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By Hubert D. Keiser

An observation that is finding fresh confirmation in the leadership of the Allied Nations is "When the need arises, a man will rise to fill it." Much the same can be said of industrial advances in the current emergency. Events and circumstances have created needs for new materials and stimulated the inventive genius of man to fill them. The timely development of fibrous-glass manufacture, in relation to present war needs, is a case in point. Historical Summary It is probable that the first glass fibers produced by the hand of man were made about 4000 years ago. Successful production of glass fibers for manifold industrial and military uses, on any scale that could begin to meet present needs, has a history spanning a scant four years. The American processes that brought this young industry into being were developed between the years 1931 and 1937; research and manufacturing efforts were consolidated to create a commercially satisfactory operation as late as November 1939. In the 40 months that have elapsed since then, the industry has achieved commercial importance, supplied immense quantities of materials for pre-war industrial expansion to meet "defense" and Lend-Lease needs, and now has reached such importance that it has come largely under the control of the War Production Board for equitable distribution of its major products among 13 claimant agencies. It is worthy of note, however, that the Bureau of Ships, Navy Department, began exploratory use of fibrous-glass products in 1932, within one year after the date of the first experimental trials of the new process. This early recognition of the military importance of fibrous glass gave impetus to further research work. The foregoing rapid scanning of historical development must be filled in, lest the. impression be created that glass fibers were suddenly created out of thin air, with no antecedent trials, failures, and partial successes. The actual history of glassmaking is lost in antiquity. Probably some nomadic tribesman found molten glass beneath the bed of a hot campfire built upon sand of the proper composition. If his curiosity led him to poke the glowing, viscous pool with a green-wood stick or some handy weapon, it is probable that he drew a glass fiber on the end of his implement. Molten glass has much the same consistency as honey or molasses; it strings out tenuously. Thus, it is quite possible that the first form of glass shaped by man's action was a glass fiber. Artisans in glass, throughout the long Direc- of glassmaking as an art> drew fibers from fine rods for many decorative applications, including "spun glass" decoration in beautiful stemware and the charming millefiori (glass flowers encased in solid glass), and even to create the blood vessels in glass eyes to match a bleary mate.

Jan 1, 1948

By A. L. Labbe

SOON after the Cottrell treater was placed in operation in the Murray plant in 1918 to treat combined lead sinter and Wedge roaster smoke, it was noticed that the power flowing through the treater did not remain constant. This was indicated by the varying milliamperes and also by the total amount of power consumed by the rectifiers. At times, for then unknown reasons, the treater current fluctuated through a wide range of from 40 to 300 milliamperes. Fortunately, these variations in power did not affect the treater's overall recovery, as this installation consisted of three independent units in series, a feature which made the Murray Cottrell an outstanding installation over many years of operation. Water conditioning of the smoke as a means of improving recovery was already known, but was not adaptable to this installation for reasons of excessive corrosion, which had been the case with other treaters using water as a conditioner exclusively. Tests conducted on the smoke had proved conclusively that water vapor played no part in the fluctuation of power, and the same was true of the SO2 contents and dust burden of the smoke. Neither did temperature variations of from 150 to 400°F have any effect on the power. Finally it was noticed that the variation in power taken by the treater, and the efficiency of recovery, had some definite relation to the number of Wedge roasters operating, and particularly to the sulphur contents of the charge. This observation soon led to the discovery that free sulphuric acid was the conditioner for Murray smoke and that variations in acid contents of smoke accounted for fluctuations of treater power. Analysis of recovered dust revealed that only a few hundredths of a per cent free acid was necessary to maintain a very efficient recovery. Once this knowledge was available, the roaster charge was adjusted as to sulphur contents to produce the necessary acid conditioner. For a number of years this practice was followed, but with improvements in the field of flotation, excess pyrites were eliminated from the smelting picture, so with a change in metallurgical practice we were confronted with the problem of providing the deficiency in acid by some other means. The situation was aggravated and our problem of acid conditioning made more difficult by the increase in the lead contents of concentrates roasted resulting from better flotation methods. The first step towards introducing acid vapors into the smoke stream by accessory means was accomplished by boiling sulphuric acid in cast iron pots placed in an open fire box. Acid fumes evaporated from the pots together with the combustion gases from the fire box were discharged into the flue through a cast iron pipe. Capacity of the iron pots was quite limited because of the comparatively slow rate of evaporation and the use of lump coal as a fuel, which did not lend itself to practical temperature control. This method of firing resulted in frequent pot failures due to overheating. In spite of these incidental difficulties, encountered in any new venture, the pot evaporator demonstrated the practicability of fuming sufficient acid to make up the deficiency in that naturally evolved in the Wedge furnace operation. As time progressed, less and less high sulphur material was available for Wedge roasting, and the necessity for accessory acid conditioning reached a climax when the supply of this material was entirely eliminated. Since the cast iron pots could only evaporate a few hundred pounds of acid per day, and were costly to replace, the logical thought presented itself of spraying the acid in a heated chamber. This new type of acid evaporator was simpler and more economical to operate and had sufficient capacity to fume several thousand pounds per day. The attached fig. 1 presents the outstanding features of the new furnace. A is the vaporizing drum, which is heated by the combustion gases of coal stoker fire box, B. Acid is sprayed into the hot gas stream within the drum through a number of air-acid atomizers, C, and the acid vapor, together with combustion gases, is introduced into the smoke stream through two cast iron pipes extending to different points in the flue. The operation of this type of furnace requires control of temperature inside the drum to prevent overheating, which dissociates the acid vapor to SO, and eventually to SO2, with resulting loss of acid. The dissociation to SO, at elevated temperatures is comparatively high, and in some cases accounts for as much as 60 pct of the acid sprayed into the drum. To reduce the loss of acid, through dissociation, some Cottrell plants, where the rate of acid sprayed reaches at times 9 ppm, use two evaporating units. Fuming the acid into the smoke stream is only

