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By D. O. Noel

IT is, of course, expected that manufacture of the various metal powders should involve numerous methods adapted to the specific characteristics of the metals themselves. Several methods for powdering a particular metal may be available, but the physical characteristics of the powder as produced by the several methods may be quite different. In the final analysis, the application of the metal powder dictates the physical properties that the metal powder must possess, and this, to a very large extent, will determine which of several possible methods of manufacture is adopted. Sometimes powder of the same metal is produced by more than one method, each powder having specific characteristics that make it particularly suitable for its application. For purposes of classification, the various methods of powdering metals can be grouped as follows: 1. Machining. 2. Milling (by ball mills, stamps, attrition mills, etc.). 3. Shotting (pouring molten metal into water, air, etc.). 4. Granulation (by stirring molten metal while solidifying). 5. Atomizing (disintegrating by steam, compressed air, etc.). 6. Condensation of metal vapor. 7. Reduction of oxide powders. 8. Chemical precipitation. 9. Electrolytic deposition. 10. Sintering (for producing alloy powders). 11. Formation of an alloy followed by dissolving or otherwise remov-ing one of the alloying constituents.

Jan 1, 1938

By H. M. Chance

Discussion of the paper of H. M. Chance, Bi-Monthly Bulletin, No. 23, September, 190S, pp. 791-808. CHARLES CATLETT, Staunton,Va. (communication to the Secretary *):-Mr. Chance's suggestions that the brown hematite ores of the Potsdam formation are due to the alteration in place of iron sulphide, and that their extension may reasonably be expected to contain valuable deposits of unaltered sulphide, are interesting; but the facts marshaled by him are too limited to justify more than the hope that they may serve as a commercial source of sulphur. It is true that these deposits have been the source of large amounts of iron-ore; and it. is common, as stated by him, for the mining operations to extend to a shallow depth only; but this is largely due to the fact that the surface-material represents an accumulation from the breaking down and collection of the ore which formerly reached a much higher level. With, increasing depth comes a decreasing thickness of valuable material. This is especially appreciated by a glance at Mr. Chance's drawings. This is the reason why so many disappointments have resulted when these ores have been followed to greater depths. Even if the ore is largely derived from oxidation in place, it is impossible to ignore the great number of concretionary forms, as well as those showing the evidence of secondary solution and deposition now taking place, such, for instance, as the part replacements of fragments of quartzite derived from the underlying beds. Concretionary form does not necessarily mean long transportation, and may be a variation of material in place; but commonly it is an evidence of collection, and tends to imply that more or less concentration has taken place. This fact would also argue against an equally extensive develop¬-

Nov 1, 1908

By S. A. TAYLOR

AN EDITORIAL on the Strike Situation in the Coal mining industry in the New York Evening Post of Nov. 4, 1919, gave what purported to be statistics of the Department of Labor, for a period of two weeks, which showed an average for the year, based on these two weeks, of 32% hours per week. This mode of arriving at the number of hours per week, while not accurate, is not so far off from the facts as to call for any special comment. The report of the U. S. Geological Survey, Department of Coal Statistics, give so the number of days worked in 1917 as 243; reducing the same to hours per week, assuming 8 hours per day, shows a weekly operation of mines at an average of 36J4 hours. But this assumption is not exactly correct, for the reason that it is not very often that the miners work the full 8 hours per day. There are many explanations for this, but it is not pertinent to this statement to discuss them now, as the important thing to consider is whether a 30-hour week would be for the best interest of not only the men themselves, but the public or country in general.

