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By T. Vasilos, J. T. Smith

THE mechanism of pressure sintering, or hot pressing, for ceramic materials, has been investigated by several researchers.1-8 Plastic flow has been suggested as the rate-determining mech-anism1,2 while grain boundary sliding3,4 and fragmentation processess have been found controlling in other studies. Vasilos and Spriggs5,6 have reported that pressure sintering occurs by a diffusion-controlled mechanism. For the pressure sintering of metals, investigations with lead7 and with tin6 have not identified the operative mechanism during consolidation of these powders. This note reports the results of a pressure sintering study initiated to determine the mechanism controlling the densification of spherical copper powder. Temperatures of 300°, 400°, 500°, and 600°C at 2500, 5000, 7500, and 10,000 psi pressures were investigated. The copper powder for this study was obtained from Metals Disintegrating Co., Elizabeth, N.J. The minimum purity was reported to be 99.9 pct. The powder size was -325 mesh and a lineal analysis showed the average size to be less than 1 p. An alumina die body and punches were employed. Graphite spacers were placed between the copper powder and the punches before pressing. It was expected that the graphite would form carbon monoxide with any entrapped air and form a reducing atmosphere within the die cavity. This condition was generally realized during pressing although a minor amount of oxidation occurred at 500" and 600°C. The oxide particles were located randomly in the pressed samples and were not considered to influence the densification process. Calibration tests showed the temperature of the copper pellet to be about 20°C less than the die wall temperature, probably resulting from heat losses through the punches. This difference was compensated during the experimental pressing operations. The hot pressing equipment employed for this work has been described by Spriggs et a1.9 and was calibrated with a Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton load cell. Travel of the punches was monitored with a dial indicator showing increments of travel to 0.0005 in. Relative density was calculated at selected time intervals for a known copper weight, punch travel, and die diameter. The accuracy of this calculation was *1 pct. Average grain size after hot pressing was obtained by lineal analysis. Typical densification curves are presented in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 where relative density is plotted vs log time as a function of applied pressure for the 300" and 600°C pressure sintering temperatures, respectively. The curves for 400" and 500°C were similar to those at 300°C and consequently are not shown. The curves at 300°C as well as 400" and 500°C do not show an end-point or limiting density for a particular applied pressure. At 600°C, a density in excess of 95 pct of theoretical has been reached such that further densification is extremely slow for the 5000, 7500, and 10,000 psi pressures. It is suggested that further densification at these pressure levels may be retarded or prevented by discontinuous grain growth, by entrapped gases, and by other microstructural limitations as described by Cob1e.10 The curve for 2500 psi hot pressing pressure is a straight line over the time interval although a slight change in slope may be occurring at the last time intervals. The plastic flow models,1,2 derived for hot pressing, predict the existence of an end-point (or limiting) density dependent on the yield point of the material at the temperature of interest. The yield stress of copper at a 0.005 strain level has been

Jan 1, 1965

By Holt, Grover J.

PRIOR to :1937 any discussion of mining and transportation in the iron mines of Minnesota would have been limited largely to conventional methods which have been used for years in the iron ore industry. Today, however, an inspection trip to the crest of almost any open pit on the ranges will re- veal great progress underground mining and the transportation of underground ore have also developed rapidly and if and when underground mining of iron ore again becomes generally economically feasible; these mining methods will probably witness a transformation equal to that which has taken place in the open pits.

Jan 1, 1941

By Norman Weiss

IF we were to measure progress this year in terms of large new mills and discoveries of fundamental significance we should certainly be disappointed. Outside of the uranium field there was little of a spectacular nature. San Manuel and Reserve completed their first year of operation; Erie approached readiness; the Toquepala project in southern Peru broke ground and gained speed. Important mill enlargements occurred at Inspiration, Anaconda, Ray, and Climax Molybdenum. A 3000-ton copper concentrator was completed at Pima, near Tucson. The Republic Mill of Marquette Iron Mining Co. started up in April. Abroad, the great developments in the African Copper Belt can be likened to the rapid growth of the porphyry coppers in this country. Fundamental research was confined nearly entirely to iron ore flotation and recovery of metal values from leach solutions, particularly uranium. The large number of review articles this year reflected a desire to take stock and consolidate past gains before taking the next bold steps. Undoubtedly a shortage of competent young engineers and technicians is stunting the natural growth of theoretical investigation in the field of minerals beneficiation, as well as the conversion of ideas into action. We find our small stock of talented young scientists concentrated in a few centers of erudition because there are not enough to diffuse through the industry. It is safe to say that among mine administrators and managers there is more interest in the education, training, and welfare of the young engineer than ever before.

