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By A. A. Bauer, M. S. Farkas, F. A. Rough

An investigation of the d-phase relationships between the uranium-zirconium and uranium-molybdenum systems was conducted. A ternary cut joining U-31.5 at. pct Mo to U-74 at. pct Zr is presented on the basis of differential thermal analysis, metallographic and X-ray diffraction data. HyDothetical isothermal ternary sections, inferred from the determined d-phase relationships, are presented for the uraniztm-zirconium-molybdenum system. A ternary eutectoid, at 454ºC, was found in zirconium-rich alloys. Its composition, based on metallography and electron-beam micro-analysis, is estimated as U-61.7 at. pct Zr-7.1 at. pct Mo. URANIUM binary systems have been studied extensively in the past to supply basic information needed in reactor-fuel development. Alloys of uranium with zirconium, molybdenum, and titanium are of particular interest because, in these binaries, extensive or complete solid solubility between the body-centered-cubic forms of these elements and y uranium exists. In addition, an intermediate phase of limited solid solubility forms in each of these systems by transformation of the high-temperature ?-uranium phase. Previous investigation of the phase relationships existing between the intermediate 6 phases in the uranium-zirconium-titanium and the uranium-molyb- denum-titanium ternaries have already been reported.1,2 The results of an investigation of the phase relationships existing between the 6 phases in the uranium-zirconium-molybdenum system is reported here. The phase equilibria that occur in the solid-state portions of the pertinent binary systems are shown in Fig. 1. Phase nomenclature appearing throughout the report is as shown in these diagrams. The crystal structure of the phases in this system are given in Table I. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES Alloys were cast and fabricated to 1/4-in.-diam rod. Specimens were heat treated and examined by metallographic and X-ray techniques. Thermal-analysis data were obtained.

Jan 1, 1960

By A. E. Bellis

ROBERT J. ANDERSON, Cleveland, Ohio (communication to the Secretary *).-The paper by Messrs. Bellis and Hardy was interesting to me and has led me to make a few remarks concerning some of the points brought out. The question of employing correct hardening temperatures is one that is sadly neglected, particularly in many large plants that forge and treat their machine tools for private use. As is most aptly remarked in this paper, "The custom of using one, high-speed temperature for all tools is very poor practice;" still, such practice is more common than otherwise. An instance came to my attention some time ago, in connection with some work with the standardization of high-speed steels for machine tools, where there were no less than six different brands of alloy steels being used for machine tools such as lathe, shaper, planer, boring mill and cutters of like nature. All of these different steels received identical heat and forging treatment-or at least that was the aim of the tool hardener. That the results were highly unsatisfactory goes without saying. That the hardening department of many plants is conducted on a rule-of-thumb fashion is the reason for a great deal of the trouble and disappointment which seems to be the lot of many tool-steel users. Exceedingly crude execution is the rule rather than the exception, and it is no small wonder that the results are as good as they sometimes happen to be. It would seem that at the present price of alloy steels the subject should receive a closer scrutiny by purchasers than it does. One not familiar with the workings of souse plants that disdain to lend an ear to scientific heat treatment would scarcely give credence to some of the methods employed, not only in the treatment of the steel but also in its selection and purchase. Heating for hardening should be conducted under close pyrometric control only after the correct hardening temperature has been determined.

Jan 3, 1917

Ore deposits of commercial grade are local concentrations of great rarity when considered in relation to the area of unmineralized land surfaces, and they must therefore be considered as the products of exceptional and complex conditions. The data collected from a great number of individual deposits are sufficient to permit certain broad generalizations in regard to the conditions favorable to ore deposition which even numerous exceptions do not invalidate. The broadest general relation of ore deposits is with intrusive rocks, and while there are notable exceptions, the great majority of ore deposits have a visible or closely inferred connection with intrusive rock masses. Conditions that permit the dissipation of the ore-bearing vehicles do not permit the concentration of metals in deposits; the prime factor to consider in this connection is that structural conditions must be such as tend to concentrate and not to dissipate the ore-bearing solutions. The disadvantage of extrusive rocks is at once apparent; any metals the magma may have contained are dissipated at the surface and are lost; with the exception of tiny vugs and cracks in quickly cooled flows, no concentrations of metals are known in extrusive rocks, and the lack of confinement and quick cooling apparently do not permit extrusives to exert mineralizing effect upon the rocks with which they come in contact. The close mineralogical similarity between extrusives and intrusives, and the great difference in mineralizing power is a proof of the ease with which magmas part with their metallic content, and of the mobility of the ore-bearing vehicles in comparison with the parent magma.

