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LIST OF THE MEETINGS OF THE INSTITUTE AND THEIR LOCALITIES FROM ITS ORGANIZATION Transactions Number Place Date Vol Page 1 Wilkes-Barre, Pa May, ?71 1 3 2 Bethlehem, Pa August, ?71 1 10 3 Troy, N Y November, ?71 1 13 4 Philadelphia, Pa February, ?72 1 17 5 New York, N Y May, ?72 1 20 6 Pittsburg, Pa October, ?72 1 25 7 Boston, Mass February, ?73 1 28 8 Philadelphia, Pa May, ?73 2 3 9 Easton, Pa October, ?73 2 7 10 New York, N Y February, ?74 211 11 St Louis, Mo May, ?74 3 3 12 Hazleton, Pa October, ?74 3 8 13 New Haven, Conn February, ?75 3 15 14 Dover, N J May, ?75 4 3 15 Cleveland, 0 October, ?75 4 9 16 Washington, D C February, ?76 4 18 17 Philadelphia, Pat June, ?76, 5 3 18 Philadelphia, Pa October, ?76 5 9 19 New York, N Y February, ?77 5 27 20 Wilkes-Barre, Pa May, ?77 6 3 21 Amenia, N Y October, ?77 6 10 22 Philadelphia, Pa. May, ?78 6 18 23 Chattanooga, Tenn May ?78 7 3 24 Lake George, N.Y. Oct. ?78 7 25 Baltimore, Md. Feb. ?79 7

Jan 1, 1923

Jan 3, 1953

By Franz Posepny

CONTENTS. Introduction. Part I. General Facts And Theories. [ ]

Jan 1, 1902

Some years ago the open Hearth Committee of the Institute reached the conclusion that the reading of "set" papers tended to preclude the specific and detailed discussion of specialized problems of current interest to those operating steel plants. As an innovation the Committee distributed in advance of the meeting in May, 1927, a questionnaire containing a list of 27 topics involving operating problems. The subsequent discussion of the questions, participated in by 37 members, was a conspicuous success. Semiannual meetings have been held since; and at the conference of November, 1929, at Chicago, 131 men were present and the minutes comprised a book of 133 printed pages, thereby, indicating the growing value of the conference in the eyes of both the metallurgists themselves and the companies that employed them. With this example in mind, the Directors felt that definite advantages would accrue to a similar conference to be participated in by smelter officials and metallurgists engaged in the operation of copper reverberatory furnaces. The settlement of the Carson litigation, which for several years had virtually stopped public discussion of reverberatory practice, offered an opportune time for launching the scheme. Although the Conference may become largely self-financing in the future, some funds were regarded as necessary to conduct the first meeting. The members of the Rocky Mountain Income Committee, in view of the fact that copper smelting was essentially an activity of the Rocky Mountain area, recommended the project be, in effect, underwritten by the Fund, and the directors approved an appropriation for this purpose. Invitations were extended to high executives of the various-companies interested to send representatives to an initial meeting to be held at Salt Lake City, May 26-27. The response was enthusiastic. Twenty-three metallurgists representing 12 different plants were present to discuss the comprehensive-program relating to construction and operating phases of reverberatory smelting. It was understood that the record was not to be included in the regular publications of the Institute but that it would be prepared for private distribution among the participants and the officials of their companies. That the exchange of views and experience was no less instructive and stimulating than it was frank, full and informal is indicated by the following transcript of the minutes of the meeting.

