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By G. B. Craig, B. Ramaswami

The temperature and strain rate dependence of the flow stress ratio and the stvain rate dependence qi the flow stress of annealed polycrystalline a zirconiur were determined over the temperature range 30 0" to 1000°K. Some evidence was found for strain aging and discontinuous flow in the temperature ranges 520" to 650°Kand650" to 760°K, respectively. The Cottvell-Stokes relationship was obtained when deformation occurred by twinning as well as slip. The flow stress ratio showed a strong dependence on temperature and strain rate above 800°K. The expevirnental evidence indicated that the rate-controllitzg mechanism for the deformation of a zirconium above 800°K was dislocation climb, and that the deformation was not thermally activated in the range 520" to 800°K. The stacking-fault energy of a zirconium was estimated to be about 250 ergs per sq cm. A knowledge of the temperature and strain rate dependence of the applied stress necessary to deform a crystalline solid is essential for understanding the thermally activated processes occurring during deformation.' Several experimental techniques have been developed for studying these processes.273 One of the techniques is the deter mi nation of the strain rate dependence of the flow stress at constant temperature. In close-packed crystals, it has often been observed that the change in stress due to a change in the strain rate varies linearly with the flow stress, (~1,' This relationship, known as the Cottre ll-Stokes law, is obeyed when deformation occurs by glide alone. However, when deformation occurs by twinning as well as glide, there is disagreement among different investigators on whether the Cottrell-Stokes law is observed. Whereas Thornton et ~1.~find departures from Cottrell-Stokes law when twinning occurs in copper, ~avis~ and sasinski? find that Cottrell-Stokes law is obeyed when deformation occurs by twinning as well as slip in cadmium and magnesium, respectively. One of the main objectives of this study is to determine whether the Cottrell-Stokes law is obeyed when deformation occurs by twinning as well as slip. The second technique that has been used extensively to study the thermally activated deformation of crystals is the determination of the ratio of the flow stresses, at identical dislocation structures and con-

Jan 1, 1968

By Armando M. Lago

Secular and cyclical patterns of postwar sources and uses of funds of the mineral sector are analyzed. A simultaneous equation behavior model of sources and uses of funds is developed for both mining firms and integrated producers, and these models were put through the task of predicting the financial and expenditure be-havior of mineral corporations in response to mergers and changes in investment tax credits and depletion allowances. Finally, the quantitative analysis methodology is applied to the analysis of optimum capital structure of mining corporations. The postwar changes that have occurred in the expenditure and financial behavior of mineral corporations are reviewed, particularly the relative importance of factors that affect the industry's supply and demand for funds. This quantitative statistical investigation of factors affecting sources and uses of funds of mineral corporations is achieved through the formulation of a simultaneous equation model of sources and uses of funds. After a description of the study sample, the postwar cyclical and secular financial behavior of mineral corporations is analyzed in detail. An econometric model of mineral corporate financial behavior is formulated. This model is then estimated and reviewed. Policy issues regarding depletion allowances, investment tax credits, and industrial organization of the mineral sector are discussed. Finally, the optimum financial structure of mining firms is discussed and the effect of corporate financial structure on the mining corporations' average cost of capital is analyzed.

Jan 1, 1971

By R. W. Gurry

IN the course of a series of measurements of the rate of diffusion of carbon in austenite at about 960°C. (1760°F.) and 1110°C. (2030°F.), it became necessary to determine carbon concentration when austenite is saturated with graphite, because of indications that the hitherto accepted value of the solubility of graphite in this temperature range is too low. Specimens of carbonyl iron were saturated at temperature in a hydrogen-toluene atmosphere which was in equilibrium with graphite. The carbon content of the steel was measured either by combustion or by the loss of weight after substantially complete decarburization in an atmosphere of hydrogen saturated at room temperature with water vapor. The absence of carbide or graphite as a phase at temperature was demonstrated by microscopic examination of saturated specimens that had been drastically quenched. The mean result of concordant measurements is that gamma iron saturated with respect to graphite contains 1.39 per cent carbon at 957°C. (1755°F.) and 1.89 per cent at 1110°C. (2030°F.). These two values, plotted along with what appears from the literature to be the best value (0.69 per cent) at the iron-graphite eutectoid temperature (738°C. or 1360°F.), yield a curve that is almost linear, and which, continued upward through a short interval, leads to a limiting solubility of 1.98 per cent at the iron-graphite eutectic temperature 1135°C. (2075°F.) instead of the commonly accepted value of about 1.7 per cent. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The samples of carbonyl iron, with the exception of those for microscopic examination, were cylinders 3.8 cm. long, 0.475 cm. in diameter. They were placed in a graphite holder and suspended in a vertical furnace, the temperature of which was controlled precisely by means of the resistance of the platinum winding.1 In the empty furnace the range of temperature over a distance of 4 cm. at the heat center was 9°C. (16°F.) but at a given location the temperature remained within ±0.5°C. (0.9°F.); it was measured by inserting a platinum-rhodium couple calibrated at the melting point of palladium, 1555°C. Since the presence of the sample probably improved the uniformity of temperature, it was decided to consider the average temperature of the sample to be 3°C. lower than the maximum measured in the empty furnace with the same setting of the controller. Data were obtained in the vicinity of two temperatures, 960°C. (1760°F.) and 1110°C. (2030°F.). The samples for microscopic examination, 2.2 cm. long, 0.475 cm. in diameter, were suspended individually on pure iron wire; for these no temperature correction was applied. The carburizing gas passed into the furnace was dry, oxygen-free hydrogen saturated at room temperature with

