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By G. D. Cody, D. S. Beers, B. Abeles

The thermal diffusivity (thermal conductivity divided by specific heat) of Armco iron has been measured over the temperature range 30º to 1025ºC. The results are in good agreement with the thermal diffusivity computed from published values of thermal conductivity and specific heat, except near the Curie point and at the a to y phase transition, where the measured diffusivity undergoes rabid variations. The differences observed are ascribed to a rapid variation in the electronic thermal conductivity near the Curie point, and a decrease in the lattice thermal conductivity, at the a to ? phase transition. A major difficulty in measuring the thermal conductivity of materials at high temperatures is the determination and elimination of radiation losses. It has been shown, however, that in measuring thermal diffusivity D (thermal conductivity/specific heat) radiation losses can be taken into account exactly.' In order to test the performance of a newly designed apparatus for measuring thermal diffusivity of solids,' we measured Armco iron to an accuracy of 2 pct in the temperature range 30" to 1025°C. This material was selected since both the thermal conductivity,3'4 k, and specific heat,5 C, are known accurately in this temperature range and thus the measured values of D could be compared with D computed from the pub-

Jan 1, 1962

By E. H. Rose

IN the realm of ore dressing the most pregnant feat of all time was announced in 1945: the winning of the mineral raw materials which made the harnessing of atomic energy possible. Lost in the stupendous implications of the end result, in the two billion dollar hugeness of the project, and in the famous names attached thereto, the fact that crude uranium ores had to be concentrated received relatively little notice in the press. Only the final link in the concentrating chain was publicized-ether extraction of uranyl nitrate, developed by Hoffman and carried on by the Mallinckrodt Chemical Works, or methods developed by the Ames group under Spedding. Some of the earlier links represented less glamorous but equally difficult and exacting research. One may only speak a word of admiration for those who worked hard, accomplished much, and said nothing. The universal lament for most of the year was "man shortage." A group of Canadian engineers expressed it as "being so short of labor that no labor was available to develop laborsaving devices." . Despite this, an outstanding amount of mineral-dressing progress was made in 1945. Necessity allowed no alternative. The insatiable demand of war for minerals forced the exploitation of lower and lower grade ores, and of others not before considered of commercial character or use, requiring the mineral dresser to fight for and win new bridgeheads on the home front.

Jan 1, 1946

By J. F. Myers

AT the Regional meeting in Columbus, Ohio, in September 1949, the authors presented a progress report of the first year's operation with a Hardinge tricone mill in closed circuit with a Dorr hydroscillator. The present report covers our findings on this grinding circuit to January, 1950. In order to clarify our position, the authors wish to state that no invention or discovery is claimed. The Tennessee grinding circuit is simply an engineered arrangement of known equipment arranged to incorporate all of the recognized efficiency factors of comminution as they are known today. As we concluded our first report, it was not clear how effective the Tennessee mode of operation would be on harder ores. The only information we had at that time was that the Bond grindability test at 48-mesh gave 6.04 g of undersize per revolution. A later test on the same sample at 100-mesh reduced this to 2.04 g, which is definitely in the harder ore class, and which makes the reported 8.80 kw-hr per ton of -200-mesh produced a very creditable figure.

Jan 1, 1950

By R. H. Coats

MINING occupies a position of less importance than manufacturing or agriculture in Canada, but its relative contribution has increased greatly during the post- war period. Mineral production was only 5.14 per cent of the net value I of production of all kinds of commodities in 1919, but by 1936 the pro- portion had risen steadily to 12.76 per cent. Mining felt the depression, hut unlike agriculture, which is still ' sorely stricken, it has passed from early convalescence to complete recovery. For each of the last two years new high records were established for the industry as a whole and for the quantity of most metals produced. Mining has had a notable effect on - the growth of the power industry in Canada. Water power has been developed in the same or adjacent areas wherever mining camps have been 1 established, with few exceptions. Consumption of electrical energy by the mining industry gained 72 per cent within a decade, rising from 1604 million kw.-hr. in 1926 to 2754 in 1935. In. 1935 alone the mining industry purchased electric power

