Search Documents

By G. S. Cole, G. F. Bolling

A series of Al-Cu alloys has been cast from constant superheat to solidify either with a hot top or with a free liquid/air interface. All the other variables which affect relative fluid motions were kept constant except the imposition of slow rotations m oscillations of the mold. Depending upon the exact circumstances, evi-dence could be found for the nucleation of equiaxed grains from dendrite bits detached from the columnar zone, or from the free surface, or from solid bits induced at pouring; a special experiment showed the solute buildup during ingot solidification and by inference the reality of constitutional supercooling. All methods of grain nucleation are thus supported. When solidification is arranged in a static mold the columnar- to-equiaxed transition occurs by one of these nucleation paths, subject to the natural decay of temperature gradients which promotes nucleation or the survival of nuclei. But when solidification is forced under special fluid flows it may display odd transitions. In one of these the equiaxed zone is synihesized from. dendrite bits detached from the solid/liquid interface. These survive under the concurrent lowering of temperature gradients and eventually cause transition by impeding columnar growth. GRAIN structure control is desired because real experience shows that specific properties are associated with specific cast grain structures. But since control is thus a matter of need and does not require understanding, much of casting remains art. For example, the manipulation of relative fluid motions in simple ingots provides a control of grain structure development,1-4 but theoretical insight is not required in order to broaden its potential applicability. Fortunately, however, once a variable like fluid flow is recognized it can also provide paths toward new insight. New observations using this variable have provided an insight which is curious. All the theories or descriptions of the columnar-to-equiaxed transition (CET) seem to be supported as long as the appropriate experiment is carried out. In order to develop this idea, let us ignore segregation, the chill zone (until a later section of this paper), and the origin and development of the columnar zone.= The details of questioning how equiaxed material forms in a casting may be divided in two. The first part is simply a questioning of the origin for equi-axed grains: are there fresh nuclei from heterogeneous nucleation, or dendrite bits broken off or melted from the columnar zone or elsewhere,6 or other solid bits surviving from the outset of freezing? The second is more complex, a questioning of the CET: does columnar growth slow down and allow the dominance of equiaxed grains, however they are formed, or do equi-axed grains take over and force columnar growth to stop? This "chicken-or-the-egg" second question can be quite useful, especially because it allows us to delineate the ordinary or NATURAL EQUIAXED ZONE and the induced or SYNTHETIC EQUIAXED ZONE. A natural equiaxed zone occurs if solidification proceeds in the absence of disturbances or extraneous forces such as ultrasonics, stirrings, and so forth. Both the CET theory proposed by Winegard and Chal-mers, 7requiring constitutional supercooling, and the CET theory suggested by Chalmers,8 requiring nuclea-tion only on pouring, pertain to the natural equiaxed zone. The best collating evidence to date for both these theories is contained in the work by Biloni and Chal-mers;9,10 the former theory7 is supported by special versions of the unidirectional growth experiment performed by Plaskett and winegardl1 and the latter theory' is supported in detail for the solidification of small ingots. An equiaxed zone can be synthesized when disturbances caused by forced fluid flows2-4 or other artificial means9,10 break off or melt off dendrite tips from an advancing solid/liquid interface,* if (and only if) temperature gradients in the melt are (forcibly) reduced enough to ensure the survival of these bits of dendrites, 2'3 Willful disturbances even so trivial as those produced by rapping a mold might be included here; as will be shown for example, this follows Southin's suggestion that the free liquid/air interface

Jan 1, 1970

By Eugene McAuliffe

The term "mechanical mining" carries an ambiguity which justifies a preliminary word of explanation. . All mining activity conducted in this day is more or less mechanical; that is to say, power expressed in the form of electricity, steam or compressed air is used in some portion of practically every mining activity of consequence. "Mechanical loading" is more nearly correct than "mechanical mining" in reference to present practice. The first substantial effort made in the direction of mechanical mining, subsequent to the application of steam for hoisting and underground pumping purposes, was that of substituting for hand labor undercutting and shearing by power-driven machines. The undercutting of coal by hand represented at one time the most arduous task confronting the miner. Occupying a kneeling position in the thicker beds, or lying on his side in the thinner coal, the task was tedious and exhausting. The first attempt to substitute crude air-driven, and later electrically driven, "punchers," as the percussion type of machine was called, met with much the same opposition on the part of the workers as was expressed by workers in the other industries when any innovation, whether labor-saving or otherwise, was introduced. We should not be too critical of this attitude of mind shown by the mine workers. The peculiarly isolated character of the work carried on in semidarkness by a class of men who to a large extent lived and held themselves aloof from the other branches of society led long ago to the development of a craft consciousness which they have found difficult to surrender. It was not until 1891 that a definite record of the results obtained by the use of undercutting machines of all types was made available, the quantity undercut in that year totaling 6,211,732 tons of bituminous coal from all American mines. The volume of bituminous coal undercut by machines in 1928 totaled 369,687,007 tons, or 73.8 per cent. of the nation's production. In the light of this experience, we can properly feel that the work of introducing the coal-loading machine as a substitute for hand shoveling is making substantial progress.

