Search Documents

By J. T. McGrath, R. C. A. Thurston

Poly crystalline specimens of copper, and copper with various additions of zinc, were tested in plane-bending fatigue. In tests performed at a constant stress, the fatigue life of copper increased slightly with the addition of up to fifteen per cent zinc. There was a sharp increase in fatigue life as further additions of zinc of up to 35 pct were made. Surface observations showed that the coarse slip bands that are characteristic of fatigue became narrower as the concentration of zinc increased. The rate of crack propagation also decreased with increasing zinc content. It is suggested that the fatigue behavior is controlled by cross slip processes. CROSS slip occurs when dislocations move from one primary slip plane to another along a connecting or cross slip plane. The primary and cross slip planes have a common slip direction. Wide stacking faults, having low energy, tend to make cross slip more difficult. According to recent theories, the ability of a material to cross slip is important to the formation and propagation of fatigue cracks. McEvily and Machlin2 have examined this concept experimentally by fatiguing single crys tals of lithium fluoride, sodium chloride, silver chloride, and KRS-5.* The latter two materials ex- hibit easy cross slip, while the former two do not. Normal rapid fatigue failure was obtained in the silver chloride and KRS-5 specimens, whereas it was much more difficult to achieve in sodium chloride and lithium fluoride crystals. Furthermore, numerous slip band extrusions and intrusions were found in silver chloride and KRS-5 crystals, whereas only one isolated extrusion was found in lithium fluoride and none was found in sodium chloride. McEvily and Machlin also consider that there is no clear-cut demarcation between crack initiation and propagation. The intrusion-extrusion process, which initiates crack formation, continues ahead of the cracks to allow propagation of these cracks along slip bands. The process of cross slip is therefore important not only to crack initiation, but also to crack propagation. Holden4 postulates that fatigue crack growth is dependent upon cross slip and thus upon stacking-fault energy. Using an X-ray microbeam technique, he found a cyclic subgrain structure in fatigued aluminum and a-iron. Holden suggests that micro-cracks develop in the densely-packed sub-boundaries ahead of the main crack front, and when sufficiently numerous join up to promote crack growth. The ease with which a subgrain structure could form would depend upon the ability of the dislocations to cross slip, and thus upon the stacking-fault energy. Hence in aluminum, which has a high stack-ing-fault energy and in which cross slip is easy, Holden found that the relative rate of fatigue crack propagation was considerably greater than in stainless steel, a low stacking-fault energy material. It has been shown by a number of investigators that the probability of forming deformation stacking faults in copper increases as zinc is added.5-7 Cross slip should, therefore, become more difficult as the zinc concentration is increased. In order to check the validity of the foregoing theories, it was decided to test copper and copper with various additions of zinc in plane bending fatigue, and determine to what extent their fatigue properties are dependent upon their ability to cross slip. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Fatigue tests were carried out on polycrystalline OFHC copper and various copper-zinc alloys with 5, 15, 20, 30, and 35 wt pct Zn. The Cu-Zn alloys were obtained commercially in sheet form. Test specimens, as shown in Fig. 1, were machined from sheet that had been reduced to an approximate grain size of 0.040 mm, the heat-treatment procedure being similar to that of Feltham anc copley.8

Jan 1, 1963

By W. A. Anderson, R. F. Mehl

RECRYSTALLIZATION of cold-worked metals has long been known to proceed by a process of nucleation and growth.1 When a cold-worked metal is heated to a temperature at which recrystallization will ensue, nuclei of new grains, essentially strain-free, appear and grow. As the process proceeds, nuclei continue to appear and to grow, until the cold-worked matrix has been entirely consumed and recrystallization has been completed (Fig. I). Conducted isothermally, a measurement of the fraction of the matrix recrystallized plotted against time, yields an isothermal recrystallization curve, showing the time course of the recrystallization process (Fig. 2).2 Evidently, then, the rate of recrystallization is determined by the rate at which nuclei form and the rate at which they grow. The rate of nucleation N is the number of nuclei that form in unit time in unit volume of the unrecrystallized matrix, and the rate of growth G is the increase in radius of the recrystallized grain per unit time. In recent years attempts have been made to determine N and G as these vary with the well-recognized variables affecting recrystallization: time, temperature, degree of deformation, etc.' Such studies yield information that is more fundamental than that conveyed by the conventional recrystallization diagram,' since the rate of recrystallization is thus analyzed into its two component rates.2 Methods are now available by which N and G can be measured, and analytical expressions have been developed for the interrelationships among N, G, the isothermal recrystallization curve, and the final grain size, which greatly facilitate analysis.2-4 The application of these methods has been demonstrated recently for the recrystallization of silicon ferrite.2 Data on N and G in dependence upon the recognized recrystallization variables are, however, very fragmentary;* values of N and G have been determined for some metals, but the effect of temperature, which would yield the fundamentally important activation energies, has been too little studied. Thus far there has been no detailed study of the recrystallization of any one metal in terms of N and G over appreciable ranges of the variables time, temperature, degree of deformation, and original grain size. It is the purpose of the present paper to provide such a study, employing aluminum.