Jan 1, 1932

By Ingvar Janelid

DURING the last ten years, in the effort to save manpower and costs, methods of drilling and blasting in Sweden have changed and developed in a revolutionary manner. These developments have been accompanied by extensive alterations in methods of tunneling and in mining technique. Since the end of the 1940's there has been a 100 pct change-over in Sweden to the use of tungsten carbide tipped drill steel. Both investigations and practical results have shown clearly that a tungsten carbide chisel bit fastened directly on the drill steel is the most economical for Swedish conditions. This applies to drill steel up to the longest size it is practical to handle. In terms of drilling footage, durability of the drill steel and the tungsten carbide bit is generally the same. In this respect, therefore, a detachable bit offers no advantage over integral steel. Transportation of integral steel to the grinding plant, instead of detachable bits only, involves heavier work, but this is counteracted by placing grinding plants closer together or by grinding at the working place itself. The drilling rate with integral steel is higher, the trouble of changing bits is avoided, and the difficulties which always arise with joints are eliminated.

Jan 6, 1954

By G. W. Healy, W. D. Forgeng, N. R. Griffing

The liquidus surface of the C-Cr-Fe system to 1900°C has been mapped from carbon solubility and freezing point measurements, metallographic observations, and published data. In the graphite field, the surface drops precipitously to meet a slope descending from the Cr3C2-C join through the mixed carbide fields to a meandering eutectic valley; this flows from the Cr-C to the Fe-C edge. On the low-cavbon side of the valley, the surface rises to the chromium corner. 1 HE purpose of this inquiry was to gain a more complete knowledge of the C-Cr-Fe liquidus surface. This required an extensive study of carbon and chromium-rich alloys which, in the past, have received the least attention. Sanbongi el al.1 measured the solubility of carbon in liquid alloys containing up to 25 wt pct Cr at temperatures of 1460" and 1545°C and found that it increased with chromium content and temperature. Lucas and wentrup2 also made solubility experiments in graphite crucibles, but at higher chromium contents in the range of 38 to 80 pct and at temperatures of 1550" to 1700°C; however, their experiments were relatively few, and the effect of temperature was not consistent. The present investigation included compsitions ranging from 0 to 94 pct Cr and 1.4 to 11.7 pct C at temperatures up to 1800°C. Saturation experiments in graphite crucibles, thermal analyses during freezing, and metallographic and X-ray diffraction studies were employed to obtain desired information which, together with published data from other investigations about the binary edges and the ternary system at lower carbon levels, made possible the construction of a comprehensive C-Cr-Fe liquidus surface. C-CR-FE LIQUIDUS SURFACE The derived ternary liquidus surface is shown in Fig. 1 where the solid curves are liquidus isotherms. The dashed curves and the binary edges are the liquidus field boundaries of the primary crystals, the arrows along these boundaries indicating their direction with decreasing temperature. Each intersection of three internal boundaries is the composition of liquid involved in four-phase isothermal equilibrium with the three primary crystals whose liquidus fields touch there. It may be observed that a total of six four-phase equilibria occur at melt temperatures. The general topography of the liquidus surface consists of a eutectic valley sloping down from the Cr-C edge at 3.2 pct C to the Fe-C edge at 4.25 pct C. The liquidus surface rises in two directions from the valley, one hillside terminating at the Cr-Fe edge while the opposing hillside rises toward the carbon corner out beyond the top edge of Fig. 1. Both hillsides are interrupted by intersections of surfaces or joints representing the liquid colmpositions of various three-phase equilibria. Seven primary crystals occur, namely a(bcc), ?(fcc), graphite, (Fe, Cr)3C capable of dissolving as much as 15 pct Cr, and three different chromium carbides in which iron is partially soluble by substitution for chromium. The composition ranges of the primary l~hases at melt temperatures are shown

Jan 1, 1962

By George D. Graffin.