Jan 1, 1951

By J. D. Davis, A. C. Fieldner

The older coal chemist had a much simpler conception of coal than we have today. To him coal was a mineral composed essentially of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, ash, and water, in various proportions. His studies on the constitution of coal were directed along the conventional lines of proximate and ultimate chemical analyses and making deductions from these data without any real appreciation of the fact that coal is a conglomerate of various chemical compounds, including many of the most complex structures known to organic chemistry. The view of the modern coal chemist is well expressed by Franz Fischer,' who says that while proximate and ultimate analyses are important both from the scientific and technical point of view, they tell the chemist no more concerning the number and kinds of chemical compounds that constitute coal than the reader would learn of the contents of a book if told that the printed contents consisted of 15 per cent. of the letter "e," 5 per cent. of the letter "n," 1 per cent. of the letter"g," 4 per cent. of the letter "b," etc. As the reader must have the grouping of letters into words and words into sentences, so the chemist must have the grouping of atoms into molecules and the proportion of each molecular compound in the coal aggregate before he acquires an adequate knowledge of the constitution of coal. Modern investigators2 are laying the foundation of a new chemistry of coal based on the biochemistry of plants and the chemical changes involved in processes of fermentation and decay. As

Jan 1, 1925

By R. T. Gallagher, C. G. Brennecke

This paper is the result of a research program entered into cooperatively by the General Reinsurance Corporation and Lehigh University in January 1944. The research program was instituted to find a more positive method to determine the presence of hazardous roof conditions in mining operations. The co-authors, together with Mr. R. D. Currie, Engineer for the General Reinsurance Corporation, started working on the project in January 1944, first undertaking a library search; second, a preliminary study based on some existing equipment; third, the design of new and more suitable equipment; and finally, the field testing of equipment and methods. PURPOSE Any study of the accident statistics of mining operations will disclose the rather startling fact that approximately 50 to 60 per cent of all fatal underground accidents in the anthracite and bituminous mines are caused by falls of roof and coal, the metal and nonmetal mines showing only a slightly smaller percentage. Advancements in safety engineering have produced definite results in the decrease of accidents due to blasting, haulage, electricity, and explosions but no such decrease is shown in those caused by falls

