Search Documents

By William P. Jones

THE consumption of sulphuric acid, one of the most important commodities in our modern industrial world, is often used as a barometer for industrial activity. The economics of acid manufacture are largely dependent upon the location of the place of consumption and the availability of raw materials in that locality. Sulphuric acid is made from SO,, oxygen from the air and water. Therefore the sulphur dioxide is the only raw material to be considered in an economic study. SO, can be obtained from almost any material containing inorganic sulphur, such as elemental sulphur, pyrites, coal, sour gas and oil, metallurgical gases, waste gases, or gypsum and anhydrite. Many tons of acid can also be reclaimed by the recovery and concentration of spent acids. The aim of this paper is to present a guide to the economic aspects to be considered when the installation of an acid plant is contemplated. It must be remembered that 1 ton of elemental sulphur produces 3 tons of sulphuric acid and that the shipping of sulphuric acid by tank car is very costly. The size of the plant must also be given careful consideration. For instance, operation of a plant producing 5 tons of acid per day might be warranted in Brazil or Pakistan, whereas economics usually favor buying quantities up to 50 tons per day for use within the United States. Elemental sulphur, when available at the low price of 1M4 per lb delivered at an acid plant, has always been the raw material most frequently used for sulphuric acid. All conditions favor its use at this price. The so-called sulphur shortage has been the subject of so many technical papers, magazine articles, and newspaper items during the past y6ar that it hardly seems necessary to mention it again, but a very brief review of the matter will serve as a foundation for the discussion that follows. There is no shortage of sulphur. Only a shortage of low-cost Frasch-mined brimstone exists today. Other more expensive sulphur-bearing materials are plentiful, both in the United States and abroad. The low cost of Frasch-mined brimstone has discouraged the development of higher cost sources. However, the approaching depletion of Gulf Coast dome deposits and the greatly increased demand for sulphur here and abroad have made it necessary for industry to prepare for conversion to utilize sulphur in other forms. For future planning this situation must be considered permanent and not temporary. This conclusion is based on the fact that although sulphur demand will continue to rise, the production of Frasch-mined sulphur probably will not increase greatly beyond its present level of about 5,000,000 long tons per year. The International Materials Conference in Washington estimates 1952 requirements of the free world at nearly 7 million long tons; and the Defense Production Administration has recently set a new goal for 8,400,000 long tons annual domestic production by 1955. The total sulphur equivalent produced in this country in 1950 was 6 million tons. What, then, are the alternatives for the manufacture of the vital chemical, sulphuric acid? Today about 85 pct of this country's sulphur, and nearly 50 pct of the world supply, comes from our Gulf Coast salt domes and is extracted from the earth by Frasch's hot water process. The Gulf Coast salt dome deposits have been the most important known natural deposits in the world, producing 90 million tons of sulphur during the past 50 years. However, at the present rate of extraction these deposits cannot be expected to last indefinitely. Pyrites Pyrites are, and have been for many years, the source of more than 50 pct of the world's sulphur requirements. The principal use, of course, is in the manufacture of sulphuric acid. The use of pyrites in the United States has diminished greatly because of the availability of low cost native sulphur, but pyrites have continued a major source of sulphur in many other countries. The most available pyrites for use in this country are in the form of lump pyritic ore and in mill tailings from flotation of other minerals such as lead, zinc, copper, gold, and silver. An important factor, when the use of pyrites for acid manufacture is being considered, is the disposal of calcine. A ton of sulphuric acid requires approximately ton of high-grade pyrite and results in 1/2 ton of calcine. If the calcine is a fairly pure oxide, free of harmful impurities, it can be used, after sintering, in an iron blast furnace burden. Its value might be as high as 15d per unit of Fe at the blast furnace; or possibly $10.00 per ton of sinter, if it assays 65 pct Fe. This might result in a credit of $4.00 per ton of acid if the sintering plant and blast furnace are both located adjacent to the acid plant. On the other hand, several factors must be considered before this credit can be realized, i.e., freight to blast furnace, availability of sintering facilities, methods of eliminating impurities, and the removal of valuable metal values. In some locations it would be most economical to dump the calcines.

Jan 1, 1953

By T. S. Lundy, C. J. McHargue

HE diffusion rate of v48 in single crystals of bee vanadium has been determined at temperatures from 1002° to 1888°C. Standard techniques of lathe sectioning were used for specimens annealed above 1500°C while sectioning by grinding was used for specimens annealed at lower temperatures. As will be seen, the lower-temperature data is enhanced on an Arrhenius-type plot relative to values expected by extrapolation of the high-temperature data. Single crystals were obtained from Linde Co. In Table I the analysis supplied by the vendor is compared with an analysis at Oak Ridge National Laboratory of a sample after a diffusion anneal. The isotope v4' was prepared by the Isotopes Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Proton bombardment of a titanium target in the 86-Inch ORNL Cyclotron was followed by a carrier-free chemical separation. Nineteen specimens, 1/2 in. diam and 3/8 in. long, were cut from the as-received vanadium single crystals. Each specimen was machined with the flat face perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. Specimens were polished through 1/0 emery paper and were etched with 25 pct HF-10 pct H2SO4-10 pct HNO3-55 pct H2O. The polishing and etching steps were repeated until a satisfactory surface finish was achieved. The isotope was electroplated onto the specimens from a neutral solution. Counting rates of the deposited layers were approximately 100 counts per sec. At temperatures above 1200°C specimens were annealed in a tantalum resistance furnace under an argon atmosphere. Temperatures were measured with a Pyro micro-optical pyrometer and a Pt-Pt 10 pct Rh thermocouple. At lower temperatures the specimens were sealed in evacuated quartz ampoules and annealed in Kanthal wire-wound horizontal tube furnaces. A severe reaction occurred at 1200°C between the quartz and the vanadium. This

