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Jan 1, 1922

Jan 1, 1922

By J. Gurland

THE microstructure of sintered carbides consists of particles of metal carbides, such as WC and TiC, embedded in a metallic binder which is usually a cobalt—or nickel-rich solid solution. One of the important factors influencing the strength of the alloys is the degree of dispersion of the carbide particles in the binder matrix. While it is generally accepted

Jan 1, 1960

Albert Sauveur writes, on Apr. 16, 1918, while the German offensive was at its height, as follows: "In spite of the German guns and air raids we are all in good health and spirits and shall leave Paris only as a last extremity. Our unlimited confidence in Foch, however, makes us believe that it will not be necessary. I trust that everything is well with you at the Institute." Harold Whittingham entered the active service with the heavy artillery in England at the beginning of the war and has been fighting in France since February, 1915. He now holds the rank of Major. On Dec. 17, 1917, after being wounded, he was taken prisoner by the Germans, and, so far as is known, is still in a prison camp in Germany. Charles W. Wright, who is a Captain in charge of the work of the American Red Cross in Sardinia, Italy, writes that the service there is giving aid to about 80,000 soldiers' families and is upholding the good repute of America in that place. W. S. Holloway in 1914 joined the Sportsmans' Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers as a private, but is now a Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers, Mining Corps. He received the Military Cross while mining at the Front in France. A. L. Queneau writes the following interesting account of his experience of the war. Several letters from Mr. Queneau have been published

Jan 6, 1918

By J. W. Hickman

INTRODUCTION RECENT work by the authors1 on the oxide films formed on alloys of titanium and zirconium with nickel and copper indicated that an investigation of the oxides which form on alloys of copper and nickel might permit the relative rates of formation and diffusion of the ions of. these metals to be determined. This binary system is of further interest since the alloys which form are of the solid solution-type over-the entire range. In addition nickel is much more oxidation resistant than copper. A comparison of the free energies of formation of the simple oxides which may occur on these alloys indicates that nickel oxide should be observed over the entire time and temperature ranges of oxidation for all alloy compositions.1 In. order for nickel oxide to predominate on the surface, it is necessary that nickel ions form and diffuse to the surface. Two factors which may influence the formation of nickel oxide may be the ionic sizes, where Cu+ is 0.96Å and Ni-++ is 0.70Å, and the charges on the ions. On the basis of size, Ni++ should diffuse more readily than Cu+ while on the basis of charge, Cu+ should form more readily than Ni++. According to Uhlig2 passivity to corrosion in an alloy appears at a critical composition which for copper-nickel alloys is related to the tendency of the d band of electronic energy states to fill with electrons. This composition in the copper-nickel alloys corresponds to 40 at. Pct nickel at which composition Uhlig2 (quoting La Que's data) states that the alloy system becomes passive. Magnetic and specific heat data indicate that the d band of copper-nickel alloys is filled at 6o at. pct copper or 4o at. pct nickel. Mott and Jones3 have shown that if, on alloying nickel with copper, one considers a copper atom to be identical with a nickel atom except for an extra electron (nickel -has the-configuration: 3d8 4s2 and copper: 3 d10 4s) then at 60 at. pct copper or 4o at. pct nickel enough electrons are contributed by copper to fill the d band of the alloy. At this composition the magnetic susceptibility approximates zero according to Grew.4 Although the electron diffraction data will not determine the rates of the several reactions which may occur during oxidation, yet a determination of the structures of the surface oxides may yield information concerning the relationships, if any, which may' exist between the oxide structures which form and that composition where the magnetic susceptibility approximates zero. It is quite possible, of course, that the mechanisms of the oxidation and corrosion reactions may be so widely different that no correlations between them may be possible. SURVEY OF LITERATURE The metals, copper and nickel, which are face-centered cubic, form solid solution alloys which are face-centered cubic with no superstructure for all compositions. Three oxides of nickel have been investigated structurally by X ray diffraction. Of