Jan 1, 1920

By Peter R. Drummond

THE final casting of refined copper has been re-J- stricted for generations by the following sequence of operations: Filling the reverberatory furnace, melting, skimming, blowing or flapping, and poling. The hoped-for 24 hr cycle, producing 300 tons or more, has been taken up largely with the necessary bat time-consuming tasks of cleaning the bath, sulphur elimination, and in turn removal of excess oxygen to produce tough-pitch copper. Incidental to comparatively slow melting under combustion gases, copper oxides react with the furnace lining, and the slag so-formed must be completely recycled. The three-phase arc furnace has eliminated some of the cycle stages, and telescoped the remainder into a continuous operation. Electrical energy, supplied to graphite electrodes enclosed in high grade refractories, rapidly melts copper cathodes and sustains a stream of metal, containing approximately 0.01 pct oxygen, without contamination from fuel. The arc was struck on the first large electric furnace for melting copper in the United States on April 13, 1949. The earliest use of this type of furnace was at Copper Cliff, Ont., in 1936, and an admirable description of their installation has been published? Copper, melted in the Baltimore furnace, is used to cast billets, and the installation differs somewhat from the Canadian, as will be described. The arc furnace is a heavy-duty, three-phase furnace, holding 50 tons, the general outline of which appears on Fig. 1. The steel shell is 15 ft ID with a bottom radius of 14 ft 2 in. The roof, separate and distinct from the body, consists of a 15-ft water-cooled, cast-steel ring of the same outside diameter as the furnace. The center line of the furnace lies 9 ft 6 in. from that of the trunnions, permitting a 5" backward tilt for skimming, and a 40" maximum nose tilt forward for complete draining. Normally, the furnace overflows by displacement, and the use of the forward tilt arrangement is restricted to covering charging delays. The charging slot, 3 ft 8 in. x 5 in., lies on the north center line, the tap hole on the south, and the 30x30 in. skim door 45" to the west of the slot. The original 20-in. graphite electrodes were replaced with 14 in. in December 1949. Three conventional direct current winch drives, governed by electrical controls, position each electrode which has individual mast supports and counterweights. An independent circulation supplies cooling water for the electrode glands, the roof ring, charge slot, and the skim door frame. Arc Furnace Refractories Hearth: Fused-in monolithic bottoms had been used in copper arc furnaces, installed prior to April 1949. These consisted of thin layers of periclase, successively fused in place over preliminary brick courses. Heat was obtained from the arc, using a T-like arrangement of broken electrodes resting directly on the periclase to be fused. The operation, taking weeks to perform, was very expensive. The chemically-bonded magnesite-brick bottom, installed at Baltimore, was the first of its kind and a radical departure from previous practice. It consists of a 1 to 6-in. layer of castable refractory laid on the steel shell, modifying it to a 12 ft 2 in. bottom radius. Two courses of 9x2 % -in. fireclay straights and keys follow. The third course is made of 9-in. magnesite blocks of special shape to form circles of an inverted arch. It was started by a four piece keystone with skew-backs forming the outer course. The fourth course also started on a central keystone, or button, of four 90" segments, 12 in. diam x 13 Vz in. deep, and continued with 13%-in. blocks. Skewbacks at the shell completed the course to produce a horizontal surface for the side walls with a single course of No. 2 arch fireclay against the steel. Dry chrome-magnesite cement was brushed over each course after laying, and a 1-in. expansion space between the brick and the shell was filled with the same mixture. The total bottom thickness, excluding the castable material, was 5 in. of clay plus 22% in. of chemically-bonded magnesite. Tap Hole: A 5-in. OD and 3-in. ID silicon-carbide tube constitutes the tap hole and is set tangential to the upper course of the furnace bottom. Molten metal fills the tube when the furnace is level and filled to capacity. Side Walls: The lining, against the shell, consists of a 9x4Y2x3 in. soldier course of fireclay, using straights and No. 1 arches to turn the circles. A second soldier course of 9x4'/2x2'/2-in. fireclay was laid in a somewhat similar fashion. Three courses of 13Y2x6x3 in. and 9x6~3 in. of final magnesite, laid flat, completed the lining, using Nos. 1 and 2 keys to turn the circles. Cardboard spacers were placed between every two bricks in horizontal courses, and a thin coat of chrome-magnesite cement filled the joints between the firebrick and magnesite. A sprung-arch spanned the skim door with jambs of suitable magnesite shapes. Charge Slot: The slot is 3 ft 8 in. wide x 5 in. high. A silicon-carbide sill of special shapes has a 30" slope to allow cathodes to slide easily into the bath. The original arch was flat, and composed of Nos. 1 and 2 wedge magnesite with a 6-ft radius. It projected 5 in. over the sill, and, being a flat arch, gave an 18 15/16-in. opening between the inner edge and the metal line. The whole assembly was later raised 9 in., and the flat arch replaced with an arch, the lower edge of which maintained the 5-in, width from the outer to inner edges as shown in Fig. 2. A water-cooled, cast-copper jacket protects the steel shell behind the slot.