Jan 1, 1931

By M. Semchyshen, G. A. Timmons

The predominant orientation in both straight-rolled and cross-rolled molybdenum is the {100} [110] texture. Upon complete recrystallization, this same texture predominates, but there is less spread about the ideal orientation. A secondary orientation about the [111] direction as the axis develops in cross-rolled sheet. Compression-rolled sheet exhibits random orientation in the plane of the sheet. Some mechanical properties were measured at varying angles to the rolling direction to determine the effect of preferred orientation on anisotropy in molybdenum sheet which had been straight, cross, or compression rolled. THE development of the arc-cast process has made available large ingots of molybdenum from which it is possible to roll sheet of considerable size. It is anticipated that such sheet will be further fabricated by spinning, drawing, stamping, or forming. Anisotropy of physical properties caused by the preferred orientation developed in the sheet during rolling may be expected to affect the behavior of the metal when subjected to these fabricating operations. To produce a sheet which will be most amenable to the fabrication of a given shape by a particular operation, consideration should be given to the directions and magnitudes of plastic deformations produced in the operation. When possible, the rolling schedule should be controlled to develop a texture which favors the required deformation. The existence of preferred orientations in rolled molybdenum sheet has been reported by Jeffries,' Konobejewsky,' Fujiwara," Goss,' and Ransley and Rooksby." None of these investigators obtained sufficient X-ray data to permit the construction of pole figures; instead, they based their conclusions upon Debye-Scherrer patterns of a limited number of positions. Ransley and Rooksby devoted some attention to transcrystalline cleavage at 45" to the rolling direction, indicating that it is appreciable in polycrystalline material only when the crystals are in the ideally preferred condition, and that this condition is only approached if the metal has been rolled successively in two perpendicular directions. In a recent paper, Custers and Riemersmao introduced the first pole figures to describe the textures of straight-rolled and cross-rolled molybdenum sheet. To increase the knowledge concerning the generation and effects of preferred orientations in molybdenum sheet, an investigation was undertaken to determine the effects of variations in rolling schedule and annealing treatments on preferred orientation, and to correlate preferred orientations with some mechanical properties. The orientations of straight-rolled, cross-rolled, and compression-rolled sheet have been determined by X-ray analysis, both as-rolled and after recrystallization. Pole figures have been constructed to describe the textures produced by these various rolling procedures. Texture of Cast Molybdenum Ingots In the arc-cast process, molybdenum powder is pressed into a vertical column which is sintered to increase its strength as it proceeds downward into a water-cooled mold, where the metal is melted in an alternating-current arc established between the end of the formed powder electrode and the metal bath at the top of the growing ingot. Since the solid-liquid interface moves continuously upward in the mold, the crystal axes are not normal to the cold surface of the mold but have the curvature shown in Fig. la. X-ray analysis reveals that the cube axis is the fiber axis and that it is normal to the cold surface of the mold; that is, the [loo] direction is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the ingot. This substantiates recent work by