Jan 1, 1942

Boundary and general corrosio~z rates for higkpurity alutninum were ~rzeasured irz 16 pct HC1 at sJmllow penetrations (< 25 p). The rates for several high-angle random tilt boundaries, several [001] synzmetrical tilt boundaries, a 54-deg [010] twist, and a 15-deg randorn tw~st boundary were one-fourth to one-third higher than that of the (001) surface used as reference. Boundary attack was slower for 23 and 37-deg [001] tilt boundaries and a 16-deg [010] twist boundary. The corrosion rate for a (111) surface was roughly om-third higher than for (001) and was thus about as high as the corrosion rate of the fastest boundaries. The boundary attack did ?lot appear to parallel the variatiorz of boundavy energy. The signvicance of the anisotropy of corrosion was discussed.

Jan 1, 1966

THE metal iron has physical and chemical properties which are somewhat different from those of steels, but a knowledge of the pure metal is a useful starting point in studying the behavior of steels. Solid iron exists in two different crystalline forms, called alpha (a) and gamma (?) iron, the former being the ordinary form at room temperature. When heated above the "A2 point," 1400°F. (760°C.), the metal becomes non-magnetic, and at the "As point," 1670°F. (910°C.), it undergoes a change in crystalline form to become gamma iron. In the range 1400 to 1670°F., it is sometimes called beta (0) iron to distinguish it from the magnetic alpha, but the two are identical in crystal structure. When gamma iron is further heated to 2550°F. (1400°C.), it changes into delta (d) iron, which is identical with beta or non-magnetic alpha iron. Pure iron melts (in a hydrogen atmosphere) at 2795°F. (1535°C.); the melting point is generally lowered by alloys or impurities. PROPERTIES OF IRON AT HIGH TEMPERATURES Many of the properties of iron undergo abrupt changes at the transition temperatures. (1) For example, in heating through the As point a sudden shrinkage in volume occurs. Similarly, melting is attended by sharp physical changes such as an increase in volume. Table 27 contains a summary of the measured physical properties of pure iron at several temperatures. Usually the properties change smoothly within the range of stability of a given form, but this is not always the case. For example, the specific heat reaches a sharp maximum at the A2 point although no transformation occurs. Solvent Powers of Liquid Iron. Liquid iron is capable of dissolving most of the other metals and many nonmetallic elements as well. Of the metals which are liquid at the melting point of iron only lead, silver, and bismuth refuse to dissolve to an appreciable extent. The non-metals presumably dissolve by virtue of the formation of an iron compound; for example, sulphur is thought to dissolve as the compound FeS. However, there is no satisfactory method of proving that this

Jan 1, 1944

By John C. Draper

The principal object of an underground coal mine transportation system is to move coal from the face where it is produced to the outside of the mine where it is prepared for market. In addition to the movement of coal, a transportation system must also move supply materials to the inside ; it must move men in and out of the mine ; and it must move rock and other debris out of the mine for disposal. Usually, mine haulage is divided into three categories named for the various areas of the mine served : 1) Pace Haulage. This is used at face from the mining machine to the intermediate transport system. 2) Intermediate or Secondary Haulage. Generally this is used between face haulage and main haulage. Sometimes this is merely an extension of the main haulage. 3) Main Haulage. This extends from the secondary haulage to the outside and is usually either a track or conveyor system, sometimes a combination of both. Transportation modes of coal in the various areas pose different problems, but the whole system must be synchronized. For instance, at the face the coal should be removed quickly from the various places to facilitate the movement of machines, whereas the intermediate system just passes the same coal on to the main transportation system. Selection of the transportation system must be based on the seam height, mining methods used to extract the coal, capacity required, ease of coal handling, and haulage efficiency. When driving rooms, mine cars can be used. They often simplify supply haulage and rock handling because they can also handle these items. Conveyors could be used and would have a greater haulage capacity but they cannot handle supplies easily or segregate the rock. When using a different mining method, such as longwall, mine cars cannot be used because there is not sufficient space to move the cars at the face nor can the cars haul the coal without delays which would cause excessive losses in production. As for ease of handling

