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By R. M. Caves

High-purity dense tungsten coating is obtained by means of a modified de Boer-van Arkel iodide process using tungsten bromides. The all-glass reaction system is pumped, baked, and sealed (pinched-off) at about 10-7 mm Hg pressure. The bromides then formed in situ are decomposed, depositing tungsten on heated tungsten surfaces. Heating of the specimen is done inductively in a novel arrangement that avoids electrodes of glass-to-metal seals. The tungsten, deposited at specimen temperatures from 2000° to 2800°F and bulb (halide) temperatures of 225" to 725°F, was adherent and uniform, and ranged in thickness to 1/8-in. REFRACTORY metals are of interest at NASA for use in hypersonic aircraft, in rocket engines, and in other thrust devices where very high temperatures are encountered. Tungsten, with a melting point about 6100° F, is potentially very useful for some of these applications. Considerable research on tungsten and its alloys is currently being conducted at the NASA Lewis Research Center. In this tungsten research program, there is need for a method of depositing high-purity, nonporous tungsten coatirlgs. Metallurgical bonding of the coating both to itself and to the substrate is required. In addition, it is necessary to be able to deposit thin, uniform coatings on substrates of a variety of shapes and sizes for laboratory test purposes. A survey of the methods previously used for depositing tungsten coatings indicated that none would likely meet these requirements for high purity, good uniformity, and high density except thermal decomposition of the halides. The method for coating that was selected for investigation was the thermal decomposition of tungsten bromide. This is a variation of the van Arkel and de Boer iodide process established years ago and recently reviewed.1,2 This process is applicable to the transition metals in general. More recently, the application and techniques were extended with chlorine3 and fluorine,4 and included the coating of tungsten. This is believed to be the first report on the use of the bromide for tungsten coating. Bromine was chosen over the other halogens because it promised a lower temperature for tungsten

Jan 1, 1962

By Paul Wilkinson

From the earliest times, the principal component of mallplaster has been ordinary lime. Plaster-of-Paris has also been known from early times, but never used to any extent in the actual base-work of plastering-materials; it is generally used for finishing over the brown coat and for ornamental work. As an illustration of the antiquity of the use of gypsum-plaster for mortar, I find that the analysis of the exterior covering of the pyramid of Cheops, as made by Dr. Wallace, is almost identical

Jan 1, 1898

By Ian Wark

IT has been shown1 that in the absence of heavy metal salts, the nature of the alkali used to promote differential flotation-whether caustic soda, lime or sodium carbonate-is unimportant. The hydroxyl ion is the active depressant upon which differentiation depends, and the pH value determines whether a film of collector forms on any given mineral surface. Even when sodium cyanide is used in conjunction with alkalies, it is the pH value and not the nature of the alkali or its concentration that is important, for upon the pH value alone depends the fraction of the added sodium cyanide that is present as cyanide ion, which is the true depressant. When heavy metal salts become dissolved from partly oxidized ores, or are added intentionally as activators, conditions are different, and metallurgists have found that lime and sodium carbonate do not give identical results, even when added in amounts sufficient to produce the same pH value. In the few instances in which we had attempted to confirm this view, we had failed to do so, for, with nothing to guide us, we had inadvertently chosen solutions that gave contact curves of a "stand-ard type," which correspond to conditions of ready floatability. Now, however, we find that, in the presence of copper salts, and within a restricted range of reagent concentrations, the nature of the anions present is important, and that sodium carbonate does influence the results, apart from the usual effect due to its influence on pH value. With the recognition of this anion effect, and with the control of temperature already introduced,' it appears that the factors of major importance in connection with this set of reagents have been taken into consideration, and that the results obtained and the conclusions drawn from contact tests will be of more immediate value to the operator.

Jan 1, 1939

By Lloyd Pollish, Robert N. Breckenridge

SUCCESS in any underground mining operation is determined by accessibility of the orebody, which in turn is dependent upon maintenance of passage- ways to the mining zones and temporary support of the voids caused by extraction of ore. This is accomplished by one or a combination of the following methods: timbering, back-filling, pillaring, or, more recently, rock bolting. Timbering has usually been the principal means of maintaining these underground openings necessary for mining operations. Timber, however, does not prevent ground movement beyond the scope of localized sloughing, which is indicated by the gradual failing of the timber itself. Besides this, timbering has always been a costly process, and with the decline of available supplies of timber close to the mining areas, mining men have constantly sought other methods of controlling ground.