Jan 1, 1948

By Samuel M. Dunaway

INTRODUCTION ASARCO Incorporated purchased the East Tennessee Zinc Mines of the American Zinc Company and commenced operating on November 29, 1971. Presently, three mines are operating producing 6620 t/d (7300 stpd). The ore mined is sphalerite which occurs In lower Ordovician carbonates of the upper Knox Group and occurs in open space and fracture filling. Orebodies range from 3 to 46 m (10 to 150 ft) thick with dips from flat to 20º. The mining method is random room and pillar modified by shrinkage and bench stoping. Like other mining departments, the mining group at the Tennessee Mines Division is constantly looking for methods to improve productivity and safety and to reduce mining costs. This involves testing new equipment, trying new ore extraction ideas and making mining plant alterations to meet changes in operating conditions. The areas of change that will be described in this paper are longhole raising, jumbos and LHD loading, shaft sinking, conveyor transport of ore and sublevel haulage developments. LONGHOLED RAISES Raise driving has always been a hazardous occupation for miners and today it is becoming more difficult to get competent people for this kind of work. This problem has led us to seek an easier, safer way in which to excavate raises. The first longhole raises were excavated in the early 1970's using a Gardner-Denver air trac equipped with a PR-123 rock drill. The machine used 38 mm x 244 cm (1 ½ in x 8 ft) round rods with rope

Jan 1, 1977

By B. B. Zavoico

During 1936 the Russian oil industry made very satisfactory progress and, while not all difficulties of organization have been ironed out, the country is now assured of a supply of petroleum products in sufficient quantities and of quality demanded by modern motor equipment. The year 1937 promises to better by a wide margin the good showing of 1936. The statistics given in this paper for the first time take into consideration the varying gravities of crude oils of the several Russian oil fields instead of using a flat conversion factor of 7 bbl. per metric ton. It was found from the detailed study that the generally used average conversion factor should be increased from 7 to 7.25 bbl. per metric ton, the figure varying, of course, with the gravity of oil in the individual fields. Crude-oil production during 1936 is estimated at 201,500,000 bbl. as compared with 182,970,000 bbl. produced in 1935, an increase of 9.4 per cent. The greatest increase was again recorded in the Baku district, which increased its production by 10.9 per cent, from 141,257,000 bbl. in 1935 to 158,300,000 in 1936. Grozny district maintained its production at a level of about 23,000,000 bbl., but its old fields continued to decline and production was sustained by the development of newer fields. A great advance was made in drilling speeds and the total footage in 1936 reached 6,694,200 ft. as compared with 4,926,600 ft. drilled in 1935, an increase of 26.4 per cent. In older deep fields, producers were being completed at over 8000 ft.—a great depth for Russian drillers but two years ago. Several major discoveries were made in 1936. Northeast Caucasus.—Izberbash, east from Grozny and on the Caspian Sea, was the outstanding discovery, the initial production of the discovery well being around 3000 bbl. per day from about 5000 ft. The importance of the field is due to the large area of the structure, half of which, however, is under the sea, and also to its strategic location on the shores of the Caspian and near a trunk pipe line to the Grozny refining center. An active development program is being pursued in Izberbash and its 1937 production quota is set at 7,500,000 bbl. Achi-Su field, near Izberbash, also discovered during 1936, while not as prolific as Izberbash, is thought to cover a very large area and the small