Jan 1, 1937

By George F. Kunz

THE recently discovered occurrence of diamonds near Murfreesboro, Pike county, Ark., was brought to. our attention by Mr. Samuel W. Reyburn (Trustee for Messrs. C. S. Stifft, A. D. Cohn, August Zinsser, Jr., and himself, owners of the property), through whose courtesy we investigated the locality of the deposit. Prospecting with the diamond-drill is now in active progress ; but mining operations on a large scale have not yet been ordered. Geology.-The geology as well as the petrography of this interesting locality has been well described by Messrs. J. C. Branner and R. N. Brackett.1 Briefly summarized, the igneous rock in which the diamonds are found is a vitreous peridotite, forming a stock or volcanic neck, which has broken up through the Carboniferous and Cretaceous quartzites and sandstones. After an extensive period of erosion, during which an unknown portion of the neck and presumably a previously existent volcanic cone have been removed, the surface was covered with thin beds of Post-Tertiary conglomerate. The volcanic intrusion was accompanied by the formation of several small dikes of a rock much like that of the main body. One of these dikes cuts across the stock, while another cuts the Cretaceous sandstone, but is overlain by the conglomerate, thus giving a datum for the period of intrusion. So far as known, there was little, if any, metamorphism of the country-rock by the igneous magna, which probably followed an approximately vertical course, so that a more or less vertical extension downward of the igneous body to indefinite depths may be expected.

Mar 1, 1908

By A. B. Parsons

AN often repeated criticism of the profession of engineering is that it is as a whole it lacks solidarity. organization, co-ordination, and leadership. Significantly, the critic, are all engineers. Other members of the body politic either do not know about the absence of organization or they do not care. If engineers have no organization they have a plethora of organizations. There exist in the United State, today some 350 societies. institutes. clubs, associations, and councils of engineers and engineering technologists and this number excludes several hundred local chapters of national societies. trade associations, and local engineers' clubs of purely social character- Successful engineers must be proficient in analyzing, planning, and co-ordinating. but it is generally admitted that for their profession as a whole their success in this respect has been indifferent.

Jan 1, 1943

By E. M. Wise

THOUGH known as the platinum-group metal- the sextuplet, platinum, palladium, iridium. rhodium, osmium, ruthenium, might well be called the American metals or perhaps Pan-American metals, as the ore containing them eras first discovered in South America, and in recent years the largest production has come from North America. The South American alluvial deposits, which also, contain gold, are in active production, as are the alluvial platinum deposits of Alaska, but the main production is from the copper-nickel ores of Sudbury, Ontario. The Russian deposits in the Urals were the source of most of the worlds platinum for about 100 years, but since 1934 have assumed second place. For a time considerable amounts of platinum came from several rather rich deposits in South Africa but these were exhausted quickly. However, a tremendous reserve of lower-grade ore exists there, which could be worked profitably if the price of platinum were considerably higher.