Jan 1, 1965

THE following employment items are made available to AIME members on a non-profit basis by the Engineering Societies Personnel Service, Inc., operating in cooperation with the Four Founder Societies. Local offices of the Personnel Service are at 8 W. 40th.St. New York 18; 100 Farnsworth Ave., Detroit; 57. Post St., San Francisco; 84 E. Randolph St., Chicago 1. Applicants should address all mail to' the proper key numbers in care of the New York office and include 6c in stamps for forwarding and. returning application. The applicant agrees, if placed in a position by means of the Service, to pay the placement fee listed by the Service. AIME members may secure a weekly bulletin of positions available for $3.50 a quarter, $12 a year. MEN AVAILABLE Mining Engineer, 41, married, one child, employed. Broad experience, both underground and open-pit, type mining. Exploration, development, exploitation, industrial construction, milling in northwestern United States. Desires position with progressive, established concern. M-666-259¬Chicago. Recent Graduate, 24, married, no children, B.S. mineral economics. Employed-one year's experience in development of deposits, study of problem areas. Will accept position anywhere in the world. Available immediately. M-667.

Jan 1, 1952

By W. A. Ver Wiebe

It is becoming increasingly apparent that the State of Kansas contains one of the largest reserve areas for oil exploration in the United States. During the year 1936 no less than 54 new oil pools were discovered by drilling. In addition, seven gas pools were found, which may develop into oil pools when deeper horizons are tested. Several old pools increased their reserves when production was found in lower strata. The data presented in Table 2 indicate that nearly 2000 wells were drilled in the state during 1936. Of these more than 1214 found commercial quantities of oil and at least 61 found marketable quantities of gas. The data are conservative because complete results on drilling are not available for the eastern part of the state. Ellis, Rice and Russell Counties share honors with a total of 10 new pools in each. Barton County is prominent with six pools; while those counties claiming fewer new pools are Clark, Ellsworth, Harvey, McPherson, Ness, Pawnee, Rooks, Stafford and Trego. Important additions to our gas reserves were found in Finney and Haskell Counties, which are north of the extensive Hugoton gas area and may some day be part of it. At the close of the year there were 17,317 wells in the state rating as producers. By far the larger share (14,000) were classed as strippers and allowed to flow 100 per cent of their potential capacity, thus accounting for 33,500 bbl. a day. The remaining wells, capable of producing from 15 up to over 6000 bbl. per day, were limited in output according to these amounts. The largest wells having a potential of from 3000 to 7000 were allowed to flow from 2 to 3½ per cent of their official potential capacity. The percentage rises until wells of 15 to 20-bbl. capacity have a rating of slightly over 83. On the basis of these calculations the total potential capacity of all wells was 1,667,814 bbl., and the daily amount allowed was 175,851. Nine of the pools most recently opened were still unable to market their oil and were classified as "shut-in" pools. Total production for the state for 1936 was somewhat over 58 million barrels. Striking Geological Data Some interesting geological data were uncovered by deep drilling during the year. The most remarkable bit of information is the discovery