Jan 1, 1930

By W. S. Owen, T. Bell

The variation ox the M, temperature with nitrogen concentration has been determined experinzentally. The free-energy difference between martensite and the parent y Phase at the M, temperature,is computed for Fe-C and Fe-N alloys using recent solubility data fm the Fe-N system and new data for the variatim of the activity of the interstitial solute in the y phase with concentration. The "geometric model" is considered also, and the importance of Zener ordering is noted. It is shown that, although at any chosen concentration the M, temperature and the activity are significantly different in the two alloy systems, the free-energy duference is the same within the limits of experimental error, thus Providing further evidence of the very close similarity between the martensite transformations in Fe-C and Fe-N alloys. TO estimate the free-energy change accompanying the martensite transformation in binary interstitial alloys it is necessary to know the variation of the Ms temperature with interstitial solute concentration and some thermodynamic data. To date, only the Fe-C system has been discussed because this was the only system for which relevant experimental measurements had been made, but even in this case the data available are insufficient to permit the free-energy change to be calculated without the assumption of a thermodynamic model for the y and a solid solutions. The last comprehensive discussion of the topic was by Kaufman, Radcliffe, and Cohen in 1.960.' Since that time Ellis, Davidson, and Bodsworth2 have redeter mined the activity of carbon in y iron as a function of carbon content and Atkinson3 has measured the activity of nitrogen in Fe-N austenite. The M, temperature of Fe-N is reported in the present paper. Thus, it is now possible to assess the free-energy change accompanying the martensite transformation in Fe-N alloys on the same basis as that used to assess the change in Fe-C alloys. This comparison is of interest because it has been shown recently4 that the structure of the martensite formed in Fe-N alloys changes with nitrogen content in a manner exactly parallel to the changes in structure in the Fe-C series and that the strain associated with the distortion of the iron lattice in either the y or the a phase by a nitrogen atom is the same as that produced by a carbon atom. The work to be described tests whether or not this close similarity between the two systems extends to the thermodynamics of the martensitic transformations. THE Ms TEMPERATURES FOR Fe-N MARTENSITE Bose and Hawkes5 found the M, temperature of a eutectoid Fe-N alloy (2.35 wt pct N) to be 35°C. This single determination appears to be the only reported measurement of the M, temperature of an Fe-N alloy. In the present work a series of more than fifteen different specimens containing between 0 and 2.7 wt pct N were prepared by controlled nitriding of pure iron wire 0.010 in. diam. The iron was supplied by B.I.S.R.A. and was designated ACN2. The nitriding procedure, all aspects of which are critical, has been described in detail elsewhere.' Each specimen was quenched from the austenitizing temperature into brine at 20°C without removing the specimen from the ammonia-hydrogen atmosphere in which it was ni-trided. Alloys containing up to 0.7 wt pct N were fully martensitic. More concentrated alloys contained progressively more retained austenite. At 2.34 wt pct N the specimen was completely austenitic after quenching to 20°C. The M, temperature of specimens with M, temperature above 20°C (those containing less than 2.35 wt pct N) was determined by a thermal arrest technique. For the more concentrated alloys (2.35 to 2.70 wt pct N) the variation of electrical resistance with temperature down to -196°C was used. Unlike Fe-C alloys, Fe-N alloys cannot be reaus-tenitized in vacuum or in an inert atmosphere because excessive loss of nitrogen occurs, even in short times, at high temperatures. Consequently, the alloys were reaustenitized in the ammonia-hydrogen mixture corresponding to nitrogen equilibrium at the temperatures used. The specimens were quenched in a blast of cold hydrogen gas and the temperature, measured by a thermocouple welded to the 2.5-in.-long specimen, was recorded on a high-speed recorder. In the first experiments 0.002-in.-diam chromel-alumel wire thermocouples were used but it was found that these gave erroneous readings due to contamination by nitrogen pickup. Pt-Pt 13 pct Rh wires of 0.002 in. diam were found to be satisfactory. Further details of the experiments are available in the original thesis.7 The cooling rate was controlled between 400° and 4000°C per sec by adjusting the hydrogen pressure. At least three cooling curves were obtained for each composition. Each specimen was analyzed for nitrogen after quenching. To aid in the accurate location of the martensite arrest points a series of cooling curves of 0.010-in.-diam platinum wire were recorded and these, which did not contain an arrest, were used as comparison standards. Four specimens, each in the form of a 3-in. loop, were prepared from each of the four alloys containing more than 2.35 wt pct N. One specimen was used for nitrogen analysis, one for X-ray diffraction, and two for resistance measurements below 20°C. The latter specimens were quenched from 20°C into constant-temperature baths at selected lower temperatures.