Jan 1, 1942

By J. H. Westbrook

IT is always of interest to document the origin of real microstructures which closely approach various idealized morphologies. Such instances constitute excellent bases for experimental studies of the effect of microstructure on properties. Typical examples include the eutectoid steels (lamellae) used by many investigators and the two phase Cu-Cr alloys (spheres) recently employed by Hibbard and Hart The present note describes a structure with cylindrical particles. In a study of certain alloys in the Cr-C system, an alloy was arc melted whose composition was very close to the aCr-Cr,C, eutectic (3.2 wt pct C, according to the latest phase diagram published by Bloom and Grant2). The alloy was not analyzed but previous experience with the melting technique employed indicates good correspondence between intended and analyzed compositions with negligible tungsten contamination from the electrode. The phases present in the alloy were identified by X-ray powder patterns as a chromium and Cr,C,. Typical micrographs, presented in Fig. 1, show unmistakable evidence of the cylindrical geometry of the carbide phase. The eutectic grains are randomly oriented and, consequently, only a few show the true fibrous nature of the carbide particles, most being cut so as to show slightly elliptical cross sections. Within any particular grain, remarkable uniformity is to be observed with respect to the size, shape, spacing, and orientation of the carbide particles. Length to diameter ratios have been estimated from the micrographs to be at least 250:1, with diameters of about lp. This alloy may be of further interest from different viewpoints. On the one hand, it might be used to check the applicability of the equations derived by Fullman3 for computing true particle dimensions of cylindrical particles from opaque random sections. On the other hand, it might be possible to extract the carbide particles from this alloy and repack them in a ductile matrix to form a synthetic structure of the type discussed by Metcalfe et al.4 With the large l:d ratio and the small diameter of the carbide fibers, it is likely that the interdefect distance in each fiber is sufficiently great to permit realization of a large fraction of the presumed high strength of the carbide. References 1W. R. Hibbard, Jr. and E. W. Hart: Dispersion Hardening of Copper-Chromium Alloys. AIME Trans., 1955, vol. 203, p. 200; Joun-nal of Metals, January 1955. 2D. S. Bloom and N. J. Grant: The System Chromium-Carbon. AIME Trans.. 1950. vol. 188. p. 41; JouRnal of Metals, January 1950. aR. L. Fullman: Measurement of Approximately Cylindrical Particles in Ooaaue Samples. AIME Trans.. 1953, vol. 197, p. 1267; Journal of Metals. ~ebtember 1953 4 A. G. Metcalfe, C. H. Sump, and W. C. Troy: Fiber Metallurgy. Metal Progress, 1955, vol. 67, p. 81.

Jan 1, 1958

F. E. Bachman, Port Henry, N. T. (communication to the Secretary*):—In discussing Mr. o.o.Laudig's paper, the Action of Blast-Furnace Gases Upon Various Iron-Ores,' I took the ground that Mesabi-ore explosions were entirely mechanical; but more observation and later experience has caused me to

Jan 1, 1905

By G. C. Fryburg, H. M. Murphy

ThE rates of oxidation of metals are usually obtained by heating the metal specimens in furnaces. Such a procedure is satisfactory for most metals. However, there are several metals that oxidize according to the reaction.

Jan 1, 1959

By H. V. Flagg

OPERATION of a modern steel plant presents a curious anomaly. Large-scale operations, in which large volumes or heavy weights of materials are involved, are not usually subject to close control or narrow specifications. On the other hand, operations that call for a high degree of precision are usually carried out under carefully controlled conditions with delicate, precise machinery and tools, and production is made secondary to quality. In a modern steel mill both extremes are taken as a matter of course. A strip mill making auto-body sheets must supply its customers with sheets that all come within a tolerance of plus or minus 0.003 in. in gauge at any point from side to side or end to end, and without blemishes either of color or surface. Sheets that were considered par excellence as recently as ten years ago could not even find a market today. Such exacting requirements have made necessary a nicety of control that approaches the watchmaker's art. Notwithstanding this necessity for precision, the scale of operation is stupendous.