Jan 1, 1937

By D. H. Baldwin, R. E. Reed-Hill

Six compositions of polycrystalline ZY-0 alloys, containing up to 4.2 at. pct 0, were tested in tension between 77° and 600° K. The data obtained from each of the compositions corresponded closely to a rela-ion between yield stress and absolute temperature of the form In s/so = BT, where oo is the yield stress extrapolated to zero degrees and B is a constant. In agreement with others who have observed this relationship, it is shown that the activation energy may be expressed as Ho In so/s. In the present specimens Ho is approximately 18,000 cal per mole and is apparently independent of temperature and composition inside the limits of the investigation. It is also demonstrated that this form of activation energy cowesponds to a strain rate sensitivity parameter RT/Ho. Oxygen was also noted to have an effect upon the operative deformation mechanisms. With increasing oxygen concentration there was an increased tendency to observe both nonbasal slip and cross-slip phenomena. Oxygen does not seriously inhibit twinning more than it does slip. Twins were observed in all specimens tested. It is becoming increasingly evident that interstitial atoms in solid solution are able to interact strongly with mobile dislocations. Stein, Low, and seybolt,&apos; have shown that, if the carbon concentration in bcc iron is lowered below the solubility limit, its flow stress temperature dependence is markedly reduced. This suggests that carbon atoms in interstitial solid solution may be responsible for the pronounced temperature dependence of the flow stress normally observed in iron. This view has recently been challenged by Leslie and sober2 who observed a strong flow stress temperature dependence in iron to which a trace of titanium had been added in order to remove carbon atoms from solution. Since the interstitial concentration must be reduced below approximately 1 ppm in order to produce a pronounced effect on the flow stress temperature dependence,&apos; studies of the effect of interstitials on the flow stress in iron necessarily involve serious experimental difficulties in alloy preparation. There are other metals, however, in which strong effects of interstitial solutes upon both the flow stress and its temperature dependence are observed. Of particular significance is zirconium which, according to Domagala and Mcpherson, 3 is capable of dissolving 28.6 at. pct O. The O-Zr alloy system is an almost ideal system for studying the interaction of interstitial atoms with deformation modes since it is possible to form alloys capable of study over an extensive range of compositions. Mills has made such a study using single crystals oriented primarily for single prismatic slip4 and has found an effect of oxygen concentration on the flow stress temperature dependence analogous to that observed in iron due to carbon by Stein, Low, and Seybolt. The present paper is specifically concerned with the effect of oxygen on deformation in polycrystalline zirconium. Although plastic flow in this type of specimen is much more complex than that reported for the single-crystal work, and involves both slip (on several different types of planes) and mechanical twinning, the results of this investigation are in general agreement with the single-crystal observations concerning the effect of oxygen on the temperature dependence of the flow stress. In addition, they also demonstrate that oxygen affects the acting deformation systems. This is in contrast to single-crystal results4 that showed only single slip on a prism plane. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Material. High-purity hot-rolled zirconium strip, 0.2 in. thick by 4 in. wide, of 0.10-mm average grain diameter, was used for forming alloys. It was obtained from the Carborundum Metals Co., Akron, N.Y., whose analysis indicated the major impurities were, in wt ppm: Hf, 540, C, 145; Fe, 100; and 0, <80. The plate texture was similar to a wire texture, with basal planes generally parallel to the rolling direction and basal poles randomly distributed about the rolling direction. The heat treatments described below did not appreciably alter the basic texture. specimen Preparation. Small threaded-end tensile specimens were machined from the plate with axes perpendicular to the rolling direction. These transverse specimens had gage sections 1 in. long by 0.060 in. in diam. The small gage section diameter was dictated by the fact that the alloys were formed by dif-

Jan 1, 1969

By John V. Beall

W hen the blasts went off on West 11th St., just off 5th Ave. in New York City, James Michaels, editor of Forbes magazine, was in his office a few doors away reviewing color layouts with his production manager. Having once been a reporter, he grabbed his trench coat and dashed for the street to be con- fronted by the demolished townhouse which had been turned into a bomb factory by youths. To Michaels, this shocking episode supplied the exclamation point to thoughts he was formulating that an era had ended and a new one was beginning in the economic and social climate of the U. S. "For twenty years corporate profits, the stock market, middle income pay have gone up and up. . . The illusions of twenty years are in confrontation today with changed needs," he said. "International omnipotence is economically beyond our means, . . The anti-pollution and community renewal people are not nuts in tennis shoes who will go away. . . That corporation presidents can report an increase in earnings every year is an illusion that will be dropped. . . There has been a $200 billion shrink in value of stocks and bonds since Nixon came into office" were some indicators Michaels mentioned.

Jan 1, 1970

US 4,135,913-Extraction of nickel values from iron-containing nickel sulfide ore, particularly pentlandite or nickeliferous pyrrhotite A mixture of raw ore, roasted ore, or iron powder, and coal as a reductant is heated to a temperature of 800- 1000° C in a nonoxidizing atmosphere to convert the bulk of the iron content to metallic iron while diffusing into the iron the bulk of the nickel, the mixture cooled, and the cool material separated into a magnetic fraction containing most of the nickel and a non-magnetic gangue fraction A Illis arid L S Renzoni, assigned to International Nickel Co, Inc Jan 23, 1979 7 pp (75-21) Filed 10-10-75 (621,343) Priority Canada, 10-27-72 (155,032) Same Canadian 981,910, dated Jan 20, 1976 Same British 1,389,145, dated Apr 3, 1975 US 4,135,917-In the recovery of gallium from a solution obtained by the digestion of bauxite or nepheline in an alkali solution for the production of alumina, the digestion solution is neutralized, the neutralized solution evaporated to an op¬timum caustic alkali concentration and adjusted to a ratio of alkali metal oxide to alumina of above 2, the corrected solu¬tion contacted with a gallium-aluminum alloy, arid high-purity gallium recovered from the solution by electrolysis or cemen¬tation K A Badaliants, et al Jan 23, 1979 6 pp (75-109) Filed 12-19-77 (862,201) Priority USSR, 12-22-76 (2,428,¬006) US 4,135,918-Extraction of copper from copper sulfide ore containing also one or more of the metals iron, nickel, arid cobalt Ore is roasted at a temperature of 750-800° C to expel sulfur, the sulfur-free calcine slurried in water containing a sufficient amount of sulfuric acid to supplement any sulfuric acid formed in situ, the slurry heated at 150-165° C in the presence of a reducing gas to form soluble sulfates of metals other than copper while reducing copper to elemental form, arid the slurry filtered to recover copper solids Any precious metals present in the ore will report with the copper solids V A Ettel, A P Devuyst, R Sridhar, arid C. E O&apos;Neill, as¬signed to International Nickel Co, Inc Jan 23, 1979 5 pp (75-117) Filed 3-2-78 (882,610) Priority Canada, 5-13-77 (278,360)