Jan 1, 1937

By G. R. Speich, D. J. Mack

The transformation of was studied by isothermal methods. At all temperatures, the ß transforms quickly to fine grained ß" which develops silver-rich striations. At higher temperatures the striations disappear, the final structure being Widmanstatten a in ß'. At lower temperatures, the striated ß" is consumed by pearlite nodules of a + ß' which in turn form the Widmanstatten a in ß'. The transformation is unlike any previously reported for a eutectoid. AS part of a general program of study on the eutectoid reaction, the Ag-Cd eutectoid seemed particularly attractive because the ß phase which undergoes the reaction is another of the typical "electron compounds," AgCd, having the disordered body-centered cubic structure. This work deals with the eutectoid which occurs at 50.5 wt pct Ag, and not with the eutectoid which has been reported at 42.9 pct Ag.' There has been no work reported specifically on the Ag-Cd eutectoid which was studied. The only information available on this eutectoid is that work done in the determination of the phase diagram. For the most part, the terminal portions of the diagram, Fig. 1, are well established; however, the region from 40 to 60 pct Cd is still somewhat in doubt. The X-ray evidence'..' in this region is in conflict with the results of thermal analysis. X-ray analysis3 does not show a polymorphic transformation at about 240°C as indicated by thermal analysis.1,5 Even the X-ray evidence, within itself, is confusing in this region of the diagram. One investigator2 reports the ß phase as hexagonal close-packed and has found three phases in the one-phase ß field. Other X-ray investigators"' ' report the ß phase as body-centered cubic. The authors believe that much of the confusion resulted from incomplete homogenization of the alloys. It was found that it takes almost a week to produce a completely homogeneous two-phase structure at 370°C. Another possible source of error is the volatilization of cadmium from the surface and cracks of the specimen during annealing with the possible formation of a cadmium-poor phase. The only metallographic data available on this eutectoid alloy are those of Durrant1 and Fraenkel and Wolff.5 his information is very limited. The phase diagram chosen as most nearly correct is that in the Metals Handbook," which is almost identical with the phase diagram suggested by Durrant.1 Materials and Procedure The alloy was prepared from high purity silver (999.5 plus fine) and high purity cadmium (0.02 Pb, 0.005 Cu, trace Fe). The metals were melted in carbon under a nitrogen atmosphere. Some cadmium was lost by volatilization but by remelting several times and adding cadmium a 200 g ingot of approximately eutectoid composition was obtained. Because the CdO fumes are quite toxic, the exit gas from the furnace was led through a water trap to condense the CdO. The ingot was homogenized at 650°C for 24 hr, no attempt was made to prevent decadmiumization. This resulted in a narrow decadmiumized rim on the ingot which was removed. Filings for analysis were obtained from cross sections of the ingot. Silver was determined by the Volhard thiocyanate method,? cadmium by difference. The ingot analyzed 50.8 pct Ag at the top of the ingot and 50.7 pct at the middle and at the bottom of the ingot. This alloy was only slightly hypo-eutectoid compared to the accepted value of 50.5 pct Ag and was used for the isothermal studies. It was felt that further attempts to adjust the composition might be futile because of the volatility of the cadmium. The ingot was sectioned to specimens approximately 3/4 x 3/4 x 1/8 in. These specimens were "austeni-tized" for 3 hr in air at 650°C to yield homogeneous ß and then quenched into a salt bath held at constant subeutectoid temperatures where the transformation

Jan 1, 1954

By AIME AIME

OCTOBER will be western month for the Institute. With meetings at Spokane, Tulsa, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and with a large number of American Institute of Mining Engineers members and their families in the party sailing out through the Golden Gate to Japan on the afternoon of the tenth, the major activities of the Institute will, for this month at least, be west of the Mississippi. Despite cancellations due to necessity, most of the officers of the Institute will be present and taking part in some one or more of the Western meetings. Prof. Robert S. Richards, our senior past-president, will attend both the Spokane and San Francisco meetings and then go to Japan. President Bradley will preside at the San Francisco meeting and then head the party going to Tokyo. At Tulsa and Los Angeles, the principal officers of the Petroleum Division will be present and active and at all the meetings, directors, ex-directors and -present and past officers will be on the job and keeping things moving.

Jan 1, 1929

By J. R. Lewis, J. H. Hamilton, V. D. Hanson, K. W. Heinlein, J. M.194-000-000-006 Vonfeld, J. P. Denny