Jan 1, 1940

By M. G. Corson

THE theory of hardening by interference with slip which has been so clearly developed by Jeffries and his co-workers requires that an alloy to be amenable to age or heat hardening should contain among its components some that will stay in solid solution at high temperatures and precipitate as a secondary phase on cooling. This secondary phase may be either a more or less pure individual element (chromium in the case of copper, anti-mony in the case of lead), or some intermetallic com-pound. Those cases of hardening which depend on the precipitation of a compound are not only the most frequent, but are also far superior in the efficiency of hardening obtained. However, the slip interference theory as stated in its most general form is not sufficient to foretell new cases of this type of hardening and also will not explain some phenomena of a more intricate nature. It is not sufficient that a secondary phase might be absorbed by the main one at high temperatures and precipitated at the lower ones. The kinetics of this precipitation and the accompanying. physical phenomena of dimensional changes play independent and highly important parts. These kinetics, while not yet sufficiently studied to he formulated in the shape of physicochemical equations, might find their expression-in a qualitative systema-tization of the phenomena of precipitation according to two different viewpoints. To begin with, we encounter the question as to the velocities of the precipitation and of the growth of the phase precipitated. To harden a metal in an efficient manner we must be able to control the precipitation on one hand and also to bring the total of the secondary phase to such a number and size of the particles pre-cipitated as, will produce a desirable hardening effect under commercially feasible conditions of. age or heat hardening. From this viewpoint six different cases may be dis-cerned.

Jan 7, 1928

By Edna A. Dancy, Gerhard J. Derge

The specific conductance of FeOx,-CaO melts in contact with iron was found to decrease from 200 ohm-1 cm-1 for FeO, to 40 ohm-1 cm-1 for a melt containing 26.3 pct CaO at 1400°C. The temperature coefficient was positive at all compositions, but became smaller at high CaO contents. Current efficiencies for electrolysis increased from 2.5 pct in FeOx to 17.3 pct at the high CaO composition, indicating a change from predominantly electronic conduction to conduction with a substantial ionic contribution. It was shown that Ca++ ions as well as Fe++ ions carry the ionic current. A subsidiary investigation on the apparent effect of atmospheres of argon, helium, and nitrogen on the electrical conductivity showed that this could be correlated with surface temperature losses, which varied with the thermal conductivities of the gases and resulted in precipitation of metal by the reaction 3 Fe++ = 2 Fe+++ + Fe. The work described in this paper is offered as a contribution to the general fund of knowledge concerning metallurgical slags. Measurement of electrical conductivity and electrolysis are comparatively trouble -free methods for investigating molten materials, but, although these methods had been used for complex slags, it was not until the work of Bockris et al.1 that the approach of examining simple binary slag systems was employed, and CaO-SiO2, MnO-SiO2, and Al2O3-Si9 were studied. Two groups have performed work of particular relevance to the present investigation. Inouye, Tomlinson, and chipman2 studied the conductivity of wustite as a function of temperature and of the addition of 5 mol pct of a number of oxides, including CaO. They concluded that molten FeOx in equilibrium with iron is a semiconductor. Simnad, Derge, and ceorge3 demonstrated the ionic nature of liquid iron silicate slags and also concluded that, although the conductivity of FeOx in equilibrium with iron is predominantly electronic in nature, there is a small ionic contribution. The work reported here on FeOx,-CaO slags consists of three main parts, namely, the determination of the specific conductance over a wide composition range, an investigation into the nature of the conductivity through current-efficiency measurements over the same composition range, and an attempt to identify the current-carrying ions, as well as a subsidiary investigation on the apparent effect of the nature of the inert atmosphere on the conductivity. EXPERIMENTAL Materials. The slags, varying in composition from FeOx to 27 pct CaO, were prepared by heating reagent- grade Fe2O3 in an ingot iron crucible with a suitable amount of CaCO3 and, in some cases, powdered iron, in air. This prefused material was then used for the runs. At the end of each run the cell was removed from the furnace and quenched by immersing the bottom half in water. After crushing, the slags were analyzed for calcium and total iron by the usual wet methods. The oxygen content was obtained by difference. Specific Conductance: Apparatus and Method. Fig. shows the experimental setup, with the conductivity cell and leads of ingot iron. The standard four-probe method for measuring high conductivities was used. In this, the potential drop across the unknown resistance is compared with the potential drop across a known resistance connected in series, i .e., same current through both resistances. Thus there are both current and potential leads to the center electrode and to the crucible, which acts as th other electrode. Both ac and dc circuits were available for the measurements; they have been described in earlier work performed in this laboratory.4,5 The geometry of the cell was such that the center electrode was equidistant from the bottom and sides of the crucible. This ensured that the current path was the same irrespective of the magnitude of the conductivity of the material in the cell. Cell constant were measured with KC1 or NaCl solutions, which have considerably lower conductivities (0.0013 to 0.25 ohm-' cm) than the slags, and this precaution in design made sure that the determined cell constants applied to the cells with contents of any conductivity. The cell-constant determinations were made with the ac measuring circuit to prevent polarization. The four-probe method eliminates lead resistance but not the resistance of those parts of the center

