations of Lepp2 and of Schneider and Esch3 based upon hypothetical dissociation pressures of Cu2O and CU2S dissolved in copper illustrate the type of reasoning that has been used to account for the discrepancy. In the discussion of the previous paper, the authors pointed out that the discrepancy might possibly be due to impurities in the copper, although the purest form available was used. Further consideration of the problem suggested that the impurities likely to have the greatest effect on the solubility of so2 in copper were oxygen, sulphur and carbon. Accordingly, further experiments have been made to show the effects of these elements. Experimental Methods The apparatus used for measuring solubility was essentially the same as that shown in the previous paper. However, since it was desired to make measurements at low pressures, a McLeod gauge was added and 6-mm. glass tubing was substituted for the capillary. This increased the "hot volume" considerably but was necessary in order to obtain good vacuums in a reasonable length of time. A mercury diffusion pump was also installed.

Jan 1, 1942

By Carl F. Floe, John Chipman

A year ago the authors published a paper on the solubility of sulphur dioxide in molten copper.l The data in that paper agreed closely with that obtained by previous investigators, which, however, did not agree with the theoretical predictions for solubility of triatomic gases of this type. It has generally been assumed that the reaction of solution is: 6Cu(l) + SO2(g) = Cu2S (in Cu) + 2 Cu2O (in Cu) [I] _ (CU2S)(CU2O)2 K = (Cu)6(Pso2) [2] Neglecting the slight change in copper concentration and considering that the concentrations of sulphur and oxygen are both proportional to the volume of gas absorbed, it follows that this volume should be proportional to the cube root of the pressure. It was found that a plot of the volume absorbed versus the cube root of the pressure gave a straight line, but that this line did not pass through the origin. Calculations of the equilibrium constant for the reaction showed that it was fairly constant for pressures above 100 mm. but that actually it approached zero at lower pressures. The conclusion was made therefore that the solubility as determined could not be expressed by Eq. I or by any other simple equation, particularly at low pressures. Other investigators have concluded that the solubility of sulphur dioxide in copper as well as in several copper alloys is more nearly proportional to the square root of the pressure.* Such a conclusion, however, does not satisfactorily account for the results, even when rather complicated mechanisms for the solution are assumed. The highly improbable speculations of Lepp2 and of Schneider and Esch3 based upon hypothetical dissociation pressures of Cu2O and CU2S dissolved in copper illustrate the type of reasoning that has been used to account for the discrepancy. In the discussion of the previous paper, the authors pointed out that the discrepancy might possibly be due to impurities in the copper, although the purest form available was used. Further consideration of the problem suggested that the impurities likely to have the greatest effect on the solubility of so2 in copper were oxygen, sulphur and carbon. Accordingly, further experiments have been made to show the effects of these elements. Experimental Methods The apparatus used for measuring solubility was essentially the same as that shown in the previous paper. However, since it was desired to make measurements at low pressures, a McLeod gauge was added and 6-mm. glass tubing was substituted for the capillary. This increased the "hot volume" considerably but was necessary in order to obtain good vacuums in a reasonable length of time. A mercury diffusion pump was also installed.