Jan 1, 1968

Jan 9, 1950

Jan 8, 1950

By William B. Phillips

This paper was prepared at the request of Capt. A. F. Lucas, Chair man of the Institute's Committee on Petroleum and Gas; as a pre1iminary.discussion of the fuel oils which are used in the Southwest, giving their composition, uses, prices, etc. Should it afterward be found desirable, these observations may be extended over a larger area. In this connection, I suggest that samples of all kinds of fuel oils, including various tars, from all over the country, be collected and sent to some testing laboratory for examination. We would be glad to extend the facilities of the laboratory of the Bureau of Economic Geology and Technology, at the University of Texas, for this purpose, and to do the work free of all expenses. After such examinations are made and the results classified and studied, it would be possible to suggest specifications under which fuel oils should be purchased, and to arrive at some conclusions respecting the uniformity of such specifications, with due allowance for climatic and other more or less local conditions. While such specifications do not now depart from a common standard anything like as much as specifications for illuminating oils do, yet there are discrepancies which should not exist. Some of these discrepancies are of lessening importance, due to the pronounced tendency to distill every crude oil that can be distilled with profit, and to send residues into the market for fuel oil. Residues from the refineries are of a more uniform chemical composition and physical nature than many of the crude oils that go direct into the fuel market. The lower flash-point oils are disappearing from the fuel trade and in place of them we are getting oils that do not flash below 220" F., nor burn under 320" F. In the Southwest, it has not been long since we had fuel oils that flashed as low as 110" F., and the average flash point over a considerable period was 151" F. Now we are using oil that flashes at about 30" lower than the former burning point, which was 258" F. In other words, the flash point has risen, on the average, 100"; and the burning point about 75".

Jan 1, 1915

Jan 11, 1951

Jan 9, 1951

By Robert W. Hunt

I have frequently stated that while the chemical composition of steel is important, yet even greater importance is connected with the mechanical and heat treatment of the metal. During the past year I encountered such a positive example of that fact that I deem it worth putting upon record. A prominent railway system divided an order for open-hearth steel rails between two steel works, both of which are under the control of the same corporation; giving to one about 18,000 tons, and to the other 7,500 tons of the same section and to be made under the same specifications. The rolling results obtained in the two mills varied so widely that a study of the figures is intensely interesting and serves to illustrate the advantages obtained by carefu1 ingot casting, and, quite as pertinently, the possible benefits of careful subsequent heating and rolling with moderate reductions in the rolling process. The smaller order was rolled complete in four installments during the same months that the larger order was being made in six separate installments; but, to permit of exact comparisons, the totals of the four installments (completing the order with the mill which I will call A) are given with the totals of the first four installments of the larger order, made by the mill designated as B. These rolling results are: Mill A. Mill B. Number of rollings,............................................ 4 4 Total number of rails rolled................................ 18,278 27,832 Percentage of rails cut to short lengths because of flaws near ends, etc......................................... 0.7 7.6 Percentage of rails made second quality for flaws, etc. 0.9 6.3 Percentage of rails scrapped for flaws, etc............... 0.6 4.5 Percentage of rails scrapped for failure at drop test... none 3.4 It should be stated that the figures given above cover all the reasons for putting the rails in the classes stated, Thus a part of the percentage of rails cut to short lengths may have been