Jan 1, 1967

By J. L. McK. Yardley

There are two general classes of problems in connection with electric furnaces. First, those relating to the best utilization of the electrical power inside the furnace; second, those connected with the bringing of the electrical power to the point where it is to be utilized. Referring particularly to the latter class of problems, many calculations have been made, covering a wide variety of furnaces, to check the electrical capacity and power factor found from test. The following analysis, made for the purpose of determining the maximum capacity and approximate performance of a new furnace, to operate at 160 volts on a 60-cycle circuit, may be of interest. The first characteristic necessary to determine is the inductance, since this is the factor that limits the amount of power which can be put into the furnace. Inductance is calculated from the dimensions of the furnace, according to formulas of the U. S. Bureau of Standardsll as follows. Formula 99, for mutual inductance, is: M = 2l [log 2l/d-1 +d/l] Formula 103, for self-inductance, is: Both of these formulas are approximations which are nearly correct when 1 is great compared to d or R. 1 = length of circuit, in centimeters, d = separation between the conductors, in centimeters, R = geometric mean radius of conductors. For a circular tube, R = the radius of the circle. For a solid circular conductor, R = 0.7788 X the radius of the conductor. For a rectangular conductor, R = 0.2235 X (a + b), a being the length, and b being the width of the rectangle. To calculate the inductance of a three-phase circuit, it is customary to figure the inductance of one leg. In circuits where the three conductors

Jan 1, 1920

By Everett D. Jackson

The largest deposits of chromite in the United States occur in tabular layers in the lower part of the Stillwater Complex, Montana. Nearly 900,000 long tons of chromite concentrates have been produced from mines and mills in this area, and reserves equivalent to more than 2,500,000 long tons of Cr2O3 remain in the ground. Layered concentrations of chromite (known as chromitite zones) occur only within olivine-rich layers of the Peridotite member of the Ultramafic zone of the Stillwater. As many as thirteen chromitite zones, lying conformably one above another, have been found, but only five of them are thick enough to be of any conceivable economic interest, and only two of them have been mined to date. Individual chromitite zones can be recognized by their distinctive internal character and by their stratigraphic position in the Peridotite member. The chemical composition of chromite varies consistently between and within the different chromitite zones. The zones range in thickness from about an inch to more than 12 feet, and the Cr2O3, content of their chromite ranges from 36.6 to 49.2 weight per cent. In any given area, the G chromitite zone is the thickest, but the chromite of the H chromitite zone has the highest grade. Laterally, the thickness of the chromitite zones is related to the thickness of the Peridotite member; in general all are thicker in the eastern part of the Stillwater than in the western part.