Jan 1, 1946

Utah Engineering Experiment Station, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. D. A Lyon, Director. Important work on ore dressing has been carried out at this station Before listing the Technical Papers and Bulletins available, it is well to point out especially that Technical Paper 1, Flotation fundamentals, 4, Flotation fundamentals (pt 2), and 5, Flotation fundamentals, pt 3, are out of print and can only be consulted at libraries or elsewhere. The Technical Papers and Bulletins available are as follows: Technical Paper 6, Recovery of zinc from ferrite compounds in the electrolytic zinc process, 25 cents; 7, Flotation fundamentals (pt 4), 40 cents; 8, The technique of preparing thin sections of rock, 75 cents; 9, Flotation fundamentals (pt. 5) 30 cents; 10, A new development in the preparation of briquetted mineral grains, 15 cents, 12, A method for the determination of cadmium in mill and smelter products, 25 cents; Bulletin 10 (revised 1931), Mine sampling and the commercial value of ores, 35 cents, 14, Report of research investigations (1922-23), with papers on these subjects Hydrometallurgy of zinc, Flotation experiments on Utah sulphur ore, Oil shale investigations, Zinc oxide investigations, 25 cents;

Jan 1, 1933

By G. R. Speich, S. A. Kulin

R. C. Shnay (Dept. of Mines and Technical Surveys, Ottawa, Ont., Canada)-—The authors are to be congratulated on an interesting and informative paper. However, several questions arise when the isothermal formation of martensite .is considered in relation to the formation of bainite at temperatures near the M, point. The reactions in an alloy and in a plain carbon steel would appear to be comparable; and in the course of a recent investigation of the austenite-bainite transformation in a plain carbon steel,Ia the writer has obtained data at temperatures above and below the M, point. These data are in some respects similar to those of the authors and a comparison would seem justified. The steel used in this investigation had the nominal composition: C, 0.80 pct; Mn, 0.20; and Si, 0.20. The course of the transformation was followed by the use of a magnetic balance. The magnetic moment of the specimen as determined by this instrument is directly proportional to the percentage of the total volume of the specimen which has transformed to bainite. ~lf specimens were austenitized at 1850°F for 4 hr, quenched to the transformation temperature, and quickly transferred to the magnetic balance. Readings were taken at regular intervals until the transformation had stopped. A typical transformation curve is shown in Fig. 9. The preliminary curve preceding the S-shaped curve was found at all temperatures above the M, to around 600°F. Both the extent of this preliminary curve and the time interval between it and the S-shaped curve were found to decrease with increasing temperature as was suggested by Davenport and Bain.14 Therefore,

Jan 1, 1953

By T. Toda, R. Maddin

A study has been made of the microstructure and mechanical properties of splat-cooled aluminum-base gold alloys with gold concentration from 0.25 to 5.0 wt pct. These alloys have been quenched from the liquid state by a torsion-catapult technique, which has made it possible to pepare specimens suitable for mechanical property measwements. From the electron micrographs it has been shown that the solid solubility of gold in aluminum can be extended to 2.5 wt pct (0.35 at. pct) by splat-cooling, while the maximum equilibrium solubility is known to be less than 0.3 wt pct (0.04 at. pct). The very fine grain size (several tenths of a micron), the extended solid solubility, and the fine dispersion of a second phase (AuAl2) contribute concurrently to a substantial strengthening effect. In Al-5 wt pct Au splat-cooled specimens of less than 50 thickness, the yield strength is 17 kg per sq mm or 6 times as large as the strength of bulk specimens. For the Al-1.0 to 2.5 wt pct Au solid solution obtained by splat-cooling, the yield strength reaches 7.5 kg per sq mm after an aging treatment (for 10 hr at 200°C), while it is 3.7 kg per sq mm for the corresponding bulk specimens. A great deal of research has been done in recent years on the structure and the properties of metals and alloys rapidly quenched from the liquid state.' The term "splat-cool" has been used with the meaning of a rapid quenching from the liquid state., The splat-cooling techniques have produced large numbers of new structures, which are expressed in terms of metastable phases,3 concentrated solid solutions,4 amorphous phases,5'6 new phases,7 and so forth. Nearly all previous studies have concentrated on the physical properties; i.e., crystallography, structure, electrical resistivity, magnetism, and so forth, of the splat-cooled metals and alloys. The mechanical strength of splat-cooled metals and alloys has hardly been investigated except for some recent work by MOSS' on A1-V alloys. The principle common to all experimental techniques developed to obtain very rapid quenching rates is based on the heat transfer by conduction. Liquid must be in good thermal contact with a substrate of high heat conductivity. Both of the published devices known as the "gun" and the "piston and anvil" techniques suffer from certain shortcomings. For example, the specimen obtained by the gun technique is very small and flaky, and hence inadequate for mechanical properties measurements. On the other hand if the material is forced to yield a continuous speci- men by the piston and anvil technique, it is probable that some plastic deformation occurs during the quench. A novel method for rapid quenching of a liquid metal or alloy, the "torsion-catapult", has been devised by Roberge and Herman9 at the University of Pennsylvania. In the apparatus the melt is thrown out of a curved furnace by a catapult and impinges on a copper substrate. The apparatus has the advantage of producing a continuous foil which is relatively large in size and of a quality suitable for the measurements of mechanical properties. The quenching rate is estimated to be of the order of l05 to l06 ºC per sec, (comparable to rates achieved by the piston and anvil technique). In selecting an alloy to be studied we were made aware of the fact that gold was believed to be "insoluble" in in and consequently age hardening in the A1-Au system appeared to be interesting. Quite recently Heirnendahl13-15 revealed that the solid solubility, as determined by transmission electron microscopy, was 0.3 wt pct Au at 640°C and 0.25 wt pct Au at 600°C, decreasing with decreasing temperature. In an A1-0.2 pct Au alloy after quenching from a solution treating temperature of 600°C the yield stress was 2 kg per sq mm, and it increased up to 6 kg per sq mm after aging for 1 to 10 hr at 200°C. The precipitation occurred in the form of platelike particles mainly on (100) matrix planes. The intermediate phase n', the equilibrium phase n (AuAl2), and lattice relationships between both precipitates and the matrix were also investigated by electron microscopy. One of the purposes of the present research is to determine whether or not the solid solubility in this system, in which gold has a very small solubility in

