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By G. Sachs, J. W. Spretnak

The: iron-rich iron-nickel alloys have attracted considerable academic interest in recent years. The carbon-free alloys are of minor practical importance, but they are the base of many alloys with various outstanding properties. The iron-nickel alloys, therefore, have been investigated extensively regarding both their structures and their properties. The researches on these alloys up to 1938 have been collected and critically reviewed by J. S. Marsh,l and will be discussed in some detail in the sections of this paper dealing with specific subjects. These numerous investigations have not succeeded in establishing the equilibrium conditions in this system. Alloys containing more than a certain amount of nickel (8 to 10 per cent Ni) undergo the allotropic transformation extremely sluggishly, both on heating and cooling, showing a large hysteresis," which is not dependent upon the rate of cooling and persists even with very slow rates of cooling.3 Honda4 and Merica4 have therefore resigned themselves to proposing a diagram (Fig. I) for practical use, illustrating the structural relations under commercial conditions instead of attempting to establish the true equilibrium diagram. Marsh is less pessimistic and suggests an equilibrium diagram (Fig. 2) which conforms approximately to the facts known about this system. Recent X-ray investigations by Owen-Sully5 and Bradley-Gold-schmidt6 on powdered alloys indicate that the previous work on the iron-nickel system yielded very incomplete results. These investigators agree (Figs. 3 and ,+) that alloys in the powdered form containing more than 8 per cent and up to about 35 per cent Ni decompose into a stable heterogeneous mix-

Jan 1, 1941

THE primary interest in the subject of this chapter lies in the fact that various heats of steel made to the same chemical specification do not always have the same properties. We are referring here, of course, to properties inherent in the just solidified ingot and are not considering variations in properties caused by variations in subsequent mechanical or thermal treatment. The expression "made to the same chemical specification" is used because some of the variations in properties are due to variations in chemical analysis within the specified ranges of those elements commonly specified and determined. In plain carbon steels these elements are ordinarily not more than five: carbon, manganese, silicon, phosphorus, and sulphur. In alloy steels the special alloying elements also are specified and. determined. It might be thought that variations in properties due to such variations in ordinary chemical composition are to be expected, well understood, and hence not in need of discussion in this chapter. It will be considered here, however, that this phase of the subject is not always wholly clear. Furthermore, it certainly seems profitable to seek the explanation of anomalous properties in the ordinary chemical composition of the steel before looking into less well understood variables of open-hearth practice. It is sometimes surprising to learn that some puzzling variation in properties is caused merely by a variation in the ordinary analysis of the steel. This surprise is apt to be due not to general lack of knowledge of the effects of the composition of steel upon its properties but rather to the fact that we do not happen to have been previously much concerned with the particular property under consideration. For example, if we are accustomed to using S.A.E. 1035 bars for applications which depend chiefly on the stiffness, strength, and toughness of the steel in the as-rolled condition, we might quite logically develop the conclusion that variations in carbon content from 0.30 to 0.40 per cent are not significant. Then if we later have occasion to make heat-treated bolts of the same grade of steel, we may be surprised to

Jan 1, 1944

MODERN mining is based on drilling--everything else stems from that. U. S. and Canadian mining companies and suppliers of mining equipment are constantly seeking new techniques and tools for increased drilling efficiency. Ultimate goal is increased bit-against-rock time. Just how important their efforts are can be seen through a legitimate extension of available statistics. In Canada some 70 million ft of drilling per year is required. While the number of feet actually drilled in the U. S. is unknown, it is possible to compare U. S. and Canadian mineral production, excluding oil and coal. In the U. S. mineral value was $4200 million and across the border $836 million. Taking into account the number of drilled feet required to produce Canada's total, the U. S. total would be 365 million ft in 1953. A saving of 14 per ft would reduce over- all metal and nonmetal mining costs some $3.65 million per year. This does not take into account other indirect savings. Methods have changed and there have been structural and metallurgical advances in blasthole practice in the last ten years. The Editors of MINING ENGINEERING in the articles on the following pages present the most significant innovations coupled with results in the field. Environment plays an important role in selection of materials and equipment -but while unanimity does not exist throughout the industry in reference to drilling problems, a definite trend is evident. For the story of that trend read the articles on the following pages.