Jan 1, 1914

By F. Gordon Smith

ALTHOUGH several geological indicators of the critical type are known, including quartz inversions and decomposition of hydrous minerals such as serpentine, there are very few of the general type. Solid solutions are excepted, but the limitations of use are very restricted and interpretations are sometimes ambiguous. General methods for determining temperature and pressure conditions during the crystallization of minerals would have considerable scientific and economic value. It is not the purpose of this paper .to, discuss the various methods of geological thermometry and barometry, but to present one general method, applicable to all minerals, and to describe what progress has been made in the methods of measurement. The general method, in. brief, is a study of the stress conditions in and around various types of foreign inclusions which are trapped in minerals during growth. The method depends upon the fact that any homogeneous gas, liquid, or solid will in general have coefficients of thermal expansion and volume compressibility different from those of any given mineral. Therefore stress must develop in and around all types of inclusions in minerals if the temperature or the pressure, or both, are changed from the conditions which prevailed during the growth of the mineral. The methods of measurement consist of determinations of the temperature-pressure conditions of fit of the inclusions in the host mineral. The types of inclusions in minerals are: 1-gas, or liquid plus vapor, when observed at room temperature, due to crystallization under pneumatolytic conditions; 2-liquid, or liquid plus vapor when observed at room temperature, due to crystallization under hydrothermal conditions; 3-glassy solid, or devitrified glass, due to crystallization under magmatic or high temperature metamorphic conditions, in a siliceous liquid; and 4-crystals, due to overgrowth of other minerals crystallizing simultaneously or of other minerals which crystallized previously. A survey of the literature shows that much valuable earlier work on inclusions, especially that carried out in England in the last century, has dropped out of current knowledge. The following is a brief summary of the significant, contributions to the problem up to the present day. Davy in 1822 asserted that fluid inclusions in minerals consist of an aqueous solution of salts and a gas bubble, the whole being either at lower or higher pressure than atmospheric.1 At intervals from 1823 to 1862, Brewster contributed information concerning other types of inclusion consisting of 1-aqueous solution, a much more expansible liquid, and a gas; 2-aqueous solution, salt crystals, and a gas; and 3-the very expansible liquid and a gas. The very expansible liquid fills the gas space between 20° and 30°C. Compression strain effects were seen around inclusions in diamond, topaz, and other minerals.2-6 Sorby in 1858 and 1869 further advanced the study begun by Davy, stating that fluid inclusions represent a sample of the mother liquor of crystallization and that the degree of filling of aqueous inclusions at room temperature defines the temperature-pressure relations during formation of the host. The degree of filling may be measured by determining the minimum temperature of filling of the inclusion by the liquid phase. The very expansible liquid in some fluid inclusions is liquid. carbon dioxide. The temperature at which salt crystals in fluid inclusions completely dissolve in the fluid is the minimum temperature of formation. Inclusions of glass or devitrified glass indicate crystallization from a melt. Inclusions of crystals in minerals are often centers of strain, which may be seen by optical effects or by radial tension cracks. Sorby realized that an analysis of stress-strain relations about inclusions could be used to provide precise data on the temperature of crystallization, but the matter was never pursued.7,8 Hartley (1876, 1877),9,10 Hawes (1881),11 Wright (1881),12 Johnsen (1920),13 and Holden (1925)14

Jan 1, 1952

By AIME AIME

MESSRS. BURT and Shockley and others have been for three years urging upon the Institute the matter of simplified spelling. The Institute endeavors to be progressive in the matter of spelling and. is in cooperation with the national body which has this in hand and which has its principal office in New York. Our spellings are changed as fast as-good usage will permit (so it seems to the Board of Directors) and the national body, which is the real representative of the simplified spelling interests, deems that the Institute is making real progress, although not quite as fast as extremists would wish. In January, 1919, Mr. Shockley sent out letter ballots which created a misconception in the minds of many members, who received the impression that the communications came from the Institute instead of from a small group of members. As a result of this propaganda 163 proposal-ballots were sent in to the Institute divided as follows: Yes ?114 No ?20 Negative letters ?9 Split ballots ?20 Total ?163 The total membership at this time was about 7200. The disgusted members would not vote.