The first use of graphite is lost in the mists of time. It was used by primitive man to make drawings on the walls of caves and by the Egyptians to decorate pottery. As early as 1400 A.D. graphite crucibles were being made in the Haffnerzell district of Bavaria. Through the Middle Ages graphite was confused with other minerals, especially galena and molybdenite. Two common names that are still used for the mineral are "Plumbago," meaning leadlike, and "Black Lead." The latter name implied that graphite is either composed of lead or at least contains a large percentage of it. Gessner is credited with having recognized it as a separate mineral in 1565, but its composition was not determined until 1779, when Scheele demonstrated that graphite oxidized to carbon dioxide, thus proving its carbon constitution. In 1789, Werner named it "graphite" from the Greek word "graphein," meaning to write. The United States has long relied on foreign countries for its graphite supplies. This reliance has been due more to the lack of suitable domestic graphites than to any particular preference for buying minerals overseas. Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) graphites were imported as early as 1820, and Madagascar graphites have been imported since the properties on that island were opened up about a hundred years later. Mexico has long supplied the United States with most of its requirements for amorphous graphite. Physical Properties and Classification Graphite is found in laminated, flaky aggregates disseminated in schistose rocks. It also occurs in veins and exhibits a foliated or fibrous structure. Graphite is a black lustrous mineral that crystallizes in the hexagonal system, with rhombohedral symmetry. The crystals have tabular form and are six-sided; the faces are commonly striated. The flakes have perfect basal cleavage and are opaque. When well crystallized, the flakes have a black metallic luster while the amorphous material is black and earthy, with a microcrystalline compactness. The flakes feel greasy. Graphite is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. It melts at approximately 3550°C at a triple point under 1250 psi. It sublimes between 3300-3500°C at 14.7 psi. At 3726°C a second triple point occurs at approximately 100,000 atmospheres. Thermal oxidation in the presence of oxygen begins at 300°C and the rate increases with temperature. The three forms of carbon (charcoal, graphite, and diamond) are distinguished by chemical and physical tests. The specific gravity of charcoal is 1.3 to 1.9, of graphite 2.266 g/ cm3 (crystal density), and of diamond 3.5. Graphite has a hardness of 1 to 2 (Mohs' scale). Natural graphite can be divided into three classes: disseminated flake, crystalline vein (fibrous or columnar), and amorphous. Flake graphite is a lamellar form found in metamorphic rocks, such as marble, gneiss, and schist. Each flake is separate, having crystallized as such in the rock. Crystalline vein graphite is found in the form of well defined veins or as pocket accumulations along the intrusive contacts of pegmatites with limestones. The graphite of such deposits is of two types, foliated and columnar. The important Sri Lanka (Ceylon) deposits are vein type. Amorphous graphite is commonly found as minute microcrystalline particles more or less uniformly distributed in feebly metamorphic rocks, such as slates and shales, or in beds consisting practically entirely of graphite. The latter usually are metamorphosed coal seams and carry as much as 80-85% graphitic carbon, while the former, being altered carbonaceous sediments, commonly range from 25 to 60%