Jan 1, 1981

By George J. Clark

One of the major problems of operation in the anthracite industry is the disposal and handling of refuse—not because of its complexity but because of the quantity and type of material involved. It is the purpose of this paper to describe the kinds of refuse, methods of disposal, quantities of material to be handled and equipment used, together with present day application at specific operations in the Northern, Eastern Middle, Western Middle and Southern anthracite fields. For the purpose of this paper, refuse is considered to be any material that has no present or foreseeable future value and that must be handled and disposed of in the process of mining and preparing anthracite for market. Included in this classification are tunnel rock, mine rock, cleaner plant refuse, breaker refuse, old timber, ashes and silt. Disposal Methods Old timber is disposed of either by burning or by depositing on the refuse bank. Burning is preferred because timber on the refuse bank is a potential fire hazard. Ashes are deposited on a separate bank, mixed with other refuse, or flushed into old mine workings. In many places, the latter practice has caused considerable difficulty in preparation of coal mined from these areas. In depositing ashes on the surface, it is wise to refrain from mixing them with material containing coal as such contamination may prevent reclamation of the coal in future years. Tunnel work, mine rock, cleaner plant and breaker refuse compose the bulk of the material to be disposed of and handled, and are referred to collectively as "refuse" in this paper. Waste material in or adjacent to the coal beds may be removed at the working face wherever possible. This can be done in flat or lightly pitching beds, and in the Northern field represents a sizable percentage of this type of refuse handled. In the other three coal fields, this method of disposal cannot often be used. Refuse not removed at the working face is taken to the surface and generally is deposited on banks; occasionally it is crushed and flushed into old mine workings. Breaker refuse often is used for constructing berms for silt-retention basins. Disposal Problems The problem of handling refuse is different for each operation, owing to topographical conditions, quantity of material to be handled, anticipated requirements and types of equipment in use elsewhere at the operation. Preparation plants with limited refuse-disposal areas, excessive grades to reach the required elevation and long hauls to disposal areas not readily accessible require the selection of equipment to best meet the conditions. The quantity of refuse to be handled from a given amount of raw material varies considerably throughout the four fields. In mine coal, this varies from a low

Jan 1, 1949

By Alan Arias

On grinding in pure water, zirconium, tantalum, iron, and stainless-steel powders were extensively comminuted and simultaneously oxidized with hydrogen release, whereas nickel, copper, and silver powders did not react with water and their particle sizes increased. On grinding nickel, copper, and silver in water pressurized with oxygen, nickel and copper became extensively comminuted and were oxidized, whereas silver did not react with oxygen and its particle size increased. From these results and other considerations , it is hypothesized that for extensive comminution of ductile metals and alloys to occur on grinding they must react with the grinding media. UlTRAFINE metal and alloy powders are finding an ever-growing number of applications in metallurgy and in other fields.&apos; Of particular interest are ultrafine metal and alloy powders suitable for dispersion strengthening.2&apos;9 Various research programs on dispersion strengthening are being carried out and in some of these programs the ball-milling method is being used to produce dispersion-strengthened materials. This method usually involves the simultaneous grinding of metal or alloy and a dispersoid followed by consolidation of the resulting powder mixture. To obtain the ultrafine powders required for dispersion strengthening,&apos; grinding is carried out in many liquids, including aqueous and nonaqueous media, with or without grinding aids.4&apos;5 Nonaqueous liquids usually contain water as an impurity and some grinding aids may contain water of hydration.5 The water present may affect the grinding process. The writer has shown5 that. on ball milling chromium in water, the chromium is oxidized and hydrogen is released. It was surmised that the same reaction may occur on ball milling other metals and alloys in waterbearing liquids. Therefore, the investigation of ball milling in water was extended to metals and alloys other than chromium. In the course of the investigation, however, it became apparent that the data-to-gether with the results from a few additional experi-ments—could be used to postulate a comminution mechanism for ductile metals and alloys. A well-known comminution theory is that of smekal.7 According to this theory, comminution is possible because of the weakening effects of surface cracks and other imperfections in materials. This theory imposes a lower limit of about 1 µm for the ground particles. The beneficial effects of liquids and additives on the rate of grinding are well known.8 Mechanisms by which liquids and additives may aid in grinding were reviewed by Rose and Sullivan.&apos; One aspect of these effects is based on Rehbinder&apos;s theory of crack propagation in materials under stress.9 According to Reh-binder&apos;s theory, liquids or additives may promote the spread of cracks in stressed materials by lowering the surface tension at the crack tip. Rose and Sullivan surmise that the same mechanism may be operative during grinding, thereby facilitating comminution of the particles. In addition, Rose and Sullivan reviewed how additives may act as dispersants as a result of their being adsorbed on the surface of the particles being ground. This concept has been suggested by Quatinetz, Schafer, and smea15 to explain from their experiments the major role of additives that enabled them to grind metal down to 0.1 µm. Discussions of other comminution theories and additional sources of material on the subject will be found in Ref. 10. None of these previous suggestions and theories, however, can account for all phenomena encountered during ball milling of metals to submicron size in this and in a previous investigation by the author.6 The objectives of this investigation were to determine the behavior of metal powders during ball milling either in pure water or in oxygenated water and to gain an insight into the grinding mechanism. Zirconium, tantalum, iron, nickel, copper, and silver powders were ball-milled in pure water. These metals were selected because their oxides cover a wide range of free energies of formation. For comparison purposes, an alloy-type 430 stainless steel-was also ball-milled in pure water. The pressure of the hydrogen released during ball milling was monitored in order to determine the oxygen that combined with the metal or alloy. In order to obtain more information on the nature of the grinding process, nickel, copper, and silver powders were also ball-milled in oxygenated water (water pressurized with oxygen). The oxygen that reacted with the powders was determined from the pressure decrease in the mills. The powders resulting from ball milling in pure water and in oxygenated water were subjected to surface area, optical microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses. With these data, the oxygen calculated to be combined with the metals during ball milling, and comparison of the free energies of formation of the oxides of the milled powders with that of water, a comminution mechanism was postulated. MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT, AND PROCEDURES The materials used in this investigation were powdered metals, deaerated distilled water, high-purity helium, and commercial grade (99.5 pct purity) oxygen. The powdered metals used were zirconium, tantalum, iron, nickel, copper, and silver. A 16 pct Cr, ferritic stainless steel, type 430, was also used. The purities (or nominal compositions) and the surface areas of these metals and the alloy are given in Table I.