Jan 1, 1952

By Everett G. Trostel

AMERICAN industry in 1943 emerged from the construction phase into the production phase, and American military operations passed from preparation into full action in the many theaters of the global war. The increased pace of industrial and military operations has resulted in a tremendous demand for petroleum and its products.

Jan 1, 1944

By M. A. Jones

Performance of a pilot flood in eastern Kansas indicates improved recovery and accelerated production resulting from mobility ratio control obtained by adding a high moleculur weight polymer to injected water. Ultimate pilot flood recovery of the 75-cp reservoir oil is anticipated to he 350 bbllacre-ft during the six-year flood life. Cumulative recovery to date totals 242 bbl/acre-ft after 30 months of injection. Reservoir parameters and flood performance are disc~rssed in detail to provide a case history relating to the feasibility of polymer flooding. INTRODUCTION The Vernon Polymer flood of the Brazos Oil & Gas Co., located in Sec. 2, 24 S., 16 E., Woodson County, Kans., was begun in late Oct., 1963. Injection of a 500 ppm solution of Pusher* polymer was initiated in a 15-acre pilot to determine feasibility of improving oil recovery by mobility ratio control. Performance to date and the anticipated recovery of 115,000 bbl from the 329 acre-ft pilot indicate efficient displacement of the viscous reservoir oil. Dependence of flood recovery on the displacing fluid-displaced oil mobility ratio has long been recognized. Displacement efficiency of the reservoir oil decreases with increasing mobility ratio. Therefore, economic reduction of this parameter is an attractive approach to improving oil recovery. particularly from viscous oil reservoirs where mobility ratios are often quite high. Waterflood mobility ratios can be controlled by dilute solutions of certain polymers'; which provide a displacing fluid with considerably reduced mobility. Reservoir parameters and flood performance are emphasized in this paper to provide data relating to polymer flood applicability. THEORY The polymer used in the Vernon pilot exhibits the property of unusually high resistance to flow through porous media.'.' A small concentration in injected water effects a mobility reduction considerably beyond that predicted from increases in bulk viscosity as measured in a capillary or rotating cup viscosimeter. Water mobility in the subject flood is reduced by a factor of 7.55 with the addition of 500 ppm Pusher chemical to injected water while the bulk viscosity is increased from 1.03 to only 1.40 cp at 75F. The exact flow mechanism causing resistance to flow has not been established; however, it is observed only in tortuous flow systems and appears to be influenced by brine properties, rock properties and oil saturation. Consequently, mobility reduction is estimated from flow studies for a given sample of reservoir rock and is expressed in terms of a "resistance factor".' This parameter is defined as the ratio of brine mobility to polymer solution mobility measured at residual oil saturation: RF= ?m/?p= (km/µm)/(kp/µp)M.......(1) where RF = resistance factor (dimensionless) k*. and A, = mobility of water and polymer solution, respectively k,,, and k,, = water and polymer permeability, respectively (darcies) µie and µp = viscosity of water and polymer, respectively (poise). Eq. 1 is similar to the expression commonly used to relate the relative mobility of the water bank at residual oil saturation to oil-bank mobility at irreducible water saturation: where M =mobility ratio of water to oil (dimension-less) A, = mobility of oil k, = permeability to oil (darcies) )i* = oil viscosity (poise). From Eqs. 1 and 2 it is apparent that the polymer-solution-to-oil-mobility ratio can be approximated by dividing the brine-to-oil ratio by the resistance factor RF: Mpn=M10/RF...........(3) where M,-, = mobility ratio of polymer solution to oil (dimensionless). This simplified presentation assumes no dilution of the polymer solution by connate water. Also, the presence of a connate water bank separating the polymer solution from the displaced oil is not considered. Displacement of oil by waterflooding is increasingly dominated by viscous forces as the viscosity of the oil displaced increases. When the oil mobility is less than that of the injected water, the oil-water interface is not a piston-like front.3,' Instead, instabilities occur at the flood front in the form of viscous fingers which tend to penetrate the less mobile oil bank. The magnitude of these protrusions, or the degree of channeling, increases