Jan 1, 1945

By P. S. Miller, S. H. Ash

Extensive and diversified resources justify large populations and great industries. To carry on the business of commerce and meet the demands of large populations, the utilization of tunnels in some form for transportation purposes constitutes an important link in modern civilization. The driving of tunnels has been appropriated by the tunneling branch of the heavy-construction industry, and the progressive steps taken by modern tunnel builders were not even dreamed of 50 years ago. Great strides have been made toward more rapid progress in tunneling in the United States during the past I0 years. Tunneling consists of a definite cycle of operations developed from ideas that are crystallized and translated into action programs through various engineering phases that begin with the first preliminary survey and do not end until the job is completed. Once the line of the bore is established and a time set for the completion of the work, the face must advance according to estimates prepared before the work commences. This schedule must be followed in regular sequence from the moment the drills start against a new face of rock until they are ready again to drill the Succdeding face, constituting a round. Mining is largely tunneling carried on under conditions often more inherently hazardous than actual tunnel construction, but for various reasons" tunne1ing is more hazardous than mining in any branch of the mineral industry. On the other hand, obstacles are sometimes encountered in heavy-construction tunneling projects that when met in mining enterprises do not offer comparable tasks to avoid or overcome them. One is the existence of water under high pressures. In mining enterprises, various alternatives offer a solution in driving a tunnel, even to the extent of its discontinuance or the abandonment of the mine, but a "construction" tunnel usually must go forward because some important project depends largely if not entirely upon it. This paper describes an unusual method of driving a water-supply tunnel through rock carrying water under pressures and conditions that did not permit the use of ordinary tunneling methods. The Delaware Aqueduct The new Delaware aqueduct is a Manhattan project of some magnitude; when regular it will contain what probably will be, for some time to come, the longest tunnel in the world. Various features in its construction are currently described in the trade journals of the construction industry, and informative engineering details are given in the Delaware Water Supply News, published twice a month by the Board of Water Supply of the City of New York. Work was begun on this project on March 24, 1937. The tunnel will convey water from reservoirs at the headwaters of the Delaware River to the City of New York.

Jan 1, 1943

By John C. Branner

Shales rich in oil are found at several places along the coast of Brazil. The material has been prospected at several places, and samples have been examined and reported upon by competent authorities. So far as I am acquainted with them, these oil-bearing beds are of Tertiary age. A glimpse at the distribution and character of the Tertiary rocks of the region should give us some idea of the possible distribution of these oil-bearing shales. Tertiary rocks skirt the northeast coast of Brazil from the northern part of the State of Espirito Santo almost or quite to the Amazon valley. Here and there this narrow strip is cut in two by the encroachment of the sea, and the underlying gneisses, granites or other crystalline rocks are exposed upon the beach. In other places, the Tertiary belt widens out until it is 80 kilometers or more in width. Fig. 1 is a sketch-map of a part of the coast-area referred to. Along the coast from Prado, in the State of Bahia, northward to Natal, there is a line of bluffs from 15 to 90 meters high, interrupted here and there by stream-valleys. As seen from the sea, these bluffs are rather conspicuous and highly colored yellow, brown, red, white, black, and purple. These colors are often so mingled as to give the beds a mottled or parti-colored appearance. Fig. 2 shows a characteristic bit of the coast in the State of Parahyba do Norte. In some places, especially in the southern part of the State of Sergipe, and in the northern part of Rio Grande do Norte, the immediate coast is covered with sand-dunes. Here and there these sanddunes have been carried inland over the top of the Tertiary beds, and the subsequent encroachment of the sea has exposed the Tertiary rocks again, where they form the bases of the bluffs. This is well shown in Fig. 3, from a photograph taken at Bahia Formosa, on the coast of Rio Grande do Norte.