Jan 1, 1980

Colorado today is the largest coal producing state west of the Mississippi River. Developments around Denver began about 1860, and the building of railroads created a good market for the new industry. The development of the smelter and steel industries near Pueblo increased the demand. The available records are not complete, and all the data found are shown in Table 76. [ ]

Jan 1, 1942

By Don M. Jackson, Robert W. Howard

Techniques for the epilaxial growth of single -crystal silicon carbide films on silicon were developed. The vapor-phase decomposition and bydrogen reduction of silicon tetrachloride (SiC14) and Propane (C3H8) resulted in clear films of silicon carbide, lip to seveval microns in thickness. The growth took place in a horizontal . silicon epilaxial reactor at 1100°C (pyrometer) at a rate of- 3000Å per minute. Electron diffraction and X-ray diffraction studies demonstrated that the films were single-cyrstal, ß -phase, or cubic silicon carbide. SiO2 film were used to mask areas of the silicon sur-lace in order that the silicon carbide might be grown in controlled geometries. Both n- and p-type films were grown on p-type silicon waters.. Heavily doped silicon films of the same conductivity type as the silicon carbide films were deposited over the silicon carbide in order to affect better probe contact to the structures. when n-type silicon carbide mesas were grown on p-type silicon substrates the de vollage-current relationships between films and substrates were that of junction diodes. These diodes showed a sensitivity to while light ill that the incident light increased forward- and reverse-satro,ation currents, P-type silicon carbide mesas grown on p-type silicon were ohmic rather than rectifying in their voltage -current relationship. No conclusions could he reached concerning heterojunc-tiou rectification in the structure. SILICON carbide is a semiconductor with many interesting properties. It decomposes at temperatures above 2200°C.1 It occurs in two general crys-tallographic forms—hexagonal (a Sic) and cubic (ß Sic)—with the cubic form having a forbidden-gap energy of 2.32 ev and the hexagonal form (specifically the 6H polytype) a gap energy of 2.86 ev.3 It behaves as an extrinsic semiconductor at temperatures approaching 5003C. It has been shown to have a high resistance to radiation damage4 and p-n junctions formed in Sic have been shown to radiate visible light under forward- or reverse-bias conditions. Epitaxial silicon carbide on silicon carbide has been successfully grown through the use of a variety of techniques, such as gaseous cracking of SiCL4 and CC4, nearly all of which require a deposition temperature above 1500°C.6 This paper will cover very recent work on the gas-phase deposition of highly ordered films of silicon carbide on high-quality silicon single-crystal substrates. The films have been shown to ex- hibit junction-rectification properties when geometrically isolated regions are electrically biased with reference to the silicon substrate. There will be no discussion of the mechanism of heterojunction rectification, but the methods of film fabrication, geometry control, and structural evaluations will be covered in detail. Electron diffraction, X-ray diffraction, and diode electrical properties were used to characterize the films and the junctions. GAS-PHASE DEPOSITION OF Sic The techniques for the deposition of silicon carbide films were a logical outgrowth of the standard silicon epitaxial process. The major premise followed was that, for any film to nucleate in an ordered fashion where there is considerable mismatch in lattice parameters (in this case 22 pct), an extremely clean, damage-free substrate surface must be presented to the gas stream. Thus a standard gas-phase HCl etching step was used to prepare the substrates for growth. A minimum of 5 µ of substrate-surface material was removed prior to the deposition of Sic overgrowth films. The techniques used for growing silicon carbide films were those of growing silicon alone, with the added injection of a hydrocarbon gas into the hydrogen and silicon tetrachloride gas stream. The hydrocarbon gases used thus far have been research-grade (99.99 pct) methane (CH4) and propane (C3H8). Propane ultimately gave the best results. The gas flows were controlled through a panel shown schematically in Fig. 1. A hydrogen main stream of 30 liters per min passed through the horizontal quartz-tube epitaxial reactor, while SiC14, C3H8, HC1, and doping gases were injected as side streams. The

Jan 1, 1965

By Goro Shimaoka, Kichizo Niwa

IN the past, the crystalline states of graphite in cast iron have been studied by many investigators. Recently several authors 1-4 have published interesting information on the crystal texture of the individual graphite grain, especially spherulites in nodular cast iron. In regard to the crystal structure of graphite, Lipson and Stokes0 howed by powder X-ray analysis that most of the crystals contain about 14 pct rhombohedra1 structure (ß-form) which differs from the hexagonal structure (a-form) in the sequence of layer stacking. Hoerni6 onfirmed the existence of the ß-form in a single crystal with electron diffraction by Kossel-Moellenstedt&apos;s method. Furthermore, Hoerni and Weigle7 found extra reflections in electron diffraction patterns, which are given by a unit cell twice as large as the usual one in the basal plane. Recently, Lukeshs observed graphite twinning and satellite reflections in his X-ray work and considered them as evidence for the existence of an orthorhombic superstructure. Owen and Street" and Matuyama" studied the structures of graphite crystals in several types of cast iron, using the X-ray powder method, and they showed that the graphite crystal contains a certain amount of the ß-form, an amount which varies with the sources of the cast iron used. The present study was made in order to secure structural information on graphitization in cast iron. Electron diffraction studies on the structure of single graphite flakes segregated from molten carbon or silicon-rich iron at 1200" to 1500°C are reported. Experimental Honkeiko pig iron (4.05 pct C, 1.59 pct Si, and 0.65 pct Mn) was used as the solvent of carbon or silicon. The pig iron was melted in an open furnace and a small quantity of metallic silicon was added to the melt at 1300°C. The melt was heated to 150O°C, and then retort black carbon or metallic silicon was added little by little. The components added to the bath contained approximately 5.0 pct C and 2.0 pct Si in the carbon-rich material, and 3.8 pct C and 5.4 pct Si in the silicon-rich iron. These two types were held at 1500°C and then cooled without graphitizing by cutting the heat sup-