Jan 2, 1957

By Paul Billingsley

The term Boulder batholith was first applied in 1897 by W. H. Weed2 to the extensive mass of granite in western Montana within whose borders occur the ore deposits of Butte. In a general way this was known to extend from Helena on the north to the Highland Mountains near Butte on the south, and to be relatively narrow in its east-west diameter. Its intrusive relations to the surrounding sedimentary rocks, and its probable Tertiary age, were described by Weed, but in many ways his statements, based upon incomplete data, have required revision. Most notable of the errors of this description of the batholith were the failure,3 since corrected, to recognize the intrusive contact of the granite with the capping of andesite, and the complete absence of any reference to the many extensions of the granite beyond the somewhat narrow limits of its largest exposure.

Jan 1, 1915

By J. F. Martin, J. E. Friedline, L. M. Melnick, G. E. Pellissier

A method has been developed for determining gases in steel in which the gases are extracted by vacuum fusion and analyzed by mass spectrometry. This method is especially applicable for determining small amounts of oxygen and nitrogen. The lower limit of detection for both oxygen and nitrogen is 0.0001 pct with an average deviation of about 0.0001 pct for oxygen and 0.00008 pct for nitrogen. Hydrogen analyses by this method are in good agreement with analyses by vacuum tin-fusion. A complete analysis of all gases extracted from a steel sample can be accomplished in 40 min. It has long been known that certain of the gaseous elements exert particular effects on the physical and mechanical properties of steel. With the recent advent of new experimental steelmaking practices it is now possible to obtain steels with extremely low contents of such elements as oxygen and nitrogen. Present methods for determining these two gases are of insufficient sensitivity as applied to steels made by these newer practices, and therefore a new technique was considered necessary. A review of the literature showed that the conventional vacuum-fusion method1 was the procedure most suitable for modification to obtain a sensitive method for determining the gaseous elements present in steel simultaneously. However, for trace amounts of gases it is impractical to increase the sample size because of the physical limitations of the apparatus and the increased degassing time which would be necessary. Also, when only one of the desired gases is present in trace amounts, quantitative separation by conventional vacuum fusion is almost impossible. Since small analytical mass spectrometers are now commercially available, it was decided to use this instrument in conjunction with conventional vacuum fusion for both qualitative examination and quantitative determinations of the gaseous elements in steel. This technique has already been used with success for the analysis of copper and lanthanum.2"4 APPARATUS A vacuum-fusion unit was first designed and built, Fig. 1. This unit was designed especially for the determination of small amounts of nitrogen and/or oxygen in steel since an acceptable method (vacuum tin-fusion)5 was already in use for the determination of hydrogen in steel. The vacuum system was con- structed of Pyrex glass throughout. Mercury check valves were used in place of stopcocks in the high-vacuum section of the system. Ferromagnetic samples are normally introduced into the vacuum system through a mercury lift. In case of a break in the lift, the mercury is prevented from entering the furnace by a self-locking, mercury safety check valve, Fig. 2. This check valve, developed at our laboratory, is a modified T/S ball-and-socket joint placed in the sample inlet system between the mercury and the furnace. A sudden entry of mercury or air pushes this valve into the closed position, completely blocking the top of the mercury lift. The check valve is held in the closed position by the vacuum of the apparatus. A separate entrance tube also was placed in the system, so that samples which would amalgamate with mercury, or which are nonmagnetic, could be introduced into the furnace. A slightly modified Guldner-Beach furnace is used in this system.8 The optical flat was connected to the system by a ground-glass joint to facilitate cleaning, a quartz delivery tube was substituted for Pyrex, and the crucible was used uncovered. Fusion takes place in a high-purity graphite crucible insulated by — 200-mesh high-purity graphite powder. The crucible set (crucible and funnel) is suspended in a quartz crucible. The furnace envelope and the sample inlet system are exhausted by 2 single-stage, mercury-diffusion pumps in series. The first of these is a high-speed pump, which will work only with a very low backing pressure. This pump is used to exhaust the gases from the furnace as rapidly as possible. The second mercury-diffusion pump is used as a backing pump for the first; the capacity of this pump is much lower. However, it will work efficiently against a back pressure of 3 mm of mercury. To assure positive pumping, a modified Naughton and Uhlig condenser7 is used. With the use of proper valving the second pump is also used as a circulation pump in the catalyst system.