Jan 1, 1953

By Francis Lucas

EACH year we gather in this auditorium to honor the memory of a . distinguished American metallurgist and educator. I cannot bring to you reminiscences of Prof. Henry Marion Howe as other lecturers have done. It was not my good fortune to enjoy the privilege of studying and ,working under his direction. As I have reflected on the published works of Professor Howe, it has seemed to me that his mind was trained on the nature of metals and on the mechanism which produced known but unexplained effects. He was interested in controlling and regulating the causes so as to produce specific effects, useful in serving mankind. I recall an afternoon in May, 1925, when, at the invitation of Mrs. Howe, I visited his former home, Green Peace at Bedford Hills, N. Y. The purpose of my visit was to receive at the hands of the widow -an engraving of Professor Howe, a reproduction of a painting from life. Mrs. Howe showed me his study. The walls of this large attractive room, brilliantly illuminated by the spring sunshine, were literally covered with the scrolls of honors and of decorations which had been conferred on Professor Howe by governments, academies, universities, societies and. institutions the world over. As we walked about the room, she pointed out the significance of each honor and recited a few details of each occasion. I sensed the pride with which Mrs. Howe, then in the late autumn of her life, told me of her husbands' achievements, of his struggles, of his disappointments and of his successes. There was a surprisingly familiar note in the recital to which I was listening. I have found the same theme running as a disconnected thread through the written accounts of the lives of most men of science. We then went to the drawing room to chat for a few minutes before I said my farewells. As we seated ourselves, Mrs. Howe turned to me and asked: "Mr. Lucas, what of this great microscope of yours? Cannot it be applied to the study of disease? What a great blessing it would be if it could be directed to relieve the suffering of mankind."

Jan 1, 1931

By Basil B. Zavoico

The symposium on production for the year 1942 contains no papers on the foreign situation except those on Argentina and Mexico. It has always been the policy of officers in charge of the symposium to refrain from publishing information that might possibly injure national or private interests. At the close of the war we hope again to publish full and accurate records of production abroad. Excerpts From Circular to Authors In order to facilitate interpretation of the data in this chapter, we print the following excerpts from the Circular to Authors. The field is the unit in this tabulation. In cases of fields extending across State boundaries, such as Rodessa, it is suggested that each State author treat the section of the field in his State as a unit, and by a footnote indicate that the field extends into an adjacent State. Each space in Table I may represent one of four possibilities; either it is not applicable to the particular field, or the proper entry is not determinable, or the proper entry may be determinable but is not determinable from data available to the author, or the proper entry is determinable. When spaces are not applicable, leave blank; in spaces where the proper entries are determinable but not determinable from data available to the author, please insert y; in spaces where the proper entries are determinable by the author, make such entries. y implies a Rope that in some future year a definite figure will be available. The entry of a zero is a positive declaration, and it is an important declaration where it is in order. Inability to determine precisely the correct entry for a particular space should not lead the author to insert merely y. Contributions of great value may be made by the author in many cases where entries are not subject to precise determination. In such cases the author should use his good judgment and make the best entry possible under the circumstances. For many spaces the correct entries represent the opinion of the author (for example, "Area Proved") and in such cases the entry need not be hedged to such extent as when the quantities are definite yet can be ascertained only approximately by the author. In cases under definite headings but where figures are only approximate, the author may use x. It is thought that the nearest whole numbers are sufficiently accurate for our purposes except as to percentage of sulphur in oil. If an author desires to report any other figures to tenths, he may do so. The quantity of gas produced should include, where possible, gas sold or otherwise marketed, and gas blown into the air, burned as flares or otherwise wasted. Segregation of these figures would be interesting if the authors can make such segregation. In any event, the figures should represent as nearly as possible the total quantity of gas removed from the reservoir. Under the columns on "Depth," the average depth to the top of the productive zones and to the bottom of the productive wells, when subtracted, should give the approximate thickness of the productive zone. For fields where this is not true because of unusually high dip or for some other reasons, it is suggested that the authors indicate in their text the approximate average thickness of the productive zone.

Jan 1, 1943

By H. E. Wilborg

This chapter deals with those sands employed by the foundries for the manufacture of cores and molds used in the casting of such common metals as steel, gray iron, ductile iron, aluminum-based alloys, and copper-based alloys. Most metal is cast in "green sand" molds in which the sand mixture, consisting primarily of silica, clay, and water, forms a plastic material. This plastic material is rammed around a pattern in a split box called a flask, then the box is separated, the pattern is withdrawn, and the metal poured. These green sand molds are broken apart when the metal has solidified. The sand is then remixed and a new mold made for the next casting. To a lesser extent silica sand is mixed with resins or oils and, after forming, the mixture is hardened either by heat or chemical reaction. In any case, the foundry mold or core is used just once before being broken up and remixed for manufacturing another core or mold. By far the greatest consumption in the foundry is of those types of sand high in silica, low in clay (under 0.5%) and occurring in numerous locations thoughout the United States.