Jan 1, 1958

By Kenneth C. Vincent, A. M. Gaudin

TEN years ago Taggart, Taylor and Ince1 described a workable, convenient apparatus for the measurement of contact angles between cleaved, ground or polished particles and captive bubbles. Wark and Cox2 and Wark and Sutherland3 have done an immense amount of experimental work with this apparatus. Their work has had as principal object the determination of "contact curves." Contact curves are cartesian charts in which pH (or some other variable) is plotted against quantity of modifying agent. The rectangular area is broken into two or more curvilinear areas separated by the contact curve. The curve indicates that a sharp demarcation exists between conditions that bring about sticking of particles to bubbles and conditions that do not produce sticking. The type curve appears in the TRANSACTIONS as Fig. 1, page 248, volume 112. Wark and Cox offer data to show that the contact angle has a value determined by and characteristic of the agent used. Wark and Cox also make the statement that they believe this value is independent of concentration (ref. 2a, p. 209). They say: It is suspected that, given sufficient time and provided that there are no disturbing factors, the full ethyl xanthate angle (corresponding to a complete xanthate film) would be obtained in every case where contact occurs. Such a conclusion, if correct, would tend to substantiate the hypothesis of flotation collection by metathesis championed by Taggart and his associates4-8 and would argue against the adsorption hypothesis now adopted by Wark7 and by one of us.8 However, the data of Wark and Cox do not bear out the conclusion that there is a sharp passage from conditions of contact to conditions of noncontact. Rather, they indicate the existence of a transition zone of reagent concentration across which the contact angle varies with changes in reagent concentration from zero to a value near the maximum. This may be seen, for example, from Fig. 195 in the new text by one of us (ref. 8, p. 380), which presents the data of Wark and Cox in graphical form. The object of this study has been to explore the nature of the transition from conditions of contact to conditions of noncontact. The data of Wark and Cox to which reference has been made as showing that a gradual transition exists are marred by the fact that the region of critical-agent concentration is at an extremely small concentration. This condition suggests that diffusion may have played such a preponderant role that equilibrium was not reached within the time alloted. In the Wark and Cox data, the critical concentration was at about one part of xanthate per million parts of water. To form a monolayer of xanthate on the mineral surface would therefore require depletion of xanthate in the liquid to a depth of the order of

Jan 1, 1940

G. SHERBURNE ROGERS,* Washington, D. C. (written discussion?).- We are indebted to Captain Lucas for an interesting contribution to the literature of the salt-dome oil fields, and especially for his suggestion that a more aggressive method -of prospecting be adopted. The occasional discovery of new fields on, the Gulf Coast is in itself sufficient to show that the oil possibilities of the region are by no means exhausted, and those who have studied the area most thoroughly are the most optimistic regarding its future. Nevertheless, the search for new fields, according to present methods, involves the expenditure of great sums of money annually, for the proportion of dry holes to producing wells drilled yearly in the Gulf Coast region is much&apos; greater than in most areas, even if all the wells drilled in what is commonly regarded as proved territory are included. Not only are the present methods of locating new domes very uncertain, but when a dome is discovered there is no assurance that it will be oil-bearing; or, if so, whether the oil occurs in the cap-rock, in the sands above it, or in some small isolated lens of sand far down on the flanks of the salt mass. As Captain Lucas points out, about all we positively know is that the domes are there and that some of them are oil-bearing; their origin is a matter of controversy and the original source of the oil is conjectural. Under these conditions, it is not surprising that the search for oil is conducted more or less blindly and that dry holes are common. Many wells are drilled each year in an endeavor to find oil at depths of 2000 or 3000 ft. (609 to 914 m.) or less, in locations which most geologists would condemn without hesitation. As Captain Lucas suggests, the money spent in this way might be used to far better advantage in, drilling one deep well in a carefully selected locality. Opinions may differ as to whether such a, well would find oil, and many geologists will probably believe that the chances are against it, yet all will agree that the boring, whether it finds oil or not, will probably throw light on the origin of the domes and on the source and mode of accumulation of the oil, and will therefore be of great interest, not only to the scientist, but to the oil operator.