Jan 1, 1959

By Julius Pohlman

The history of Niagara Falls, as currently told, is simple, and by that very simplicity it has been rendered plausible. AS the story runs, the Falls were once situated at Lewiston, 7 miles to the north of their present site; and, since all the rocks in this section are alternate hard and soft strata, the waters acting readily upon the soft shales caused their removal, and the overlying hard lagers, deprived of support, broke down under the weight of the large volume of water that rushed over them; and this erosive action has sent the edge of the fall more and more southward, until it now has excavated the seven-mile gorge between Lewiston and the village of Niagara Falls. (See Fig. 1.) As early as 1790" we find this theory advanced in a description of this region; and it has been practically endorsed by subsequent observers, the most prominent of whom was Prof. James Hall, the State Geologist of New York, who surveyed the Falls in 1841, and gave the most exact description of their surroundings in the publications of the State Survey.? Not until 1883 was the correctness of the accepted theory of the Falls questioned.‡ The geology of the basins of the Great. Lakes, as elucidated by Newberry,§ Speneer,ll and others, has added largely to a clearer understanding of the life-history of the Falls. The investigators have shown us that Lake Erie, as a lake, is, geologically speaking, quite young; that its valley was excavated in pre-glacial times by a series of rivers; and that the Maumee, Sandusky, Cuyaboga, Alleghany and other rivers carried the drainage of the surrounding

Jan 1, 1889

By OTTO HERRES

UTAH has enormous deposits of high-grade bituminous coal. The United States Geological Survey estimates that there are 13,130 sq. mi. of land in Utah known to contain workable coal and these extensive fields contain 196,000,000,000 tons of coal. Growth in population and development of industry in the intermountain and Pacific coast regions will in time give Utah a place with the great coal producing states of the country. Even today, faced by adverse conditions in competition with cheap fuel oil from southern California, water-power throughout the western states in general, and comparatively high freight rates to its distant markets, the Utah coal industry is notable in many respects. In recent years, Utah has led the United States both in the percentage of its mines in class 1, mines producing more than 200,000 tons a year, and in average production per man per day, which was 6.01 tons in 1921. In Mineral Resources of the United States, 1921, Part

Jan 1, 1925

By RICHARD MAIZE

IN this critical period of our history, the coal industry of the nation, faced with many obstacles, performed its work safely during the first ten months of 1943. Thousands of the younger mine workers were inducted into the armed forces of our country and in many instances their jobs have been filled by others without much if any experience and training. This situation alone would seem to be sufficient to interfere with the safe and orderly operation of the industry but the Government's demand for a substantial increase in coal tonnage over that produced in normal times introduced a hazard which always accompanies speed, regardless of the skill of the worker.

Jan 1, 1944

By Zay Jeffries

TUNGSTEN has the highest melting point of all the known metals, namely 3350° C.; it is one of the hardest of the metals; it has the highest equiaxing or recrystallization temperature after strain hardening, of any pure metal known. It is particularly distinguished because, when composed of small equiaxed grains, it is extremely. brittle and fragile at room temperature, and when possessing a fibrous structure it maybe ductile and pliable at room temperature. The common ductile metals act in exactly the opposite manner in this respect. The present paper will include a brief note regarding the manufacture of wrought and. ductile tungsten. The metallography of wrought and ductile tungsten in the various stages of manufacture will be considered more or less in detail. The general relationships between the properties of tungsten and other metals will also be considered. A discussion will be given explaining why fibrous tungsten is ductile at room temperature, even though past experience with other metals would indicate that it should be brittle. Finally, a brief note regarding some new fundamental metallographic propositions relating to all metals will be given.