Jan 1, 1967

By Alfred R. Powell

LATE in 1944 a group of petroleum and coal technologists was organized in Wash¬ington under the sponsorship of the Petroleum Administration for War and the U. S. Bureau of Mines. This group, known as the Technical Oil Mission, was placed under the authority of the Technical Industrial Intelligence Committee of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which was then promoting the organization of other missions to be sent to Germany to obtain technical information regarding various industries in that country. The objective of the Technical Oil Mission was to obtain technical data on German production of synthetic oil from coal and all other commercial practices and research projects connected with the oil industry. The primary purpose was to obtain such data as were immediately essential to assist the war against Germany and Japan, with secondary emphasis on technical information that would assist American industry after the end of the war. Since oil-production facilities in Ger¬many and the occupied countries con¬trolled by Germany were the top targets for strategic bombing, the Technical Oil Mission was the first group under the Technical Industrial Intelligence Com¬mittee to enter Germany. A few members of the group flew to London in February 1945 and the majority of the remainder followed in March. In London they were joined by an equal number of British investigators and the combined, mission was then sent into Germany under the authority of the Combined Intelligence Objectives Subcommittee (CIOS). A sum¬mary of the more important information gained by this combined British and American mission is presented below. GERMAN OIL PRODUCTION The oil available to Germany, both natural and synthetic, and including pro¬duction from occupied countries, reached a peak in late 1943 and early 1944. Pro¬duction at this time was at the rate of 1,200,000 metric tons per month, equiva¬lent to i00,000,000 bbl. per year, or about 7 per cent of the wartime production in the United States. Of this production, 50 per cent was crude oil from Romania and Hungary, 12 per cent was crude oil from Germany itself, including Austria, 9 per cent com¬prised coal-carbonization products, that is, tar and light oil, and only the remaining 29 per cent was synthetic liquid fuel made from coal or tar. Synthetic liquid fuel made in Germany was equivalent therefore to less than 2 per cent of war¬time production of crude oil in the United States. The success of the strategic bombing campaign against German oil-production facilities is demonstrated by the fact that by September 1944 the Ploesti fields of Romania and much of the syn¬thetic oil production had been eliminated, so that the amount of oil available to the German war machine was only 25 per cent of the peak quantity mentioned above. By early 1945, when the combined British and American oil mission was entering

Jan 1, 1946

By E. A. Anderson

THIS seems to be the year for superlatives in A.I.M.E. meetings. The programs of the various Divisions and Institute committees offered an abundance of interesting and valuable information in the form of technical papers, symposia. and lectures to large and interested audiences. The Institute of Metals Division may hold up its head with pride for its own program. With six technical sessions, three full-day symposia, and the annual I.M.D. dinner, four meeting days were not enough and many simultaneous sessions were required. The quantity and quality of the paper were equaled by the numbers and interest of those attending.

Jan 1, 1944

By L. S. Austin

I. Introduction............ 431 II. Organization............ 432 III. Production............ 434 IV. Transportation............ 435 V. Sampling..........436 VI. Concentration............ 440 VII. Blast-Furnace Plant........... 442 1. Construction........... 442 2. Operation............ 450 VIII. Advantages of Large Furnaces........ 455 1. Saving in Fuel........... 455 2. Saving in Jacket.Water..... 455 3. Quick and Large Discharge of Matte and Slag... 455 4. Decrease of Incrustation... 456 5. Elasticity of Operation..457 6. Large Flow Through Fore.Hearths...4. 57 7. Alterations Without Interruption..458 8. Variations in the Composition of Slag....458 9. Less Labor-Cost.......... 458 10. Less Initial Cost.......... 460 IX. Briquetting.Plant........... 460 X. Roasting-Plant............ 462 1. Kilns............ 462 2. Reverberatory Furnaces...468 XI. Converter-Plant........... 474 1. Construction ..........474 2. Operation.......... 476 XII. Flues and Stacks........... 478 XIII. Arsenic-Plant............ 480 XIV. Coke-Washing Plant.... 452 XV. Slime.Ponds ........... 483 XVI. Brick-Plant............ 484 I. Introduction. The Washoe plant; in Anaconda. Mont., together with the local street-railroad, ranches. a foundry and machine-shop. A