Jan 1, 1901

By John Alden

A CONSIDERABLE PROPORTION of the tonnage of aluminum used today has at some stage during its manufacture, been rolled. I. For one, therefore, was particularly pleased to hear that this Society was to hold a symposium on rolling of nonferrous metals. Metallurgists can well afford to direct their close attention to the metallurgy involved in this important operation. To one who has seen today's high production rolling mills for aluminum it is difficult to realize that the first aluminum rolling mill For sheet was installed a scant 55 yr ago, in 1892. This mill was a three-stand train of 2-high mills, driven by a steam engine and was operated for many years successfully rolling aluminum sheet. Mills for the rolling of aluminum rod were installed in 1899 to meet the demand For manufacture of electrical conductor wires and cables. Bars and rods in straight lengths were also made. While these mills were the first built for rolling aluminum products of these types some rod had previously been rolled on brass and copper mills. Not until many years later, in 1929, however, Were facilities provided for the rolling of structural shapes, such as I-beams and channels. Growth of the aluminum sheet business and the necessity for economical manufacture soon brought the realization of the economies resulting From-the rolling of sheet in long lengths and coiling it. A five-stand continuous mill driven by a steam engine, was in operation late in 1907. This took aluminum slabs coating from

Jan 1, 1948

By W. Wanjokow, H. O. Hofman

In the metallurgical treatment of most metallic sulphides it is usually necessary to carry on a roasting-operation. In some cases the raw ore will have to be roasted; in others the intermediary product, matte, produced in smelting the ore; again, both ore and matte may have to be subjected to oxidation at elevated temperatures. Most metallic sulphides, when given an oxidizing-roast, pass through the state of sulphate before they are converted into oxides. All metallic sulphates are completely decomposed by heat, with the exception of those of lead and bismuth, but the temperatures at which decompositions take place vary with the metals. Some metallic sulphates are converted directly into oxides, others first form basic salts. Alkali-earth sulphates show a behavior similar to that of metallic sulphates, while alkali sulphates do not part with their sulphur trioxide even at elevated roasting-temperatures. The older data on the decomposition of metallic sulphates by heat are only approximations. Thus Kerl' gives the order in which metallic sulphates are decomposed with increasing temperatures as (Ag2, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ni, Co, Mn, Pb) SO,. More recent statenlents give definite temperatures and modify the formerly accepted order of decomposition. But the temperatures given by various observers do not agree. The reasons for this are to be found mainly in the method and manner of carrying out experiments. Four methods have been used: 1. Heating in an evacuated tube; 2, heating in a tube closed at one end, without air-cur-

Jan 1, 1913

By W. R. Hibbard

The increased strength of a polycrystal-line metallic aggregate compared with that of its individual crystals generally has been associated with complex stress distributions at the grain boundaries resulting from atomic irregularity between grains. This disregistry, together with the necessity for adjacent crystals to deform compatibly regardless of the single crystal crystallo-graphic strain mechanism, complicates this mechanism so as to increase the metal's resistance to deformation. Although Taylor1 has shown from purely mechanical considerations the requirement for at least five active slip systems to absorb the complexities during the homogeneous deformation of polycrystalline face-centered cubic metals, experimental studies by Barrett and Levenson2 indicate that this is feasible only in a qualitative sense because of deviations from homogeneous deformation. Seitz and Read in their review3 state: " Unfortunately . . . present knowledge of the grain boundary influence is not sufficient to complement the work in single crystals and provide us with a good foundation for treating polycrystals." The purpose of this investigation was to attempt to clarify the gap between single crystals and crystalline aggregates by an analysis of the effects of dcformational stresses. Some of the results were described by C. H. Mathewson in his 1943 Campbell Memorial Lecture.zl Previous Investigations Since the performance of single crystals deformed under pure stresses has been relatively thoroughly investigated, the most significant researches are concerned primarily with deviations from single crystal behavior of large grained specimens. Qualitative grain boundary effects involving the observed amount of slip werc reported by Carpenter and Elam5 in 1921. Individual crystals in a two or three grained aluminum specimen deformed by tension acted in the normal manner described by Taylor and Elarn4 except for marked modifications at the grain boundaries. There the power to withstand deformation was considerably increased, leaving a ridge on the specimen where decreased slip occurred, often noticeable yi in. from the boundary. Adcock,6 Yamaguchi,' Seumel, Hirstg and others have also reported this phenomenon as a qualitative trend. Yet attempts by O'Neill'o and Ljunggrenll to measure a difference in hardness at grain boundaries in undeformed specimens were unsuccessful. Miller12 measured quantitatively the reduction in slip near the boundary between the single crystal and polycrystalline areas of zinc specimens. These effects consisted of two parts: I. Next to the polycrystalline interface thc distribution of stresses was so altered