Jan 6, 1918

By S. Feuerstein, L. Rice

The effect of low pressures on the flow and fracture behavior of molybdenum is described. For poly crystalline samples, room-temperature tensile tests indicate greater ductility under 10 Torr than under intermediate pressures up to and including atmospheric pressure (760 Torr). In addition, tests conducted at 760 Torr under atmospheres of air, dry nitrogen, and purified argon exhibited no apparent difference in mechanical properties. Critical tests involving baking in situ as well as those involving single-crystal deformation further imply that the ductility effect is a pressure-dependent phenomenon related only to the fracture process. This dependency is discussed in terms of adsorption and diffusion contributions. THE effect of very low pressures on material properties has heretofore been presumed to be important only for substances possessing relatively high vapor pressures at ambient temperatures. Research has therefore been concentrated primarily on organic solids and liquids, and in some instances on metals such as zinc and cadmium. Most vacuum-effect studies' on the mechanical behavior of metals have been performed under conditions of either cyclic loading or creep rupture at elevated temperatures, i.e., over extended time periods. These studies were not restricted to high vapor pressure materials but also encompassed such metals as gold, copper, and nickel. Very little concern, however, was placed upon the importance of a vacuum environment on the mechanical behavior of metals subjected to a simple unidirectional deformation at ambient temperatures. A tension test is generally of short duration as compared to a creep test, and at room temperature vacuum effects if any would be expected to be surface-limited. In early 1963, Kramer and podlaseck2 reported a change in the bulk flow behavior of aluminum single crystals during room-temperature tension tests. The deformations were performed under pressure conditions of 760 to 3.4 X 10-8 Torr and indicated for the first time a vacuum surface effect contributing to the bulk tensile behavior of metal specimens. As a consequence, an experimental program was initiated in this Laboratory to study the effects of ultrahigh-vacuum conditions on the mechanical behavior of metals. The results of a preliminary study on poly-crystalline molybdenum3 revealed, unlike Kramer's observations of changes in the stress-strain behavior, only an increased ductility under ultrahigh vacuum. Flow behaviors were nearly identical for all tests re- gardless of pressure. This paper presents comprehensive results obtained in this area of research. 1) EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Three material categories were used in this study: sintered and are-cast polycrystalline molybdenum of nominal purity 99.93+ pct and single-pass electron-beam zone-refined molybdenum single crystals having a nominal purity level of 99.99+ pct. The interstitial levels (weight percent) as determined by the Materials Testing Laboratories, Division of Magnaflux Corp., were as follows: sintered molybdenum (C— 0.005, H—0.0004, O—0.015, N—0.008); and arc-cast molybdenum (C-0.0038, H-0.0003, O-0.015, N-0.023). Single-crystal molybdenum obtained from Materials Research Corp. had a typical interstitial analysis of C-0.0015, H-0.00007, O—0.00045, and N-0.0001. Tensile specimens having a 5 mm diam by 50.8 mm length were prepared from these materials. An average grain diameter of 0.059 mm was obtained for the sintered specimens following a 4-hr, 1600°C heat treatment. Grain sizes from 0.019 to 0.149 mm were obtained in the arc-cast specimens following heat treatments from 1100° to 1600°C for 1 hr. This series of specimens was used exclusively for the grain-size effect studies. All samples were electrolytically polished in 97 pct sulfuric acid solution prior to testing. Experiments were performed at room temperature in an ion-pumped ultrahigh-vacuum system positioned in an Instron tensile machine, Fig. 1. A constant strain rate of 4.2 x 10-4 sec-1 as derived from crosshead displacement was assumed for the deformations. Starting vacuums ranged from 2 to 0.5 X 10-10 Torr. These pressure measurements were made using corrected values4 of an NRC Redhead gage. Comparative readings were also made against a G.E. triggered dis-

Jan 1, 1967

By E. T. Dumble

Introduction..........914 I. Topography,........915 The Nueces Basin........915 The Coastal Slope...........918 Streams..........919 II. Geology..........921 Eocene..........923 Basal Beds .......923 Lignitic Stage........923 Atascosa Sections......924 International and Great Northern Sections .. . 928 Leona Sections.......929 Nueces Sections....929 Rio Grande Sections.....930 Lower Claiborne Stage......932 Marine Beds ........933 Atascosa Sections....... 933 International and Great Northern Sections .. . 934 Frio County Sections,.....935 Rio Grande Sections.....936 Yegua Clays........938 Atascosa Sections......938 Tilden Sections.......941 International and Great Northern Sections .. . 942 Rio Grande Sections.....942 Fayette Sands........945 Atascosa Sections......946 Tilden Sections......948 Rio Grande Sections.....950 Frio Clays........953 Atascosa-Frio Sections.....953 Tilden-San Diego Sections....955 Rio Grande Sections......955 Neocene ....966 Oakville Beds.......957 Lapara Beds,....... 987 Nueces Sections......958 Bartlett's Ford Sections.....959 Fort Merrill Section......963 Lapara Sections,.....964 Tilden-San Diego Section.....967 Lee Tiendas.......969