Jan 10, 1918

By T. J. Whalen, S. M. Kaufman

Surface-tension measurements for liquid Fe-C-Co and Fe-C-Ni alloys were performed by the sesszle-drop technique at 1350o and 1425°C. Cobalt was shown to he more effective than nickel in lowering the surface tension of Fe-C alloys A minimum value for surface tension of 1640 dynes per cm was found in the Fe-C-Co system at a concentration of 1.5 pet C and 12pet Co. Analysis of these measurements in terms of adsorption and desorption behavior indicated that cobalt and nickel lower surface tension in Fe-C alloys by replacing carbon at the liquid-vapor interface. Comparison of results to date for Fe-C liquid alloys has shown that most substitutional-type elements having about the same atomic diameter as iron also have relatively the same influence on surface tension when present in dilute amounts. It has been shown previously that surface-adsorption behavior in liquid Fe-C ternary alloys is related to the manner in which the ternary addition affects the activity of carbon in the bulk solution.&apos; Certain ternary additions, such as chromium, tending to decrease carbon activity cause adsorption of carbon and chromium to the liquid-vapor interface. Additions, such as silicon, increase the carbon activity, resulting in a desorption of carbon and an adsorption of silicon. Both cases were shown to cause a decrease in surface tension due to adsorption. It is the object of this paper, as part of the writers&apos; continuing interest in the effect of alloying additions on the surface tension of Fe-C alloys, to present and discuss surface-tension data on solutions in the ternary systems Fe-C-Co and Fe-C-Ni. Available activity measurements for these systems in the solid state indicate a strong increase in carbon activity when either nickel or cobalt is added to Fe-C alloys.2, 3 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The alloy compositions used are shown in Table I. These alloys were prepared by vacuum melting in stabilized zirconia crucibles and then vacuum casting into cold-steel molds. The nominal analyses for the alloys used in this investigation are given in Table I. Surface tensions and densities were measured by the sessile-drop method4,5 in conjunction with the tables of Bashforth and bdams.&apos; Specimens were prepared by slicing 1/4-in. cubes from the center of the vacuum-cast ingots and grinding the edges of these cubes until their shapes approximated spheres with flat bottoms. Proper handling techniques, including an acetone rinse immediately before use, assured minimum contamination from sources extraneous to the actual melting. For each experimental run a sample was placed on a BeO plaque and positioned and leveled inside a vacuum induction heating apparatus. The sample and plaque arrangement sat inside a molybdenum tube which acted as the susceptor. Diagrams of this apparatus may be found in the literature.= After heating to temperatures just above the liquidus at pressures of the order of 10-4 to 10- 5 mm Hg, photographs of the drop profile were made using its natural thermal radiation as a light source. Some measurements were made with partial pressures (-1 cm Hg) of a mixture of H2 and He gases. The H2-He atmospheres proved to be necessary at higher nickel contents to retard excessive vaporization losses. Chemical analysis for carbon and the ternary addition was performed for each alloy sample after completion of the experimental run.

Jan 1, 1964

By William M. Shakespeare

Thin sheet copper in wide widths and long lengths is being made electrolytically on a commercial scale at the Raritan Copper Works, Perth Amboy, N. J. This achievement is the result of three years of intensive development preceded by almost ten years of intermittent research. While the idea of producing sheet copper by the electrolytic process is old, the literature on the subject is limited. It is evident, however, that the idea has been attractive to many investigators for years, if the issued patents in the field may be taken as an indication. These patents may be divided into three groups. In one group metal is deposited on some form of endless cathode, of which a revolving cylinder or drum is the most common. The cathode moves slowly and at such a rate that metal of the desired thickness is deposited during one pass through the electrolyte. The deposited metal is stripped off the cathode at a point above the solution level and, after washing and drying, is wound up immediately. In the next group of patents a band of thin metal is increased in thickness by being guided through an electrolytic tank in opposition to suitable anodes. The third group covers means of producing sheets of definite dimensions where flat plates or revolving cylinders are used as cathodes. With such cathodes, sheets of definite dimensions are built up to the desired thickness and then stripped off. The process as worked out at the Raritan Copper Works combines the methods of the first two groups. In the first stage a sheet weighing 1 oz. to the square foot is produced on a revolving cylinder. This sheet is increased to any desired thickness in the second stage. In the first stage (Fig. 1) a lead-covered copper drum is mounted horizontally on a lead-lined concrete tank so that it. is partly immersed in the electrolyte. The cylindrical surface of the drum immersed in the electrolyte is opposed by lead anodes spaced about 36 in. from it. The electrolyte, made up of appropriate quantities of copper and sulfuric acid, flows into and out of the tank continuously. The ebullition of gas at the surface of the anodes induces a vigorous circulation of electrolyte between the anodes and the drum surface, which is augmented by means of compressed air introduced through a pipe between the ends of the anodes under the center of the drum, not indicated on the diagram. This