Jan 1, 1970

By Norman Goss

IT is generally agreed that cold-working mechanically refines the grains into smaller fragments and with continued working these are oriented with certain crystallographic directions bearing a relation to the direction in which the metal is worked. Some of the energy expended on the metal during plastic deformation appears in the form of heat, but a very small portion remains in the metal as stored energy. The entropy, specific heat capacity, temperature at which recrystallization will just begin, density, ductility, elasticity, tensile strength, and resistance to corrosion are affected. These properties have been studied extensively and some of the changes in the physical properties due to cold-working were attributed to lattice distortion.1-8 The broadening of the K. lines on the X-ray diffraction diagrams of plastically deformed metals is believed to indicate lattice distortion, and consequently the existence of internal stresses. The evidence supporting this theory rests solely upon the observed experimental fact that the dif-fraction lines are broadened and the K a doublets are completely diffused. Elam9 has reviewed the matter of lattice distortion in relationship to the hardening of metals by plastic deformation. The X-ray diagrams of plastically deformed metals differ in general from annealed metals. The hardening of a metal was believed due to lattice distortion.9 The resolu-tion of the doublet is lost when a metal is cold-worked and the Lane spots are elongated. At one time this elongation was thought to indicate the elastic bending of the crystal planes. However, more careful work showed that the asterism was due to new orientations developed within the fragmented grains during plastic deformation. Some theories attrib-uted the hardening to fragmentation of the grains into smaller units.

Jan 1, 1940

By Arthur Knapp

OIL-WELL depletion curves, to be of value, should show when a well or lease may no longer be operated at a profit. The difference, at any time, between the total expenditures and the total income of a lease or well may be called the lease status. Plotting this lease status against time will give a curve subject to more accurate and different interpretations than the barrels-time curves. According to the hypothetical barrels-time curves shown in Fig. 1, well A, at the end of 16 mo., is producing twice as much oil as well B and will continue to produce for another year whereas well B will cease producing in about 6 months. DATA FOR LEASE STATUS-TIME OR DOLLARS-TIME CURVE TIME LEASE MONTHS STATUS Lease purchased for $3000 0 -$ 3,000 No expenses chargeable to lease for 3 mo 2 - 3,000 Well A is started; cost of drilling for month is $16,000 3 - 19,000 Well is completed at additional cost of $10,000 4 - 29,000 Well A is brought in and flows 10,000 bbl. first month (see Fig. 1). Necessary to invest in tanks, boilers, pipe lines, etc.: difference between expenditures and receipts gives profit for month of $5,000 5 - 24,000 Investment is small, cost of operating well A is small, so profits are $15,000 6 - 9,000 Well ceases to flow so there is additional investment for pumping equipment and additional operating expense; net earnings from 6,000 bbl. of oil produced is $4,000.... 7 - 5,000 Lease operation now becomes normal and curve becomes smooth 8 - 500 9 2,000 10 4,500 11 6,000 12 7,700 13 8,700 14 9,000 15 9,500 16 10,000