Jan 1, 1903

By James B. Duke, Ernest W. Greene

An idea of what is meant by "Ultrafine Minerals Or Slimes" as used in the title can be had by an examination of Fig. I. Particle size distributions are presented for a crude kaolin clay, a coarse fraction and a fine fraction. The crude kaolin as mined was blunged with water, degritted through a 325-mesh Tyler screen, and dispersed with sodium silicate. The dispersed crude was then centrifuged in the laboratory into the coarse and fine fractions shown in the figure. The distribution curves were obtained by the well known sedimentation technique of Casagrande' using a long arm centrifuge to obtain equivalent spherical diameters down to 0.2 microns on the finer fraction. Fig. 1 shows the coarse fraction kaolin to be 50% finer than 3 microns, while the crude kaolin is 50% finer than 1.4 microns, and the fine fraction 50% finer than 0.6 microns. For comparison 53 microns on the horizontal scale would represent Stokesian diameters which would just pass a 325- mesh Tyler screen, taking into consideration the Andreasen sieve correction factor of 1.22 X the screen opening.' Another helpful comparison is the surface areas, which in square meters per gram, are 0.044 for 53 micron particles, 0.77 for 3 microns, 1.65 for 1.4 microns, and 5.0 for 0.46 micron particles. Fig. 2 is an electron micrograph of a similar fine fraction kaolin showing the hexagonal plate- like particle shapes.

Jan 10, 1962

By James Douglas

The Copper Queen mine was opened in 1880 by Messrs. Martin, Ballard & Reilly, and the first copper-furnace was blown-in on August 20th of that year. Prior to that summer nothing but prospect-work had been done on the copper Queen and on a number of adjacent claims. In fact, it was a small deposit, not of copper-ore, but of cerussite, which still remains undeveloped, on the western slope of the Queen hill, which

Jan 1, 1900

By E. G. Williams

Manganese-ore has been found upon the Isthmus of Panama throughout' a region of nearly three hundred square miles, over the greater part of which, however, it is known only in small bodies without commercial value. Only six mines, controlled by two companies, have actually shipped ore, although a large area has been taken up in miningelaims. The ore-bearing region extends along the coast of the Carib. bean Sea, beginning on the west near Puerto Bello and extending easterly about 35 miles toward Point San Blas. Ore has been discovered in the interior, at a maximum distance of about 10 m. from the coast. Fig. 1 is a map of a portion of the Isthmus

Jan 1, 1903

By George Rice

THE A.I.M.E. Ground Movement and Subsidence Committee, pro-posed in 1920, held its first technical meeting in February 1923, under the able chairmanship of Mr. H. G. Moulton. The following list of papers and discussions, indicating the scope of the problems and relation to various conditions and method of mining, were given at that meeting by the distinguished mining engineers: J. Parke Channing, on Subsidence at Miami, Arizona; Howard N. Eavenson, on Mining an Upper Bitu-minous Seam after a Lower Seam Has Been Extracted; J. J. Rutledge, on Subsidence in Two Oklahoma Coal Mines; Benjamin F. Tillson, on Caving Cracks at the Franklin Mine, New Jersey; Dr. F. W. McNair, on the Dome Theory; William Kelly, on disadvantageous effects in Mining and Back-filling Working Upward a Steep-Fitching Iron-ore Bed; Eli T. Conner, on the good results of Back-Filling by Hydraulic Means in Preventing Destructive Subsidence in the Anthracite District; Thomas H. Claggett, on the merit of Systematic Pillar Drawing in Preventing Cracks in an Upper Seam; Henry H. Otto, successful results in the anthracite district in Mining Lower Seams before Upper Seams; Douglas Bunting, on Leading Factors Incident to Successful Mining of an Overlying Seam; Edwin Ludlow, on there being "less damage to buildings when there was complete removal of coal with complete packing than when room and pillar is used without extracting the pillars"; Edward O'Toole on "bumps" in eastern Kentucky mines, which he thought were the result of geologic stresses: H. A. Buehler, on Upheaval of Surface in an Illinois Case in Advance of the Face; and R. Dawson Hall, on The Mechanics of Subsidence from Mining. The author of this paper discussed various kinds of problems of ground movement and subsidence in both metal mining and coal mining; the production of great landslides by workings near an outcrop, as at Turtle Mountain, Alberta, Canada; and general