Jan 1, 1949

By Louis Huntoon

THE USE of the aeroplane in engineering work is quite recent. Its general application to all branches of engineering, including mining and metallurgical engineering, is increasing and its possible uses are most promising. Comparatively little has been published on the sub-ject in the mining and metallurgical press, and it is for this reason that the following notes are recorded. In March, 1922, Prof. E. L. Bruce published an article in the Transactions of the Canadian Mining Institute showing the possible applications of the aeroplane to preliminary geological surveys. In October, 1922, Mr. DeShea, representative of the Fairchild Aerial Survey Co., of New York, discussed the subject before the New York Section of the Mining and Metallurgical Society. The writer has been in correspondence with the Laurentide Air Service of Montreal and engineers who have flown. Canada, with its many lakes and rivers-favorable landing places, meets the prerequisite for successful use of the aeroplane in an unexplored and uninhabited or sparsely inhabited country. During the open season hydroplanes are used, and during the, winter season ski runners are attached to the axle in lieu of wheels. With skiis attached it has been found practicable to take off and land on any depth of snow quite readily. Winter flying in northern Canada is quite common. The Laurentide Lumber Co., appreciating the value of the aeroplane, used them for two or three years for timber cruising, and about 1921 turned their equip-ment over to the Laurentide Air Service of Montreal, who operate flying machines. The photographic and engineering work in Canada is done by the Fair-child Aerial Surveys Co. under a contract with the Laurentide Company.

Jan 12, 1923

By D. F. Hewett

ALTHOUGH most persons will agree that an individual or a nation can profit from the experience of other individuals or nations, there is always room for debate over the degree of similarity of their past and present conditions and of their future problems. Noting the increasing interest that Americans are showing in our mineral problems, I have felt that we could profit from reviews of the experiences in mineral exploitation acquired by the industrial nations of Europe. Whether we can learn much from Europe's experience in exploiting such minerals as petroleum may be debatable, but certainly, with a record of metal production extending back nearly 3000 years, Europe should hold much of value for America. A trip to Europe in 1926 permitted me to visit 28 mining districts, of which about half are now or have been in times past outstanding sources of several metals. The districts range from England to Greece and from Spain to Poland. To summarize briefly my impressions of these mining districts, as well as such reactions to the thought and life of Europe as so short a visit permits, I shall only venture the opinion that Americans can review with great profit the ideas and actions of Europeans, with regard not only to the production of metals but to many expressions of life. I believe that America has made and is making new contributions to the art of living, as well as to the arts of mining and metallurgy, but in so far as Europe is and has been a laboratory of economic, social and political experiments, the results she has attained deserve the thoughtful attention of America. I have come to believe that many of the problems that harass Europe lie in our path not far ahead. I have therefore hoped that a review of metal production in Europe in the light of its geologic, economic and political background may serve to clear our vision with regard to our own metal production. One can not examine the literature of national metal production without being impressed that the countries of continental Europe, especially Germany and Austria, have shown greater interest and devoted more time to research into the record of metal production than Great

Jan 1, 1929

By Frank E. Hauser, Philip R. Landon, John E. Dorn

The flow and fracture strengths of polycrystalline aggregates of high purity magnesium and a solid solution of aluminum in magnesium were determined as functions of temperature and grain size. Magnesium was found to obey two distinct fracture laws. Over the high temperature range, the fracture stress decreased with increasing test temperatures in a manner that closely paralleled the flow stress-temperature relationship. However, over the low temperature range, the fracture stress was independent of the test temperature though highly dependent on grain size, following the trend that is typical for the low temperature brittle fracturing of polycrystalline aggregates of body-centered-cubic and close-packed-hexagonal metals. Even at 78°K, however, plastic strains of 1 to 7 pet were obtained preceding onset of brittle fracturing. Over the brittle fracture range of temperatures, the fracture stress increased linearly with the reciprocal of the square root of the mean grain diameter, while over the entire range of temperatures investigated, the flow strength was observed to increase linearly with the reciprocal of the square root of the mean grain diameter. PREVIOUS investigations', 'have shown that deformation of coarse grained aggregates of high purity magnesium is interrupted by fracturing at very small strains. Such tendency toward brittle fracturing increased with increasing grain size and decreasing test temperature. In several respects, however, low temperature fracturing of magnesium appeared to differ from the truly brittle type exhibited by zinc, molybdenum, tungsten, and iron, so often characterized as a cleavage mode of fracturing. The absence of a well-defined cleavage mechanism for fracturing and the fact that some plastic deformation precedes fracturing might suggest that magnesium does not exhibit the same kind of brittle fracturing that is common to body-centered-cubic metals and to other close-packed-hexagonal metals. But, as will be shown, the low temperature fracture laws for magnesium are analogous to those that apply to iron, molybdenum, tungsten, and zinc in spite of differences in mechanisms and in plastic strains to fracture. In view of these observations. the low temperature fracturing of magnesium will also be called brittle fracturing. This, of course, does not imply that the brittle fracturing of metals is synonymous with the brittle fracturing of glass or other nonmetallics. Whereas the brittle fracturing of glass probably obeys Griffith's law, the low temperature brittle fracturing of metals arises from stresses induced by a series of dislocations piled up at an opaque grain boundary. Experimental Results All tests were made on tensile bars having gage sections that were 2 in. long and 0.375 or 0.25 in. wide. In order to develop a series of grain sizes, the