Jan 1, 1907

By L. R. Gremillion, G. H. McClellan

Chemical and mineralogical data on 25 apatitic phosphate ores of diverse origins from commerical deposits around the world were widely variable. From 14 to 18 chemical constituents of each sample were determined, and each sample contained four to ten mineral phases. Altogether there were 34 different mineral phases, many of which occurred in only one sample. Samples contained varieties of francolites, fluorapatites, and mixed hydroxyfluorapatites. The apatite compositions calculated from chemical data showed that certain types of substitutions were characteristic of different apatite varieties, but every variety had some degree of substitution of (CO3)2- for (PO4)3-, and the P205 contents of the apatites ranged from 35.1 %for a North Carolina apatite to 41.9% for a Missouri apatite. In a concentrate with a grade of 32% P2O5, the North Carolina sample should contain about 8.7% gangue and the Missouri sample about 23.7% gangue. To optimize the digestion process of a phosphate ore, it is necessary to consider the dissolution behaviors of different mineral phases during acidulation and their possible effects on chemical properties of a fertilizer intermediate. In the production of wet-process acids or superphosphates, acidulation of certain minerals may cause foaming and formation of sludge, filtration, corrosion, and handling problems.

Jan 1, 1982

By Henry Rawdon

THE RELATION between the course, or path, of the fracture of metals and alloys, produced in service or as a result of certain laboratory tests, and the crystalline units of which such materials are composed is of utmost importance. The fracture of normal material is, in general, intracrystalline, i.e., it consists of a break across the grains rather than of a separation between them. An intercrystalline fracture indicates either that the metal is of very inferior quality or that the break occurred under very unusual conditions, e.g., at a very high temperature. The usual mechanical tests, when applied to metals of the type that breaks with an intercrystalline fracture, merely measure the coherence of adjacent grains for one another and reveal little as to the real properties of the metal itself. Even such a soft plastic substance as lead, under suitable conditions, may be rendered so weak and brittle that the metal can be easily crumbled into powder by the fingers although the constituent grains have lost none of the intrinsic properties of lead. Various erroneous explanations of this behavior of lead have appeared in the scientific literature, the change being described usually as an allotropic one. The importance, in an industrial sense, of a proper explanation of this type of the corrosion of lead justifies the description of the type of metal deterioration that follows.

Jan 2, 1920

By H. B. Pulsifier

THE following report on the structure of copper is the result of work done in the laboratory of the Rome Wire Co. early in 1925. Previous work had indicated to the author that excellent results might be expected if a suitable technique in surfacing and etching could be developed. The resources of the Rome Wire Co. enabled this metal to be studied more intensively than previously, although none of the materials were investigated exhaustively. The material presented is hardly more than a preliminary summary of the most obvious character of the metal; a much longer research would have been necessary to solve many of the pressing problems connected with the casting and working of copper. The Rome Wire Co. has generously released the paper; to Dr. E. H. Darby, technical supervisor of the company, are due particular thanks for his appreciation of the importance of metallographic study of copper and for his effective support in the prosecution of the work and in making its publication possible.

Jan 1, 1926

By J. J. Kramer, G. W. Wiener, K. Foster

The effects of the primary grain size and sheet thickness on the secondary growth rates of grains with (100) surface planes were studied in 3 pct Si-Fe sheets. This secondary grain growth was carried out under conditions in which the {100} plane had the lowest surface free energy. The value of the surface energy difference, between the (100) plane and the random matrix planes was found to he only about 3 pct of the grain boundary energy, indicating that most of the driving force for secondary growth is supplzed by grain boundary energy. A method for obtaining cube texture in 3 pct Si-Fe sheets by a secondary recrystallization process has been reported.' It has been demonstrated that a difference in surface free energy between the (100) plane and other planes is responsible for this growth, where the (100) plane has the lowest surface energy. A semiquantitative relation has been derived for secondary grain growth in sheets where primary grain growth has proceeded until the grains have grown through the sheet and the average grain diameter in the plane of the sheet is from one to two times the sheet thickness. Then, the linear growth rate, G, for the secondary grains can be given by where M is the grain boundary mobility, is the grain boundary free energy, is the average primary grain radius, A is the average difference in surface free energy between the (100) plane and planes of other orientations, t is the sheet thickness, and C is a term first proposed by zener6 which acts as a negative driving force, the effect of inclusions in holding up grain boundary motion. Since the problem of grain growth being discussed is under conditions where the matrix grain size is at least equal to the sheet thickness, the radius r is, of course, a function of the sheet thickness. The term B/r is the grain boundary driving force normally associated with inclusion inhibited or texture inhibited secondary recrystallization. Here, however, the term is modified to account for the fact that growth occurs in thin sheets. The term is the additional driving force available because of the difference in surface free energy. The purpose of the present work has been to evaluate the driving force terms of the growth equation by studying growth rates of (100) secondary grains as a function of sheet thickness and primary grain size. From these data it has been possible to determine the relative values of grain boundary energy, surface energy difference, and the inclusion term, C. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE A 3 pct Si-Fe alloy was melted and cast under a helium atmosphere using electrolytic iron and a pure commercial grade of silicon as raw materials. The alloy was hot and cold rolled to a thickness of 0.6 mm, and samples approximately 5 in. long by 1 1/4 in. wide were cut from the cold-rolled sheets. Four different primary grain sizes were obtained