Jan 1, 1939

By D. L. Harris, A. M. Gaudin

Observations were made of the distribution of mercaptan containing S35 between aqueous solution and mineral and between aqueous solution and the gaseous phase. Although equilibrium may not have been attained, adsorption of the reagent was shown to occur reasily from air or aqueous solution on sphalerite, zincite, and willem-ite and to correspond to flotation. Adsorption on quartz did not similarly occur. THE following results, presented here in condensed form,' were obtained in a preliminary study of the adsorption of n-hexane thiol, hexyl mercaptan, on sphalerite, zincite, willemite, and quartz, from aqueous solution and from a gas. Interest in this subject was aroused by a Belgian report' of effective use of hexyl mercaptan for flotation collection of oxidized zinc minerals. The relatively low boiling point, 149°C, of the mercaptan3 suggested the desirability of extending the usual measurements of partition of collector between aqueous solution and gas and between gas and mineral. It is believed that this paper presents the first measurements of this type on a flotation system. Attempts were made to carry out the measurements at equilibrium, but as the work progressed it became increasingly doubtful that this desirable condition had been achieved. To control composition and extent of the gas phase, the apparatus was a wholly-enclosed thermally-controlled glass system. Because of these constraints and the desirability of dealing with pure minerals, a scale of operations was chosen in which a few grams of deslimed mineral were used in each test. It was also necessary to choose a particularly sensitive method for mercaptan analysis, and in fact a method that would permit the experimenters to follow the approach to equilibrium. For these reasons mercaptan marked by radiosulphur 35 was used. An analysis was made for the radiosulphur by a modification of the method of Gaudin and Carr. Coarsely-crystallized sphalerite was handpicked, stage-crushed in the dry state, wet-screened on a 200-mesh sieve, and deslimed in water at about 5 microns. Further treatment consisted of a wash in dilute aqueous hydrogen peroxide, drying, removal of the dark-colored fraction in a Frantz magnetic separator, washing in very dilute hydrochloric acid, repeated washing in distilled and conductivity water, and drying. The last washings showed a conductivity equivalent to a few ppm NaC1, that is, much more than would be provided, theoretically, by a saturated ZnS solution. The material was stored dry in sealed bottles. Analyses were as follows: Zn, 62.3 pct; Fe, 0.43 pct; Cd, 0.44 pct; S, 31.2 pct; Mn, 0.001 pct. The specific surface (BET method) was 2000 cm2/g. Zincite from Franklin furnace of the New Jersey Zinc Co. was hand-picked, dry-crushed, wet-screened at 100 mesh, and deslimed at about 10 microns. After drying, the associated zinc, manganese, calcium, and silicate minerals were removed in a Frantz magnetic separator. The purified zincite was washed in distilled water and conductivity water to a conductance of less than 2 ppm equivalent NaC1, dried, and stored. Analyses were as follows: Zn, 75.1 pct; Fe, 0.9 pct; Mn, 2.78 pct. The specific surface (BET method) was 1740 cm 2/g. Willemite, also from Franklin furnace, was purified similarly. Analyses were as follows: Zn, 52.5 pct; Fe, 0.12 pct; SiO², 27.3 pct; loss on ignition, 0.13 pct. The specific surface was 1760 cm 2/g. Conductivity water (double-distilled) and demin-eralized-distilled water were used in most of the tests. The specific resistance was not less than 600, 000 ohms, and usually above 1,000,000. Radiosulphur-marked hexyl mercaptan (1-hexane thiol) was synthesized by Tracerlab, Inc., Boston. Two lots were secured several months apart. The last lot, consisting of about 0.5 g of the mercaptan, had a total activity of about 10 millicuries. Tracerlab Co. guaranteed only the activity; hence a quasi -vapor pressure determination (based upon an S analysis) of the mercaptan was made. The calculated value, 4.2 mm of mercury at 25.5' C, has been compared with that of a sample of Highest Purity 1-hexane thiol from Fisher Scientific Co. The latter had a vapor pressure of 4.5 mm of mercury at 2.5 C. Analytical Procedures The sample containing radiosulphur-marked mercaptan was oxidized to convert the mercaptan sulphur to sulphate, carrier barium sulphate being added to provide a suitable quantity of total barium sulphate in a filter cake. The precipitate was filtered and dried, and counting was carried out either in a streaming-gas (Q-gas) counter for high sensitivity or with an end-window G-M counter for convenience. The oxidized and precipitated mercaptan gave a radioactive count of 65 counts per minute per microgram in the end-window Geiger-Mueller counter and 1100 counts per minute per microgram in a Q-gas counter. For standardization of the mercaptan solution, 15 replicate analyses were made. The average deviation per measurement was about 1600 cpm in 65,000 cpm, the probable error in the mean being 275 cpm. It