Jan 1, 1983

By A. J. Ardell, O. D. Sherby

The elevated-temperature steady-state creep behavior of polycrystalline a Zr was studied in vacuo under constant tensile stress. The experiments were conducted from 660° to 845°C over the stress range 870 to 5400 psi. The steady-state creep rate, is, of a Zr was found to be related to the applied stress, a, and temperature, T, by the equation where C is a constant. Two interpretations of the data are considered, each requiring different values of the parameters ß, Q, and . It is shown that this formula can be derived using Gilman's phenomeno logical equation relating dislocation velocity to the shear stress for the case where dislocation mobility is limited by the nucleation of kink motion. From the fundamental dependence of strain rate on dislocation velocity and the density of mobile dislocations, the factor exp(ßo) can be related to the stress dependence of the dislocation density, and Q to the energy of kink formation. The two interpretations considered are as follows: Case I—the parameters are adjusted so that the equation above describes the data over the entire range of stress and temperature, implying that creep is controlled exclusively by dislocation glide; Case IIthe parameters are adjusted to allow for the possibility that creep is diffusion-controlled at high stresses but glide-controlled at low stresses. For both cases the values of the parameters are within the spread permitted by the data. Factors favorable to the observation of the unusual stress -dependence of i, for a Zr are discussed and it is shown that the anomalously rapid rates of self-diffusion and the low modulus on the principal glide system are primarily responsible for the anomalous creep behavior. Metal-lograflhic observations are presented and discussed with reference to the overall creep behavior. PREVIOUS investigations of the creep behavior of a Zr have been conducted from room temperature to about 500C The results of these investigations are primarily of engineering significance because of the variety of conditions under which they were carried out, and the low testing temperatures employed. Little information is available concerning the fundamental nature of the elevated-temperature creep behavior of a Zr. This investigation of the creep behavior of a Zr above half the melting temperature (the melting temperature, T,, of a Zr is estimated to be about 1860"K was initiated because there are two significant anomalies of the physical properties of a Zr: a) the rate of self-diffusion in polycrystalline a Zr is anomalously rapid: b) both Young's modulus for polycrystalline a Zr and the shear modylus as-sociated with the prismatic slip system { 1010)( 1120) (the principal slip system in a Zr 7) have anomalously large temperature variations The importance of these quantities to the understanding of creep behavior has been demonstrated, and it was hoped that this investigation would provide a critical test of the predictions based upon the analysis of creep data for other pure metals. However, as the investigation progressed it became increasingly clear that the unusual creep behavior of a Zr could not be analyzed in a conventional manner. 1) EXPERIMENTAL EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES Two grades of zirconium, designated A and B, were used in this investigation. The analyses, as supplied by the vendors, are presented in Table I. Material A, with a nominal purity of 99.84 pct, was supplied by the Wah Chang Corp. in the form of cold-rolled sheet from which specimens were machined without further fabrication. Material B, with a nominal purity of 99.95 pct, was purchased from the Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corp. in the form of iodide crystal bar.

Jan 1, 1968

By W. C. Phalen

SALT-MAKING PROCESSES THE production of salt in the United States divides itself at the outset into two distinct classes: (1) The mining of rock salt and its purification and separation into marketable sizes, and (2) the production of salt by evaporation from brines, bitterns, and other solutions. The processes employed at the present time in the manufacture of salt by evaporation may be outlined as follows: 1. Solar evaporation. 2. Direct-heat evaporation (a) in open kettles; (b) in open pans. 3. Steam evaporation, (a) in jacketed kettles, (b) in grainers. 4. Vacuum-pan evaporation. In this paper only the solar-evaporation processes practised in different parts of the United States will be described. SOLAR EVAPORATION Localities In the Eastern States the solar-evaporation process is not generally employed for climatic reasons. In the Western States, particularly in California and Utah, the great bulk of the salt produced originates in the solar-evaporation process. Of the Eastern States producing salt, this process, so far as the writer is aware, is employed in New York State only.

Jan 9, 1914

By Joseph W. Roe

MaNY questions arising in the work of the mining engineer may be solved quickly and with suffcient accuracy by the methods of descriptive geometry; but, unfortunately, this subject is more often considered from a mathematical view-point than as an effective tool for solving practical problems. Some of the principles involved are merged into the ordinary operations of mechanical drawing, and are used unconsciously by the engineer in his every-day work. The rest are stowed away on the book-shelf with his forgotten or rarely-used college text-books. One reason for this condition of " innocuous desuctude " may lie in the uifortunate and often cumbersome notation which it has been found necessary to introduce. If some of these principles can be recalled to the engineer's attenti011 in terms of' every-day use they may prove of practical hearing. Recently, in talking with several mining engineers, I used some of the drawing-room methods of a machine-designer, to the evident surprise of those around me. These men were perfectly familiar with the methods, but their application to mining-work had not occurred to them. At their suggestion the present paper is offered, not in ally way as a treatise, but merely to suggest a certain point of view, in hope that it may lead others far more familiar with mining-problems to pursue the subject further. I. To Find the Strike. As the simplest and most fundamental problem, let it be required to find the strike of a vein when the location and elevation of three points on the outcrop are known. It mill be assumed for the present that the rein is a plane.