Jan 1, 1963

By H. Kenworthy, M. M. Fine

The progress made to date in the mineral dressing of complex Arkansas titanium ores is reported in this paper. Concentrates of rutile, a dioxide of titanium, were produced by treating a submarginal ore from the Magnet Cove Rutile Co., Inc., Magnet, Ark. The rutile recovery at present is 45 to 50 pct of the total TiO2 with the possibility of increased recovery with additional research. The work reported herein is part of a general study which will later include results of investigation of other titanium ore bodies in the Magnet, Ark., area. The fragile character of the rutile minerals, the softness of the gangue, the occurrence of pyrite and leucoxene, and the considerable proportion of extremely small size rutile in the presence of montmorillonite- and illite- type clays in the Magnet Cove open-pit mine are the important factors in the mineral dressing of this submarginal rutile ore.

Jan 1, 1949

By Phillip E. Butler

The Pennsylvania Dept. of Transportation is actively engaged in the utilization of coal mine refuse in the construction of highway embankments. Long-held objections for utilization are invalidated by research, laboratory data, and construction performance. Laboratory, engineering, construction, and environmental impact analyses are presented from the construction of the Cross Valley Expressway embankment at Forty Fort, Luzerne County, Pa. Comparisons of laboratory data and construction measurements are given. The refuse embankment is the first of its size in Pennsylvania, and possibly the U. S., covering 1.5 million cu yd.

Jan 1, 1977

By D. A. Belforti, M. P. Lepie

Spectroscopically pure copper was melted on sapphire plaques in a zydrogen atmosphere. The surface tension of the liquid metal was determined using the sessile drop technique. Measurements were made by direct observation with the aid of a specially const,mcted telescope. The value obtained, 1268 dynes per cm, is compared to that found in the literature. THERE is at this time considerable interest in the use of ceramics for vacuum tubes. The crystalline material is superior to the more conventional glass in mechanical strength, chemical inertness, dielectric properties, ability to withstand high temperatures, and so forth. However, ceramics are much more difficult to seal hermetically with metals than are the glasses. For this reason an investigation was undertaken to determine the wetting and adhesion of metals to ceramics. The sessile drop technique offers a convenient means at elevated temperatures for measuring liquid surface tension, wetting angle, density, spread- ing coefficient, and work of adhesion. Thus, from the contour of a drop of liquid at rest on a solid surface one can obtain a quantitative evaluation of the degree to which the two substances will bond. To this end a special apparatus was constructed so that various molten metals could be observed. Standardization of the apparatus was done initially by measuring the surface tension of copper since this is well documented in the metallurgy literature. Although there are many methods available for the measurement of surface energy,'+ the sessile drop technique has been used most extensively for molten metals and ceramics.5"' Fig. 1 illustrates the dimensions to be measured. From these values, the surface tension of the liquid can be obtained using the Bashforth and bdams' equation and tables.