Jan 7, 1954

By Werner Engelmaier

Constant-strain rotating-bending fatigue tests were conducted on 2024-T3 aluminum alloy constant-strain McAdams-type specimens in ultrahigh vacuum, 10-lo Torr, and in atmospheric air. In the elastic strain range the ratio of vacuum-to-air fatigue life varied from about 10 at a maximum bending stress of 37 ksi to near unity at the endurance limit. After 10 pct of the fatigue life, intergvanular microcracks appeared on the surface which did not appreciably propagate further until the last 5 pct of the fatigue life, where trans-granular cracks propagating first in slip-plane cracking and then in the stress-dominated mode led to failure. No reduction in residual tensile strength resulted from the fatigue of the specimens short of fracture. The mechanism governing the fatigue life operates between the occurrence of the intergranular microcracks and the initiation of the trans granular cracks. MORE than forty years ago, Mc Adam' and Haigh2 published the first systematic studies showing that the fatigue properties of metals were greatly affected by environments. Gough and sopwith3 found in a later study that the fatigue life of metals subject to corrosion can be substantially increased by reducing the atmospheric pressure. This and their later work4'5 was, however, done in a vacuum of only 10~3 Torr. Subsequent studies6-' at a vacuum of 10- Torr showed that water vapor is the primary agent affecting the fatigue properties of aluminum alloys. Only recently was ultrahigh vacuum used for fatigue studied.l Various theories have been put forward to explain this phenomenon. Wadsworth and Hutchings12 postulated that cracks form very early in the test and that the chemical attack by the corrosive components of the atmosphere at the root of the cracks enhances the speed of the crack propagation. They also noted that chemisorbed layers of gas on the fresh crack surfaces prevent cold welding of the crack and make the separation irreversible. Ham and Reichenbach, on the other hand, reported that their specimens showed no cracks after a run in vacuum, even though the runs were long enough to have caused the specimen to fracture in atmospheric air. They also reported that in argon at 0.14 Torr the fatigue life was about 5 times longer than at 7 X lo-' Torr. Jacisinll reported that fatigue tests in dry nitrogen showed results close to those obtained in ultrahigh vacuum. The present experiment was designed to determine the extent to which cumulative fatigue damage, i.e., the accumulation of length of fatigue cracks, reduces the residual static tensile strength of an aluminum alloy in both ultrahigh vacuum and atmospheric air and to obtain fatigue-life data for this aluminum alloy at various strains. It was also hoped that information ex- tracted from these data might support one of the previously mentioned theories. 1) EXPERIMENT Test Specimens. The material tested was commer-cial 2024-T3 aluminum alloy. In addition to aluminum, this alloy contains approximately 4.4 pct Cu, 0.5 pct Fe, 0.5 pct Si, 0.6 pct Mn, 1.5 pct Mg, plus smaller amounts of other elements.13 Some typical mechanical properties of this aluminum alloy are listed in Table I.'~ The material was used in the as-received condition, i.e., solution-treated and cold-worked. Mc Adam-type1' constant-stress specimens and notched fatigue specimens were machined from 4 -in. -diam rods, Fig. 1. The critical section of the McAdam-type samples was polished with a 45-deg spiral motion to a No. 8 microfinish. The notch in the notched specimens was machined on a lathe with a forming