Jan 1, 1955

By Robert T. DeGavre

The $650 million financing for Into Ltd.'s Soroako nickel project is a story worth telling-not only because the project itself represents a significant achievement but also because there are certain important lessons that can be derived from our experience in financing the project. A critical appraisal of the methods and successes in the financing plan is presented in this article, in light of goals which Inco sought to achieve. A technical assessment of the project is not included, since Inco Ltd. has submitted a series of papers on this subject at the International Laterite Symposium as part of the 108th Annual Meeting of AIME in February 1979. Progress in developing and financing the project is encapsulated in the accompanying project factsheet.

Jan 3, 1979

By W. G. Fischer

Basic laboratory tests on trona and the surrounding shales initiated the Rock Mechanics program. The stress-strain curve, modulus of elasticity, Poisson's ratio, the uniaxial rock strength, Mohr's envelope, the biaxial stresses at failure, and creep were investigated. A series of underground problems were then approached using this information and various field measuring devices, most of which were developed by the Bureau of Mines. Initially, stress concentrations near mine openings were evaluated using the stress relief technique. This required an accurate determination of the pre-mining stress field. Later, stress concentrations associated with the cave line were studied. After about 30 stress reliefs over an appropriate time interval the effects of one type of mining could be compared against another. The microseismic technique was used to investi- gate a possible application of warning devices near the cave line. A study of mine reorientation was made. Problems related to the shape and size of pillars and barriers were studied. The effectiveness of roof bolting patterns was examined. Control of roof stresses was attempted. A new system of mining in heavy ground has been developed using the information secured in the Rock Mechanics program. Without this system, mining in more than one instance would have been next to impossible. Indeed, from this one discovery alone, the Rock Mechanics program has paid off in improved safety as well as in dollars. The Westvaco trona* mine is located near the town of Green River in the southwestern corner of Wyoming. It is owned and operated by FMC Corp. on land leased from the US Government, the State of Wyoming, and the Union Pacific Railroad. A conventional room and pillar system is being used, (Fig. 1) with complete removal of the pillars during final mining. Return air bleeders surround