TWO overfeed drum-type separators using a suspension of magnetite in water as the separating medium have been installed in the Champion NO. 1 preparation plant of the Pittsburgh Coal Co., Division of the Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company. A simplified flow diagram of the Champion No. 1 coarse coal circuit is shown in Fig. 1. A railroad car rotary dump, capable of handling 20 cars per hr, discharges the coal into a hopper. Coal is fed from the hopper of the rotary dump to a 60-in. belt conveyor by two reciprocating pan-type feeders. The belt conveyor feeds the run of mine coal onto the main raw coal screen. The first deck is fitted with 3 in. round hole perforated plate which removes the 3x0-in. coal. The second deck of the screen is equipped with 6-in. lip screens which separate the remaining coal into +6 in. and 6x3 in. The +6 in. coal is transferred to a shaking picking table and then discharged onto the loading boom. The 6x3-in. coal is fed to the No. 2 dense medium vessel for cleaning. The clean coal from this unit flows to a vibrating screen where the medium is removed and the coal sized into 6x4 in. and 4x3 in. The 6x4-in. coal is transferred to the loading booms and the 4x3-in. is conveyed to the clean coal classifying screens to remove degradation. The 3x0-in. raw coal is blended in a system composed of three storage bins having a total capacity of 400 tons. From these bins the coal is fed onto a 48-in. flight conveyor by three reciprocating feeders. This flight conveyor delivers the coal to the Rheo plant. The 3x0-in. coal is then cleaned in two 48-in. Rheolaveur launders each equipped with two Rheo boxes. The first set of boxes removes a primary refuse and the second set produces a middling product which is recirculated in the launders. The cleaned coal and water overflows from the primary launders to two sizing and dewatering shaker screens where the water and — -in. coal are removed for further cleaning in the Rheo fine coal plant. The 3x3h-in. clean coal is combined with the 4x3-in. coal from the No. 2 vessel, sized into 4x2 in., 2x1 34 in., and 1'/4x in., then sent to the loading booms. The 3x0-in. refuse from the primary launders is normally fed to the No. 1 dense medium circuit, but any portion or all of this material can, as an alternate, be processed in the Rheo rewash launder. The primary refuse when fed to the dense medium circuit is screened into YSXO which is cleaned in the fine coal plant and 3x for cleaning in the No. 1 vessel. The clean coal from this vessel is passed over a vibrating drainage and rinse screen, then sluiced to the rewash sizing shaker where it is dewatered and sized for loading. The installation of a pilot plant separating vessel using a suspension of magnetite in water was pro-

Jan 1, 1953

By J. H. Hamilton, J. R. Lewis, K. W. Heinlein, V. D. Hanson, J. M. 194-000-000-006 Vonfeld, J. P. Denny

TWO overfeed drum-type separators using a suspension of magnetite in water as the separating medium have been installed in the Champion NO. 1 preparation plant of the Pittsburgh Coal Co., Division of the Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company. A simplified flow diagram of the Champion No. 1 coarse coal circuit is shown in Fig. 1. A railroad car rotary dump, capable of handling 20 cars per hr, discharges the coal into a hopper. Coal is fed from the hopper of the rotary dump to a 60-in. belt conveyor by two reciprocating pan-type feeders. The belt conveyor feeds the run of mine coal onto the main raw coal screen. The first deck is fitted with 3 in. round hole perforated plate which removes the 3x0-in. coal. The second deck of the screen is equipped with 6-in. lip screens which separate the remaining coal into +6 in. and 6x3 in. The +6 in. coal is transferred to a shaking picking table and then discharged onto the loading boom. The 6x3-in. coal is fed to the No. 2 dense medium vessel for cleaning. The clean coal from this unit flows to a vibrating screen where the medium is removed and the coal sized into 6x4 in. and 4x3 in. The 6x4-in. coal is transferred to the loading booms and the 4x3-in. is conveyed to the clean coal classifying screens to remove degradation. The 3x0-in. raw coal is blended in a system composed of three storage bins having a total capacity of 400 tons. From these bins the coal is fed onto a 48-in. flight conveyor by three reciprocating feeders. This flight conveyor delivers the coal to the Rheo plant. The 3x0-in. coal is then cleaned in two 48-in. Rheolaveur launders each equipped with two Rheo boxes. The first set of boxes removes a primary refuse and the second set produces a middling product which is recirculated in the launders. The cleaned coal and water overflows from the primary launders to two sizing and dewatering shaker screens where the water and — -in. coal are removed for further cleaning in the Rheo fine coal plant. The 3x3h-in. clean coal is combined with the 4x3-in. coal from the No. 2 vessel, sized into 4x2 in., 2x1 34 in., and 1'/4x in., then sent to the loading booms. The 3x0-in. refuse from the primary launders is normally fed to the No. 1 dense medium circuit, but any portion or all of this material can, as an alternate, be processed in the Rheo rewash launder. The primary refuse when fed to the dense medium circuit is screened into YSXO which is cleaned in the fine coal plant and 3x for cleaning in the No. 1 vessel. The clean coal from this vessel is passed over a vibrating drainage and rinse screen, then sluiced to the rewash sizing shaker where it is dewatered and sized for loading. The installation of a pilot plant separating vessel using a suspension of magnetite in water was pro-