Jan 1, 1969

By Eugene N. Cameron

Graphite is the hexagonal form of crystal-line carbon. It is found in nature locally as tabular crystals but occurs mostly as disseminated flakes, foliated, platy, or fibrous masses, or microcrystalline compact to earthy material. Graphite is characterized by its gray to black color, metallic luster, black streak, perfect basal cleavage, softness (H = 1-2) and unctuous feel. It is sectile and flexible and has a specific gravity of 2.1 to 2.3. It is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity and is inert to ordinary chemical reagents. It melts at a temperature of about 3500°C and vaporizes at a temperature of about 4500°C. In the presence of oxygen it oxidizes to CO2 in the temperature range 600° to 700°C, but it is stable at ordinary temperature and markedly resistant to chemical weathering. Although some natural graphite is nearly 100 pct pure carbon, most contains mechanical impurities of various kinds; quartz, biotite, muscovite, pyrite, iron oxides, and feldspars are the most common. Commercial graphite products have a wide range of graphite content, but the better grades contain 80 pct graphite or more. Both natural and manufactured (artificial) graphite are used in industry. Natural graphite products are divided into two broad categories based on grain size. Graphite composed of visible crystals is called "crystalline" graphite, whereas graphite so fine-grained that it is not visibly crystalline is termed "amorphous." The distinction is arbitrary, for all natural graphite is crystalline, and all gradations between the two commercial categories are known. Within the two categories the terminology used in industry is confusing and not entirely consistent. Crystalline graphite comes from two principal types of sources. The first consists of rocks containing disseminated flakes of graphite. This source yields the "flake graphite" of industry. The second comprises vein deposits of graphite, of which those in Ceylon are the most important and furnish the Ceylon graphite of industry. Amorphous graphite comes from any of a variety of sources, including some of those that yield crystalline graphite. Manufactured graphite is made by electric furnace processes, mostly from petroleum coke. Occurrence and Distribution of Graphite Deposits GENERAL Graphite is widely distributed in nature, occurring in igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks, and even in nickel-iron meteorites. Graphite deposits of economic interest, however, occur mostly in metamorphic terranes. Five principal geologic types of deposits are recognized: 1. Deposits consisting of flake graphite disseminated in metamorphosed siliceous sediments. 2. Deposits consisting of flake graphite disseminated in marbles. 3. Deposits formed by thermal or dynamothermal metamorphism of coal or other highly carbonaceous sediments. 4. Vein deposits of the Ceylon type. 5. Contact metasomatic or hydrothermal deposits in marble. DEPOSITS IN METAMORPHOSED SILICEOUS SEDIMENTS Deposits consisting of flake graphite disseminated in metamorphosed siliceous sedi-

Jan 1, 1960

By A. U. Seybolt

Experiments on both suljidation and hot corrosion have been carried out using ternary Ni-Cr-X alloys and commercial nickel-base superalloys. It has been shown that lhere are certain micro structural similarities between sulfidation using H,S/H2 mixtures and hot corvosion using Na,S04 in "crucible" experiments or hot corrosion tests using a flame tunnel apparatus. It is proposed that two key processes in the hot cowosion process are: 1) formation of chromium sulfides which deplete the alloy matrix, and 2) oxidation which can be accelerated because of chromium depletion. Other processes play an important role in the hot corrosion process, such as accelerated oxidation attack due to the presence of a N& S04 or N&SO,- NaC2 film which inhibits the formation of a protective external oxide scale. However, this latter phenomenon was not studied in this work. THE term hot corrosion has come to mean a combination of sulfur and oxygen attack on nickel-base or cobalt-base superalloys used as gas turbine blades or partitions. This attack can be initiated by any combustion process in air involving fuel containing sulfur if the sulfur level is sufficiently high. Levels of 5 pet SO2l for example, in the combusting gas have been observed to produce hot corrosion attack on nickel-base alloys. The important immediate corroding medium in aircraft gas turbines, however, has been established to be Na2S04, formed from reaction between NaCl from sea air and sulfur in the fuel.' The Na2S04 concentrates the sulfur sufficiently so that superalloy parts heated in the range 1400" to 1900°F can become sulfided by reducing the Na2S04 film which forms on the parts, and this reaction allows sulfur to gain access to the alloy. The sulfur thus released diffuses into the superalloy and forms primarily chromium sulfides of various compositions, but frequently Cr2S, has been identified. Figs. 1 and 2 show the morphology typical of hot corrosion of a cobalt-base superalloy X-45 (25 Cr, 10 Ni, 7.5 W, 0.25 C) and a nickel-base alloy, Udimet 500 (19 Cr, 19 Co, 4 Mo, 3 Ti, 2.9 Al, 0.07 C). Both alloy samples were subjected to the same hot corrosion conditions: 616 hr at 1600°F in a combusted 2.9 pct S distillate oil containing 125 ppm Na as NaC1. It will be noted at once that the nickel-base alloy is much more severely attacked. The depth of corrosion is much greater and the number and size of the sulfides present are much greater. Both alloys show a duplex oxide scale, which is more noticeable in the X-45 alloy. The external scale is probably a spinel in both cases, with CrQ3 lying next to the alloy. Many investigators1 -"ve been concerned with hot corrosion phenomena, but there has been a lack of unanimity of opinion as to the details of the hot corrosion mechanism. More than one definition of hot corrosion is possible. Some investigators con- sider as a measure of hot corrosion only the weight gain due to an accelerated oxidation. However another point of view is that the total depth of affected alloy may be used as a measure. While it is recognized that surface oxidation attack is greatly accelerated by the presence of salts like Na2S04 or Na2S04-NaC1 mixtures, sulfur penetration into the alloy also undoubtedly produces very important effects. The region of sul-fide penetration which is so prominent in Fig. 2 is one of the outstanding characteristics of hot corrosion. For highly stressed parts, such as first-stage buckets, this sulfur-penetrated region can be more significant in mechanical property loss than the reduction of cross section produced by the formation of the massive external scale. In addition, evidence will be presented that this sulfided region can be less resistant to subsequent oxidation attack. Since it appears that the sulfided region below the surface oxide scale plays an important role in the overall corrosion process,