Jan 1, 1975

By John Chipman, Carl F. Floe

The system molten copper-oxygen-sulphur is of interest from both the practical and theoretical standpoints; practically, because oxygen and sulphur play an important role in the commercial production of copper, and theoretically because it offers a chance to study the reaction between an oxide gas, SO2, and a molten metal. Reactions of this type, such as that between CO or CO2 and molten iron, are important in many metallurgical operations. Again, the determination of any gas-metal equilibrium is of theoretical interest and value insofar as it contributes to the general development of the laws for solution of gases in metals. This problem is being given an increasing amount of attention in modern metallurgy. This paper is the first of a series and presents the results of a determination of the solubility of sulphur dioxide in molten copper at temperatures from 1100" to 1500ºC., and pressures from about 20 mm. of mercury to somewhat above atmospheric. Review of Previous Work The solubility of gases in most liquids has been found to obey Henry's law, which states that for a fixed temperature the amount of gas dissolved is directly proportional to the pressure. However this law does not hold for liquid metals. Instead, it appears that for many gases, particularly the simple diatomic ones such as O2, N2 and H2, the amount dissolved in liquid metals is directly proportional to the square root of the pressure. This is known as Sieverts' law. It may be recognized as a special case of Henry's law, which applies when the solute gas is dissociated into atoms or when it reacts with the solvent metal to form solute molecules containing single atoms of the gaseous elements, as, for example: 2M+G2=2MG K=(MG)2 /M2 X PG2 [I] which, if the solubility is not too high and the concentration of metal therefore nearly constant, can be simplified to: MG = K1 vPG2 [2 Following the same reasoning, it would be expected that the solubility of SO2 in copper would be proportional to the cube root of the pressure, the reaction being as follows: 6Cu + SO2 = Cu2S + 2Cu2O [3] K= Cu2S X (Cu2O)2 i - (Cu)6(Pso2) [4] or, neglecting the change in metal concentration and considering that the concentrations of sulphur and oxygen are both proportional to the volume V of gas absorbed: K1 =V3SO2 /Pso2 or

Jan 1, 1941

By Carl F. Floe, John Chipman

The system molten copper-oxygen-sulphur is of interest from both the practical and theoretical standpoints; practically, because oxygen and sulphur play an important role in the commercial production of copper, and theoretically because it offers a chance to study the reaction between an oxide gas, SO2, and a molten metal. Reactions of this type, such as that between CO or CO2 and molten iron, are important in many metallurgical operations. Again, the determination of any gas-metal equilibrium is of theoretical interest and value insofar as it contributes to the general development of the laws for solution of gases in metals. This problem is being given an increasing amount of attention in modern metallurgy. This paper is the first of a series and presents the results of a determination of the solubility of sulphur dioxide in molten copper at temperatures from 1100" to 1500ºC., and pressures from about 20 mm. of mercury to somewhat above atmospheric. Review of Previous Work The solubility of gases in most liquids has been found to obey Henry's law, which states that for a fixed temperature the amount of gas dissolved is directly proportional to the pressure. However this law does not hold for liquid metals. Instead, it appears that for many gases, particularly the simple diatomic ones such as O2, N2 and H2, the amount dissolved in liquid metals is directly proportional to the square root of the pressure. This is known as Sieverts' law. It may be recognized as a special case of Henry's law, which applies when the solute gas is dissociated into atoms or when it reacts with the solvent metal to form solute molecules containing single atoms of the gaseous elements, as, for example: 2M+G2=2MG K=(MG)2 /M2 X PG2 [I] which, if the solubility is not too high and the concentration of metal therefore nearly constant, can be simplified to: MG = K1 vPG2 [2 Following the same reasoning, it would be expected that the solubility of SO2 in copper would be proportional to the cube root of the pressure, the reaction being as follows: 6Cu + SO2 = Cu2S + 2Cu2O [3] K= Cu2S X (Cu2O)2 i - (Cu)6(Pso2) [4] or, neglecting the change in metal concentration and considering that the concentrations of sulphur and oxygen are both proportional to the volume V of gas absorbed: K1 =V3SO2 /Pso2 or