Jan 1, 1920

By Stanley J. LeFond, Langtry E. Lynd

Elemental titanium has become famous as a space age metal, because of its high strength/ weight ratio and resistance to corrosion. However, the major use is in the form of titanium dioxide pigment, which because of its whiteness, high refractive index, and resulting light-scattering ability, is unequaled for whitening paints, paper, rubber, plastics, and other materials. A relatively minor use is in welding rod coatings, in the form of the mineral, rutile. United States consumption of titanium dioxide for these applications in 1973 was as follows: pigments, 891,000 st; titanium metal, 40,000 st (=24,000 st metal) ; and welding rod coatings, 10,000 st. The only commercially important titanium ore minerals at the present time are ilmenite, and its alteration products, and rutile. Titanium was discovered by Gregor in 1790, as a white oxide which he recovered from menaccanite, a variety of ilmenite occurring as a black sand near Falmouth, Cornwall. Barksdale (1966) states that the fundamental chemical reactions on which the present day titanium industry is based were known before 1800, although it was not until 1918 that these pigments were available commercially on the American market. Pings (1972) outlines the early history of the titanium industry in the United States, referring to the work of Guise (1964) and others: "Mining of titanium minerals in the United States began sometime between 1880 and 1900, in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Small quantities of rutile were also produced during the time in North Carolina and Georgia. In 1901 rutile was mined from a deposit near Roseland, Va., and was used in making titanium chemicals and for coloring ceramics. Ilmenite in the deposit was produced as a separate item in 1913, and rutile and ilmenite were obtained from this deposit through 1921. The mining of titanium bearing beach sands began in 1916 near Mineral City and Pablo Beach, Fla., for the purpose of making titanium tetrachloride to be used in tracer bullets, flares, and smokescreens. The titanium pigment industry was founded in 1918. By 1928 a large part of the domestic production of rutile, ilmenite, and zircon came from Florida. However production ceased in 1929 in Florida with the mining of newly discovered deposits in Virginia which were mined until 1968. The discovery of new deposits in Florida, and the development of better mining and concentrating methods for lowgrade sands, led to a return of activities in this area. The large deposits near Tahawus, N.Y., were brought into production in 1942 by National Lead Co. (now N L Industries Inc.), and by 1949 this company was the lead¬ing producer of ilmenite in the world. In 1948 the extensive deposits of ilmenite and ilmenite-bearing iron ores were discovered in eastern Quebec." The beginning of the modern titanium metal industry was in 1948, when E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. produced the first metal. U.S. Bureau of Mines reports, which gave details of the Kroll process, together with the attractive properties of the metal for

Jan 1, 1975

Falconbridge Nickel, the one-time subsidiary that grew up to swallow its own parent, Ventures Limited, in 1962, is not about to be left behind by rising nickel consumption. At a cost of several hundred million dollars, this Canadian firm has undertaken a series of new projects that will not only ensure its present share of the market, but also lead it into new areas of the nickel business. Although Falconbridge Nickel Mines Ltd. was not formed until 1928, it actually had its start in 1917- 18 with the discovery of a large, good grade nickel- copper deposit in Falconbridge, near Sudbury, Ontario. However, due to several factors, financing could not be obtained and the orebody lay fallow. It was not until 1928, when the Thayer Lindsley interests bought the property from the original owner, that it was developed.