Jan 1, 1957

By Harold R. Larson, John F. Elliott

The standard free energies of formation of several nzetallic sulfides have been measured by a reversible electromotive-force cell employing stabilized zir-conia as the electrolyte. The oxygen potential at the cathode was fixed by the use of pure oxygen gas at 1 atm. It was established at the anode by bringing to equilibrium the reaction between the sulfide and oxide species present. Thus, Gf: for the sulfide could be obtained from the cell potential and the standard free energies of formation of the oxides participating in the reaction. The results in calories per cam rnole for the temperature range 850" to 1100°C are: Use of the reversible electromotive-force cell having an oxide-ion electrolyte to obtain the standard free energies of formation of some of the more stable metallic sulfides offers a convenient experimental method that is very productive. It also avoids some of the problems inherent in the experimental methods' for such studies which rely on precise determination of gas compositions, particularly if these compositions lie near the limits of our capabilities for accurate chemical analyses. The reaction equilibrium between the lowest sulfide of a metal, SO2 at a fixed pressure, and an oxide of the metal has a characteristic oxygen potential. For example: and for metals whose lowest sulfide is much more stable than the oxides of the metal, the equivalent reaction might be:

Jan 1, 1968

By Clarence Zener

IT is customary to regard the stress-strain relation as consisting of two parts, the elastic region and the plastic region. The essential attribute of the plastic region is the presence of a permanent set, which remains upon removal of all stresses. The essential attribute of the elastic region is the absence of such a permanent set. Absence of a permanent set does not imply a linear relation between stress and strain, nor even a single valued relation. In fact, in no real metal is stress a single valued function of strain in the elastic region. The property of a solid in virtue of which stress and strain are not uniquely related in the elastic range will be called "anelasticity." The purpose of the present article is to review and correlate the past work upon the anelasticity of metals. The following paper by W. A. West124 describes investigations upon anelastic properties of iron. Many manifestations of anelasticity have been observed, the first as early as 1835 by Weber.1,2 In his experiments Weber subjected a specimen to a constant load (or deformation) for a given time, and then suddenly removed the load. He observed that most of the deformation suddenly disappeared, but that there remained a residual deformation, which disappeared only gradually with time, as is illustrated in Fig. I. The occurrence of a residual deformation which only gradually disappeared, Weber called the elastic after-effect (Elastische Nackwirkung). An extensive review of the early work upon elastic after-effects has been given by Auerbach.3 Another manifestation of anelasticity is the dependence of the elastic constants-e.g., Young's modulus upon the method of measurement. Thus, if dynamic methods are used, the measured value will depend upon the frequency of oscillation. Still another manifestation is dissipation of energy attending vibration, called damping or internal friction. One objective of metallurgical science is the understanding of the plastic and fracture properties of metals in terms of their microstructure. Through such an understanding will come the ability to design microstructure to give the desired mechanical properties. A study of an elasticity will furnish an invaluable aid in the attainment of this objective. Such studies, when properly guided, yield information regarding the relation between stress and strain in the individual components of the microstructure. In order, however, that this type of information may be obtained, it is necessary that the experimental studies of anelasticity be interpreted by the appropriate mathematical analysis. This article, therefore, starts with the mathematical formulation of anelasticity.