Jan 1, 1911

By Mark Malamphy

DURING colonial times, Brazil was famous for the richness of her alluvial gold deposits. Paul Ferrand has estimated that the gold produced during the period from 1700 to 1820 was the equivalent of some 64 million pounds sterling. Since that time, most of the more prolific alluvial deposits have been exhausted. A few gold mines are still func-tioning, notably the Morro Velho mine, which is one of the deepest mines in the world. Today, the gold production of Brazil is insignificant when compared with world figures, but there are still many gold-bearing regions and it is probable that in at least some of them profitable returns would result from an exploitation program taking advantage of all the most modern innovations in gold mining and ore treatment on a large scale. In order to demonstrate the value of some of these abandoned pros-pects and stir up interest in increasing the national gold production, the government has stimulated research. Experimental plants have been and are being established in various places, and tests on large quantities of ores are being carried out on a semicommercial basis. The Geological Survey of the State of Minas Geraes is very active in this line and the Federal Institution is also showing an increased interest in the matter. One of the lesser known gold-bearing regions of Brazil is in the vicinity of Lavras, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. Gold was first reported from this region in the early part of the nineteenth century. In 1811, D. João VI sent an experienced prospector from Minas Geraes to investi-gate the validity of the reports. According to the reports of Baron

Jan 1, 1934

By Albert Sauveur

(New York Meeting, February, 1913.) IT is delightful to read a technical paper like that of J. E. Johnson, The Effect of High Carbon on the Quality of Charcoal-Iron, presented in October, 1912, at the Cleveland meeting of the American Institute of Mining Engineers.1 The clear, simple, and straightforward manner in which he describes his experiments and results makes you feel as if you had been, so to speak, at his elbow during the course of his investigations, while his method of procedure is so rational that you can fairly anticipate each step in the logical sequence of the tests performed. The following notes suggested by Mr. Johnson's paper are presented here in the hope that they may help, if only a mite, towards the final solution of a problem of considerable scientific and industrial importance.

Jan 3, 1913

By C. H. Brehaut, W. N. Taylor, R. S. Douglas, H. A. Shannon

THE name for this new method of mining is derived from a composition of Horizontal, Radial, Diamond, and the drilling is from raises. This method, worked out at Copper Mountain, B.C., is believed to be distinct in many features from other known methods. GEOLOGY The ore deposits of Copper Mountain are related to the Copper Mountain stock, which is an ideal example of the magmatic differentiation in that it grades from a basic gabbro at the border to an almost pure orthoclase-pegmatite core. The "contact" ore bodies lie along the contact of the gabbro and an older complex of volcanics and sediment termed the "Wolfe Creek" formation. These older rocks, collectively referred to as greenstone, had been fractured prior to the intrusion of the stock and were highly metamorphosed during the intrusion. The "outlying" ore bodies are somewhat different in character, though a similar structural pattern prevails. It is believed that a deep-seated magma of which the Copper Mountain stock is a part has given off solutions that caused a partial granitization of some of the volcanics. Mining problems are caused further by the presence of a series of soft barren dikes intersecting a great many of the ore bodies, which are about 30 ft. wide, strike north-south, and dip at a high angle to the east; and are further increased by the presence of four major faults, with a great many minor faults running at acute angles from them. Fault zones average 8 ft. in width, and consist of gouge and breccia. They strike northeast and dip steeply to the northwest. The faults cut through the ore zones and the dikes, and continue on into the gabbro. The general mine structure with two types of ore bodies, bounded by weak walls and intersected by several series of soft barren dikes and major faults, indicated that a method of mining should be devised that would remove the ore at low cost with the least disturbance of the waste walls and dikes. THEORETICAL ESTIMATE OF STOPING WITH THE DIAMOND DRILL After consideration of various methods, the most suitable one appeared to be horizontal drilling to break the ore in a manner similar to shrinkage stoping. Drilling vertical holes or rings from a bench and breaking to an open slot was eliminated because the weak walls of ore, dike or waste would not permit this type of opening. It was then decided to drill either horizontal radial holes from a raise or parallel holes from a slot cut across the ore body. After discussion, the latter method was believed unsuitable, for the following reasons:

Jan 1, 1945

By Keith Sutherland

AEROFLOAT 25 is a complex mixture of free cresylic acid with aryl substituted dithiophosphoric acids, sulphides, disulphides, etc. Its complete composition has not been published by the makers or patentees. It is prepared1 by the reaction between phosphorus pentasulphide and carefully selected cresylic acid. We have been informed that this acid contains no phenol and very little cresol, and that it is rich in the higher alkyl phenols, particularly the xylenols. The reaction between a phenol ROH and phosphorus pentasulphide may produce compounds of the following type:2 (i) RO S P Diaryldithiophosphoric acids RO SH (ii) R-SH Thiophenolic compounds (iii) R-S-R Diaryl sulphides (iv) R-S-S-R Diaryl disulphides (v) Substituted thianthren compounds Except for the simplest type, the thiophenols (ii), the boiling points of these compounds lie above 300° C. The amounts of the thianthren compounds formed from the five xylenols (if all these are present) will vary according to the position of the substituents. In an attempt to ascertain something of the nature of the reagent, fractional distillation under atmospheric pressure was undertaken. At the outset, hydrogen sulphide was freely evolved, and-particularly below 200° C.-the fractions had the strong odor characteristic of the

Jan 1, 1939

By Edward Keller

About a dozen years ago the art of bessemerizing copper- * matte, brought to these shores from France, was first established at the smelter, in Butte, Montana, of the Parrot Silver and Copper Company, which had bought the process from Mr. Manhks, the inventor. Through the efforts of Mr. J. E. Gaylord, general manager, and Mr. A. J. Schumacher, snperintendent,, assisted by an able staff, the new method rapidly underwent, at the Parrot establishment, an evolution towards higher perfedion, and within a few years its success and its advantages were so marked that all the great works in the west followed in the footsteps of this pioneer. The converter-process has now practically superseded the reverberatory-process in this country. The latter will undoubtedly, in a not very distant future, be relegated to metallurgical history. The writer has availed himself of what was perhaps the last chance to make comparisons of the two methods, working practically on the same material on an extensive scale, the reverberatory process being that of the Baltimore Copper Smelting and Rolling Company,* while the converter-process is that of the Anaconda Copper Company—both using the matte from the latter company's works in Anaconda, Montana. For the greater portion of the material considered in this paper, the writer is indebted to the two companies. In order to understand the difference of behavior of the several elements, and the difference of the copper produced in the two processes, it is best to study and follow those elements

Jan 1, 1899

By William B. Phillips

The concentration of natural magnetites has been carried on in this country for several years, and more or less information has been collected on the subject. Various inventors, availing themselves of the magnetism which is inherent in such ores, have devised machines for separating the impurities from the ore by means of the electric current; and a greater or less degree of success has rewarded their painstaking and persevering efforts. We are now fairly in position to judge of the value of the process as applied to such material. It is not my purpose to speak of this matter further than may be required by the emergencies of the case. I shall assume that most engineers and metallurgical chemists are already acquainted with what has been done at the Chateaugay mines, at Mineville, at the Benson mines, at the Weldon and Ogdensburgh mines, and at Cranberry; although, at this latter place, there has not been so much done as we could wish. I shall not now speak of the various types of separators. From the time of William Fullarton, to whom was granted an English patent, in 1792, for separating iron-ore by the application of magnetic attraction, down to the present time, a great. many devices have been suggested, and a great many patents taken out for this purpose; but it is not necessary now to enter upon a discussion of their merits. Perhaps, at some future meeting of the Institute, after we shall have experimented further with some of the machines on the market, there may be an opportunity to contribute something to the current knowledge of the efficiency and economy of separating-machines. In this paper I propose to give, as briefly as possible, the results already reached in converting a non-magnetic ore into magnetic ore, and then concentrating it over a magnetic separator of the alternate-polarity type. I am aware of the work

Jan 1, 1896

By W. H. Davitt

While it is true that taxes, especially income taxes, whether they be federal, state, or local, are not usually thought of as a "cost" of doing business, it is equally true that these tax costs do reduce the distributable profits just as much as the cost of power, supplies, or labor. Therefore, the consideration given to taxes is often as important as that given to other costs. Hopefully you will recognize that, within certain limits, taxes can be controlled to an economic advantage. The tax laws as now imposed are quite complex. Many of these laws and the regulations thereunder involve many factual determinations, technical considerations, and specialized valuations that can best be made by people trained in the specific area concerned. A substantial amount of a tax liability turns on the proper consideration given to issues involving facts and principles which are peculiarly engineering in nature. The importance of these "engineering" issues in tax administration has been significantly increased in recent years by our rapidly advancing technology, automation, stepped-up mineral and oil exploitation, new industries such as electronics and nuclear power, and the extension of percentage depletion to all minerals. These specialized requirements incorporated in the law are so technical that full consideration can not be given by people with a non-engineering background.