Jan 10, 1968

By D. K. Crampton

ON giving thought to the subject of this paper, my first reaction was that many and striking changes have come about as a direct result of the war. However, more careful analysis indicates that few, if any, of these changes can be wholly attributed to it. The actual situation is that all these changes were conceived and most of them at least partially executed in re- cent prewar years, it remaining the role of war to achieve results in a fraction of the time that might normally have been taken, lacking its driving impulse. The further discussion will therefore be with the premise that the individual changes have been greatly hastened rather than directly and primarily caused by any war conditions. Co-operation among copper alloy producers on production problems is agreed to be much worth while. The industry was too long noted for jealousy and secrecy as to equipment, methods, and even materials produced. Gradually, a more open and co-operative policy evolved but even just prior to the war the interchange of ideas was relatively cautious and limited. The need for a great increase in production in record time fostered a more co- operative attitude; exchange of ideas and experience concerning all phases of production increased tremendously to the benefit of the individual participants and thus the war effort, too. This more united effort has undoubtedly led to many specific improvements in process or equipment and these in turn to more rapid and economical operation than could have taken place on an each-for-himself basis.

Jan 1, 1944

By D. S. Tomalin, D. F. Stein

The effect of reducing oxygen to low concentrations on the fracture of high-purity iron single crystals has been examined at 78° and 20°K. It is found that iron single crystals grown by the strain-anneal method usually contain a few occluded grain boundaries which may become embittled in the presence of oxygen, thereby nucleating cleavage fractures. High purity with respect to interstitial elements was found to inhibit twinning and evidence is presented for an orientation dependence of the resolved yield stress. Deformation occurred by slip rather than twinning at both temperatures of testing with elongations of as much as 9 pct at 20°K. THE fracture properties of iron single crystals have been observedl-3 to be a function of temperature, orientation, and purity. Allen, Hopkins, and McLennan1 demonstrated that at 78°K iron single crystals became increasingly brittle as the tensile axis approached the (001) pole of the stereographic unit triangle. Iron crystals with the tension axis near a (001) pole were completely brittle and orientations near the (011)-(111) boundary were very ductile, achieving a 100 pct reduction in area prior to fracture. Later work of Biggs and pratt2 and of Edmondson3 demonstrated that by reducing the carbon content of the single crystals the transition between brittle and ductile failure at 78°K could be shifted to orientations nearer the (001) pole. Ed-mondson went further and pointed out that any mechanism which tended to increase the yield strength of the iron (i.e., carbon addition, pre-strain) also increased the tendency for brittle behavior at 78°K. Thus by a reduction of carbon content Biggs and Pratt were able to obtain ductile behavior to within 20 deg of the (001) pole, and Ed-mondson was able to obtain ductile behavior to within 26 deg of the (001) pole. Edmondson's material had a total interstitial content (carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen) of approximately 60 ppm and, although Biggs and Pratt reported no analysis, indications were that their iron contained comparable impurities. Stein, Low, and seybolt4 purified iron single crystals to a total carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen content of approximately 20 ppm. They observed a lowering of the yield stress with this increased purity, and thus one might have expected an observation of increased ductility. Although they tested specimens of orientations which the previous workers had indicated should be ductile, the crystals failed at a 78°K in a brittle manner with little elongation. Stein noted,' however, that about 90 pet of the failures could be traced in origin to occluded grains. Allen et al.1 and Edmondson3 do not report examination of their cleavage surfaces, but Biggs and pratt2 reported that microscopic examination of the cleavage surfaces of many of their specimens revealed the presence of small occluded grains. Honda and cohen6 and Keh7 have also observed the initiation of fracture at occluded grains in iron single crystals. Therefore, the additional complication of occluded grains must be considered in studying the properties of iron single crystals and the origin of fractures determined if the ductility exhibited by the crystals is to be considered meaningful. Various investigators8-12 have studied the effects of impurities on grain boundaries in high-purity polycrystalline iron. Rees and Hopkins10 showed that the addition of oxygen to low-carbon (0.002 pet) iron weakened the grain boundaries, causing a shift from transcrystalline to intercrystalline fracture and a progressive decrease on the brittle-fracture stress with increasing oxygen content. In addition, it has been shown by Low and Feustel11 that the addition of carbon to polycrystalline iron containing oxygen eliminated grain boundary brittleness. Thus, oxygen can embrittle grain boundaries in high-purity polycrystalline iron, but the addition of an appropriate amount of carbon can eliminate the oxygen-induced brittleness. The oxygen content (19 ppm) of the iron "single crystals" employed by Stein el al. was large enough to suspect impurity effects at the occluded grain boundaries. Allen et al.1 Biggs and pratt,2 and Edmondson3 may have masked any occluded grain problem in their specimens considering the relatively high carbon levels they employed. stein13 demonstrated that the addition of as little as 0.9 ppm C to previously purified (less than 5 x 10-3 ppm C) "single crystals" would increase the elongation from a few percent to more than 20 pet at 78°K and the fracture was not associated with grade boundary initiation.