Jan 1, 1946

By A. U. Seybolt, R. A. Oriani

The pressure and composition of the solid solution of nitrogen in chromium has been investigated as a function of temperature. The partial molal heat of solution, the activity of nitrogen in solid solution, and the partial molal free energy have been computed. The enthalpy of three reactions is summarized: N + 2Cr(3) = Cr2N(4), H° = —28,500 cal per mol 1/2N2(p) + 2Cr(8) = Cr2N(3)1 ?HO = —23,500 cal per mol 1/2N2(p) = N, ?H° = 5,000 cal per mol. WORKERS who have investigated the problem of the preparation of ductile chromium have been concerned with the effects of minor amounts of impurities upon this refractory metal. In particular, gaseous impurities such as oxygen and nitrogen have been suspected of causing trouble because of many known cases where brittleness in transition elements has been definitely traced to these elements. In order to evaluate the possible effects of the nitrogen impurity in chromium, it appeared desirable to learn something of the dependence of the nitrogen solubility upon temperature and pressure. Previous Work Maier3 in 1942 in his treatise on sponge chromium reviewed the thermodynamics of the chromium nitrides Cr2N and CrN, both of which are well-estab- lished compounds, but which apparently have not been studied in much detail. Maier presented some free energy-temperature expressions for the reactions 2 Cr,N = 4 Cr + N2 [1] and 4 CrN = 2Cr2N + N2 PI based mainly on the work of Satoh2 and Sano." Pearson and Ende3 in 1953 briefly reviewed the thermodynamics of Cr-N using the same data available to Maier, and also derived a free energy-temperature expression for reaction 1. Of the two nitrides mentioned previously, the present investigation was only concerned with Cr,N, since this nitride is in equilibrium with the metal phase, at least over most of the temperature range, Blix4 in 1929 established the structure of Cr2N (close-packed-hexagonal) by X-ray diffraction methods, and indicated that its homogeneity limits extend from 11.2 pet to 15.1 wt pet N. At a temperature of 1200°C, 38 mm Hg from the Maier expression and 43 mm Hg from the Pearson

Jan 1, 1957

By R. S. Dean

BLUE HEAT PHENOMENA IN constructing a theory of the flow and hardening of metals, we necessarily make use of such phenomena as seem to be, universally observed in metals. It is, therefore, a matter of. concern to the constructors of such mnemonic systems if one or two of the group classified as metals show anomalous behavior. Such egregious phenomena are observed in pure or nearly-pure iron in the reaction of its mechanical properties to low-temperature annealing after cold work and to increased temperature of testing. In short it has been generally observed that iron," as an outstanding exception among metals, increases its hardness and strength by low-temperature annealing. after cold work,1 and also by increase of testing temperature to the range of 150° to 300° C. The investigation here recorded was made then with the object of ascertaining if similar phenomena were observed in high purity iron and, if not, to the presence of which impurities these phenomena could be traced.

Jan 1, 1929

By Reynold Q. Shotts

The small domestic underfeed stoker as now designed is unusually sensitive to the coking and plastic properties of coals, and when the attempt is made to burn the high rank coking and caking coals of the Appalachian fields, serious trouble may occur. Part of the trouble may be caused by the ash content and clinkering characteristics of the particular coal in use, but more often it is the result of an excessive ac-in of coke in the form of ''trees,, or masses in the fuel bed. Often the zone of burning becomes so restricted that the fire goes out, and in extreme cases the fire may be lifted completely out of the fuel bed and away from the air ports. Even if the fire is preserved, excessive coking may cause response to subsequent heat demand to be slow and irregular. Coke trees seem to grow most readily during periods of hold-fire operation, so that in order to preserve the fire in mild weather it is often necessary to set the timer for such a long operating period each hour that much unneeded and unwanted heat is developed, causing discomfort. During demand periods the fire may pick up so slowly that the intense burning which develops just before stoker cut-off causes a serious overshooting of the thermostat. Stoker coal performance tests which have been made in a number of labora- tories1,2,3,4,5 are one method of approach to the problem Of selecting stoker coals- As yet these tests have not been standardized and they are expensive and time-consuming. The value of the results probably increases with the length of the test. Sherman and co-workers at Battelle Memorial Institute believe that even a one-week test is not too reliable a trial2 and it is quite likely that Others will agree. A great advantage of such tests is that characteristics of coals, other than the tendency to form coke masses, may be evaluated from them. The selection of stoker coals would be greatly facilitated if there existed some simp1e measure Of the tendency Of a a to form coke in a fuel bed. Although possessing all Of the disadvantages Of any small-scale laboratory test, the test for the free-swelling index of coal has been found useful for evaluating the probable effects Of swelling properties upon combustion.7 Ostborg, Limbacherand Sherman, have shown that the test can Predict, roughly, the tendency Of coke to accumulate in the fuel bed Of a domestic stoker. They also gave instances of its value in predicting combustion behavior in some large installations. The use of the test for free-swelling index has become well established and has been adopted as a standard by the American Society for Testing Materials.8 When domestic stoker coal investigations began at the State Mine Experiment Station in the summer of 1944, it was decided