Jan 9, 1954

By E. A. Reilly, G. R. Gardner, F. P. Lasseter

THE methods that may be applied to the treatment of slurries and water, as these are related to practical coal-preparation problems, are concerned essentially with the movements of solids suspended in water. It is assumed that there are no fundamental differences between the principles involved in the treatment of coal slurries and the phenomena encountered in general mineral-dressing practice, and the latter are presented in some detail. Basic principles are correlated with present practice for both the anthracite and the bituminous coal. fields, and meth¬ods are discussed which are designed to utilize best all the material subjected to treatment and suggest a sound approach to the solution of problems relating to the return of clear water to process or to streams. In order to approach the practical phases of the subject with sufficient understanding of the basic principles, it is necessary to discuss two types of phenomena that are applicable. The first is flocculation and the second is sedimentation. Descriptive matter is given covering the various meth¬ods and types of equipment employed to conduct these operations, with emphasis on their application to water and coal-slurry treatment.

Jan 1, 1943

By G. C. Hancock

The operating plant of The Broken Hill Associated Smelters Pty. Ltd. is situated at Port Pirie in South Australia and it treats to finality the whole output of lead concentrates from the mines of The Zinc Corporation Ltd., North Broken Hill Ltd., and aroken Hill South Ltd. at Broken Hill, New South Wales. Lead bearing ores from other sources are also purchased for treatment and lead scrap and residues are treated on a toll charge basis. The present output of the plant is approximately 200000 tonnes of refined lead per annum and there is a substantial production of by-products including refined silver, gold, cadmium, antimonial lead alloys, copper matte and sulphuric acid. Recently the Company commenced the production of zinc by slag fuming and electrolysis from a six million ton dump of lead blast furnace slag, which has been accumulating at Port Pirie for over fifty years. The slag fuming plant contains two furnaces of conventional design, but features a high degree of pre-heat for the blast air and this is obtained by the use of all-metal recuperators. The raw zinc oxide fume produced by the plant is roasted in a rotary kiln prior to treatment in the leaching and electrolysis sections, which follow conventional practice for nigh current density plants. Present output is approximately 36000 tonnes of electrolytic zinc per annum.

Jan 1, 1970

By Walter English

THE four papers making up this symposum have been prepared espe-cially for those who have no knowledge of seismograph prospecting. To many people mathematics is a formidable subject, and many are discouraged from studying seismograph prospecting under the mistaken assumption that the mathematical requirements are severe. In the papers presented here there is not a single mathematical equation. We believe that considerable competence in dealing with some of the most important problems of this work can be attained without any mathe-matical training whatever. At the present time, there is a real need for interpretation of results by persons thoroughly competent to bring geologic experience and imagination to bear on data that are subject to multiple interpretation from a strictly physical viewpoint. Likewise, those charged with the responsibility of planning seismo-graph exploration campaigns would do well to become familiar with as much as possible of the technical aspects of the work. They would then be in better position to judge of its success in individual cases. It has often been said that the seismograph is a new structure-finding tool for the geologists to use. Using a tool and using its product are two different things. One does not use an automatic screw-threading machine when he buys a box of screws at the hardware store. Neither does the geologist

Jan 1, 1939

By Wm. I. Weisman, Sid McIlveen

Sodium sulfate is an important industrial chemical, being one of perhaps a dozen or so chemical commodities produced and consumed in the United States in quantities exceeding 1 Mt/a. In recent years approximately half that production has come from natural sources, whereas 27 years ago only 25% was derived from these sources. Table 1 illustrates the history of production of natural sodium sulfate in the United States. Production of natural sodium sulfate from various types of deposits is the main source of this chemical in Canada and Mexico, and probably in Argentina, Chile, Spain, and the USSR. Mineralogy and Physical Properties Sodium sulfate is widespread in occurrence and is a common constituent of many mineral waters, as well as seawater. Atmospheric precipitation contains sulfate; it is one of the major dissolved constituents of rain and snow (Davis and DeWiest, 1966). Many of the saline lakes throughout the world contain varying amounts of sodium sulfate. Because sodium is usually the dominant cation, some workers make an anionic distinction, referring to lakes containing predominately sulfate as bitter lakes and those containing predominately carbonate as alkali, or soda lakes (Bateman, 1950). Sodium sulfate in its natural form is found as the hydrous salt mirabilite (commonly called Glauber's salt), and as thenardite, the anhydrous variety. The largest quantities occur in the form of mirabilite. Sodium sulfate is found in varying degrees of purity, from theoretically pure efflorescent crystals of mirabilite to combinations and admixtures of other salts and impurities. It is a common constituent of some brines; from this source much is extracted commercially. [ ]