Jan 1, 1965

By S. J. Swainson

"It appears to me that the chief progress in milling operations in America have been made in the steady improvement of existing practice through both higher extractions and increased efficiencies of operations rather than by the development of new processes. The recent rapid development of sink-float, or heavy-medium separation, however, is an exception, and is becoming increasingly used to permit the economic treatment of certain low-grade ores that otherwise could not profitably be mined. The use of spirals and of small cyclones, both of which employ the principle of centrifugal force, show promise of increasing adoption through their application and efficiency in special cases." So did our distinguished colleague, O. A. E. Jackson, consulting metallurgist for the Union Corporation and president of the Chemical, Metallurgical and Mining Society of South Africa, summarize his impressions of a recent tour which he made of various metallurgical and milling plants in North America. I believe that all mineral dressers will agree with Dr. Jackson's concise conclusions.

Jan 1, 1950

By H. William Ahrenholz

The coal industry had another prosperous year in 1966. Since the turn of the decade, production has been climbing at an average rate of 6% per annum. Although the fast pace slackened somewhat, 1966 production showed a gain of almost 3 % over that of 1965. An impressive record can be drawn from the fact that output per man-day in 1966 was more than twice that of the early 1950's, and more than three times that of the early 1940's. And even though man-power requirements lessened, those men retained by the industry worked longer hours and benefited through higher hourly pay rates. However, cost to the customer increased a little. Such statements can only be made for a healthy industry -one that is constantly improving its efficiency. Coal currently provides more than 25% of the total U.S. energy output. About 50% of all U.S.- mined bituminous coal goes directly to the electric utility market. It should be noted that, now, well over one trillion kwh of electricity is generated annually. Dependence of the giant electric utility industry on coal is based on economy and an abundant, dependable supply of this fuel.

Jan 2, 1967

By Charles S. Barrett, Robert F. Mehl

A study of the structures arising from the decomposition of the ß solid solutions in the Cu-Zn and the Cu-A1 systems is of peculiar interest in the study of the mechanism of precipitation from solid solutions. It is possible in these alloys, by varying the composition within the ß field, to precipitate from the same basic lattice phases having different lattice structures. It has been rather generally assumed heretofore that the type of structure originating from the decomposition of a solid solution— the Widmanstätten structure—-is determined by the lattice structure of the parent solid solution alone. In the first paper of this series1 evidence was advanced which threw doubt upon this hypothesis; but definite proof of the correctness or incorrectness of the hypothesis should be forthcoming from a study of these alloys, for if the structures originating, for example, from the precipitation of the a phase from ß and of the ? phase from the ß in the Cu-Zn system should be shown to be crystallographically different, the hypothesis would necessarily be held as definitely disproved. Furthermore, the newer proposal enunciated in the first paper of this series—that the origin of the Widmanstätten structure lies in a cooperation between the lattice of the parent solid solution and that of the precipitate-—which at present seems the only a1ternative hypothesis, would in such an event be given added weight. The work here reported shows that the Widmanstätten structures originating in the precipitation of the a phase from the ß and in the precipit'at.ion of the y phase from the y in the Cu-Zn system are indeed crystallographically different; and incidentally presents some new descriptive information on the Widmanstätten structure from a more general point, of view.

Jan 1, 1931