Search Documents

By Jay R. Burns

TWO magnesium sand-casting alloys are commonly favored in the United States. These are referred to as H and C alloys (Dow Chemical Co.) or 4Mz65 and AM260 alloys (American Magnesium Corporation). Both are of an aluminum-zinc-manganese type. H alloy contains 6 per cent aluminum and 3 per cent zinc and is characterized by relatively good toughness. C alloy contains 9 per cent aluminum and 2 per cent zinc and is employed where high yield strength and pressure tightness are required. Examination of magnesium castings poured in Europe and England,'J however, demonstrates that H and C alloys are replaced by .%8 and AZ~I, respectively. That is, A8 reprcsents a magnesiurn alloy having superior toughness while A291 is suitable for high yield strength and pressure-tight applications. The basic difference between the .Ameri-can and European alloys is that the foreign alloys employ a somewhat higher aluminum content and less zinc than is found in H and C alloys. The mechanical properties of the alloys, when divided into high and low-aluminum groups, are quite similar, as determined from separately cast foundry-control type test bars ,In this paper the decrease of mechanical properties caused by any given amount of microporosity is measured for H, C, A8, and AZ~I alloys. The relative susceptibility of each of the four alloys to microporosity is also determined. Typical mechanical properties and nominal chemical analyses are reported in Table I. The apparent similarities between the two alloys in each group have led to considerable discussion as to the relative merits of each of the compositions.2 Popular points for comparison between the alloys have been the relative susceptibility of each of the four alloys to microporosity6 and the effect of this microporosity on their mechanical properties. It is primarily intended, in this paper, to show the

Jan 1, 1946

By M. H. Merriss

In the last few years, there have been developed at the plant of the Nichols Copper Co., Laurel Hill, 'Borough of Queens, New York City, improvements in electrolytic copper refining by the series system that have materially increased the flexibility and economy of that system. The purpose of this paper is to discuss, as of interest to refiners and to those who have copper to refine, as well as to the engineering profession in general, the changes' that have taken place resulting in wider application and increased efficiency of the series system. Copper is electrolytically refined in two ways, which are spoken of as the "multiple system" and the "series system." In both systems, the electrolytic tanks are in series electrically. In the multiple system the electrodes in a single tank are in multiple or in parallel, thus: There are two important adaptations of the series process, one represented by the series electrolytic tank room at the Baltimore Copper, Smelting & Rolling Co., Baltimore, Md., and the other by that of the Nichols Copper Co.'s plant. At Baltimore, the anode is rolled to perfect

Jan 1, 1926

By W. G. Matteson

The Oklahoma legislature recently passed a bill providing for "the creation of an oil and gas department under the jurisdiction of the Corporation Commission, authorizing the Corporation Commission to appoint a chief oil and gas conservation agent, and conferring exclusive jurisdiction on the Corporation Commission in reference to the conservation of oil and gas, and the inspection of gasoline and oil, the product of crude petroleum, and repealing all acts or parts of acts in conflict therewith and declaring an emergency." Some of the functions of the new bureau include the receiving and filing of all well logs, and the direction and supervision of plugging all abandoned oil and gas wells, under rules prescribed by the Corporation Commission. The two leading petroleum-producing States of the country, Oklahoma and California, have now established oil and gas bureaus with a staff of inspectors to see that the important rules relating to the conservation of oil and gas are thoroughly enforced. The economic significance and the value of well logs in the conservation work has been recognized, and the necessary legal action taken to insure and procure them. William B. Heroy, of the Government Land Classification Board, in a personal communication to the writer, says that the drilling of wells is also regulated by public authority in the Roswell artesian basin in southeastern New Mexico, where a permit must be obtained for the drilling of any well and a certified log of the well recorded with a county official. The method is said to give fairly satisfactory results. In a recent article1 a National instead of a State Bureau was suggested for collecting and filing well logs. In discussing the paper, L. L. Hutchison characterized such a plan as impractical because the average driller or contractor will often juggle or guess at the log and will not keep the record sufficiently close or accurate, making it necessary to maintain a special man at each well for the sole purpose of obtaining