Jan 1, 1949

By G. H. Shefelbine

DISCOVERED during the time of the Spaniards, the Namiquipa silver-lead-zinc mines in Chihuahua, Mexico, remained idle until 1916, when mining claims were first denounced. About 1922 a Japanese company, the Santo Domingo Mining Co., was formed to mine the oxide silver ore. The company built a 75-tpd cyanide plant and mined in the area for a number of years. Because of an error in surveying in one of the company's mines situated in another district, mining was carried over into a claim owned by General Marcel Caraveo, at that time governor of Chihuahua. Santo Domingo Mining Co. lost the resulting lawsuit and consequently had no capital to continue operating at Namiquipa. Later, Ray Brown and Eugenio Caballero formed a company to operate the mine, shipping crude ore to the American Smelting and Refining Co. smelter at Avalos, Chihuahua. The cyanide plant was changed to flotation with a capacity of 75 tons per 24 hr. In 1936 the property was again closed owing to labor trouble, a drop in the price of silver, and increased water in the mine.

Jan 10, 1957

By John A. Prof. Church

ONE of the most striking phenomena connected with the mines on the Comstock lode is the extreme heat encountered in the lower levels. This heat is not due to the burning of candles, heat of the men, and decomposition of timbers, all intensified by bad ventilation, as was the case nearer the surface. It proceeds from the rock, which maintains constantly a temperature very much higher than the average of the atmosphere in Nevada. The heat of these mines is a matter of more than usual interest, for they are the only hot ones now worked in the United States, and both in the present temperature encountered and in the increase which is to be expected as greater depths are reached, they appear to surpass any foreign mines of which we have a record. Hot mines are known also in other countries, as in the tin and copper lodes of Wales, where one of the veins worked by the United Mines is known as the hot lode. It has springs which discharge water at a temperature of 116° Fahrenheit, the depth being 220 fathoms, or 1320 feet. The heat of the air in these workings is given at 100° to 113° Fahrenheit. The air is bad, and the heat in the drifts seems to be traceable to defective ventilation rather than to the real necessities of the case. Air is supplied through a small pipe, and is drawn from a place where the temperature is 95° Fahrenheit. Under such circumstances it is not surprising to read that in this hot mine the air is hotter than the rock, a state of things which I have never observed in the Comstock. Other mines have been reported to the British Coal Committee as having temperatures of 106° Fahrenheit and thereabouts, but the only positive comparisons that are available at this writing are the following, all from Cornish mines * Read by permission of Lieut. Geo. M. Wheeler, Corps of Enginerrs, U. S. Arm J, in charge of U. S. Geographical and Geological Surveys, west of the 100th meridian.

Jan 1, 1879

By J. F. Gallie

From the standpoint of exploration and new discoveries, South Arkansas had a discouraging year in 1944. In January there were 73 untested drilling blocks, and 60 additions were made during the year. Of the total, 65 were condemned by dry holes on or adjacent to them, while 5 proved productive. The latter resulted in the discovery of the Salem Church, Calhoun Wilks, and Strong fields, and the extension of the Village field to the southeast. The year ended with 63 untested blocks, 41 of which were scheduled for tests to the Smackover lime, the state's deepest oil-producing formation. Geophysical activity in 1944 totaled 164 crew weeks, of which 110 were seismic, 43 gravity, and 11 radioactive (Fig. I), in contrast with 674 crew weeks reported for 1943, of, which 563 were seismic and in gravity, Five seismograph and two gravity crews were engaged in exploration in South Arkansas during January 1944. but only two seismograph crews were working there at the end of the year. In addition, exploratory core drills were used for a total of 38 weeks during the year. The year's few discoveries, none of which is considered as having added appreciably to state reserves, were the meager results obtained in the drilling of 62 wildcat wells 2000 ft. or deeper. Of this total (a detail of which appears in Table 2), 42 were drilled to the Smack-over lime or below, The average depth of the 62 wells was 5384 ft., as compared with 4992 ft. in the preceding year, while the average depth of the 42 wildcats in the lime was 5913 ft. in 1944. Fig. 2 has been prepared to show all , wells penetrating to the Reynolds oölitic lime. The 1944 dry holes are circled lightly, while discoveries are heavily circled and shown as producers. Smackover lime fields, producing from the Reynolds oolitic lime member, are indicated in black, and the locations of dry wildcat wells drilled prior to 1944 are also shown. Table 3 provides a listing of all Smackover lime wells drilled through the end of 1944. Production for the year was slightly more than in 1943, totaling 29,282,747 bbl., as compared with 27,521,943 bbl. for the preceding year. The increase was 1,760,804 bbl., or 6.4 per cent, bringing production to a peak exceeded only in the 1923 to 1928 period of flush production from the older shallow fields, principally Smackover. The increase was largely attributable to additional development in the Dorcheat-Macedonia, Atlanta, Fouke, Stephens-Smart, Haynesville, and Village fields, little production deriving from 1944 discoveries. These six fields accounted for loo of the 122 field wells drilled during the year. Annual and cumulative production for the producing life of the state are presented graphically in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 has been prepared by the author to show the producing ages and present known productive limits of all fields in South Arkansas. Production data, as usual, are assembled in Table 2, and provide a further breakdown of producing formations in the individual fields.