Jan 1, 1969

By H. K. Work, G. H. Enzian

In the manufacture of steel for commercial purposes, the deoxidation practice used, i.e., the method and degree of deoxidation, is an important factor affecting the structure and mechanical properties of the finished steel. Deoxidation practice exerts a pronounced influence not only on the soundness of the ingots but also on the reaction of the steel to a number of mechanical and thermal treatments. The first mentioned effect of deoxidation is more or less obvious and was first demonstrated, though perhaps not fully appreciated, by Robert Mushet when, in 1856, he added speigeleisen to low-carbon bessemer blown metal. In 1861. Bessemer patented the addition of one pound per ton of silicon to his blown metal to "cause the metal to lie quietly in the mold." The second effect of deoxidation-—that is, the effect on the properties and behavior of the steel—is, one might say, more subtle, and certainly not as well understood as the first, although in many cases it is the more important consideration. This paper is limited to a discussion of only the second effect of deoxidation and: in particular, to the effect on the strain-sensitivity of low-carbon steels. General Discussion Originally it was thought that the function of a deoxidizer was to combine with the oxygen present in the steel as iron oxide and prevent its subsequent evolution as a gas. -More recently it has been realized that a deoxidizer does more than this. Frequent reference has been made to the effect of deoxidizers on the nitrogen in the steel, and some attention has also been paid to hydrogen. As a consequence of the above situation any study of deoxidation must be concerned with the gas content of the steel and the effect of the deoxidizer on the gases involved. The term "gas content" as used here refers to gases extracted from steel during melting in vacuum rather than to elements present in steel in the gaseous state. The extracted gases, at least in the case of oxygen and nitrogen, are generally accepted to be products of decomposition of oxides, nitrides, or other more complex compounds. The manner in which deoxidation affects the gas content of steel and the significance of gases in steel have been and still are subjects of considerable speculation. No attempt will be made here to give a complete discussion of the literature on this subject but a few references will be cited for purposes of illustration. N. Hamilton1 found a correlation between the oxygen content of alloy steel and the behavior of the steel during tube piercing. Davenport, Bain, and others associated oxygen with aging properties of steel while Köster5 and a number of others6-lo made similar claims for nitrogen. Daniloff, Mehl, and Hertyll stated that "deoxidation decreases the susceptibility of steels to aging directly

Jan 1, 1945

By D. S. Newton

Introduction Historically the production of zinc dust has been based upon residual and secondary zinc. Using horizontal retorts filled with diecasting scrap, galvanizers drosses and sweater billets, dust has been produced by condensation into static condensers on a 24 hour cycle. Although fairly flexible as regards input materials the process is not amenable to close control of the product, is labour intensive and unless carefully run can cause fume problems. With a steadily increasing demand for zinc dust of consistent properties and higher quality there is a demand for an improved method of manufacture in which dust can be produced continuously and which is capable of close control thus ensuring a minimum amount of oversize or unsaleable material. The Process in use in the works of Imperial Smelting Corporation (Alloys) Ltd. in England, and in Canada and Holland, satisfies the criteria stated above, and has proved to be easy to control with a minimum labour demand.