Jan 1, 1918

By G. Sachs, E. J. Ripling, J. J. Lynch

It is general practice to evaluate the strength properties of a particular metal from its stress-strain (s1 — el) curve obtained by means of a conventional tension test. Such a stress-strain curve, Fig I, illustrates two important properties of a metal, its ability to strain harden, and its ability to withstand a certain limiting stress, the "fracture stress," (s), and a certain limiting strain, the "ductility" (es), before it fails by separation. These two fracturing characteristics are the coordinates of the point of fracture in Fig I. In the case of a metal which necks in a tension test, both the fracture stress and the ductility (measured in a tension test) are dependent upon (I) the shape of the neck and (2) average values of the stresses and strains over the cross-section at the moment of fracture. However, for the pur. pose of this investigation, these average quantities, rather than the actual values, may be considered for reasons of simplicity. It appears that the conclusiom also hold true if the analysis were carried out for actual values of fracture stress and ductility at the locos of failure. In this paper, the effects of straining (at room temperature) by various methods on the above metal characteristics, which were determined by subsequent tension tests will be discussed. According to Our present knowledge, any such prestrainitlg results in a stress-strain curve (in subsequent testing by tension), Fig 2, the general shape, or flow characteristics, of which can be derived from the original stress-strain curve of the unstrained metal minus a certain portion exhausted by the initial straining. This phenomenon is called strain hardening, and may be measured by the magnitude of the cut-off, or the "effective strain,'' from which the new curve must start in order to coincide in its plastic branch with the original stress-strain curve.

Jan 1, 1949

In our sessions devoted to geophysical prospecting, the greater part of the time heretofore has been given to the presentation of theoretical subjects or highly technical details by specialists directly engaged in the development and perfection of the various methods. This was necessarily so, for we wanted such information available for the benefit of other workers and for our members who were anxious to gain a reliable understanding of the principles involved, to enable them to form an opinion of the adaptability of this new technique to their special problems. The methods have now been actively applied by many reliable organizations for several years and in this period there has been opportunity for operating mining men, engineers and geologists to appraise them. We therefore felt that it would be desirable at this meeting to give some time to interchange of opinion concerning results from actual cases. Consequently, the Committee on Geophysical Methods of Pros pecting sent out letters of inquiry to numerous mining people, asking for frank statements of opinion based on results from geophysical surveys at their properties. We have received many replies, among which 30 or more are of specific interest. On the whole, the point of view is remarkably uniform. Except for one or two who were, perhaps, a bit irritated, the operating men who have replied consider the methods to be capable of yielding valuable information when suitable conditions exist. Their attitude is definitely one of tolerance and of confidence in the integrity and sincerity of the outstanding workers. There is, however, a very general feeling that the chances of attaining positive and trustworthy results are small unless the work is directed by, or at least carried on with the close cooperation of, a geologist or mining man who is thoroughly familiar with the local geologic and mineralogic conditions and with the relations of the orebodies to rocks and structure. From certain comments, I am inclined to think that some operators are not greatly impressed with the cheapness of the work. Probably they are not attaching much weight to cost per acre, but are thinking primarily of total cost in terms of significant results obtained. It is

Jan 1, 1932

By Hans Lundberg

In order to comprehend the help and information that may be expected from electrical prospecting, it is necessary to have at least a general knowledge of the methods and principles involved in preparing and interpreting results obtained in the field. Electrical prospecting is rather complicated, both in theory and practice, and in order to make a brief description clear to the practical mining man it has been necessary to idealize and generalize the problems, at the risk of having such simplification criticized by the theoretical man. This simplification must not be misinterpreted as showing a lack of theoretical knowledge. For its operation, electrical prospecting mainly depends on the fact that most metallic ores conduct an electric current much more readily than barren rocks. If an electric current flows through a block of ground within which a body of chalcopyrite is enclosed in country rock of schist, the current will find less resistance to its passage through the chalcopyrite than through the schist, even though the passage through the latter be much shorter. This is because the longer path through the chalcopyrite offers less resistance, owing to the superior electrical conductivity of the chalcopyrite (Fig. 1). The good conductor, chalcopyrite, in the poor conductor, schist, thus attracts the current and deflects the normal flow far outside the conduct-

Jan 1, 1929

By D. U. Deere, F. D. Patton

Introduction A close relationship exists between the geologic investigation and the stability analysis of the slopes of an open pit mine. One significant result of this relationship is that the stability analysis is no better than the assessment of pertinent geologic factors that enter into the analysis. In some slope stability problems the engineering solution becomes obvious once the geologic framework is established. In other cases, establishing the geologic framework is only the first stage in the process of analysis. However, even in these cases the geology should not be neglected once the analysis is made. The geology should be periodically reviewed when new slopes are excavated. This will help ensure that the basic assumptions for the analysis have not changed and will permit changes when new conditions are encountered. In recent years improved methods of stability analysis have been accompanied by advances in laboratory testing techniques and new knowledge of the shear strength of rock discontinuities. At the same time there have been improvements in field geological descriptions. As more experience is gained in analyzing and predicting the stability of rock slopes, the importance of certain geologic factors has become more apparent. Some of these factors were described in a paper given at the Open Pit Mining Symposium in Johannesburg, South Africa in September 1970 (I). This paper includes many of the points covered at that meeting but with additional emphasis on the significance of the major geologic structures. Other papers given at the South African symposium also considered geological and hydrogeological factors in slope stability analysis (2) (3) (4) (5) (6). This paper first describes the approach to a slope stability problem including assessment of the relative roles of field geology studies, laboratory testing, stability analyses, and continued slope monitoring studies. Next, is described a framework which has been found useful for classifying or separating the several types of slope stability problems encountered in open pit mines. The principal geologic factors in slope stability problems in rock are discussed and brief comments are made on how these factors distinguish stability problems in rock slopes from those normally encountered in soil slopes. The over-riding control of major geologic structures, especially faults, in most slope stability problems is emphasized. In this regard the relative importance of statistical studies is contrasted with knowledge of the positions of key structural