Jan 7, 1974

By R. S. Craig, W. E. Wallace, G. S. Kamath

The destruction of long-range order in Mg-Cd, has previously been thought to occur as a second order process. In the present work a variety of X-ray diffraction techniques are employed to show that in this case and in Mg-Cd alloys containing frorn 20 to 33 1/3 at. pct Mg the process more nearly resembles an ordinary first order phase transformation. It is found that the ordered alloy, which occurs as a single phase at lgw temperatures, transforms with increasing temperature into a Cd-enriched disordered (P) phase and an Mg-enriched ordered (a) phase. The interval over which these two phases coexist under apparently equilibrium conditiovs extends from 25" to 87°C content. At 33 1/3 at. pct Mg the two-phase region has disappeared. Measurement of the long range order parameter, s, for the ordered phase in MgCd, (from superlattice line intensities) shows that it disorders only very slightly before it is transformed into the p form. Kinetic experiments reveal that when the a phase is formed frorn the p phase by suitably quenching so as to suppress phase segregation, the transformation is essentially complete and the a phase has acquired its equilibrium value of S in less than 1 min. In an earlier investigation carried out in this Laboratory1 the rate of disordering of the MgCd3 superlattice was determined over an extensive range of temperature. The process was found to be first order and the rate constant, k, was established. At the lowest temperatures studied k was found to increase exponentially with temperature. At higher temperatures, however, it passed through a maximum and for the 100 deg interval below the point at which the superlattice was destroyed k was observed to decrease with increasing temperature. The various theoretical treatments1-3 of order-disorder phenomena lead to a negative temperature coefficient for k near the superlattice critical temperature but this region for MgCdB seemed unusually wide. Detailed analysis of the point indicated' that either the long-range order parameter, S, for MgCda varied with temperature in an anomalous way or the disordering in this instance is more complex than in the cases which have been treated theoretically. The original objective in the present work was simply to determine S vs temperature for MgCda to ascertain whether the disordering was in conformity with theoretical expectations.2° In an early stage of the work it was noted, however, that under equilibrium conditions ordered (a) and disordered (0) phases coexist in MgCd, over a considerable range of temperature. Since on thermo- dynamic grounds the coexisting phases must differ in composition, the investigation was enlarged to permit the compositions of the two phases in MgCd3 to be determined and to establish the extent of the two phase regions for alloys containing from 20 to 33 1/3 at. pct Cd.