Jan 1, 1983

By Jay R. Burns

TWO magnesium sand-casting alloys are commonly favored in the United States. These are referred to as H and C alloys (Dow Chemical Co.) or 4Mz65 and AM260 alloys (American Magnesium Corporation). Both are of an aluminum-zinc-manganese type. H alloy contains 6 per cent aluminum and 3 per cent zinc and is characterized by relatively good toughness. C alloy contains 9 per cent aluminum and 2 per cent zinc and is employed where high yield strength and pressure tightness are required. Examination of magnesium castings poured in Europe and England,'J however, demonstrates that H and C alloys are replaced by .%8 and AZ~I, respectively. That is, A8 reprcsents a magnesiurn alloy having superior toughness while A291 is suitable for high yield strength and pressure-tight applications. The basic difference between the .Ameri-can and European alloys is that the foreign alloys employ a somewhat higher aluminum content and less zinc than is found in H and C alloys. The mechanical properties of the alloys, when divided into high and low-aluminum groups, are quite similar, as determined from separately cast foundry-control type test bars ,In this paper the decrease of mechanical properties caused by any given amount of microporosity is measured for H, C, A8, and AZ~I alloys. The relative susceptibility of each of the four alloys to microporosity is also determined. Typical mechanical properties and nominal chemical analyses are reported in Table I. The apparent similarities between the two alloys in each group have led to considerable discussion as to the relative merits of each of the compositions.2 Popular points for comparison between the alloys have been the relative susceptibility of each of the four alloys to microporosity6 and the effect of this microporosity on their mechanical properties. It is primarily intended, in this paper, to show the

Jan 1, 1946

The Mississippi river was discovered by French explorers that came southwestward, by way of the Great Lakes, from eastern Canada. Vignan, Joliet, De Champlain, and others of the French pioneers in the first half of the seventeenth century, dreamed of a short cut to China by means of the great waterways they explored. In a geographical book published in London in 1726 by Daniel Coxe an account is given of "a new and curious discovery and relation betwixt the river Meschachebe [Mississippi] and the South Sea, which separates America from China, by means of several large rivers and lakes". Louis Joliet, a fur-trader, and Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit missionary, reached the Mississippi and paddled their canoes on its broad waters on June 17, 1673.* They descended the river as far as the entry of the Arkansas tributary, and then returned overland to Canada, being deterred from going farther south by reason of Indian hostility. Several years later Robert de La Salle, a French trader, starting from Quebec, went westward to Lake Michigan and thence to the Illinois river, which he and his comrades descended in their canoes to the junction with the Mississippi, and then followed it to the sea. They reached the Gulf of Mexico on April 9, 1682. Thus the great central waterway of North America was made known. These French-Canadian voyageurs, or boatmen, traded with the Indians for furs in the Upper Mississippi valley, and when in need of bullets they noticed the outcrops of lead ore, from which, probably in the last decade of the seventeenth

Jan 1, 1932

By Jasper Stuckey

THE object of this paper is to record and interpret field and laboratory observations made by the writers during five years of study of the barite deposits of North Carolina. Deposits of barite are known to occur in three localities in North Carolina (Fig. 1) two of which-the Hot Springs and Kings Mountain -contain material of economic value. The Hot Springs area begins near Bluff, some 6 miles south of Hot Springs, and continues northeast by Stackhouse; a total length of 7 miles. The Kings Mountain deposits lie along a belt that extends from the north end of Crowders Mountain in a southwestward direction, along the east side of this and Kings Mountain, to Kings Creek, South Carolina. The third locality is 3 1/2 miles southeast of Hillsboro, Orange County, a short distance west of the highway leading from Hillsboro to Chapel Hill. It is not known when barite was first discovered in North Carolina, but production from the Hot Springs area began some 50 years ago. The state has never produced large quantities of barite-usually there have been less than three producers-and definite figures are not available, but reasonably reliable estimates indicate a total production of 300,000 tons. From 1901 through 1920 barite mining was on a seemingly prosperous basis and a large tonnage. was shipped from the Hot Springs and Kings Mountain areas. With the depression of 1920 the industry began to decline and production practically ceased in 1926.