Jan 1, 1970

By C. E. Sims, H. M. Banta, S. L. Hoyt

Over the past few years, metallic arc welding has been extended to steels of the hardenable type. As compared with other methods of fabrication, production has been facilitated, service performance frequently has been improved, and the overall results have been so favorable that engineers and production men have placed great emphasis on this application of welding. The metallurgist and welding engineer, however, have been confronted with new problems, since, for one reason, the harder steels are more apt to crack and special precautions must be taken if sound joints are to be procured. Some of the factors that are pertinent to this problem are metallurgical, and it is an object of this contribution to discuss steel manufacture and processing methods and to show how their control assists in reducing the hazard of cracking. By this time, the problem of cracking— specifically underbead cracking, or "hard cracks," or parent-metal cracks-—is well known, and a large amount of work has been published, both here and abroad, dealing with this subject.&apos; The tests described are made under restraint to facilitate cracking and arc so designed that a semiquantitative, or at least a relative, value of the cracking tendency is obtained. As one would expect, it has been reported that the incidence of cracking increases with the carbon and alloy content of the steel. More specifically, the cracking tendency is said to increase with the hardenability of the steel, though it is now recognized that the situation is not so simple. The phenomenon itself, on the other hand, has been but loosely described, and it is in only broad generalizations that this cracking has been related to steel metallurgy. Thus, while it has been abundantly demonstrated that the hardenable aircraft steel, S.A.E. 4130, must tend to crack when are-welded, the problem still remains of why two lots of the same composition and the same hardenability can vary so greatly in cracking tendency, or what it is about the prior metallurgical history that so strongly affects the results. Further, while the efficacy of preheating and postheating in preventing cracking is recognized and utilized in production, the mechanism by which they function seems not to have been described. These points are thought to be significant in the production of steel for fabrication by metallic arc welding and, hence, of interest to mill and process metallurgists and welding engineers. Consequently, it is another object of this paper to discuss the mechanism of parent-metal cracking, including the influence of the condition of the steel and the control of cracking by manipulation of the time-temperature conditions during and after welding. A new method of rating the cracking tendency is also discussed, and the results of the test are related to steel composition and structure or prior history. The work to be described was the outgrowth of work in 1940-41 at Battelle Memorial Institutc on two projects, one

Jan 1, 1945

By K. N. Han, H. Lee, M. C. Fuerstenau

An investigation of the recovery of finely-divided cassiterite and silica particles less than 1 µm (1200 mesh) in size has been carried out using packed and fluidized beds. The bed particles used included cassiterite and silica particles ranging from 44 to 210 µm (325 to 70 mesh). Effects of various system parameters on the recovery and selectivity of cassiterite fines were investigated. System parameters included pH of the slurry solution, superficial velocity, slurry concentration, and bed particle sizes. High recoveries of cassiterite fines were obtained at pH 4.0 and slow slurry flow rates. In a packed bed system, recovery of cassiterite fines was greater than 95%, while that of silica fines under the same conditions was about 35%. Although the total recovery per pass is not as good as the packed bed, the fluidized bed system exhibits good recovery in general and an excellent selectivity of cassiterite fines. There is an optimum superficial velocity, vo, for the rate of fine particle uptake and the apparent rate constant has the form of Kvo1/2- K&apos;vo, where K and K&apos; are system constants.