Jan 1, 1970

By A. E. Bellis

THE CHAIRMAN (ALBERT SAUVEUR, Cambridge, Mass.).-Any information likely to throw light on the constitution and proper treatment of high-speed steel in order to obtain maximum results, should surely he welcomed. All users of high-speed steel, I believe, will agree with the authors that, in order to obtain satisfactory results, it is not sufficient to heat all brands of high-speed steel to one and the same temperature; apparently very slight differences of chemical composition seem to call for marked differences in temperature. I think that all of us agree that a properly treated piece of high-speed steel should have a fine austenitic or polyhedral structure and that an appreciable quantity of free carbide may be present in the case of very high tungsten steels. What we seem to lack is a satisfactory method, quick and reliable, of ascertaining when the proper structure has been obtained. I think Mr. Bellis' paper is a step in the right direction. To the untrained eye, however, it is not an easy matter to select from some of his photomicrographs the one representing the best structure; for instance, in the case of steel A, we wonder why temperatures of 2,250 and 2,300 do not yield the same results, seeing that both structures are apparently alike, and the same might apply to some of the other samples. I have no doubt, however, that the experienced observer is capable of detecting structural differences that are not made plain here and by which he is able to select the proper quenching temperature. COLIN G. FINK, East Orange, N. J.-On page 68 the authors say that the use of a barium chloride bath to eliminate this difficulty has the disadvantage that the surface of the tool becomes decarbonized." I would like to ask whether they actually found that the surface was decarbonized, or whether they base this conclusion on softening alone? A. E. BELLIS, Springfield, Mass.-No, we have never demonstrated that it was a decarbonization, it is just the softening of the steel. The addition of ferrocyanide to the ferrochloride bath has been suggested. I think that is not altogether satisfactory, because the ferrocyanide bath changes composition very rapidly at these high temperatures, and it would be just a question of luck whether or not it had too much or too little ferrocyanide in the bath giving equilibrium with the carbon content.

Jan 4, 1917

GENTLEMEN Herewith are transmitted reports from the Treasurer and of the principal standing committees of the Institute. To these special reports members are referred for details as to the year's work. Despite the unfavorable business conditions obtaining throughout the year, the Institute was able to carry on its various activities without curtailment and without drawing on the surplus accumulated through previous years. In fact, small additions were made to the Life, Member¬ship and various other funds. It is highly desirable that such additions should continue to be made, especially to the Life Membership fund, for reasons reported last year. At present, money must be used from current receipts in order to enable the Institute to fulfill its obligations to those who on joining the organization commuted their dues by a single payment. In addition, with the passage of years the number increases of those who have paid dues forty years or more and who, by reason of age or dis¬ability, are unable longer to practise their profession. These men have supported the Institute through their active professional life and it would be a pity to lose them as members through resignation or for failure to keep up their dues. In accordance with the By-laws the Board has authority to advance such members, on application, to the Honor Roll of Senior Members and to relieve them from further payment of dues. It has been the policy of the Board to do this liberally, but to keep up this, as well as to meet other obligations, it is necessary for money to be provided. It has been estimated by the Treasurer that nearly $50,000 additional should be placed in the Life Membership fund as soon as possi¬ble to meet these obligations without using current income and to that end it is necessary, not only to avoid running behind currently but to earn, if possible, some surplus each year. The small amount transferred to the Life Membership fund from surplus this year was, as a matter of fact, made possible by certain members paying personally bills that were properly chargeable to the Treasury. Such generosity is common among those active in Institute work and probably no year would have closed with a surplus except for it.

Jan 1, 1923

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 H. P. Allen

The Achotla mill of the Cia. Minera de Penoles is of special interest in that it is one of the few still employing the chloridization process. The ore milled comes from the Suriana mine and consists of both oxide and sulphide, from neither of which can the gold or silver be extracted by a simple cyanide treatment. The mill was built in 1927, after several years of study in the development of the process1, and operated from December of that year until October 1930. Operations were resumed in February 1935, and have been continuous since, treating approximately 5000 tons per month, while the mine is getting up to full tonnage of 6500 tons per month. Transportation of Supplies The property is in Guerrero, Mexico, some 175 km. by airline southwest of Mexico City. The mill site is at Temisco (Fig. I), 8 km. from the Balsas River and 4.8 km. by aerial tram from the mine. At Temisco are the general office, shops, warehouses and laboratory serving both mine and mill. Here sufficient water is available either from a small creek running through the property or from the Balsas River, also convenient and ample storage space for the tailings. With the exception of the mine timber and a few native building materials which may be obtained locally, all supplies for both mine and mill are brought down the Balsas River from Balsas, the terminal of a Mexican National Railway line out of Mexico City. The method of transportation on the river is interesting. Rapids with very fast water are numerous, prohibiting the use of mechanically propelled boats. Those used resemble large, flat-bottomed rowboats some 22 ft. long by 8 ft. wide (Fig. 2). They are manned by two oarsmen sitting in the bow, each handling one large oar, and usually another man in the stern who, with his oar, assists in steering the boat, especially when the rapids are run. From 3 to 7 tons of freight are carried on each boat, depending upon the stage of the water, which governs also the time