Jan 1, 1963

By H. J. Modi, P. L. De Bruyn

IN recent years interest has been aroused in flotation rate studies both from a technical and a more practical aspect. With increasing fineness of grind becoming a necessity in treatment of low grade ores, difference:; in flotation rates of various size ranges will assume importance in the evaluation of overall recovery results. Theoretical analysis of flotation kinetics was initiated by Schuhmann,' who sought to define flotation rate of a given mineral and specified size range in terms of certain physical variables of the flotation system. Using as a basis for his analysis the bubble-particle encounter hypothesis previously advanced by Gaudin,' Schuhmann writes for the rate of flotation (R,.) of particles of average size x, Rx = PcPa(x) V F. [1] In this relation Pc and Pa represent, respectively, the probability of collision between particle and gas bubble in a given time interval and the probability of adhesion of particle to the bubble after collision. Rigorously speaking, the term PC does not have the significance of a probability factor, since it depends on the time interval and therefore can be numerically greater than unity. The term c(x) expresses the concentration of particles of an average size x in the flotation cell in weight per unit volume of pulp, and V denotes the total volume of pulp in the cell. The product, P,c(x)V, defines the frequency of particle-bubble collisl.on, and when it is multiplied by P,, the number of collisions per unit time resulting in successful adherence is obtained. The factor, F, measures the froth stability and is introduced because after fruitful bubble-particle contact some particles may still riot reach the froth launder. Coalescence of bubbles in the froth column or too short a bubble life could account for this effect. Schuhmann also introduced the concept of "specific flotation rate" (Q) to allow for the relative abundance of different mineral species in the flotation pulp. The specific flotation rate, having the dimension of reciprocal time, is defined as Eq. 2: Qx =Rx/c(x)v [2] and it also follows from Eq. 1 that Qx = PcPaF. [31 The theoretical aspects of flotation kinetics were also considered by Sutherland,3 who tried to improve Eq. 1 by expressing the probability factors in terms of such physical variables as particle radius (x), bubble radius (X), velocity of bubble relative to particle (v), the number of bubbles per unit volume of pulp (N) and the induction period (A) necessary for air-mineral adhesion. According to Sutherland's treatment, the rate equation, Eq. 1, transforms to R, = [3pX x v N] [sech2 (3 v ?/4 X) ] ?c(x) V [4] where the first term in brackets on the right-hand

Jan 1, 1957

By C. K. Gupta, P. K. Jena

Niobium (columbium) metal in the form of a button has been produced by calciothermic reduction of niobium pentoxide using sulfur as the heat booster. In these experiments with 50 g of niobium pentoxide per batch, the influence of percentage of calcium in excess of the stoichiometric, the percentage of sulfur by weight of the niobium oxide, and the outer-wall temperature of the bomb on the quality and yield of the metal has been studied. The maximum yield on this scale was 78 pct using 50 pct excess Ca and 20 pct of S and at a bomb-wall temperature of 600°C. In experiments conducted on 500 g of niobium pentoxide, reduction with 40 pct excess Ca and 20 pct of S, and at a bomb-wall temperature of 500°C, the.yield of the metal improved to 82 to 84 pct. Some of the reduced-metal samples have been electron-beam melted and the button melts thus obtained have been observed to be extremely ductile and capable of cold reduction to 98 pct without intermediate annealing. NIOBIUM, because of its high melting point (2468oC), its ductility, its resistance to corrosion especially in liquid metals, its high-temperature mechanical properties, and its relatively low capture cross section (1.1 barns) for thermal neutrons, has potentialities as a structural material in the field of nuclear engineering. Niobium and its alloys are also gaining importance in high-temperature technology as components in aircrafts, jet engines, and missiles, electronics, chemical engineering, and surgery. In 1904 Weiss and Aichel 1 produced niobium by reduction of its pentoxide by misch-metal. Since then a large number of investigations have been carried out for the extraction of niobium from its compounds. The various routes through which the metal niobium has been extracted from its compounds can broadely be classified into the following groups: a) reduction of its halides, oxides, and fluo-salts with metals like calcium, magnesium, sodium, and aluminum;2-10 b) reduction of its halides with hydrogen and oxides with carbon or carbides;11-18 c) electrolytic winning from its halides and fluo salts;19-25 and d) thermal decomposition and disproportion ion of its halides26-30 Among the processes in commercial use at present are sodium reduction or fused-salt electrolysis of potassium niobium fluoride, carbide or carbon reduction of the oxide, and hydrogen or metallothermic reduction of the chlorides. In 1907 Von Bolton2 prepared niobium by reducing niobium pentoxide with aluminum. Dennis and Adam-sona attempted reducing the oxide with magnesium powder in argon atmosphere and the resulting metal contained as much as 5 pct O. Mondolfo8 claimed a method for the reduction of the oxides with aluminum. In the case of both magnesium and aluminum reduction, it has been stated31 that by-product oxides such as MgO or A12O3 would involve a major separation problem. Further, in the case of alumino-thermic reduction, the solubility of aluminum in niobium and intermetallic formation have to be reckoned with. In 1922 Bridge3 produced niobium by calcium reduction of niobium pentoxide. Dennis and pdamson' obtained the metal by a similar method with an oxygen content of 0.2 pct. In most of the cases of metallothermic reduction of niobium oxides mentioned above, the metal niobium is obtained in the form of powder. In an attempt to produce massive niobium metal, lock' used iodine as the thermal booster in the bomb reduction of niobium pentoxide by calcium. Massive niobium metal was obtained with a maximum yield of 75 pct containing 0.1 pct 0. Joly32 carried out experiments on calcium reduction of niobium pentoxide on a 2-kg scale using sulfur as the heat booster in a sealed bomb filled with argon. In his experiments, the reaction was initiated by passing a current through niobium spiral wire embedded in the charge. In a typical run consisting of 2000 g of niobium pentoxide, 3100 g of calcium, and 800 g of sulfur (S/Nb2O5 = 3.3), he obtained massive metal in the form of a very uneven mass with a yield of -57 pct. With lower amounts of sulfur and calcium, powder niobium mixed with small metal globules was obtained and the yield was also poor. From these experiments he concluded that this method is not a suitable one for industrial development considering the quality and yield of metal obtainable and the possible hazards with higher ratios of sulfur to niobium pentoxide in the -~charere. In the present work, a detailed investigation on the calciothermic reduction of niobium pentoxide in a stainless-steel bomb in presence of sulfur as the heat booster was undertaken on a laboratory scale.