Jan 1, 1934

By J. W. Cloud

years ago upon the effect of having the rails always rolled in the same direction, and also of having them rolled backwards and forwards, and showed that under the latter course there were of necesshy weak spots somewhere near the centre of the rail, yet in all this discussion the methods of rolling have been passed by almost in silence. Mr.. Sandberg in his paper mentions the idea of using a regietering dynamometer attached to the punching machines, and of det.erminit~g the quality of the metal by the resistance which is shown. I think the&apos; first idea of this kind was published by Professor Langley, then of Pittsburgh, who, while making some investigations for Mesrs. Miller, Metcalf and Parkin, announceti as tile result of a series of dynamometric experiments that abrasive resistance was the term which should be wed in regard to steels of different wearing qualities. I have had extremely delicate dynamometers attached to the instruments of precision with which I am making the iuvestigation on the fatigue of metals, and hope soon to communicate the results of the iovegtigation- made with them to the Institute. I wish again to call attention to the fact that we are wing the words " hardener " and " hardness " without any real idea of the meaning of these words. When we say hard and soft, as we have hen constantly doing during this discussion, is it quite sure that every one has exactly the same meaning in his mind ? Certainly, when hard is used in distinction from soft*, we mean not the capacity of wear, but the capacity of resistance to peuetration, to fracture, or some other resistance, and do not always meau the capacity of resistance to abrasion or crushing, which the discussion would sometimes seem to imply were the only qualitiw requisite to constitute a god rail. J. W. Cloud, Altoona, Pa. : I would call the attention of the Institute to the title of Dr. Dudley&apos;s interesting and valuable paper, —" The Wearing Capacity of Steel Rails in relation to their Chemical Composition and Physical Properties." Here are two separate and distinct questions: lst, The wearing capacity of steel rails in relation to their chemical content; and 2d, the wearing capacity of steel rails in relation to their physical properties. The discussion has been almost exclusively confined to the former question, on which there may be many differences of opinion in matters of detail without greatig affecting the result. The latter

Jan 1, 1881

By T. P. Meloy

Economic constraints require that the optimum mineral processing circuit be chosen for a given ore and then the circuit be optimized. Meloy (1983) developed a general methodology for finding the best circuit for a given ore. This analysis, however, did not specify a way to optimize the best circuit once it has been found. To optimize a given circuit, it is necessary to find the optimum set points for each unit operation in the circuit. Developed in this paper is a simple, general equation which, when applied, defines the optimum separation set point for the maximum mineral grade. This general equation, Equation (4), applies not only to simple ores, but also to complex ores containing variable and locked particles. Currently, the optimum set point can be calculated only for heavy media and cyclone circuits, because they are the only unit operations for which the necessary data has been measured.

Jan 1, 1984

By S. Shapiro, G. Krauss

RECENT investigations1 3 of the products of marten-sitic transformation in Fe-Ni and Fe-Ni-C alloys have made use of light microscopy to describe mar-tensitic fine structure. The application of conventional metallographic techniques to this problem was possible because of the similarity of distributions of parallel striations developed by etching polished surfaces to distributions of transformation twins which are positively identified in thin films by transmission electron microscopy. The surface striations frequently are not well-defined, and could also be due to, for example, rows of etch pits which are not resolved by the light microscope. This note describes the etching effects revealed by examination of surface replicas of mar-tensite in the electron microscope. The application of a replica technique both extends the observations of fine structure made with the light microscope and allows the results of conventional metallography to be used with more confidence. Samples of an Fe-33 wt pct Ni alloy were used for this study because of the detailed knowledge of the fine structure of martensite which has been developed&apos;-4 for alloys of about this composition. Samples transformed to martensite at -120°C, and transformed samples heated to 340°C to effect a small amount of reversal of martensite to austenite, were examined. Surfaces were first prepared for replication by elec-tropolishing in a chromium oxide-acetic acid electrolyte at a current density of 0.1 amp per sq cm and a temperature of 15°C or a perchloric acid-acetic acid electrolyte at a current density of approximately 2 amps per sq cm and a temperature of 15°C. The polished surfaces were then etched for 4 to 7 sec by immersion in a solution of equal parts HC1, HNO,, and H20. Application of the etchant for this period of time produced discrete attack of certain features without loss of resolution due to overlapping of areas most susceptible to etching. The etched surfaces were replicated by 1) preshadowing with Pt-Pd alloy at an angle of 20 to 30 deg, 2) depositing a thin carbon film, and 3) stripping the film and shadowing material by immersion in a 5 pct nital solution. Two types of etching effects were observed by examination of the surface replicas in the electron microscope: l) continuous striations centered at the bottom of long grooves or the tops of pyramidal elevations on the sample surface, and 2) high densities of fine etch pits. Examples of both types of features are shown in Figs. 1 to 4. The striations are in each case continuous and have the same characteristic configurations as do transformation twins in martensite. Fig. 1 shows that the density of grooves decreases toward the edge of a martensite plate and Fig. 2 shows a region where the striations are of varying length. Similar examples of transformation twin arrangements determined by transmission electron microscopy of thinned foils of martensite have been shown in the literature,&apos;~ and, based on these similarities, the striations and their associated grooves or mounds are considered to be evidence for the presence of transformation twins. The transf~rmation twins in martensite are on the order of l00 A thick, much too fine for resolution by the light microscope. It appears that orientation-dependent etching of the matrix martensite about the twins results in grooves or surface elevations which