Jan 1, 1941

By M. E. Wadsworth

The chief value of a paper like this consists in its statistical tables, putting on record material useful to future inquirers. The data here given have been compiled from time to time as far back as 1874, and subsequently brought up to date. Much of the data could only be procured by personal inspection of the catalogues, as for example those relating to the Lawrence Scientific School, which were taken at that time from the catalogue of Harvard University, on file in the University Library, by the present writer, then an instructor in that institution. These tables of statistics were first prepared for publication by the present writer in 1888-1890 and published in his "Report to the Board of Control of the Michigan College of Mines " (Michigan Mining School) for 1886 to 1890. Later they were revised, enlarged and brought down to date in his reports to the same Board for 1890-92; and since that time they have been, at his request, revised, greatly enlarged and kept up to date by Mrs. Frances H. Scott, the efficient Librarian and Secretary of the Michigan College of Mines. Great credit is due to her for her devotion to this work and her untiring efforts to have the statistics complete as far as possible. The accompanying running commentary is given simply as a string to hold these statistics together, and in order to call attention to a few points. In compiling any tables like those accompanying this paper, one is confronted by serious difficulties, some of which render these results only approximate. In order to insure greater correctness and fullness in the statistics to be published the writer's reports for 1890-92 were sent to the president of every college, university, and technical school in the country, so far as known. Accompanying this was a personal letter which asked of each one his aid in correcting any errors, and in giving fuller statistics. But relatively few answers were obtained, and subsequently from one to many letters have been sent to each institution not formerly reply-

Jan 1, 1898

By R. B. Gavert, David J. Mack

ROOM- and elevated-temperature compression tests were made on the binary 3/2 electron compounds AuZn, CuAu, AgZn, AgMg, AuCd, and NiA1. These compounds possess either the B2 CsC1-type ordered structure or the A2 bee disordered structure represented commonly as ß and ß on equilibrium phase diagrams. In testing at room temperature, cylindrical specimens 0.508 cm by 0.330 cm diam were seated directly on an instron compression load cell (CF 0 to 10,000 lb). At elevated temperatures, testing included a special apparatus with a furnace heat source and a protective atmosphere.' The specimens were strained at a rate of 1 pet per min. The compounds were prepared from 99.99 pet or better high-purity elements. Vacuum and/or argon cover gas was used throughout the mixing, melting, and specimen drawing processes. The generally equi-axed specimen grains varied in size from 0.5 to 1.5 mm for the five different compounds. The stress-strain curves in compression showed

Jan 1, 1968

By F. V. Lenel, G. S. Ansell, E. C. Nelson

IRMANN'S' discovery that extrusions of fine alumi-num-flake powders possess remarkable high-temperature strengths has led to the production of a new class of engineering materials whose properties are derived from a fine dispersion of oxide particles in a metallic matrix. A fundamental study of such materials and elucidation of the mechanism whereby the oxide parti-

Jan 1, 1958

By George J. Simchuk

Selection of an applicable stripping method and the subsequent determination of appropriate sizes of selected equipment are discussed. The case in point is Utah International, Inc.'s Goonyella mine located in central Queensland, Australia. A detailed study of the various types of stripping methods now practiced throughout the world led to the conclusion that large draglines would be the logical choice for Goonyella. The optimal size of dragline was then determined by first designing a series of cut diagrams using an array of machine and pit geometries followed by a cost comparison of the various sizes of machines, in terms of their effective spoil radius. A dragline with a 51-cu-yd bucket was determined to be of optimum size. Further calculations, incorporating total overburden moved from both the highwall and spoil sides, required that four drag lines, two equipped with 40-cy-yd buckets and two with 54-cu-yd buckets, be used to satisfy the stripping requirements at Goonyella.