Jan 1, 1964

By H. A. J. Wilkens, H. B. C. Nitze

From time to time papers treating of specific cases of Southern gold-mines and mining have appeared in the Transactions of this Institute, as well as in other journals and publications. Mr. George I?. Becker, of the United States Geological Survey, made a reconnaissance of the Southern Appalachian gold-belt during the fall of 1894; the results of his investigations are published under the title of "A Reconnoissance of the GoldFields of the Southern Appalachians," in the Sixteenth Annual Report of the Director of the United States Geological Survey, 1894-95 : Part III., " Mineral Resources of the United States." Mr. Becker has treated the subject mainly in a scientific geological manner. We present this paper to the members of the Institute as requested by the Secretary last May, with the object of covering the ground from a more practical and technical standpoint. The notes for this paper were made in a large measure from personal observations, gained chiefly during the past summer on a trip through the field. In connection with this trip we collected a suite of typical hand-specimens, representing the gold-ores and wall-rock from the more important localities. This collection forms a part of the exhibit

Jan 1, 1896

By Robert S. Archer, L. W. Kempf

It is now well known that the structure of aluminum-silicon alloys can be refined in a rather remarkable manner, with consequent improvement of physical properties, by certain treatments applied to the molten metal shortly before casting. The differences between the treated and the untreated alloys are so marked that special terms are used to distinguish them, the untreated alloys being referred to as "normal" and the treated alloys as "modified." The first practical method of accomplishing this result was that of A. Pacz,1 which consists in treating the molten metal with a salt flux of which the active ingredient is sodium fluoride. The result can also be brought about, and in a more economical manner, by the addition of small quantities of metallic sodium (or potassium) to the molten alloy shortly before casting.2 The action of the Pacz flux evidently consists essentially in the production of free sodium by the reaction of sodium fluoride with aluminum. The changing of a normal alloy to a modified alloy is referred to as "modification" and any process for accomplishing this result is a "modifying" process. Modified aluminum-silicon alloys were introduced several years ago, and it has been demonstrated both in the laboratory and in commercial practice that it is no simple matter to produce castings having the maximum or nearly the maximum properties which under favorable circumstances can be obtained. The alloys are rather sensitive to small changes in chemical composition, and the modifying process must be carried out in a very particular manner to obtain the best results. Extensive experimental work has been carried out in the laboratories of the Aluminum Co. of America with the object of determining the conditions that must be observed to make these alloys of the greatest possible value. It was necessary to learn how to control the modifying process

Jan 1, 1926