Jan 1, 1967

By S. Feuerstein

THE influence of environment on the mechanical properties of metals has been extensively studied and documented.&apos; Most investigations have dealt with an interaction between a particular environment and a specific metal surface and the concomitant change in bulk mechanical behavior. Typical contributing media are oxide and metal film:;, electrolytes, and other surface-active agents. In the last category fall controlled gaseous environs (i.e., pressure or vacuum). Most vacuum exposure experiments prior to 1963 were conducted at pressures s>10-6 torr and elevated temperatures, or in such a manner as to prolong the exposure (e.g., by stress-rupture, creep, and fatigue). Little attention has been given to vacuum environment effects on the mechanical behavior of metals subjected to simple uniaxial deformation at room temperature. Test times and temperatures were assumed too ineffective as far as bulk changes were concerned. Further, the contribution of surface effects to the bulk mechanical behavior of metals was considered minimal. Under vacuums of the order of 1.0- 8torr and higher, molecular densities and, consequently, the rate of monolayer formation are such that exposures from seconds to days would be required for complete gas coverage. Thus, atomically clean surfaces created under ultra-high vacuum could conceivably maintain their cleanliness for time intervals orders of magnitude greater than at higher pressures. The influence of this unusual type of environmental surface phenomenon on the short-term bulk mechanical behavior of aluminum was first observed by Krame and Podlaseck in 1963.&apos; kin equivalent effect was reported for magnesium by Williams and Nelson.3 It was concluded from these studies2,3 that vacuum and, consequently, the monolayer formation rate of the oxide, were responsible for the described changes in flow behavior. The presence of an oxide layer impedes dis- I) EXPERIMENTAL DATA: MOLYBDENUM The tensile behavior of molybdenum was investigated by the author4-6 at ambient temperature over a range of pressures from 760 to 10-10 torr. These studies revealed that the flow behavior of the bulk specimens (0.200 in. diam by 2 in. gage length) was independent of pressure on sintered (0.062 mm grain size) and arc-cast polycrystals (0.012 to 0.149 mm grain sizes) and single crystals. Since the specimens were relatively large in size, it was assumed that any flow behavior effect would be surface-limited because of the short-term deformation procedure. Strain-rate-change experiments performed to determine the activation volumes for individual specimens at 760 to 10- 10 torr further indicated that the surface flow contribution was either minimal or zero, contrary to the findings of Shen el a1.7 on aluminum. Although the flow behaviors did not change, specimen ductility did change. For the sintered material at a strain rate of 4.2 x 10-4, specimen ductility was -9 pct higher at l0- 10 torr than at atmospheric pressure (dry nitrogen). A more comprehensive investigations on this same material revealed a distinct pressure dependence, Fig. 1. Intermediate and atmospheric pressure tests were obtained by backfilling the system from l0- 10 torr with extra dry, prepurified nitrogen. Other environments (air and purified argon) were also utilized for the 760 torr experiments; the results were essentially the same as those for dry nitrogen atmospheres. Departure from the fracture strain values obtained at 760 torr takes place in the vicinity of l0-6 torr, as indicated by the scatter band; a noticeable ductility increase is apparent at l0-8 and 10-10 torr.

Jan 1, 1970

1. Healthy and active Local Section organizations are vital factors in promoting the vigor and growth of the Institute. 2. Activity on the part of Local Sec¬tions should be recognized and stimu¬lated by appropriation of funds from the Institute&apos;s treasury;. and these appropriations should be as large as is consistent with the relative needs for other activities. 3. As between different Sections, the amount of such appropriations should be based primarily on the extent of activities as reflected in the number and character of meetings held and the attendance of the members at such meetings. 4. In making a request for funds for any year, the officers of a Local Section should submit a report on the printed form approved by the Directors at their meeting on November 19, 1937.

Jan 1, 1941

By Warden A. Moller

(Pittsburg Meeting, March, 1910.) THE Fushun coal-field, now being opened up by the South Manchurian Railway Co., is connected with the main line by a branch, 30 miles long, from Sui Chia Tun, 10 miles south of Mukden, the capital of Manchuria. The coal-field, which lies on the southern bank of the Hun river, 25 miles east of Mukden, consists of a long narrow valley,. running east and west between hills composed of granitic and volcanic rocks. At the foot of the northern hills, the Hun river flows westward towards the Liao river, which drains the greater part of South Manchuria. At the foot of the southern hills, resting immediately upon volcanic rocks, and overlain by 20 ft. of alluvial, is a thick layer of Tertiary shales, carrying near the base two coal-seams. In many places the lower of these two seams is in immediate contact with volcanic lauds and basalts, the flows of which were evidently both prior and subsequent to the formation of the coal-seams. This contact has practically destroyed the lower seam for commercial purposes. The value of the field lies in the upper seam, which, for a length of nearly 8 miles, varies from 100 to 130 ft. thick. Of this seam, 85 per cent is good coal. The seam dips to the north conformably with the shales, at angles of from 25° to 30°, and appears to have an uninterrupted dip for about 1.5 miles before being possibly cut o$&apos; by the northern hills. The coal-bearing shales extend east and west for a length of about 20 miles, but towards the east the continuity of the seams is broken by intrusive rocks. The coal is of the sub-bituminous variety, low in ash, bright in appearance, and breaks with a conchoidal fracture. It has the usual qualities of Tertiary coal-quick steam-raising and poor stacking-qualities. Pieces of resin, varying in size from

Apr 1, 1910