Jan 1, 1985

By M. Cohen, R. T. Howard

The purpose of this paper is to direct attention to the lower part of the austenite transformation diagram, or TTT curves, where considerable uncertainty still exists as to the blending of the bainite and martensite reactions. The dissimilarities between these two low temperature transforrnations have been summarized recently by Troiano and Greninger.&apos; Of particular importance to the present work is the fact that martensite formation, unlike bainite formation, is not suppressed by the fastest quenching rates attainable. However, most of the investigations in this direction have been concerned primarily with the start of the martensite transformation (Mg) during cooling, rather than with the quantitative aspects of the subsequent reaction on either further cooling or isothermal holding. Several years ago, Cohen2 suggested a form of transformation diagram which reconciled, at least schematically, the isothermal characteristics of the bainite transformation with the insuppressible nature of the martensite transformation. In essence, the diagram consisted of a family of horizontal lines (representing the progress of the austenite-martensite reaction during quenching) which were interrupted in point of time by the bainite family of C-curves extending down from higher temperatures. This picture received later support by metal-lographic3 and dilatometric4,5 studies, but the techniques employed were not sufficiently critical to substantiate some of the details. Elmendorf6 and Grange and Stewardi have shown that the Greninger-Troiano metallographic technique8 may be used not only for M, determinations, but for studying the course of further austenite decomposition. In fact, the latter investigators have observed the amount of martensite formed as a function of temperature below M, in fourteen commercial steels. In the present paper, the Greninger-Troiano technique has been combined with the lineal method of Howard and Cohen9 to provide a unique, quantitative treatment of the austenite-martensite reaction. Furthermore, isothermal transformations have been similarly measured on holding at temperatures above and below M., thus permitting a fairly detailed presentation of the lower part of the conventional austenite transformation diagram. Experimental Details Materials The steels, listed in Table I, were selected for study because they exhibit a satisfactory range of M. temperatures and have not received as much attention as the lower carbon grades. They were prepared as 30 lb induction furnace heats in the laboratories of the Vanadium-Alloys

Jan 1, 1949

By M. Cohen, R. T. Howard

The purpose of this paper is to direct attention to the lower part of the austenite transformation diagram, or TTT curves, where considerable uncertainty still exists as to the blending of the bainite and martensite reactions. The dissimilarities between these two low temperature transforrnations have been summarized recently by Troiano and Greninger.&apos; Of particular importance to the present work is the fact that martensite formation, unlike bainite formation, is not suppressed by the fastest quenching rates attainable. However, most of the investigations in this direction have been concerned primarily with the start of the martensite transformation (Mg) during cooling, rather than with the quantitative aspects of the subsequent reaction on either further cooling or isothermal holding. Several years ago, Cohen2 suggested a form of transformation diagram which reconciled, at least schematically, the isothermal characteristics of the bainite transformation with the insuppressible nature of the martensite transformation. In essence, the diagram consisted of a family of horizontal lines (representing the progress of the austenite-martensite reaction during quenching) which were interrupted in point of time by the bainite family of C-curves extending down from higher temperatures. This picture received later support by metal-lographic3 and dilatometric4,5 studies, but the techniques employed were not sufficiently critical to substantiate some of the details. Elmendorf6 and Grange and Stewardi have shown that the Greninger-Troiano metallographic technique8 may be used not only for M, determinations, but for studying the course of further austenite decomposition. In fact, the latter investigators have observed the amount of martensite formed as a function of temperature below M, in fourteen commercial steels. In the present paper, the Greninger-Troiano technique has been combined with the lineal method of Howard and Cohen9 to provide a unique, quantitative treatment of the austenite-martensite reaction. Furthermore, isothermal transformations have been similarly measured on holding at temperatures above and below M., thus permitting a fairly detailed presentation of the lower part of the conventional austenite transformation diagram. Experimental Details Materials The steels, listed in Table I, were selected for study because they exhibit a satisfactory range of M. temperatures and have not received as much attention as the lower carbon grades. They were prepared as 30 lb induction furnace heats in the laboratories of the Vanadium-Alloys

Jan 1, 1949

By J. Leja, N. Sheikh

The stability of lead ethyl xanthate precipitate in aqueous environment of different pH (4.5 to 10.5) and at temperatures 25°C-60°C was investigated. Dissolution leads to a wide variation of pH, xanthate, and lead ions concentration in solution and to a deposition of solid products of reactions. X-ray diffraction patterns of these solids enabled identification of Pb(OH)3, PbCO3, and PbS as constituents of the remaining undecomposed Pb(EtX)1, together with some unidentified compounds (which give rise to intensive peaks with d values of 2.82A and 1.71A, and numerous peaks of lesser intensity).