Jan 1, 1964

By Larry Kaufman, Joan B. Berkowitz-Mattuck, Edward V. Claugherty

The oxidation characteristics of hafnium and zirconiunr diboride were measured between 1200 and 2200'K by a thermal- conductivity method which continuously ttzeasures the rate of reaction of oxygen with the diboride and by a metallographic air oridation method zuhich provides a measure of the total arr7ount of bovide conuerted to oxide for a given time interval. The oxidized specimens obtained from the tl~eritaal-coi~ductitrity method were also examined by quantitatire metal-lographic procedares. The significant results obtained in this investigation reveal that metal-rich compositions of lzafi~iutil diboride proride the most oxidation-resistatzt material up to 2000°K; hafnium diboride is tmre oxidation- resistant titan zirconium diboride at all tempevatures examined; the morphology of the oxide formed on H/B2 and Llie temperature coefficient qi. the oxidation rate constants change at the temperature of ttze monoclinic to tetragonal phase transition] in HfO2; the oxidation of neither HfB2 nor ZrB2, results iN catastrophic Jazlure at lorc. oxygen pressures; and pvefevetztial gvaLti boundary oxidation was not obsevued for either HfBi or ZYB, A comprehensive study of the high-temperature characteristics of refractory transition-metal di-borides is currently in progress. This program has included investigation of the physical, thermal, and thermodynamic properties of TiB2, ZrB2, HfB2, NbB2, and TaB2. In addition, aspects of the synthesis and fabrication of such materials have been studied. In view of the diverse nature of this research, a number of other laboratories have actively participated and contributed specific capabilities for analysis and characterization of these materials. As a consequence, an extensive description of the relevant properties of these compounds has emerged which is central in evaluating their high-temperature (1200" to 2500°K) performance. To date, information on thermodynamic stability, specific heat, and vaporization characteristics,1 hot hardness and electrical resistivity,1, 3 therma1 expansion:'4 and thermal conductivity 1, 5 has been presented. This information has been generated on materials of the highest purity (98.5 to 99.9 wt pct Me + B) and density currently available. Samples fabricated by zone melting6 and high-pressure hot pressing"3'7 techniques have been used to generate suitable specimens for all of the aforementioned studies. dation characteristics of the most oxidation-resistant of these materials, hafnium and zirconium diboride, is presented and a description of the synthesis and the experimental procedures used to prepare and characterize specimens is given. The high-temperature range under consideration (1200" to 2200°K) and the known dependence of oxidation characteristics on sample chemistry, density, and oxidation conditions required a close coupling of the synthesis, fabrication, and evaluation procedures.8 This was accomplished by continual surveillance of chemical composition of starting materials before and after specimen fabrication and by evaluation of density, phase constitution, and microstructural features prior to and after oxidation exposure. I) PROCUREMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF STARTING MATERIALS In view of the current state of the art in fabricating refractory boride materials, the methods used in preparing samples for the present study are given in detail as follows: starting materials were purchased in high-purity powder form and fabricated by high-pressure hot pressing into 0.40 by 1.00 in. bars from which oxidation specimens were obtained. The hafnium diboride used in this study was purchased from Wah Chang Corp.; the zirconium diboride from U.S. Borax and Chemical Co. These powders were routinely characterized by quantitative chemical analyses for metal, boron, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and iron, by qualitative emission-spectrographic analysis for trace impurities, by X-ray procedures for extraneous phase identification, and by powder densitometry for comparison with X-ray (theoretical) density. Hafnium and zirconium metal and elemental boron were also purchased as high-purity powders and characterized for impurities by emission-spectrographic analyses. The hafnium diboride was procured in three shipments which were designated as HfBl.g7(1), HfB1.88(2A), and HfB2.12(2). The indicated stoichiometry is based on the atomic ratio of total boron to total hafnium; the number in parentheses identifies the shipment number. Shipment 1 was 5 1b, shipment 2A, 1 1b, and shipment 2, 8 1b. The zirconium diboride was procured as a 20-1b shipment and designated as ZrB1.89(1). A small quantity of purified zirconium diboride was also supplied and designated ZrB1, 9(P). The averaged results for chemical analyses which were generally performed according to the procedures set forth in the compilation by KrieGe9 are presented in Table I. Qualitative spectrographic analyses indicated that Ca, Cr, Ti, Si, Zr (in H~B~), and A1 were present at levels between 0.01 and 0.10 wt pct. Other metallic elements were found to be less than 0.01 wt pct. Since it is virtually impossible to purchase these materials in the desired quantities (5 to 20 lb) as single-phase compounds it is necessary to obtain

Jan 1, 1968

By W. H. Davitt

While it is true that taxes, especially income taxes, whether they be federal, state, or local, are not usually thought of as a "cost" of doing business, it is equally true that these tax costs do reduce the distributable profits just as much as the cost of power, supplies, or labor. Therefore, the consideration given to taxes is often as important as that given to other costs. Hopefully you will recognize that, within certain limits, taxes can be controlled to an economic advantage. The tax laws as now imposed are quite complex. Many of these laws and the regulations thereunder involve many factual determinations, technical considerations, and specialized valuations that can best be made by people trained in the specific area concerned. A substantial amount of a tax liability turns on the proper consideration given to issues involving facts and principles which are peculiarly engineering in nature. The importance of these "engineering" issues in tax administration has been significantly increased in recent years by our rapidly advancing technology, automation, stepped-up mineral and oil exploitation, new industries such as electronics and nuclear power, and the extension of percentage depletion to all minerals. These specialized requirements incorporated in the law are so technical that full consideration can not be given by people with a non-engineering background.

Jan 7, 1974