Jan 1, 1933

By E. E. Bach

The administration of industrial organization today embraces more than the cost of production and selling prices. Competition is deeper seated than mechanical devices, overhead charges, and a shrewd manipulation of the markets. Despite the " down-to-the-minute " equipment and the "last word in organization," it is quite evident that "capacity production" will be an unknown quantity until the workman is considered as a producer, in relation to his home, as he is now considered in relation to industry. Whether or not a man shall do an honest day's work is as much a psychological condition as it is a matter of physical strength or skill. His attitude toward his work each morning is determined, to a large degree, by the environment of his home. Whether this attitude, good or bad, obtains the day through will depend entirely upon the one fact as to whether the corporation which employs him does or does not differentiate between the mechanical factor and the human factor in industry. To be more specific, sociological work, under whatever name, should be of such a character as to influence the life of a workman in such a manner as to establish a cooperative interest in his work, foster within him a spirit of contentment in his home, lead him so to employ his leisure time that he will not lower his efficiency as a workman, destroy his domestic happiness, or endanger his standing in the community as a citizen. While no fixed rules of procedure can well be formulated for the development of the work, yet definite lines of activities will readily present themselves as applicable to the individual needs of a community. This is especially true where community influences and agencies pertaining to general welfare are easily correlated. Any definite work attempted must be determined by the type of the

Jan 1, 1918

By Will Coghill

As the title indicates, this paper treats of the degree of liberation of minerals after grinding. To obtain the supporting data a "tool" not commonly used by metallurgists has been employed. It is the "heavy solution." The advantages gained through its use are shown. Actual ores were employed in order to make the study concrete. The selection was somewhat incidental and happened to embrace the red iron ores of Alabama. So, any reader interested in these ores will find some of their properties described. The red ores constituted the material examined and a somewhat new adaptation of heavy solutions was the tool of examination. If either the ores or the tool interest the reader these notes may be of some value. The writer's chief interest was in the rate of liberation of locked grains. Ores are generally ground preparatory to concentration and as long as the concentrators make suitable products the effectiveness of the grinding is likely to be unquestioned. But when suitable products are difficult to make, an investigation becomes imperative. In such a case a dissection of the ore might be made to find the cause of the trouble. Such a condition of unsuitable products exists in the low-grade red iron ores of Alabama. They are difficult to concentrate. To be sure it might be said that the concentration of iron ores is a new thing and that the ore-dressing methods are undeveloped, but a glance at the industry reveals an abundance of methods and devices for almost all imaginable conditions. Concentrating machinery has not taken a part in this investigation; the use of it would have been only machinery testing, and should never precede the ore testing which consists of such methods as herein outlined. When the properties of the ores have been gleaned the machinery may be used more effectively.

Jan 12, 1926

By Lawrence Henderson

TO increase tonnage in the early days of coal mining it was necessary only to hire more men. The job now is to increase the tons per man, but other troubles arise because this has been accomplished. With the introduction of continuous miners, newer and faster loading machines, and faster belt conveyors the safety engineer has been faced with new difficulties. Use of larger equipment created roof control problems, which were thoroughly studied by the safety engineers of various companies. With the assistance of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, safety engineers in Alabama conducted roof bolting experiments wherever they appeared to be applicable. Accident records before and after the method was adopted showed results more than justifying the efforts and funds expended. The larger mining companies responded enthusiastically to the program because roof bolting not only prevented accidents but also increased production efficiency, in many cases rep- resenting the margin between profit and loss. In Alabama today there are miles of roof supported by bolts.

Jan 8, 1957

By Earl Hanson

FIRES in heavily timbered mines are disastrous, involving danger to both life and property. Some mines have been completely ruined or so heavily damaged that reopening them would not pay. Though few mines are entirely free from danger of fire, the risk is minimized by proper care and good design of plant. The Tintic Standard mine is at Dividend, Utah, in the famous Tintic mining district, about 60 miles south of Salt Lake City. The development of the mine was begun in 1907 by the late Mr. E. J. Raddatz and his associates. From the beginning, the work was hampered by high rock temperatures and the presence of high concentrations of rock gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Development work was carried on with great perseverance for nine years, and resulted in the discovery of ore in 1916. The total production of the Tintic Standard mine to Jan. 1, 1936, amounted to 1,664,388 tons of ore, having a gross value of .$61,996,719.