Jan 1, 1974

By W. O. Philbrook, R. H. Spitzer, F. S. Manning

A generalized mathematical model has been developed to describe the kinetics of the gaseous, topo-chemical reduction of porous hematite spheres. Gas-solid reduction is permitted at each of three advancing interfaces and is controlled by a complex series-parallel sequence of chemical and transport steps. Despite the fact that transport resistances are significant to the advance of each interface, little deviation from linear advance is predicted for the first 98 pct of reduction. Calculations to predict the movement of magnetite /wustite interface by a solid-state diffusion mechanism have been incorporated into the earlier dense-pellet model.&apos; The porous-pellet model is found to give a better description than the dense-pellet one for McKewan&apos;s measurements2 of interface movements in dense polycrystalline hematite reduced in hydrogen-water vapor mixtures. THIS paper reports a continuation of work"3" directed toward the better understanding of gas-solid reactions and the development of mathematical models that may be helpful in the design or control of ore-reduction processes. Laboratory studies of the reduction of single oxide samples in tube furnaces normally employ an abundant excess of pure reducing gas. Reduction may appear to be adequately described by a model assuming gas-solid reaction solely at the iron/wustite interface.&apos;&apos;&apos; However, when iron ore is reduced in either a fixed bed or an efficiently operated counter-current column, there are portions of the bed where the partially spent gas is no longer capable of reducing wustite to iron. Nevertheless, the formation of the intermediate reaction products, wustite or magnetite, can and does continue. In order to account for this aspect of the reduction of beds of particles, three semiempirical mathematical models were devised.&apos; One of these was for the limiting case of completely dense particles, and two alternatives were provided for porous particles. For purposes of the analysis, a dense pellet was defined as one in which the wustite and magnetite layers were impervious to the reducing gas when the atmosphere was capable of forming iron. In a porous pellet, the intermediate product layers were assumed to be sufficiently permeable to allow reducing gas to penetrate beyond the iron/wustite interface to form wustite and magnetite by removal of oxygen as a gaseous product rather than by a solid-state redfiction mechanism. Further progress required a better understanding of the reaction of the individual particles with the gas stream. A comprehensive mathematical treatment was developed&apos; to describe the continually changing interplay of transport and reaction steps

Jan 1, 1967

By W. F. Campbell

One of the deepest coal operations today is the Springhill No. 2 mine of Cumberland Railway & Coal Co., subsidiary of Dominion Coal Co. Ltd. Mining is now conducted at a slope distance of 14,000 ft, with 4400 vertical ft of cover. The record of Springhill No. 2 can be said to contain the history of bumps in the Province of Nova Scotia. The Springhill coal field forms part of the Cumberland field of Carboniferous age. There are seven mineable fields in the area, numbered in the order they were discovered. Mining has been carried on in all but the No. 4 and 5 seams, but present operations are confined to the No. 2. Fig. 1 shows a vertical section through the seams. Opened in 1873, No. 2 mine was first worked from parallel slopes driven from the outcrop of No. 2 seam down to the 7700 level. As the mine went deeper, a two-place auxiliary slope was driven from the 6900 level to the present workings. A transfer level at the 7800 connects the main haulage with the auxiliary haulage slope. The No. 2 mine plan is shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The seam is bituminous, averaging 8.5 to 9 ft thick. There is a well defined parting 14 to 16 in. from the roof, and this roof coal is harder than the rest of the seam. Average pitch at the outcrop is 30°; at the 6500 level, 20°; at the 7900 level, 16°; and at the 13,800 level, 10°. Immediate roof and floor strata consist of beds of variable thicknesses of shales, grading to arenaceous shales to shaly sandstones to sandstones. A characteristic of the strata is the appearance and disappearance of sandstone bands, of considerable thickness, over distances of several hundred feet. MINE HISTORY Entrance to No. 2 mine is obtained by three parallel slopes, separated by 100-ft pillars except in the upper portion of the mine where the pillars are smaller. Main haulage levels were originally driven 600 ft apart for room and pillar extraction. A parallel drainage and intake airway was driven below each haulage level and a parallel return airway (counter level) above. Pillars 80 to 100 ft wide separated these two servicing entries from the center haulage level. Inclines up to 700 ft apart were driven off the levels up pitch to the upper levels, and at 40-ft centers level rooms 12 ft wide were driven off each side of the inclines, separated by crosscuts every 50 to 100 ft. The rooms were driven up to 350 ft or until they were holed into the room from the adjoining incline—a plan followed until the level reached its boundary. When the entire area between two levels had been divided into pillars, the pillars were extracted from the boundary back to the slope pillars. As depth of cover increased, mining conditions required larger pillars, and at the 3300 level, where NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS FOR MINING AT DEPTH In Room and Pillar Extraction: 1) Pillars must not be too small. 2) Pillar size must be uniform. 3) Extraction lines must be kept as straight and as uniform as possible. If they are irregular they should be brought back into line slowly. 4) Peninsulas of coal surrounded by gob must be avoided. 5) Pillars should not be disturbed after they have been formed. If it is necessary to increase the width of an opening, stripping or ribbing should be done gradually over a long distance. If increased width of openings is necessary at certain locations and can be anticipated, the openings should be widened during development. 6) Under no conditions should small pillars be left in the gob that would interfere with caving. In Long wall Operations: 1) Pillars formed during development for retreating longwalls should be uniform in size and shape. 2) Pillars should not be split after development, but if pillar splitting does become necessary it should not be carried out within the zone influenced by the working faces. 3) Width of levels should not be increased after the levels have been developed. If it does become necessary to widen a level it must be done gradually over a long distance by stripping or ribbing the coal ribs. 4) Extraction lines should remain uniform. If several walls are worked together—one behind the other—a uniform distance must be maintained between them and the wall faces must be kept as straight as possible. If the walls do get out of line, they must be brought back into line gradually to allow for a gradual change in the stress distribution over the area. 5) Stumps of coal, roof supports, etc. must not be allowed to remain in the gob to interfere with caving. 6) Midwalls should be built as rigidly as possible and properly maintained.