Jan 1, 1921

By Edward Wichers

THE purpose of this paper is to set forth the matters of principal interest in connection with work done in the past few years on the purification of the metals of the platinum group, including the study and modification of methods already in the literature and the development of new procedures. For the most part, the results will be given in summary form, reserving the publication of detailed data and directions for a forthcoming paper to be issued by the Bureau of Standards. In recent years increasing interest has been shown in the preparation of the pure platinum metals, both by those concerned with the manufacture of the metals and their alloys for scientific and industrial purposes and those who are engaged in the study of the chemical or physical properties of the elements. The purification of the metals usually has been regarded as a matter so involved and difficult as to require the attention of specialists. It is hoped that this paper will show that any of the metals can be prepared in any desired degree of purity by relatively simple straightforward chemical methods. For the most part, it is thought that the methods given are suitable for small-scale refineries as well as for the laboratory; also, that they will bring the time required for the purification of any of the metals within reasonable limits. The new procedure suggested for purifying platinum should prove to be much shorter than any methods described in the literature.

Jan 1, 1928

By Michael J. Callow

THE PROPERTY of Mount Isa Mines, Ltd., is located at Mount Isa, Northern Queensland, Australia, at roughly 20" south latitude. It is 600 miles from Townsville on the east coast, the port for Mount Isa, 1200 miles from Brisbane and approximately 1600 miles from Sydney in New South Wales. Living conditions in the camp, though wild and crude at the commencement of building, are now excellent and little has been left undone to provide comfort and attractiveness. The climate being warm and dry, many of the buildings are built on posts, 8 to 10 ft. off the ground, with spacious screened-in verandas. Club houses, stores, school, hospital and ice plant have all been provided by the company as well as modern conveniences, such as running water, shower baths, electric lights, septic tank arrangements, tennis courts and amusement grounds.

Jan 1, 1932

By NEWTON B. KNOX

PERU, lying south of Ecuador and having common frontiers with Brazil, Chile, and Bolivia, includes over a thousand miles of the Andean mountains. The coastal plain is arid and narrow and the Amazonian jungle region is of interest only on account of its oil and gold placer possibilities. The mountain zone, however, here forms one of the world's most highly mineralized regions. The Peruvian Andes, like their Bolivian and Ecuadorian counterparts, form two distinct chains separated by the great Apurimac and Maralion valleys; but these rivers cut through the Eastern range to join the Amazon drainage, and the central valley is missing north of the passes thus formed by these rivers; the localities where the ranges are joined are aptly called knots. In addition, in central Peru, there exists a third range lying to the east of the first two and separated from them by the Urubamba and Huallaga Rivers. The Eastern range, however, is of little importance to the miner for few metal deposits are to be found therein except for the gold mineralization in the South. In general, deposition of metals in the Peruvian Andes accompanied igneous intrusions which invaded the folded Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks during the Tertiary; thus the ore bodies are all typical of shallow or moderate depths.