Jan 1, 1942

By H. F. Bishop, F. A. Brandt, W. S. Pellini

The solidification mechanism of experimental steel ingots (7x7x20 in.) was studied by thermal analysis. It was determined that solidification proceeds in wave-like fashion at rates which are determined by the carbon level, superheat, and mold thickness. The thermal cycles of the mold walls were related to the course of solidification. ESPITE marked advances in the field of solid state transformation, metallurgical research has contributed comparatively little exact quantitative data on the mechanism of solidification of metals. There is, therefore, a great need for such data in the various metallurgical industries. The mechanics of solidification of ingots have been investigated in the past primarily by studies of the rate of skin formation as indicated by bleeding or "pour out" tests. The "pour out" method, however, is a tool which gives only approximate information. In the case of alloys with wide solidification ranges, such as irons and certain nonferrous alloys, the method will not work at all; in the case of alloys of intermediate solidification ranges, such as commercial steels, the information may be misleading. Thus, the general adoption of this method has resulted in divergent conclusions regarding the solidification process. Chipman and Fondersmith1 by means of bleeding tests have shown that the linear growth of a solidifying ingot wall follows a parabola of the general form, D = K C, with the start of solidification delayed until superheat is exhausted, as indicated by the constant C. These tests were carried only to a wall thickness of about 5 in. using an ingot of approximately 17x39 in. in cross-section; hence the latter stages of solidification were not studied. Matuschka2-3 indicated that linear solidification of ingots is rapid at first, then slow, but toward the end of solidification the rate becomes extremely rapid again. Spretnak's4 bleeding studies indicated that, wall growth is expressed more rigorously by two parabolas, and that their point of intersection corresponds to a change of solidification mode from columnar to equiaxed. Spretnak also showed that the K values of the first parabola are always the same regardless of superheat. Nelson bled ingots of square cross-section and found that linear wall growth is initially rapid but decreases continually until the end of solidification. He also concluded that rate of solidification in ingots of square cross-section increases 2.15 pct for every 10 pct increase in cross-sectional area of the mold. The mold ratios considered (ratio of cross-sectional area of the mold to cross-sectional area of the ingot) were all less than 2 to 1. The subject of solidification has also been treated mathematically in many cases, but because of the lack of accurate thermal constants and the simplifying assumptions required, as their authors generally acknowledge, they represent only approaches to the actual conditions of ingot solidification. A third method of studying solidification is the electrical analogue method promulgated by Pasch-kis6-7 and by Jackson and coworkers.8 This method treats solidification as a heat transfer problem with the solidification cycle synthesized on an electrical circuit. Paschkis in his treatment of solidification considered the fact, which was generally ignored, that solidification of steel is not simply the growth of a plane solid wall but a more complex process occurring over a temperature range as indicated by the constitution diagram. Undoubtedly, the anomalous results obtained by bleeding tests arise from the inability to measure quantitatively this mushy condition. The shape of Paschkis' solidification curves are more nearly in accord with those of Matuschka, in that they indicate rapid linear solidification at the beginning and end of solidification with intermediate solidification occurring at a slower rate. Paschkis indicates a definite lengthening of solidification time with increasing superheat. Thermal analysis is a direct method providing exact information for all types of metals regardless of solidification range and was thus adopted in the present program to follow the entire course of solidification from the surface to the centerline of the ingots. The method has the added advantage of being adaptable to following the thermal cycle of the ingot mold during the course of solidification. Test Methods The ingots studied were of square cross-section, 20 in. long, tapered from 71/4 in. at the top to 63/4 in. at the bottom, and fed with a hot top 7 in. in diam and 12 in. high. The molds were uniform in wall

Jan 1, 1953

By F. M. Lewis, J. F. Myers

The selection of the proper type of flotation machine involves the consideration of a wide variety of factors. Under any condition, all types of machines will promote some kind of separation. Obviously, the correct way of deciding which type of machine is best suited for a particular problem would be to set up all types of machines and test them out in a competitive manner, but the vast number of small concentrating plants are unable to make such complete and exhaustive tests. The experience of the authors of this paper indicates that if all the factors involved in any particular problem can be determined, and if all the flotation-machine characteristics are understood, some basis for selection could be arrived at other than actual comparison. This paper is presented to show how the process factors and machine characteristics have been combined at the mills of the Tennessee Copper Co. from studies of several types of flotation machines. At the two mills of the Tennessee Copper Co. in the Ducktown Basin of Tennessee, four distinct flotation separations are made on the complex sulphide ore. Three different concentrates are produced from the ore—in the order of their importance: iron concentrate, copper concentrate, and zinc concentrate. Four different types of flotation machines are used. The selection of these four machines, for the plant operation, was based upon the study and operating experience of the machine units shown in the following list: Fagergren machine; square cell, size 56 inches Fagergren machine; level type, size 56 inches Denver machine; conical disk impeller, size 24 inches Denver machine; receded disk impeller, size 24 inches Minerals Separation Sub-A, size 24 inches Munro-Pearse deep cell, pneumatic Southwestern air machine, Hunt principle To date the study of flotation machines has been confined almost entirely to the rougher circuits. The various cleaning operations, being relatively a much simpler matter, have not been investigated so thoroughly. Table I shows a typical analysis of the two ores as well as of the mineral content.

Jan 1, 1947