Jan 1, 1959

By T. Lane Carter

It is a curious fact that while in our Transactions there are papers dealing with mining-districts in all parts of the world, in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia, there is not one which describes the mining possibilities of Nicaragua, our near neighbor. To be most interested in distant objects, like the moon, and to neglect what lies at our feet, appears to be a trait of human nature. The neglect of Nicaragua is not confined to the American Institute of Mining Engineers. In no other transactions am I able to find papers dealing with mining in Nicaragua, some parts of which are as much in need of discovery and research as the North Pole. I hope this paper will be the precursor of many others to be printed in our Transaclions, dealing not only with the miniilg possibilities of Nicaragua, but with the whole of Central America, where there are vast areas a,waiting skill and capital for their development. Much of this capital and skill should come from the United States in the future, although it is probable that European capitalists, when they appreciate fully the possibilities, will investigate more and more the mining-resources of Nicaragua and ot&apos;her Central American republics. Fig. 1 is a sketch-map of Nicaragua showing the principal mining-districts. 11. History. Mining in Nicaragua did not begin yesterday. It was commenced by civilized man when the Spanish conquerors pene-&apos; trated into the interior and forced the natives to procure the precious metal for them. It is strange that the Spaniards did not find more gold, and work on a scale as extensive as in Colombia and other parts of South America. Probably in Nicaragua the Indians covered up most of the rich prospects

Jan 1, 1911

By C. E. Lesher

Low-temPeRatUre carbonization needs no introduction to the literature on coal. This paper will attempt no review of that literature; it tells the story of the commercial development of one of the processes for carbonizing coal at so-called low temperatures, dealing with the technology and economics of the process rather than with the design of equipment. The process used is that covered by the patents of C. B. Wisner, with improvements and changes made by the Pittsburgh Coal Carbonization Co. The important and novel feature of the process is the phenomenon of making the product in ball form (Fig. 1). Melting coal dust into smokeless solid fuel in an apparatus as simple as a revolving cylinder of ordinary mild steel has been proved to be practical. Furthermore, it has been found that the process has a wide application, for by applying a knowledge of why and how this balling action is accomplished, the apparatus can be designed and adapted to treat any coal that has a certain minimum agglutinating property. The operating plant is 20 miles west of Pittsburgh, adjacent to the Champion preparation plant of the Pittsburgh Coal Co. The coal used is cleaned minus ?-in. or finer sizes. The products are low-tem-perature coke, tar and tar products. Present capacity is 7000 tons per month of low-temperature coke and 140,000 gal. of tar. There is no surplus gas for sale, and none of the light oils are stripped from the gas. The coke is marketed in two sizes, 1 to 2 in. and 1 to 6 in., through retail coal dealers for domestic consumption in hand-fired furnaces, and for fireplace fuel. The smaller size is bagged by dealers. Crude tar and many distillates and road tars are sold. Acknowledgments During the 10 years in which the work that is summarized in this paper has been under way, many have contributed time and effort, faithful service and fruitful thinking. Whatever success has attended

Jan 1, 1940

By C. E. Lesher

Low-temPeRatUre carbonization needs no introduction to the literature on coal. This paper will attempt no review of that literature; it tells the story of the commercial development of one of the processes for carbonizing coal at so-called low temperatures, dealing with the technology and economics of the process rather than with the design of equipment. The process used is that covered by the patents of C. B. Wisner, with improvements and changes made by the Pittsburgh Coal Carbonization Co. The important and novel feature of the process is the phenomenon of making the product in ball form (Fig. 1). Melting coal dust into smokeless solid fuel in an apparatus as simple as a revolving cylinder of ordinary mild steel has been proved to be practical. Furthermore, it has been found that the process has a wide application, for by applying a knowledge of why and how this balling action is accomplished, the apparatus can be designed and adapted to treat any coal that has a certain minimum agglutinating property. The operating plant is 20 miles west of Pittsburgh, adjacent to the Champion preparation plant of the Pittsburgh Coal Co. The coal used is cleaned minus ?-in. or finer sizes. The products are low-tem-perature coke, tar and tar products. Present capacity is 7000 tons per month of low-temperature coke and 140,000 gal. of tar. There is no surplus gas for sale, and none of the light oils are stripped from the gas. The coke is marketed in two sizes, 1 to 2 in. and 1 to 6 in., through retail coal dealers for domestic consumption in hand-fired furnaces, and for fireplace fuel. The smaller size is bagged by dealers. Crude tar and many distillates and road tars are sold. Acknowledgments During the 10 years in which the work that is summarized in this paper has been under way, many have contributed time and effort, faithful service and fruitful thinking. Whatever success has attended