Jan 1, 1945

By Richard H. Jahns

GRANITIC pegmatite deposits are the chief source of commercial feldspar, sheet mica, beryllium, tantalum-columbium, and lithium minerals, and certain types of kaolin. They also have yielded significant quantities of cassiterite, gems, scrap mica, molybdenite, tungsten minerals, uranium-thorium and rare-earth minerals, and zircon, either directly or as the sources of placer deposits. The output from pegmatite mines in the United States is small as compared to other mineral products in terms of bulk or value, and much of it comprises minor metals and nonmetals. Nevertheless, pegmatite minerals play a vital part in domestic industrial economy, particularly in the ceramic and electrical industries. Numerous special purpose uses also are important, even though they require small quantities of raw materials. Never was United States dependence upon pegmatite mining more clearly emphasized than during World War 11, when greatly expanded demands and uncertainties of foreign sources of supply caused much concern. Such commodities as beryl, tantalite, and sheet muscovite remained high on the critical list for months at a time, and for some minerals there was a real struggle to achieve and maintain a favorable ratio of supply to demand. Satisfactory stock piles of certain sizes and qualities of sheet mica, for example, were not built up until late in 1944, when wartime requirements already had begun to level off or even to decrease. Production of all the strategic pegmatite minerals from domestic deposits during World War I1 constituted only 10 pct or less of the total domestic consumption of these minerals, but the importance of this contribution should not be minimized. Domestic production often represented the difference between increase and further reduction of existing stocks of commodities already in seriously short supply, and in the early stages of the war it was the only assured source if imports were cut off. During the recent war period, the U. S. Geological Survey carried on a program of pegmatite studies in the New England and Southeastern States, in the Black Hills area of South Dakota, in the Rocky Mountain region of Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico, and in various parts of Washington, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California as shown in Fig. 1. Several papers and reports already have appeared as an outgrowth of this work,'-= and others are in preparation. This paper outlines some results of data obtained by the writer during the period 1942 to 1946, when he was engaged in studies of pegmatites in the Southeastern, Southwestern, and Rocky Mountain States. Beryllium Minerals Beryl is the present commercial source of beryllium metal and beryllium compounds, which are used in ceramics, in the preparation of X-ray tubes and fluorescent lamps and screens, in special processes of paint and textile manufacture, and in the optical systems of some electrical instruments. The metal also is used in nuclear physics, chiefly as a source of neutrons. Beryllium is alloyed with aluminum for certain light-metal uses and is a constituent of some nickel and iron alloys. Currently the chief demand, however, is for copper-base alloys, which are exceptionally resistant to fatigue and wear, are responsive to hardening treatments after

Jan 1, 1952

By Howard J. Smith

At the meeting of this Institute in February 1933,I presented a paper on potash development in southeastern New Mexico1, which contained a brief review of the Geological Survey's 20-year search for commercial sources of soluble potash minerals and of the events that led to the discovery, exploration, and first development of the deposits in that state. AS a more comprehensive review of the subject was published in December2, the present paper is intended only to discuss recent developments in the domestic potash industry, particularly in New Mexico. A summary of the findings of potash in the Permian Basin, by G. R. Mansfield and W. B. Lang, geologists of the United States Geological Survey, is now in process of publication by the University of Texas and will be omitted from this paper. In New Mexico prospecting for potassium salts during the past two years has increased materially the known area of commercial deposits; development has resulted in an increase from one to three in the number of shafts and the starting of a fourth; an increase of annual productive capacity to 1,000,000 tons of crude salts, or 250,000 tons of K2O; and an increase in annual refining capacity to 140,000 tons of muriate of 62.5 per cent grade. Construction has been completed to increase still further the production of high-grade salts. In California the American Potash & Chemical Co., operating on Searles Lake brines, has increased its plant capacity from about 100,000 tons to 180,000 tons of muriate a year and is now producing soda ash and salt cake in addition to potash and borax. Potash production from cement-plant and industrial-alcohol wastes remains unimportant.

Jan 1, 1938

By Howard J. Smith

At the meeting of this Institute in February 1933,I presented a paper on potash development in southeastern New Mexico1, which contained a brief review of the Geological Survey's 20-year search for commercial sources of soluble potash minerals and of the events that led to the discovery, exploration, and first development of the deposits in that state. AS a more comprehensive review of the subject was published in December2, the present paper is intended only to discuss recent developments in the domestic potash industry, particularly in New Mexico. A summary of the findings of potash in the Permian Basin, by G. R. Mansfield and W. B. Lang, geologists of the United States Geological Survey, is now in process of publication by the University of Texas and will be omitted from this paper. In New Mexico prospecting for potassium salts during the past two years has increased materially the known area of commercial deposits; development has resulted in an increase from one to three in the number of shafts and the starting of a fourth; an increase of annual productive capacity to 1,000,000 tons of crude salts, or 250,000 tons of K2O; and an increase in annual refining capacity to 140,000 tons of muriate of 62.5 per cent grade. Construction has been completed to increase still further the production of high-grade salts. In California the American Potash & Chemical Co., operating on Searles Lake brines, has increased its plant capacity from about 100,000 tons to 180,000 tons of muriate a year and is now producing soda ash and salt cake in addition to potash and borax. Potash production from cement-plant and industrial-alcohol wastes remains unimportant.