Jan 1, 1936

By C. E. MacQuigg

In this paper it is impossible to more than touch on many of the commercial alloys of iron, chromium, and carbon, therefore the discussion is confined to the properties of some of the less well-known alloys with upwards of 20-per cent. chromium. The discussion has been based largely on the strictly engineering aspects of the alloys. Chromium has well-defined effects when added to the iron-carbon system. These effects depend on the amount of chromium added and on the composition of the iron-carbon alloy to which the addition is made, i.e. whether low- or high-carbon steel, cast iron, etc. In the case of the low-carbon steels, the chromium addition, when not in excess of several per cent., appears to exert an influence on the properties by its influence on the critical range. In the higher chromium alloys, the physical properties are influenced chiefly by the formation of new complexes, such as iron-chromium solid solutions and, with higher carbon contents, iron-chromium carbides of great hardness. Examination of the published data1 on the critical range phenomena of chromium-bearing steels up to several per cent. chromium indicates an agreement on the following points:

Jan 1, 1923

By B. W. Gonser, C. M. Heath

The importance of grain size and its control in wrought brass needs no lengthy discussion, since specifications so often make exact control imperative. Aids to this control are therefore of interest. The effect of a number of different elements on the grain growth of brass under various conditions of annealing has been reported in the technical literature. In particular, a paper by Cook and Miller1 a few years ago, with the discussion that followed, gave valuable information on the effects of iron, phosphorus, manganese, aluminum, aluminum plus nickel, and aluminum plus silicon. Price12 in his discussion of that paper, added a description of some commercial brasses that exhibited a grain-refining effect owing to the presence of 2 per cent A1 and 1 per cent Ni. Gibson and Doss3 have recently given data on the effect of iron on annealing high brass. No comprehensive study, however, has been given to the effect of additions of chromium. It has been the purpose of this investigation to determine the effect of adding various amounts of chromium to a plain cartridge brass, particularly in regard to the effect on grain growth in various annealing treatments after cold-working. Prepakation of Alloys Alloys of high-purity brass of 68.5 Cu, 31.5 Zn composition were made containing from 0 to 0.17 per cent Cr. These were produced in induction furnaces, using unlined graphite crucibles to hold the charge. The melts were cast into rectangular chill molds giving ingots about % by 3 by 10 in. in size.

Jan 1, 1938

By J. H Lightfoot, Stuart E. Buckley

Deep drilling has led to the development of numerous pools which yield products consisting predominantly of natural gas accompanied by high-gravity water-white or slightly straw-colored liquid. Yields of this "condensate" or "distillate," as it is commonly called, vary from traces to over a hundred barrels per million cubic feet of gas. The fact that this liquid exists in the reservoir as an integral part of the gas phase and is formed by condensation attending simultaneous reduction of pressure and temperature after its entry into the well was apparently first recognized about 1932.l The nature of the physical phenomena involved in this condensation was clarified for the petroleum industry in 1933 by a report by Sage, Schaafsma, and Lacey2 of the results of an experimental investigation of the behavior of mixtures of methane and propane. Search of the literature has revealed that the condensation of liquid from gaseous mixtures by isothermal pressure reduction is not a new discovery. Kuenen was led by theoretical considerations to expect such a phenomenon, and in 1892 reported3 the results of experimental verification of his deductions. This was followed by a considerable amount of work on the phase relations of mixtures by Kuenen 4,5,6 and by 0thers,7,8 mostly in European universities. Since 1930 investigators in this country have reported experimental data on the properties and behavior of a number of hydrocarbon systems."' It is now generally known that in the presence of natural gas the solubility in the gas phase of the heavier and normally liquid hydrocarbons increases rapidly with increasing pressure above 500 to 1000 Ib. per sq. in. Thus, at pressures of 2500 Ib. per sq. in. or higher a gas may contain appreciable quantities of hydrocarbons with normal boiling points as high as 6o0°F., which in turn may be condensed from the gas phase by the reduction of their solubility therein attending pressure reduc-tion. The combined effects of pressure and temperature on condensation and vaporiza-tioi of mixtures are most readily visualized by the study of phase diagrams. Since the construction, application, and interpreta-tion of such diagrams have been described fully in readily available literature, 18-20 this paper will not review the theoretical aspects of this subject. While the behavior of gas-distillate sys tems is now clearly understood, at least in a qualitative way, most of the published work deals with the results of laboratory studies of binary systems or of synthetic mixtures of hydrocarbons, and although several systematic investigations of the effects of separator pressure and temperature on the yields of liquid product from gas-distillate wells have been made21,12z it appears that in all cases the limitations have precluded the construction of even approximately complete phase diagrams for naturally occurring systems. There has 2