Jan 1, 1963

By E. V. Potter, E. T. Hayes, H. C. Lukens

LARGE volumes of hydrogen are liberated at the cathode during electrolytic precipitation of manganese. Most of the gas escapes from the electrolyte, but a considerable amount may be entrapped in the manganese plate. Gas has been observed to escape from manganese melts in puffs that ignite at the surface. It has been reported that castings made with electrolytic manganese tend to rise in the molds; for this reason the manganese is often treated to remove hydrogen before the melt is made or it is premelted and used as cast manganese in making the alloys. The effect of hydrogen on the properties of manganese and its alloys is not known, but its effect on iron and iron alloys has been studied extensively.1.2 The close relationship between iron and man¬ganese suggests that hydrogen may have a similar effect on the properties of manganese and its alloys. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the amount of hydrogen or other gases in typical commercial electrolytic manganese sheet and to investigate ways of removing it most conveniently. APPARATUS The apparatus used is shown schematically in Fig. I. It consists of a chamber A in which the metal sample is placed, a vacuum or pressure gauge B, volume gauge C, vacuum pump D, hydrogen container E, auxiliary gas chamber F, and furnace G. The specimen chamber was made of two concentric quartz tubes. The outer one, a, connects with the closed gas system and is surrounded by the furnace G. A second tube, b, fits closely inside a and has a small end that projects into the space for the specimen and holds the thermocouple for measuring the temperature of the sample. The inner tube is joined to the outer tube outside the furnace, with rubber tape and sealing wax, to prevent gas leakage into or out of the closed system. This type of specimen container is loaded very easily and can be used several times if molten metal does not come in contact with the quartz. An ordinary mercury manometer B is used to measure the pressure in the system. The volume gauge C is essentially another mercury manometer, but the volume of the column is much larger than normal and the height of the mercury can be varied by raising or lowering the well H. In this apparatus the tube had a volume of I00 c.c. for a 60-cm. length. For larger changes in gas volumes; auxiliary containers F were used to increase the volume of the system by known amounts. Valves were arranged so that these auxiliary containers could be filled from the system and evacuated by the pump as often as necessary to accommodate the increases in the volume of gas in the system. The furnace G, used to heat the samples, was equipped with an automatic temperature controller, which maintained the desired temperatures within ± 5°C.

Jan 1, 1945

By R. Y. Williams

In the United States, fully 98 per cent. of the anthracite and bituminous coal tonnage obtained from underground operations is mined by the room-and-pillar system. Under this system, the total cost of the coal f. o. b. railroad cars contains as its greatest single item the money paid for "labor." Each labor dollar in an average bituminous mine may be subdivided into 85 c. paid for work done inby the gathering turnouts (including all work at the face), and 15 c. outby that point (including all work in and under the tipple). In an average anthracite mine, the corresponding figures are 70 c. and 30 c., the larger breaker force accounting mainly for the difference between these and the bituminous figures. The next largest single item after "labor" is usually "supplies and power;" and a division of this item inby and outby the gathering turnouts shows somewhat the same relative proportions as has been noted under the case of "labor". During the past 10 years, the chief advances made in the coal industry have been to obtain economies through complete mechanization covering that portion of the work which lies outby the gathering turnouts. These results have been accomplished by applying scientific principles to railroad yard layout, to cleaning and sizing machinery, to dumping facilities, to roller-bearing haulage equipment, and to heavy-rail, well-ballasted trackage. But these improvements, while gratifying in their resulting economies, apply only to 15 to 30 per cent. of the important cost items. Obviously, then, the big problem before the engineers of the coal industry today has to do with the methods of mining and the layout inby the gathering turnouts. Four years ago, Weston Dodson & Co., Inc., determined to have an exhaustive study made of the conditions which must be met in order to gain complete face mechanization, and in order that such a mining layout would be based on correct underlying principles. The result of that study, which was made by the writer, led to the adoption of a method of longwall mining wherein the roof is worked on the caving system and is supported as an overhang along the face by steel jacks.

Jan 1, 1928

By Henry M. Howe

The object of the present paper is to suggest injecting into the hearths of iron blast furnaces, whose temperature has become unduly lowered, some form of fuel whose calorific intensity, under the peculiar conditions existing there, is considerably higher than than of liquid petroleum, the rose of this substance for melting out chills having grievonsly disappointed the high hopes which were at first entertained of it. A chill being a fall of the temperature below that needed for the complete liquefaction of the slag, which requires, according to Plattner, about 1800' C., one would suppose that the chief thing to be accomplished in curing it would be to raise the temperature in the crucible of the furnace. The most obvious ways of doing this seem to be to raise the temperature of the blast, and to increase the amount of fuel in the crucible itself. Simply increasing the rate at which the blast enters the furnace, if carried beyond a certain point, should lower the temperature in the crucible. The existence of a chill shows that the fuel is arriving too slowly at the tuyeres. If air be introduced so rapidly as to he in excess of that required for the combustion of the fuel, all that excess will simply lower the temperature around the tuyeres, carrying the region of intense heat upwards, and weakening its intensity by increasing its size. Up to a certain point, increasing the rate of introducing the blast will increase practically pari passu the rate at which the fuel reaches the tuyeres. But when mechanical obstructions, which so often accompany chills, retard the descent of the fuel, there must be a point beyond which this does not hold good, and beyond which farther

Jan 1, 1883