Jan 1, 1938

By R. T. Webber, R. B. Owen

The vapor phase deposition of molybdenum and tungsten from the hexacar-bonyls has been thoroughly investigated by Lander and Germerl, and shown to yield well-bonded coatings on a variety of hot metallic surfaces. They also demonstrated that chromium coatings2'3 could be similarly deposited, but did not investigate this metal extensively. Recently, conditions have been described by which this compound can be prepared in quantities sufficient for laboratory scale plating experiments, and it is the purpose of the present communication to outline the results of preliminary experiments upon the plating of chromium from its carbonyl. Apparatus and Technique The apparatus used in these experiments is shown in Fig I. At one end, connected by a short length of rubber tubing, is a Cenco Hypervac 20 pumping continuously. At the opposite end is a needle valve which allows a small stream of purified hydrogen to flow through the apparatus. Connected in series are a trap T1, maintained at the temperature of dry ice and acetone, the plating chamber, and two traps T² and T3 containing crystals of the carbonyl. T² is kept in a constant temperature bath (not shown), while T³ is at room temperature. Stopcock S6 allows the hydrogen flow to by-pass the carbonyl traps. A McLeod gauge is connected so that it can measure the pressure at the pump through Se, or the pressure at the plating chamber through S9 and S6. The standard (12 liter) volume connected by Sb is used to determine the volume included by S4, S6, SB, Slot the needle valve and the McLeod gauge. Knowledge of this volume allows calibration of the flow of hydrogen. The apparatus* is built entirely of pyrex, except for the needle valve, the rubber connection to the Hypervac, and the cover of the plating chamber. The plating chamber is water-jacketed, with a large brass top allowing insertion of the specimen to be plated. Set into the brass top is a ground glass stopper through which thermocouple leads are sealed. The thermocouple wires (pure Pt, and 87 pct Pt-13 pct Rh) serve the double purpose of measuring the specimen temperature and suspending it in the chamber. Surrounding the chamber is the coil of an induction heater, H. The apparatus is designed to allow variation of the following conditions: (I) the specimen temperature, from room temperature to about 1000°C, (2) the carbonyl vapor pressure, from 40 to 220 microns, and (3) the hydrogen flow. In several runs, 0.8 to 1.8 PCt of hydrogen sulfide was introuced through a needle valve that replaced S4. The vapor pressure of the carbonyl is

Jan 1, 1949

Two Canadian mining companies, Noranda Mines, Ltd., and Wright-Hargreaves Mines, Ltd., have agreed to buy $500,000 worth of shares each in Anglo-American Exploration Ltd., controllers of thousands of acres of possible oil-rich land in southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Samuel Clarence Nickle, Sr., reported as possible president of the newly formed exploration company, said that $20 million in assets have been accumulated by the firm, mainly in the Williston basin in parts of the Dakotas and Montana, aid extending into Southern Manitoba and most of Saskatchewan. The M. A. Hanna Co. reported a record profit for the seventh consecutive year with total 1951 profit reaching $14,081. The company handled a record 16.8 million tons of iron ore in 1951, compared with 14.9 million tons in 1950. The company is also preparing to open four iron ore mines in the Lake Superior district which are expected to produce more than 5 million tons annually by 1954. The company built two new iron ore concentrating plants at Mesabi range mines in 1951,a with a third plant going into, operations soon.

Jan 1, 1952

(Members are urged to send in for this column any notes of interest; concerning themselves or their fellow-members.) Members and guests who called at Institute headquarters during the period Nov. .10, 19 16 to Dec. 1.0, 1916: Chester Atkinson, La Fundicion, Peru. , Paul Llewellyn, East Chicago, Ind. F. J. Brule, Toronto, Ont., Canada. Harry March, London, England. Sterling H. Bunnell, New York, N. Y. E. P. Mathewson, Toronto, Ont., Canada. G. H. Cunningham, Hobart, Tasmania.' E. W. Moore, Budapest, Rumania. Courtenay DeKalb, Tucson, Ariz. W. J. Pentland, Guadalajara, Mex., E. H. Dickenson, New Y.. Heinrich Ries, Ithaca, N. Y. E. B. Durham, Mount Kisco, N. Y. W. E. Saunders, Philadelphia, Pa. L. B. Eames, Pueblo. Colo. J. G. Scrugham, Reno, Nev. N: H. Emmons, 2d, Copperhill, Tens. - W. H, Seagrave, Kennecott, .Alaska. R. E. Hoffman, Hannibal Mo.'s H. B. Small, Magangue, Colombia. B. B. Hood, Chronic, N. J. W. H. Staver, Washington, D. C. H. E. Jackman, Rochester, N. Y. R. K. Stockwell, Santiago, Chile. F. H. Jackson, Joplin, Mo. Warren D. Thompson, Boston, Mass. Knight S. Jordan, Provo. Utah. Thor Warner, Kingman, Ariz. William Kelly, Vulcan, Mich. S. T. Wellman, Cleveland, Ohio. W. H. Lanagan, San Francisco. Cal. F. H. Willcox, Pittsburgh, Pa. H. H. Lauer, Northampton, Pa. Arthur K. Adams has been appointed geologist to the Andes Copper Co.