Jan 1, 1953

By Chester A. Fulton

SUPPLYING as it does a necessity for healthy animal and vegetable phosphate production is a most important industry. We human beings also are animal as this war so surely proves. Unlike many other elements no substitnite is available for phosphorus or its compounds. Marvelous as are modern plastics none can lake the place of phosphorus in making hone structures. As meassured in these times the phosphate industry is not a large industry. Output of phosphate rock, the original source of our agricultural and ,chemical phophates amounts to only some twelve million long tons per annum in the entire world. Phosphates are compounds of phosphorus, which is always found in nature combined with other elements. It never occurs in nature as such. The first choice of the element phosphorus is tie itself strongly to oxygen and then to water moisture - thus becomeing phosphlic acid. This phosphoric acid in turn hunts around for a base such as lime for instance and together they make phosphate of lime.

Jan 1, 1944

By P. H. Dudley

A quarter of a century of service of steel rails on our oldest railroads, many of which have changed their standard sections three or four times, has furnished, and is furnishing, excellent opportunities to study their wear and behavior in the track. Such experience is valuable for the design of new sections, now required to meet the constantly increasing severity of railroad service. Before presenting the new sections for consideration, I will briefly call attention to some features of past experience. For convenience of study, rails may be separated according to their weight and height into four groups, viz.: 1. Hails weighing per yard from 52 to 60 pounds, and 34 to 4 inches high. 2. " " " " " 60 " 72 " " 46 to 44 " " 3. " " " " " 72 " 90 ' 41/8 to 5 4. " " " " " 85 or more " " over 5 " I Experience in this country is confined mainly to sections in groups Nos. 1, 2 and 3. • During the past few years I have had the opportunity to run my car over many thousands of miles of railway laid with the principal sections in use, and to obtain diagrams showing their deflections, permanent set, and, in a great measure, their manner of wear. The First Group.—The first steel rails imported, and those manufactured here, were light sections—included in the first group—and many of them, being rolled in rolls used for rolling iron sections, have pear-shaped heads, 2 3/8 to 2 1/2 inches wide, the base being heavy and from 1/4 to 1/2 inch narrower than the height. These rails were laid upon ties of solid timber, at least 8 inches face, spaced 2 feet from center to center. The moments of inertia of these rails were low, only ranging from 8 for the lightest sections to 12 for the heaviest. The deflections were, of course, great; but the quality of the metal was excellent. It was physically hard and

Jan 1, 1890

By Michael J. Callow

THE PROPERTY of Mount Isa Mines, Ltd., is located at Mount Isa, Northern Queensland, Australia, at roughly 20" south latitude. It is 600 miles from Townsville on the east coast, the port for Mount Isa, 1200 miles from Brisbane and approximately 1600 miles from Sydney in New South Wales. Living conditions in the camp, though wild and crude at the commencement of building, are now excellent and little has been left undone to provide comfort and attractiveness. The climate being warm and dry, many of the buildings are built on posts, 8 to 10 ft. off the ground, with spacious screened-in verandas. Club houses, stores, school, hospital and ice plant have all been provided by the company as well as modern conveniences, such as running water, shower baths, electric lights, septic tank arrangements, tennis courts and amusement grounds.