Jan 1, 1939

By H. P. Allen

The Achotla mill of the Cia. Minera de Penoles is of special interest in that it is one of the few still employing the chloridization process. The ore milled comes from the Suriana mine and consists of both oxide and sulphide, from neither of which can the gold or silver be extracted by a simple cyanide treatment. The mill was built in 1927, after several years of study in the development of the process1, and operated from December of that year until October 1930. Operations were resumed in February 1935, and have been continuous since, treating approximately 5000 tons per month, while the mine is getting up to full tonnage of 6500 tons per month. Transportation of Supplies The property is in Guerrero, Mexico, some 175 km. by airline southwest of Mexico City. The mill site is at Temisco (Fig. I), 8 km. from the Balsas River and 4.8 km. by aerial tram from the mine. At Temisco are the general office, shops, warehouses and laboratory serving both mine and mill. Here sufficient water is available either from a small creek running through the property or from the Balsas River, also convenient and ample storage space for the tailings. With the exception of the mine timber and a few native building materials which may be obtained locally, all supplies for both mine and mill are brought down the Balsas River from Balsas, the terminal of a Mexican National Railway line out of Mexico City. The method of transportation on the river is interesting. Rapids with very fast water are numerous, prohibiting the use of mechanically propelled boats. Those used resemble large, flat-bottomed rowboats some 22 ft. long by 8 ft. wide (Fig. 2). They are manned by two oarsmen sitting in the bow, each handling one large oar, and usually another man in the stern who, with his oar, assists in steering the boat, especially when the rapids are run. From 3 to 7 tons of freight are carried on each boat, depending upon the stage of the water, which governs also the time

Jan 1, 1939

By J. S. Johnson, W. C. McCulloch

All phases of plant operation must be synchronized so that the A number of interruptions in the flow of material may be reduced to a minimum. In the majority of plants operating under a labor agreement, time lost during the operating shift cannot be made up with overtime. With the work week restricted to 35 hr., the ratio of productive time to total time justifies extra effort in keeping the plant operating at capacity during the productive shift. This does not apply when central plants with adequate storage are operated by multiple shifts. In such installations the problems become similar to those of any factory or mill where added units, parallel circuits, or excess capacity serve to maintain the average production during intervals of maintenance shut- down. These plants, by special agreement, may run continuously, barring mechanical interruptions. The control of plant operation is in those procedures that are practiced to obtain from the run-of-mine product a high recovery of clean coal products to meet adopted trade standards and consumer specifications at the lowest possible cost. Correlation of all factors for continuous operation requires more than mechanical perfection in the plant. The run-of-mine coal must be delivered to the preparation plant without delays and the clean coal and refuse products taken away. Power supply and water requirements must be adequate. Signal systems must be established for emergency stops and to facilitate resumption of coal flow.

Jan 1, 1943

By Cyril Wells, Robert F. Mehl

The purpose of this investigation was to prepare high-purity iron-carbon alloys, to determine as precisely as possible the A3(GOS), the Acm(SE), and the A1(PSK) transformation temperatures in the meta-stable iron-iron carbide system (up to 1.4 per cent C), and to study the influence of carefully controlled and constant rates of heating and cooling (1/8 to 2o C. per minute) upon the transformation temperature and upon the resulting microstructure. Apart from the general metallurgical importance attending the completion of such a task, it will be noted that highly precise transformation temperatures are of interest and importance in the thermodynamic study of this system1. Several determinations of the iron-iron carbide diagram have been made2. These suffer generally from the low purity of the alloys used, and from the application of methods of investigation of low sensitivity. Attempts to compare and weight the many data available in an effort to construct as accurate a diagram as possible have, in the main, been unsuccessful. In general, the wide differences in the results of different workers, the lack of complete analytical data, the omission of important details relating to the heat-treatment of the alloys, and the meager description of the methods of investigation applied, render such a process of averaging nearly meaningless. It may be seen from the summaries by Epstein2 and Körber and Oelsenl that variations as great as 30' C. exist in the reported data on the A3 temperatures in iron-carbon alloys. Fortunately, the Aa temperature in pure iron is now known to be 910" C. ± 1° C.3 The best recent work on iron-carbon alloys is that of Esser4 on hypoeutectoid steels and that of Sato5 on both hypoeutectoid and hyper-eutectoid steels. Esser made a dilatometric and magnetic study of iron and iron-carbon alloys containing 0.06 to 0.86 per cent C, for which a high purity is claimed. Presumably the electrolytic iron was reasonably pure, but the alloys contained considerable impurities, on the average totaling 0.35 per