Jan 1, 1945

By John W. Cahn

The spinodal has long been regarded as a limit beyond which a homogeneous phase could no longer be metastable. But only recently has it become apparent that a phase beyond the spinodal would decompose by simple diffusional clustering mechanism quite different from the nucleation and growth mechanisms encountered for metastable phases. The theory of spinodal decomposition, which is based on the diffusion equation modified by thermodynamic requirements , is phenomenological, and each parameter can be measured by independent thermodynamic or diffusion experiments. The details of the theory have been carefully verified in a number of simple systems. It appears that the spinodal mechanism is commonly encountered in clustering reactions in solids and glasses. HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION The understanding of the earliest stages of precipitation in alloys has been the subject of three prior Institute of Metals Lectures. In 1932 Paul ~erica' reviewed the puzzling evidence that hardening of duralumin is completed before precipitation of CuAlz takes place and suggested that hardening occurs when the copper atoms "assemble in random groups on lattice positions of the duralumin, not of the CuAlz lattice". He called these random groups knots. This modification of his dispersion hardening theory seemed to fit all the facts, but Merica worried that the required diffusion "is just the reverse of what we deem normal; although quite spontaneous, it proceeds uphill, if you please". The reality of Merica's knots was quickly confirmed by Guinier's' and preston's3 X-ray work and these knots are today known as G.P. zones in their honor. Theoretical justification for uphill diffusion was also quickly provided by Becker and Dehlinger~ who noted that the diffusion coefficient could be negative in certain regions of phase diagrams. The boundaries of such regions could be described by a 90-year-old thermodynamic concept first described by ~ibbs' in 1877 as a limit of metastability for fluid phases, which by 1890 had received the name spinodal (see Appendix A). Spinodal in fluids is as old as nucleation theory. Both appear for the first time in the same paper by Gibbs who called the spinodal the limit of metastability. For the first 50 years, nucleation theory was forgotten and the spinodal was extensively treated in every good thermodynamics textbook.81Q The idea was simple and logical and it was accepted as part of a rigorous thermodynamic development of metastable phases, and for a while it was extensively investigated theoretically.

Jan 1, 1969

By E. S. Grumell

The correct sampling of coal and coke is becoming important to an ever increasing number of producers and consumers. This, therefore, may be an opportune moment to examine where we stand with regard to existing and proposed methods. In this paper an attempt will be made to review, as briefly as possible, some of the considerable amount of painstaking research which has been done in the last 10 years, and which has unquestionably led to a much better understanding of the subject. In so doing we shall try, on the one hand, to make clear where substantial progress has been made, and on the other hand, to draw attention to points that require further investigation. The paper is divided into sections in order to emphasize the major divisions of the subject; further, in order to retain this emphasis, detailed consideration of some of the points has been relegated to appendixes. No attempt has been made to give a complete survey of the literature, as this has already been done by L. A. Bushell.2 The following abbreviations will be used: A.E., average error; P.E., probable error; S.W.R., size-weight ratio; B.S.I., British Standards Institution. Section 1.—Cost It has often been stated that the cost of sampling should bear some relationship to the value of the product, and since coal is a relatively cheap raw material it would be a major error to specify, for ordinary commercial purposes, elaborate and costly methods of sampling which nobody would adopt. Specifications must be of such a nature that they will be used. We believe that one of the achievements of the last 10 years has been to reduce the cost of sampling. There is, however, another point to be considered; via., that the cost of sampling should bear some relationship to the value of the investigation. Correct sampling is a cog (possibly a small one) in the wheel

Jan 1, 1940