Jan 1, 1973

By Robert Wamsley, W. E. Jones

ONE of the earliest problems in the life of any community is the provision of an adequate supply of water sufficiently free from all types of contamination to be suitable for domestic purposes. Generally speaking, the location of most communities is determined to a great extent by the availability of an adequate supply of satisfactory water. For a mining camp, that consideration cannot be foremost. Here, the ore takes first place, and the men who mine it must do the best they can under the existing conditions. If there is no local source of water, it must be brought from some distant source or must be found by sinking shafts or drilling wells. Fortunate indeed is the mining company that discovers a commercially valuable ore deposit beside a never failing creek full of pure water, with sufficient water rights available, because the acquisition of water in any other manner nearly always involves not only a considerable period of time but the expenditure of considerable money. The experience of Climax Molybdenum Co. demonstrates the measures that sometimes are necessary in order to provide a suitable supply of water. The Climax mine and mill are on the Continental Divide, about 13 miles northeast of Leadville. The elevation of the domestic part of the camp varies from a minimum of 11,320 ft. to a maximum of approximately 11,550 ft. above sea level, and, as is common at such altitudes, the near-by streams that might be suitable for a water supply are small and intermittent, usually flowing only during the summer months. The only streams of any size in the immediate vicinity of Climax are the Ten Mile and Arkansas Rivers. The headwaters of Ten Mile River are on the Company's property, and its water has been used for the domestic supply. The headwaters of the Arkansas River are about 2 miles distant and have not been used as a source of supply by the company. During the past 11 years of the production of molybdenum at-Climax, the number of families living there has increased from about 45 to 283, and the population has increased from about 200 to 1200 persons. Consequently, the capacity of the water-treatment facilities, and the amount of water available, had to be increased to meet the requirements of the camp. As early as 1932 it was recognized that the water in Ten Mile River would not continue to be adequate for domestic purposes and after considerable discussion it was decided to drive a drift through the major fault in an effort to find additional water. This drift was completed in 1935 and tapped sufficient water to make the supply adequate. This water was treated in a tank underground, where lime was added, and was then piped into the domestic supply lines. At about the time this line was completed, the presence of fluorine in harmful concentrations was discovered in the water. This problem was submitted to the International Filter Co. and in November 1937 a plant of its design was put in operation for treating the water to remove the fluorine. This plant proved entirely successful,

Jan 1, 1945

By H. W. Hardinge

DISREGARDING for the present the economic side of a new device, let us turn to that feature of the conical pebble-mill which is of interest from a scientific point of view, and consider the device as a puzzle in which the theories of the cylindrical type of mill have been increased. Many articles have been written on the theory of the tube-mill, and explanations have been made which do not explain.; but these have evolved suggestions of practice which have resulted in changes in the tube as to length, diameter, feed, discharge, speed of rotation, rotation on hollow trunnions, rotation on rings, and changes in the operation as to quantity and size of pebbles, charge of load above or below the axis, crushing by causing the larger pieces of the material of the charge to act as grinders, etc. The practical worker in crushing is first interested in the endeavor to reach an economic means of accomplishing a desired end; but the improvements in crushing-practice have been largely left to the manufacturer of machinery, who, as a rule, has little, if any, knowledge of the specific requirements-such as sizing for concentration without pulverizing the metals, instead of pulverizing the rock or gangue; the metals being the more friable, while the rock is tough and not so easily disintegrated. A reversal of this practice is the aim of sliming direct for cyanidation. In the ordinary cylindrical mill, having a diameter of 4 or 5 ft. and a length of from 15 to 27 ft., it has been found that the maximum size of the particles of the charge must not exceed 1 mm. (about 25 mesh), some of which, upon entering the mill, is immediately reduced to a slime. The work upon the individual particle having been finished, it should be passed out of the mill; but, instead of this, the finely comminuted material

Jan 7, 1908

By David B. Rushmore

Torches were used by the early Romans for mine-lighting, and these were followed by open lamps or earthen jars filled with tallow or oil, and later by candles. In early coal-mining, explosive gases seldom occurred, and, if they were encountered, the danger of explosion was materially diminished by the absence of any ventilating-system and the consequent insufficient circulation of air to form with the methane an explosive mixture. As the art advanced, the danger of fire-damp became more apparent, and methods for testing the air were resorted to as early as in the fifteenth century. The method of testing consisted in lowering a dog in a basket down the shaft. As soon as he encountered fire-damp he would commence to howl, after which he was withdrawn, and a leafy bush was fastened to the end of the rope and run rapidly up and down the shaft. This so disturbed the accumulation of gas as to cause it to rise out of the shaft. Later this odd method of testing was improved upon through the discovery that a light inserted in a body of fire-damp Gould produce a blue flame. Candles were used for this purpose, and, when fire-damp was thus discovered, brushing or some other primitive method of fanning was resorted to for driving out the gas. In some instances the gas was burned away, regardless of the danger thereby incurred. A man, wearing a well-moistened coat and a mask with glass spectacles, descended in the mine a few hours before each shift. With a long stick, to which was fastened a burning torch or candle, he would crawl on the floor with the stick so raised that the light would sweep the roof and ignite the gas which it encountered. In this position the flame of the explosion would pass over him, after which he would retreat from the gases resulting from the combustion. The occurrence of serious accidents resulted in