Jan 1, 1941

By H. H. Uhlig

In our study of the mechanism of and the prevention of corrosion in stainless steels, it was considered of fundamental importance to obtain knowledge of the surface structure of such alloys. If corrosion resistance is due to a self-healing oxide layer, which like a paint film protects the underlying metal, it would be obviously relevant were the effort made to make the film less permeable and more adherent; for example, the surface might be expected to respond to an anodizing process, which is found successful in increasing the film thickness and corrosion resistance of aluminum. However, if passivity and corrosion resistance of stainless steels are due to another cause, the attack of the problem would follow another path. One of the most effective techniques for studying passivity and corrosion tendency is the measurement of the electrochemical potential. Not only can one determine by potential measurements whether a metal is active or passive, but also one can determine the degree of passivity and rate of transformation of passivity with time. Chemical media that build up or destroy passivity when in contact with the steel can also be classified by potential measurements. Something can be learned, too, of the effect of alloy additions such as molybdenum to 18-8, known to decrease corrosion of the alloy in chloride solutions. A study of alloys in previous investigations has sometimes included data on the electrochemical potentials. Tammann and Sotterl measured the electrochenlical potentials of alloys of iron-molybdenum and iron-chromium and reperted the critical concentration of molybdenum or chromium at which passivity initiates. Strauss2 made similar measurements for the iron-chromium system. The electrochemical potential3 has also been used to indicate carbide precipitated 18-8. In 18-8, heat-treated to precipitate carbide, active metal exists at the region of the grain boundaries, contrasted with passive metal within the grains, the active metal accounting for a resultant active potential. Several

Jan 1, 1940

By C. A. Mitke

In the Southwest, mcchanical ventilation of metal mines has been receiving consideration for many years. The United Verde Copper Co., in Jerome, has used large mine fans for ventilation and fire-fighting purposes for at lcast 15 years, while the Copper Qucen Branch of the Phelps Dodge Corpn. commenced installing mechanical ventilation in its various divisions 10 years ago.' Since then, with few exceptions, every large mine in this part of the country has installed and put in operation a mechanical ventilating system. The properties of some of these companies consist of from two to six divisions, or separate mines, each of which requires an independent ventilating system. In other words, thirteen copper mining companies, with an aggregate tonnage, when operating at capacity, of approximately 50,000 tons a day, have installed mechanical ventilating systems in their mines. All these mines are within a radius of approximately 200 miles, which constitutes the largest copper-producing area in the world. The capacities of mechanical ventilating installations in these mines range from 100,000 to 300,000 cu. ft. of air per minute, depending on the size of the mine, character of the workings, tonnage produced, etc. The latter varies from 300 to 20,000 tons per day. The mines include both high- and low-grade deposits, the greatest depth of the former, at present, being approximately 2500 ft.; and of the latter, 1200 ft. The volumes of air at present being coursed through the mines are from 60,000 up to 225,000 cu. ft. of air per minute,which, in their relation to the undcrground working force, range from 200 to 800 cu. ft. of air per man, per minute. While not to be taken as criteria, these figures are indicative of the character of the ventilation furnished.

Jan 1, 1923

By Howard A. Smith

Of late considerable experimental and theoretical interest has been shown in the rates of transformation from a single phase, usually a supercooled solid solution, into one or more phases. Such reactions may involve both diffusion and transformation of the major constituent, as in iron alloys, or it may simply involve diffusion, as in superstructure formation and in age-hardening systems. Most of the work has been confined to ferrous alloy1-9† although two investigations have been made on copper alloys10*". That such work may be of considerable practical importance has been demonstrated by Bain12, by the workers at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institut fur Eisen-for~chung'13, 14, and by the everyday use of precipitation and age-hardening principles15. Experiments in this country have generally followed Davenport and Bain's technique of rapid supercooling followed by isothermal treatment. In Germany16, 17 the work has been extended to the study of the influence of accurately controlled and measured rates of cooling. The work on steel indicates that there are two subcritical temperature ranges where reaction starts sooner after quenching and proceeds at a more rapid rate than at other temperatures. At suberitical temperatures above Ar" (temperature of martensite formation) where reaction is dependent upon atomic migration there is a period of time of which the length depends upon the alloy content and the temperature, before which no reaction has been detected. Davenport and Bain' find that different sorts of atoms in solid solution in gamma iron affect the length of this " prereaction" period differently, manganese probably being the most effective in lengthening it. It is very difficult to believe that nothing occurs within these "prereaction" regions, for if this were so there is no reason why any reaction at all should be observed. In the light of experimental facts and theoretical considerations it is certainly

Jan 1, 1935