Jan 1, 1917

By Charles Y. Clayton

Cast-steel runners, while not interesting from a commercial standpoint, furnish valuable material for microscopic study. Folcyl found not only the usual ingot structure, but zones of Widmannstättian structure, which he explains as due to differential crystallization. The writer, in examining nickel-steel runners, found a type of pro-eutectoid ferrite that is unusual and most probably new. The runner in question was 8.75 cm. (3.5 in.) in diameter and analyzed at its center 2.69 per cent. nickel and 0.350 per cent. carbe a and at its edge 2.62 per cent. nickel and 0.359 per cent. carbon. Th macrostruc-ture, which is the usual type, is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which are a cross-section and the longitudinal surface, respectively. Slight segregat'ion of ferrite can be seen near the center of the segment and at other points near the edges of polyhedral grains. Stead's reagent brings out the dendritic structure within the grains as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. This texture is what would be expected of such a steel. Figs. 5 to 10 show the peculiar swirls of pro-eutectoid ferrite, the finding of which prompted this paper. These swirls, or eddies, if such a term can be applied, occur in all parts of the runner and in all parts of the individual grains. The upper left-hand figure shows this ferrite at a grain boundary; the middle left-hand figure shows the inner portion of a grain; and the lower left-hand figure shows these swirls at the edge of a grain which is also the outer edge of the runner. Straight-lined ferrite associated with swirls is found in the areas of Figs. 11 and 12. The texture of the carbon-bearing constituent of the runner is shown to some extent in Fig. 12, the pearlite being very fine or sorbitic. Higher magnification does not bring out any new features either in the peculiar ferrite or in the pearlite. Figs. 13 and 14, at 240 diameters, show the curved and straight-lined ferrite.

Jan 1, 1922

By Charles Y. Clayton

Cast-steel runners, while not interesting from a commercial standpoint, furnish valuable material for microscopic study. Folcyl found not only the usual ingot structure, but zones of Widmannstättian structure, which he explains as due to differential crystallization. The writer, in examining nickel-steel runners, found a type of pro-eutectoid ferrite that is unusual and most probably new. The runner in question was 8.75 cm. (3.5 in.) in diameter and analyzed at its center 2.69 per cent. nickel and 0.350 per cent. carbe a and at its edge 2.62 per cent. nickel and 0.359 per cent. carbon. Th macrostruc-ture, which is the usual type, is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which are a cross-section and the longitudinal surface, respectively. Slight segregat'ion of ferrite can be seen near the center of the segment and at other points near the edges of polyhedral grains. Stead's reagent brings out the dendritic structure within the grains as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. This texture is what would be expected of such a steel. Figs. 5 to 10 show the peculiar swirls of pro-eutectoid ferrite, the finding of which prompted this paper. These swirls, or eddies, if such a term can be applied, occur in all parts of the runner and in all parts of the individual grains. The upper left-hand figure shows this ferrite at a grain boundary; the middle left-hand figure shows the inner portion of a grain; and the lower left-hand figure shows these swirls at the edge of a grain which is also the outer edge of the runner. Straight-lined ferrite associated with swirls is found in the areas of Figs. 11 and 12. The texture of the carbon-bearing constituent of the runner is shown to some extent in Fig. 12, the pearlite being very fine or sorbitic. Higher magnification does not bring out any new features either in the peculiar ferrite or in the pearlite. Figs. 13 and 14, at 240 diameters, show the curved and straight-lined ferrite.

Jan 1, 1922