Jan 1, 1913

The visitors to the October meeting will be given opportunity to visit the coal fields in Illinois, adjacent to St. Louis, the steam-shovel operations near Pittsburgh, Kan., and the Oklahoma oil fields. The coal mines of Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas furnish fuel over all of the central region of the country. Especially at this time, this district is of importance because of the necessity of producing enormous quantities to meet the country's demand. Some of the mines produce as much as 5,500 tons in 8 hr., and. the total output of Illinois, alone, in 1916, was 63,000,000 tons. Visitors may see elaborate underground electric tram systems, large underground machine repair shops, surface plants equipped for rapid loading, and some of the most modern coal-washing installations. The conditions for mining here are somewhat simpler than in the east.

Jan 8, 1917

By Fred C. Bond

THEM is acute need for a method that will measure the size distribution of finely divided materials, particularly when the particle sizes are smaller than the openings of the finest screen cloth regularly available for testing. Several methods and types of apparatus are in common use, but none are entirely satisfactory for all purposes. The commonest methods are microscopic grain counts, elutriation by liquids or air, and sedimentation. Valuable results have been secured by air elutriating devices, typified by the Haultain Infra-Sizer and the Pearson Air Analyzer. These are especially useful in obtaining sized fractions that can be examined and analyzed separately. They are particularly advantageous because the sizes of the samples produced are adequate for a considerable amount of subsequent manipulation and testing. The sedimentation methods, such as the Wagner and Klein turbidimeters, and the sedimentation balance, do not deliver sized fractions, but they do provide a means for reasonably rapid comparative determinations of fineness and surface area, which are important in many industries. The sedimentation balance consists essentially of a balance pan suspended in a liquid that contains falling particles. These are weighed as they settle onto the pan, and the time rate of settling is determined. The size distribution is computed from the settling rate. The balance appears to be inherently more accurate than any of the other methods, and it has served a useful purpose in the study of numerous problems, but there have been limitations which have restricted its scope of application. Because of the essential simplicity of the method, it was felt that intensive investigation might lead to modifications that would make it a valuable tool for the operators in industries that require precise information regarding the results secured from grinding equipment. A large number of size-distribution determinations below 200 mesh were required in connection with a particular research problem in fine grinding. The sedimentation balance was used in this investigation, and a technique was gradually developed that ultimately gave good results. A serious difficulty appeared early in the work. It was discovered that less material always settled on the sedimentation pan and more on the bottom of the containing jar than could be accounted for by calculation, and also that the material that settled to the bottom of the jar outside the edges of the pan was considerably finer than that on the pan. This segregation was so great that the distribution obtained for the finer sizes was obviously very much in error; material ground to about the degree of comminution of cement might have only 60 per cent of the calculated weight actually settling on the pan, and the error increased with the fine-

Jan 1, 1939

By H. F. Yancey

Various criteria for evaluating the performance of coal washeries are discussed critically, with particular reference to ideas developed at the First International Conference on Coal Preparation held in Paris in June 1950. Criteria that relate only to the sharpness with which a cleaning unit separates coal from impurity are compared with those that reflect loss of coal or quality of products.

Jan 6, 1951

By Robert B. Kistler, Ward C. Smith

The borate industry is one of the few sectors of the mining and mineral-processing industry which the United States still dominates. Since about 1927, the United States has supplied over half of the world's total boron and borate raw materials, and many of the chemical derivatives as well. Chiefly responsible for this record are companies producing sodium borates from two large deposits in southern California, at Boron (Kramer) and Searles Lake. The sodium borates, or products derived from borax and borax-containing brines, are the preferred borates for industry because they are soluble in water and combine readily with most other chemicals. Calcium borates are required for certain end uses, and these are produced from smaller colemanite-ulexite-probertite bodies. Sodium-free borate compounds also are produced from boric acid, which can be manufactured from either sodium or nonsodium borate minerals. During the past hundred years, the use of boron compounds throughout the world has risen from a few tons per year to the equivalent of over a million tons of B2O3. Leadership in supplying borates shifted from country to country and from region to region during this period, generally as the result of the development of newly discovered deposits that were better in quality, more accessible, or more economically exploitable than previous sources (Table 1). Primary Products and End Uses The principal borate products offered by primary producers in the United States are listed in Table 2. In general, these products are utilized worldwide by almost all consumers, regardless of the original source of the primary borates, In the United States, the primary borates all originate in southern California. Colemanite is produced as crude or processed crude ore from the Death Valley area and is utilized by the fiber glass and ceramic industries without further treatment. Production from Searles Lake, CA is from brines that are processed in chemical plants where borax and other compounds are recovered and the principal borate products are produced. At Boron, CA, the world's leading producer is mining a deposit of mineral borax and operating a chemical refinery. The mineral borax is mined together with included clay, and refined borax or "10-mol" is one of the refinery products. The mineral and the chemical compound are identical, Na2B4O7 • 10H2O. In addition to ship¬ping all major refined borate products from [ ]