Jan 1, 1932

Jan 1, 1882

By R. K. Ham, M. L. Wayman

TD-Nickel has been broken in tension and in fatigue at voom temperature. Rod specimens failed in tension by necking, with axial cracks attributed to voids elongated in the extrusion direction. Fatigue specimens failed in shear. Thin-film electron microscopy showed that the subgrain structure of TD-Nickel was very stable, and that particle-matrix detachment was very difficult, in tension and fatigue. TD-Nickel softened slightly during fatigue but had a high fatigue ratio (0.5at 10' cycles). Fractography suggested that Stage I fatigue crack propagation is greatly extended in TD-Nickel. Td-NICKEL* is a dispersion of 2 pct by volume of thoria (ThO2) in nickel, produced by powder-metallurgical methods including compaction, sintering, and extrusion. The spherical thoria particles, which may have a mean diameter of a few hundred angstroms, are dispersed with a mean planar spacing of a few thousand angstroms. By a combination of cold working and annealing, a subgrain or cell structure of dislocations intimately associated with the dispersion can be produced.' This gives the material useful tensile properties which are extremely resistant to exposure to high temperatures.'-= At the same time, the material shows considerable ductility.3'4 At the beginning of the present work, it was considered of great interest to investigate the mechanical stability of TD-Nickel under conditions of fatigue. On the one hand, materials which derive strength from a cold-worked structure are unstable in that they are susceptible to fatigue softening: in addition, the presence of discontinuities such as the particle-matrix interfaces might be expected to assist in the initiation and propagation of fatigue cracks, in that they may provide local concentrations of internal stress and sites for the initiation of voids." On the other hand, the substantial ductility of TD-Nickel suggests that if it obeys Coffin's relation8 (or the more refined form proposed by Manson9) it should have good fatigue resistance. The initial purpose of this investigation was to assess the importance of these factors. Also, relatively little fundamental work has been done on the mechanism of fatigue in dispersion-strengthened materials. Work on overaged A1-4 pct CU10-12 revealed a very large Bauschinger effect indicative of internal stresses at the particles, and very great fatigue hardening1' presumably due to the multiple slip stimulated by these internal stresses, followed by softening which was initially due to softening in the matrix, but later might have arisen from cracking at the particle-matrix interfaces. The study of overaged Al-4 pct Cu could not settle this latter point by the electron microscopy of thin films, since the dispersion is too coarse. A previous study of the fatigue of internally oxidized copper13 was complicated by inter granular failure, attributed to oxide particles at grain bouhdaries; internal oxidation of single crystals, however, improved their fatigue properties.'3 Investigations of SAP (sintered aluminum powder) are complicated by the complex particle shapes, and the possibility of continuous internal oxide films.14 It was hoped to avoid these difficulties with TD-Nickel, which had the further advantages that it was commercially available and suitable for study by the thin-film technique. 1) MATERIALS AND EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE TD-Nickel was purchased from the Driver-Harris Co. as 3/9-in.-diam rod which had been extruded, swaged, and "stress-relieved" (normally at 1010°C for 1 hr). Continuous-radius fatigue specimens with a minimum diameter of -0.1 in. were ground to shape and electropolished in 40 pct phosphoric, 35 pct sul-furic, 25 pct water at 25oC, with a stainless-steel cathode, at -6 v. Fatigue tests were carried out at room temperature with a Sonntag SF-1-U machine operating in push-pull at 1800 cycles per min, and in an Instron TT-C-L modified for reversed stressing at 26 cycles per min as described elsewhere.10 Round tensile specimens were ground with 0.85-in. gage lengths of 0.135 in, diam, electropolished, and tested in a Tinius Olsen hydraulic machine. The surfaces of fatigue specimens were examined with a Reichert metallograph. Discs for electron microscopy with a Siemens Elmiskop I were spark-cut 0.01 in. thick with a modified Servomet 11 employing a tool of moving molybdenum wire, cleaned in 50 pct acetic, 30 pct nitric, 10 pct phosphoric, and 10pctsul-furic at 85oC, and thinned by the window method in the electropolishing solution at -20°C and -6 v. Two-stage replicas (parlodion, then Pt-50 pct C self-shadowed at 40 deg) were taken from fatigue fracture surfaces for electron microscopy. Plane sections parallel to the specimen axis and containing the direction of fatigue crack propagation were polished, etched with Carapella's reagent, and examined optically. Transmission Laue X-ray photographs of as-received material electropolished to a point were used to determine preferred orientation. 2) RESULTS 2.1) The Structure of As-Received Material. Grains -1 µ diam and elongated 20 to 30 u in the direction of the rod axis were observed, With' elongated "intergran-ular" voids (-4 p diam and -90 µ long and identified as such using longitudinal and transverse sections and