Jan 1, 1940

By G. P. Connell, R. E. Gilmore, J. H. H. Nicolls

The purpose of this paper is to suggest a procedure for indicating the dividing line between noncaking coals and those that have weakly caking properties. A laboratory agglomerating test as an aid in classifying weakly caking coals is outlined and its merits in comparison with the standard agglutinating method advanced by the U. S. Bureau of Mines are discussed. No attempt, however, is made to discuss in detail either the different methods for determining "caking" and "agglutinating" indices or the various systems of classification. Two methods, differing somewhat in procedure, have been employed and recognized as suitable for determining the caking or agglutinating values of coals; namely, those in which an inert material such as sand, electrode carbon, etc., has been mixed with the coal before being heated, and those in which the coal is carbonized alone. In all such methods, the coal with or without the inert material is in the finely divided state and the index or value sought is derived from the examination of the residue after heating in a closed crucible or other container. The procedure outlined by Selvig, Beattie and Clellandl is the most recent representative of the method using sand as inert material, while the agglomerating test described below is representative of the method in which the coal is carbonized alone. The standard volatile-matter determination affords a means for observing the coking properties of a coal, and this has been described by Rose2 as the simplest of all coking tests. According to him, "the resulting coke button will indicate whether the coal is noncoking, feebly coking or strongly coking," despite the fact that "almost every condition in this test is at variance with large-scale carbonizing practice." Lessing,3 the

Jan 1, 1934

By P. G. Shewman, T. L. Wilson

Using published surface-diffusion (D,) data and published sintering equations, it is shouln that surface difusion should dominate the neck-growth stage of intering for all materials in which D, has been measured (six metals and A1as). Also, grain boundary diffusion can be expected to contribute appreciably to shrinkage and possibly to neck growth below some critical temperature of the order of 70 pct 01- the absolute melting temperatuve. In view of the widespread conclusion in previous sintering work that volume diffusion dowzinates neck gvowth, experiments were conducted using spherical copper powders to test this conclusion. Scaling studies on neck growth at 950°and 1020°C clearly demonstrated that suyface diffusion dorninates. Kinetic studies on shrinkage gave more equivocal results that indicated an increasing role of&apos; grain boundary transport at lower temperatures. Five diarszeters from 100 to 300 u were used in the scaling sludy and a temperature range of -650&apos; 10 950 C was covered in the shrinkage studies. All experiments were conducted in dvy hydrogen. In 1949, Kuczynski published his now classic paper on the determination of the transport mechanism in sintering from the time laws of neck growth. In the interim, these laws have been applied to many systems and slightly modified by several authors. Essentially all these authors concluded that, for crystal- line materials, the dominant transport mechanism in neck growth is volume diffusion. This stems from the observation that the neck radius increases about as t"5 and that the activation energy approximates that for lattice diffusion. A related but independent series of studies stems from Mullins&apos; rigorous analysis of the growth of the groove formed where a grain boundary meets a free surface." xperimental work stemming from this analysis has shown that for each crystalline material studied (Au, Ag, Cu, Ni, Fe, Pt, Al2O3) surface diffusion was clearly the dominant transport mechanism for groove widths up to the order 10 to 20 p. The ratio of the quantity of material being carried by lattice diffusion to that carried by surface diffusion increases linearly with the groove width, so surface diffusion is dominant for all widths under 10 to 20 u. The analysis of the relative contributions of surface and volume diffusion to grain boundary grooving, and to neck growth in sintering, shows that they are quite similar. Thus, using the available surface-diffusion data and the approximate equations of Kuczynski, or the more rigorous recent equations of Nichols and Mullins, 3 it can be shown that the small necks between particles must grow almost entirely by surface diffusion. The purpose of this study was to re-examine the basis for the conclusion that the neck-growth stage of sintering proceeds by volume diffusion. Using spherical copper powders, of several different diameters, precise experimental measurements were made of both neck growth and shrinkage. Application of Herring&apos;s scaling laws to the neck-growth data clearly indicated that neck growth occurred by surface transport, even though the neck radius increased as or Using the recent analysis of Mullins and Nichols as well as published data on surface diffusion, it is shown that the observed time law, as well as actual rate of neck growth, can be satisfactorily explained by a surface-diffusion mechanism.

Jan 1, 1967