Jan 1, 1937

By Dell H. Adams

COAL EXPLORATION Coal exploration may be defined as the acquisition of data necessary to define and acquire a block of coal which can be mined at a profit. Unlike ore minerals, coal resources are widespread and relatively abundant with supply exceeding demand in almost every case. Thus simple discovery of coal is generally not enough. The chemical and physical variability of individual coal seams, the capital intensive nature of coal mine development, and the changing patterns of utilization require that a multiphase, three-dimensional evaluation be made of each potential reserve. Factors which must be investigated include not only the quantity and quality of the coal but also the geologic, hydrologic, and engineering characteristics of the seam and its surrounding strata. Acquisition of property to provide a secure base for exploration and mine development is equal in importance to the geologic and engineering programs. The successful development of a coal reserve requires that control of coal and, in the case of a strip mine, the surface be in the form of contiguous blocks of sufficient size to support mining. PHASES OF EXPLORATION The high capital risks of coal exploration and land acquisition dictate that a multiphase program be utilized to minimize initial risk. In such a program, phased development of the data insures that each increase in capital expenditures will be justified by a corresponding increase in the level of confidence in the ultimate success of the project. Each phase is designed to provide sufficient data and property control to facilitate the decision whether to proceed to the next phase of development or to discontinue the program (Table 1). The first phase of a typical exploration program consists of a pre-

Jan 1, 1981

By K. H. Coats

This paper presents the development and solution of a mathematical model for aquifer water movement about bottom-water-drive reservoirs. Pressure gradients in the vertical direction due to router flow are taken into account. A vertical permeability equal to a fraction of the horizontal permeability is also included in the model. The solution is given in the form of a dimensionless pressure-drop quantity tabulated as a function of dimensionless time. This quantity can be used in given equations to compute reservoir pressure from a known water-influx rate, to predict water-influx rate (or cumulative amount) from a reservoir-pressure schedule or to predict gas reservoir pressure and pore-volume performance from a given gas-in-place schedule. The model is applied in example problems to gas-storage reservoirs, and the difference between reservoir performances predicted by the thick sand model of this paper and the horizontal, radial-flow model is shown to be appreciable. INTRODUCTION The calculation of aquifer water movement into or out of oil and gas reservoirs situated on aquifers is important in pressure maintenance studies, material-balance and well-flooding calculations. In gas storage operations, a knowledge of the water movemenr is especially important in predicting pressure and pore-volume behavior. Throughout this paper the term "pore volume" denotes volume occupied by the reservoir fluid, while the term "flow model" refers to the idealized or mathematical representation of water flow in the reservoir-aquifer system. The prediction of water movement requires selection of a flow model for the reservoir-aquifer system. A physically reasonable flow model treated in detail to date is the radial-flow model considered by van Everdingen and Hurst.1 In many cases the reservoir is situated on top of the aquifer with a continuous horizontal interface between reservoir fluid and aquifer water and with a significant depth of aquifer underlying the reservoir. In these cases, bottom-water drive will occur, and a three-dimensional model accounting for the pressure gradient and water flow in the vertical direction should be employed. This paper treats such a model in detail — from the description of the model through formulation of the governing partial differential equation to solution of the equation and preparation of tables giving dimensionless pressure drop as a function of dimensionless time. The model rigorously accounts for the practical case of a vertical permeability equal to some fraction of the horizontal permeability. The pressure-drop values can be used in given equations to predict reservoir pressure from a known water-influx rate or to predict water-influx rate (or cumulative amount) when the reservoir pressure is known. The inclusion of gravity in this analysis is actually trivial since gravity has virtually no efFect on the flow of a homogeneous, slightly compressible fluid in a fixed-boundary system subject to the boundary conditions imposed in this study. Thus, if the acceleration of gravity is set equal to zero in the following equations, the final result is unchanged. The pressure distribution is altered by inclusion of gravity in the analysis, but only by the time-constant hydrostatic head. The equations developed are applied in an example case study to predict the pressure and pore-volume behavior of a gas storage reservoir. The prediction of reservoir performance based on the bottom-water-drive model is shown to differ significantly from that based on van Everdingen and Hurst's horizontal-flow model. DESCRIPTION OF FLOW MODEL The edge-water-drive flow model treated by van Everdingen and Hurst1 is shown in Fig. la. The aquifer thickness b is small in relation to reservoir radius rb. water invades or recedes from the field at the latter's edges, and only horizontal radial flow is considered as shown in Fig. 1b. The bottom-water-drive reservoir-aquifer system treated herein is sketched in Fig. 2a and 2b. Here the aquifer