Jan 1, 1983

By W. C. Hagel, J. H. Westbrook

Usittg a sectioning technique with Agl10 as the tracer, the diffusion of silver in silver-excess (45.8 at. pct Mg), near-stoichiometric (49.8 at. pct Mg), and magnesium-excess (52.0 at. pct Mg) cylinders of CsCl-type AgMg was determined from 500" to 700°C. Diffusion coefficients conform to the expression D = Do exp (-q/RT) where the respective Do values are 1.53, 0.280, and 0.134 sq cm sec-I and the Q values are 41.3, 40.6, and 38.0 kcal g-atom-'. Lnttice-parameter and density measurements were performed on a more numerous assortment and wider range of compositions. Substitutional defects were found on both sides of stoichiometry. Activation energies for other rate processes in these alloys show related trends with changing composition, although silver may not be the rate-detemining species. KNOWLEDGE of diffusion coefficients is necessary for a quantitative understanding of the many rate processes (e.g., grain growth, precipitation, sintering, oxidation, or mechanical deformation) occurring in solids. Although these data are available for most metals and common alloys, they are quite limited for intermetallic compounds—a group of materials whose unique physical and mechanical properties are presently attracting great interest. From a fundamental viewpoint, diffusion in intermetallic compounds also offers several engaging aspects owing to: their ordering, the possibility of introducing large, stable concentrations of lattice defects, and the variety of bonding types and crystal structures which can be found. In the case of CsC1-type compounds, some previous work has been directed at examining the role of vacancy defects by changing their concentration compositionally. The diffusion of Co60 was measured in 0 NiAl1- and in P COA., Except for the results of Smoluchowski and Burgess, isothermal diffusion coefficients were found to pass through a minimum at the stoichiometric composi- they decreased sharply on what was reported by Bradley and co-wrkers' to be the vacancy-rich (aluminum excess) side of stoichiometry. This investigation of the diffusion of Agl110 in AgMg was undertaken both as an adjunct to a concurrent study of its deformation behavior and for the purpose of obtaining information on the influence of lattice defects and temperature on diffusion in another CsC1-type intermetallic compound. Bcc AgMg remains ordered up to and melts congruently at 820°C. Solubility limits at 300°C are about 41 at. pct Mg and 53 at. pct Mg. It is one of the Hume-Rothery electron compounds with a 3/2 electron-atom ratio. Previous investigations of its properties include hardress,' tenile,'-' electrical reistivity, and thermodyna-mic1',14 studies. Indications of a high bonding strength may be found in the large heat of mixing1' and in the 6-pct vol contraction on compound formaticp, as calculated using atomic radii of l.40 and l.55a for Ag and Mg. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Alloys were prepared by the induction melting of selected fine silver (99.95) and low-iron magnesium (99.95) in magnesia crucibles under 1 atm of A. Supplied by the Handy and Harmon and Dow Chemical Cos., respectivelv. Melts were poured under argon into graphite molds providing 1 1/8-in.-diarn. by 4-in.-long ingots. These were homogenized in evacuated and argon-filled fused-silica capsules by heating for 16 hr at 750'. Three 1 in.-diam. by 3/4-in.-long cylinders were machined from the mid-portion of each ingot for diffusion measurements. Three alloys, analyzing 45.8, 49.8, and 52.0 at. pct Mg were taken as representing the extremes of interest, with 49.8 at. pct Mg being very close to the stoichiometric composition of 50.0 at. pct Mg.

Jan 1, 1962