Jan 1, 1968

By C. M. Schwartz, A. E. Austin, W. B. Wilson

High-temperature X-ray diffraction studies were conducted with Th-U alloys with up to 10 wt pet U. The solid solubility of uranium in thorium as a function of temperature was determined by the method of lattice parameters. Thorium will dissolve up to 2.5 wt pet U at 950°, 4.5 wt pet U at 1150°, and 7.5 wt pet U at 1250°C. Determinations were made of the temperature of the transition of thorium and of the effect of uranium upon the transition. The a to ß transition for thorium was observed to occur at 1330' ±20°C. Mean coefficients of expansion were calculated for thorium and two alloys, and for ThO2 in contact with the thorium, using X-ray lattice-parameter data. Values obtained at 950° C for thorium and Tho2 were 12.1 and 9.40 X 10-6 per OC, respectively. Impurities obtained during the X-ray exposure were identified by diffraction and were essentially Tho2 and ThC, with two additional unknown phases being detected. The effect of the impurities upon the results is discussed. DIRECT investigation (i.e., high-temperature X-ray diffraction studies) of the phase diagram of thorium-rich uranium alloys has been shown to be necessary since recent work1 - has disclosed the presence of an allotropic transformation near 1400°C in pure thorium with the room temperature face-centered-cubic phase transforming to a body-cen-tered-cubic structure at the elevated temperature. The effect upon the transition of the addition of uranium to thorium and of the solubility of uranium in thorium at high temperatures remained unknown, yet was of interest in understanding fabrication procedures and elevated temperature use. The present work was undertaken to provide information in this area by determining the transition temperature, the effect of uranium on the transition temperature, and the solubility of uranium in thorium as a function of temperature. Experimental Work The high-temperature diffraction data were obtained using a camera especially designed for the purpose3 and capable of reaching temperatures in excess of 2000°C at pressures as low as 1 x 10." mm Hg. Temperature regulation was provided by regulating the power input to ±0.1 pet variation, and by regulating the water flow through the camera jacket to provide a constant thermal load. The X-ray sample was a rod nominally 80 mil diam, which was further turned down to 20 mil and then etched to 18 mil over 1/2 in. of one end. This was placed in the sample holder and mounted on the camera so that the smaller part was surrounded by a cylindrical tantalum-sheet radiation-type heating element. Diffraction from the sample was recorded on film after passing through a slot in the heating element and radiation-baffle shield and through beryllium vacuum windows. The X-ray film mounting was of the Straumanis type4 with a camera diameter of 114.59 mm. Since previous work of Chiotti' indicated that impurities considerably alter the transition temperature, chemical analysis of the arc melted iodide crystal-bar thorium samples was obtained prior to testing. The analysis disclosed the material to contain as low as 0.001 ±0,0002 wt pet H and 0.007 ±0.001 wt pet 0. Carbon was 0.003 wt pet and nitrogen less than 0.002 wt pet. This material was sealed in mild steel in an inert atmosphere and subsequently hot rolled to 3/8-in. diam rods at a temperature of 732°C. Following removal of the jacket, the material was pickled and cold swaged to 1/8-in. rods, from which the diffraction samples were prepared. The alloys were similarly prepared, with the uranium being added during arc melting. The uranium analyses of the alloys prepared appear in Table I. The experimental procedure for diffraction examination of the three samples of high-purity thorium differed from those of the Th-U alloys. The original practice, later modified, consisted of pumping down the camera with the diffusion pump on and then admitting liquid nitrogen to the cold trap of the system. This was modified for the Th-U alloys by maintaining liquid nitrogen in the cold trap at all times before and while the diffusion pump was heated. This minor change produced a reduction in the amount of carbon pickup by the sample during exposure to the diffusion-pump vapors. The sample was brought to the desired test temperature and exposed for 21/2 hr at pressures which were usually 2 x 10-6 mm Hg, or lower. Exposures were made at