Jan 1, 1968

All the TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS and CONTRIBUTIONS published in 1941 are available at Institute headquarters, unless otherwise noted They are also on file in many public, university and technical libraries and, when so indicated in the list, may be found in the TRANSACTIONS TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS in Classes A-Metal Mining, 13-Milling and Concentration, H-Industrial Minerals, and I-Mining Geology are distributed in MINING TECHNOLOGY, which is issued every other month Technical Publications in Classes C-Iron and Steel Division, D-Nonferrous Metallurgy and E-Institute of Metals Division are distributed in METALS TECHNOLOGY, which is issued twice quarterly TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS in Class G-Petroleum Division are distributed in PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY, which is issued every other month TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS in Classes F-Coal Division, J-Mineral Industry Education Division, K-Mining Administration, and L-Geophysics, are issued as separate pamphlets An Institute member is entitled to one copy of any printed TECHNICAL PUBLICATION or CONTRIBUTION Copies of TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS listed have been mailed to members of the Institute according to their registration by classes CONTRIBUTIONS and other TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS will be sent upon request A member may purchase an additional copy of a TECHNICAL PUBLICATION or a CONTRIBUTION at one cent a page, minimum charge, 25¢ Nonmembers may purchase any CONTRIBUTION or a TECHNICAL PUBLICATION of the F, J, K, or L classes at the same rate, but the nonmember price per copy for METALS TECHNOLOGY, MINING TECHNOLOGY or PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY is $1 25 domestic, $1 35 foreign countries. TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS (separate pamphlet form), $2 per annum domestic, $2 50 foreign. METALS TECHNOLOGY, $7 per annum domestic, $7 80 foreign (Iron and Steel Division and Institute of Metals Division ferrous and nonferrous papers) MINING TECHNOLOGY, $6 per annum domestic, $6 60 foreign (metal mining, milling and concentration, Industrial Minerals Division, and mining geology papers) PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY, $6 per annum domestic, $6 60 foreign Bound volumes have been mailed to members that have requested them, and MINING and METALLURGY Is mailed each month A member is entitled to one volume a year on his membership and he may purchase for $2 50 one copy of a volume not already received, additional copies of the same volume, $5 Nonmembers in the United States may purchase the volumes listed at $5 each, outside of the United States and its possessions, $5 6o Extra single copies of MINING AND METALLURGY, 25¢ current issue, back numbers 500 each to members, to nonmembers 50¢ current issue and $1 each, back issues Subscription price to nonmembers and to members for extra copies, $3 per annum domestic, $4 00 foreign.

Jan 1, 1941

By John V. Hamme

ONE of Tungsten Mining Corp.'s Vance County, N. C., mill near Henderson was the installation of a new crushing plant with a capacity of 45 to 50 tph. During 1953 the milling rate was jumped from 650 tons to 800 tpd simply by expanding existing facilities, eliminating bottlenecks, and making changes in the existing and new circuits. Previous expansions in 1951 and 1952 raised mill capacity from 300 tons to 650 tpd. In its latest move, Tungsten Mining decided that expansion of existing facilities would be more economical than building that normal production was uninterrupted. For the engineering and design of the new crushing plant and mill expansion the services of the Southwestern Engineering Co., Los Angeles, were obtained. The Southeastern Construction Co., Charlotte, N. C., carried out construction, alterations to existing facilities, and the installation of equipment

Jan 10, 1954

By John S. Alexander

By AIME AIME

CONVENTION plans for the A.I.M.E. Regional Meeting to be held on the Minnesota Iron Range Aug. 12 to 1.5 are being completed to give the visiting member?s from all parts of the country a wide variety of technical and recreational features. High spots of the social events are the official dinner, dance, luncheon and golf: and of course, special provision is being, made for the entertainment of visiting ladies. The technical sessions will fit in with scheduled trips to view all phases of mining, beneficiation and transportation of iron ore. Men from the West and Southwest will find much of interest in the detail of the mining operations. A trip to the steel plant of the

Jan 1, 1941

By Roland Kammel

For electrolytic recovery of silver from dilute aqueous solutions improved mass transfer is necessary to achieve favourable current efficiencies and high space-time yields. The many cell designs proposed for this application can be divided into two different groups: cells from which the silver must be redissolved and cells from which the deposit can be reclaimed as a metal. Introduction Electrolytic silver recovery methods have proven advantageous under technical and economic aspects for the treatment of rinse water, still rinses and spent silver solutions in the electroplating and surface finishing industry, of exhausted fixing baths from photographic processing, bleed electrolytes from silver refining processes and leach liquors. Examples of the compositions of typical dilute silver solutions are listed in Table I.

Jan 1, 1984