By Arthur Knapp

The petroleum industry is confronted with the problem of conservalion. This is not a simple problem in view of a wide difference of opinion among authorities as to whether conservation is necessary and the specific direction that it should take. Many writers accuse the petroleum industry of wasting the natural resources of the country. Others link the consuming public with the industry in this waste. Let us define our terms; agree, if possible, on where and when waste occurs in connection with either the recovery or use of petroleum and select such plans for conservation as appear most practical. A plan for conserv3tion which appears to be logical today may not meet the problem tomorrow. The conservation of petroleum is closely linked with the advancement of marly arts and sciences and as these advance, the plan of conservation has to change. The need for conservation does not necessarily rest upon the elimination of waste. There is not necessarily a fixed connection between waste and conservation. Conservation may be necessary or desirable although there is no waste. Definitions Waste: Useless or unnecessary expenditure. Conservation: The preservation of the natural resources for economical use. Both definitions contain adjectives the interpretation of which is extremely difficult. It is the determination of what expenditures are "unnecessary" or what uses are "economical" that will require study and agreement. If one lets his automobile engine run in cold weather in order to keep it hot, it is difficult to measure that necessity. If an automobile is driven two blocks, when the driver is physically capable of walking, what is the measure of necessity. This question is in the realm of one of the oldest of sociological problems, "What is a luxury?"—a problem which has not been solved. The history of society indicates that the measure of a man's wealth has been the measure of necessity. What he can afford to buy without stinting himself in some other direction, is not a luxury to him and, if it fulfills his desires, may be considered his necessity.

Jan 1, 1927

By R. B. Hoy, Stanley J. LeFond, K. Reckling

World production of natural diamonds prob¬ably exceeds 50,000,000 carats a year. The Republic of Zaire is the leading producer, with an output which is primarily industrial rather than gem grade. The USSR ranks second, and the Republic of South Africa third. Diamonds are also mined in South-West Africa, Angola, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and other African coun¬tries. In the western hemisphere, Brazil and Venezuela are the principal producers (Fig. 1). A very small output of diamonds is mined today in India, which was the first source of commercial production. In the U.S., efforts at commercial diamond mining have been con¬fined to a small area near Murfreesboro, Ark. The first diamond was found in a kimberlite pipe there in 1906. Small-scale trial mining has not, however, proved economical. Since diamonds were first discovered over 2000 years ago, only about 130 tons have been mined. In order to obtain 1 g (5 carats) of diamonds, it is necessary to remove and process approximately 25 tons of rock. Recovering this small percentage involves a combination of highly developed techniques in mining, quarrying, and earth-moving, and extremely sophisticated recovery processes. End Uses Diamonds are used for two unrelated end uses; gem diamonds are jewels of great beauty while industrial diamonds are essential ma¬terials of modern industry. Although imitation stones are substituted for the gem diamond, none of these matches its properties sufficiently well to offer real competition. Synthetic indus¬trial diamonds are now of a quality that per¬mits wide substitution in the fine-grained sizes. Gem Diamonds A diamond is a natural prism. It has the ability to bounce light rays (reflection), to bend them (refraction), and to break them into all colors of the rainbow (dispersion). This ability to "modify" light gives the diamond three characteristics for providing beauty. First is brilliance, the reflection of light back to the eye. Second is fire, dispersion of light into the colors of the spectrum. Third is scintillation, the "twinkling" that occurs when the diamond is moved (Bauer, 1969). The skill of the diamond cutter is required to unlock the brilliant, fiery beauty of a gem dia¬mond (Fisher, 1966). Diamond-cutting skills have gradually developed over the centuries. The first cutters, in India, learned how to grind one rough diamond against another to remove their "skins" and to give them various shapes. This revealed some fire and beauty, but little compared to that of the diamonds that are cut today. About 1475, a Flemish cutter named Van Gerquem discovered that diamond dust on an iron wheel would polish facets on a diamond to provide more brilliance and fire. Cutters continued to experiment with facets, and shortly before 1700 a Venetian cutter named Peruzzi developed the 58-facet brilliant cut. With the development of the science of optics, cutters have learned more about the behavior of light within the diamond. Early in the 20th century, they learned how to angle Peruzzi's

Jan 1, 1975