Jan 1, 1959

By J. W. Cunningham, M. J. Stultzman

THE demand for improved materials for high-temperature service has increased during the last few years. Iron,- nickel,- and cobalt-base alloys have been investigated extensively and many alloys with outs'tanding high-temperature strength have been developed. Considerable research has been directed toward improved methods of processing these alloys. The vacuum furnace as a tool for the purification and improved control of high-temperature alloys has been studied extensively and production units are in operation. The research covered by this paper studied the effects of casting in air, vacuum, or argon upon the elevated-temperature properties of two nickel- and two cobalt-base alloys. The alloys investigated were Stellite 31, He 1049, Udimet 500, and Guy Alloy. MELTING AND CASTING PROCEDURES Two heats of each of the four alloys under investigation were melted and investment cast under the following conditions: 1) Stellite 31 was melted and investment cast in air and in vacuum, with an argon atmosphere for pouring. 2) He 1049 was melted and investment cast in air and in vacuum, with an argon atmosphere for pouring. 3) Udimet 500 was melted and investment cast in vacuum with and without additions of zirconium and boron. 4) Guy Alloy was melted and investment cast in vacuum and in argon. The heats were all melted in induction furnaces equipped with preformed magnesia crucibles of 50-lb capacity. The air-melting furnace was powered by a spark-gap converter of 40 kw capacity. The vacuum-melting furnace was powered by a motor-generator set of 100 kw capacity. The argon heat of Guy alloy was melted in the vacuum melting furnace under an argon atmosphere. Virgin materials were used for preparing all heats except the air heats of Stellite 31 and He 1049. The charge for the air heat of Stellite 31 was a commercial blend of shot. The charge for the air heat of He 1049 was Stellite 6 shot plus those virgin materials necessary to give the desired composition. All of the materials used were of the same grade used com-

Jan 1, 1960

By Heinrich Oscar Hofman

IN THE death of Professor Hofman who was born on Aug. 13, 1852 and died on April 28, 1924, the world has lost a great metallurgist and a great author of metallurgical literature. Measured in time his life was not quite seventy-two years, but measured in work accomplished it was much longer than this. It is not surprising that Dr. Hofman became a great scholar for his father, Karl Hofman, was on the faculty of Heidelberg University, and his early days were spent in these surroundings. He studied in the University under such men as Kirchoff and Bunsen and often spoke of the intimate relations he had with them. Following his course at Heidelberg, he studied at the Clausthal Mining Academy where he graduated with honors, receiving the degrees of Mining Engineer and Metallurgical Engineer in 1877.

Jan 1, 1924

By J. B. Tyrrell

A short time ago I paid a visit to the alluvial gold fields on the tributaries of the Chaudiere River in Beauce County, Quebec, in company with A. 0. Dufresne, late manager of the Champs d'or Rigaud-Veaudreuil, and now assistant to the Superintendent of Mines of the Province of Quebec. As the conditions under which the gold occurs in this district are not very generally known, and present some interesting features, a brief description of these conditions, and a consideration of the causes which gave rise to them, may be of interest to other mining engineers. During the latter half of last century the country was visited by many mining engineers and geologists, and many references to it may be found in the reports of the Geological Survey of Canada between 1848 and 1911. The most important of these are by J. A. Dresser and J. Keele and the late Robert Chalmers. The Department of Colonization and Mines of the Province of Quebec also published a report with map on the district by J. Obalski. From the earliest times the valley of the Chaudiere River formed one of the main avenues of approach to the St. Lawrence in the vicinity of Quebec from the country to the south as far as the seaboard of the States of Maine and Massachusetts. The Indians had a well-known trail along the banks of the stream, and armed troops and foraging parties constantly moved backward and forward along it between Quebec and New England in those insecure times before the ceding of Canada to Great Britain. Even yet the natural advantages of this old military route are recognized, and the government of the Province of Quebec has now under construction along it a magnificent highway from Quebec to the International Boundary Line, which is to form part of a through highway from that city to Boston. The land along the valley is naturally well suited for agriculture, and about the end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth centuries farmers began to go back from the St. Lawrence, and to occupy the higher lands along the upper portions of the Chaudiere Valley. This settlement has gone on until now the country is peopled with a prosperous agricultural population.

Jan 1, 1915