Jan 1, 1971

By H. J. Hand

STATISTICAL methods are becoming increasingly important for inter-preting routine reports, or for analyzing special test data in industrial plants, such as steel plants. They have already become practically a necessity to the plant metallurgist. A paper by Chancellor,1 written in 1933, gives many examples of the benefits the plant metallurgist can derive from the use of these methods. The present paper discusses applications of importance to many others who must analyze reports in the steel plant, as well as other examples of interest to metallurgists. Statistical Methods Logically Suited to Plant Problems.-Statistical methods are not new as a branch of mathematics. Until comparatively recently, however, practical applications were confined mainly to actuarial science, biology, and economics; fields in which an observed result is obviously influenced (and often determined) by a complicated set of vari-ables more or less constantly tending to affect it. As pointed out by Daeves, 2 a decade or more ago, problems in industry are basically similar to those in these other fields in that a given result is at least partly due to that chance combination of causes happening to be present at the time. When trying to do the same thing repeatedly, constant results are never attained; they vary about the desired result with more or less well defined mathematical regularity. Such a condition arises out of the great number of factors tending to affect the final result. If statistical methods are so valuable to the biologist or economist, why then should they not also be of great value to plant managers and engineers, and to all who must interpret reports from various sources in the industrial plant? Within the last few years, industry has become conscious of this situation, and the use of these methods has been rapidly expanding in such plants. ?

Jan 1, 1938

By L. D. Jaffe, J. H. Hollomon

THE effect of tempering temperature and time upon the properties of quenched steel is clearly a subject of great practical importance, as well as of considerable theoretical interest. It would be very desirable to be able to predict the properties of a quenched steel when given any selected tempering cycle, with a minimum of experimental work upon that heat or even type of steel. Two problems are involved: one consists of relating the structure obtained to the physical properties, and will not be discussed here; the other, with which this paper deals, involves the relations of time, temperature and composition with the structure obtained on tempering. Indentation hardness is perhaps the most convenient quantitative measure of the tempered structure, or of what might be called the "degree of tempering." Undoubtedly, it is not an exact measure, and in some cases (as when temper-brittleness occurs) pieces of the same quenched and tempered steel may have widely differing properties at the same hardness. However, hardness has the advantage of being simple to determine and is certainly the most widely used indication of the degree of tempering. Moreover, for fully quenched steels that are not temper-brittle and do not contain retained austenite when quenched, it appears that, in general, if the hardness of the steel is the same, the tensile and impact properties will also be identical, whether a high or a low tempering temperature is used. The tempering charts available in the metallurgical literature usually give the hardness as a function of tempering temperature for only one tempering time. However, in practice, tempering times frequently vary, and a method of converting tempering curves for one time to tempering curves for some other time would be very valuable. It is also advantageous, in determining the tempering treatment necessary for a given part, not to have to temper samples at several temperatures for the time used for the commercial tempering operation. A more satisfactory procedure would be to employ times of the order of 10 to 30 min., rather than 5 or 10 hr., and if possible to use only one temperature. Furthermore, it is frequently desirable, for reasons such as temper-brittleness,* to obtain a given hardness with short times at relatively high temperatures, and it would be convenient to be able to compute without tests the time required to produce this hardness. Remarkably few quantitative studies of the hardness of quenched steel tempered over wide ranges of temperature and time

Jan 1, 1945

By Charles W. Goodale

The principles and theory on which the U. S. mining law of 1872 was based are well understood, and have been discussed at great length by many writers. The papers by Dr. R. W. Raymond1 in the Transactions of the American Institute of Mining Engineers have covered the subject very fully, with explanations of practical results in many adjudicated cases. It is believed that the following instance of the application of the law in recent years will have some weight in a discussion of proposed changes in our mining laws. The litigation between the St. Louis Mining & Milling Co., and the Montana Mining Co., Ltd., a British corporation, over portions of the Drumlummon lode covered more than 20 years, and resulted in a judgment for damages in favor of the St. Louis Co. of such an amount that the Montana Co. declined to pay the judgment, and therefore lost the entire property. The Drumlummon lode claim in the Marysville district, Mont., was located in 1876 by Thomas Cruse. When he staked out his claim, he assumed that the discovery on the Drumlummon vein, and another showing of mineral about, 200 ft. distant, were on the same vein, and the center line of the claim was given a course of N. 579" E. Development of the Drumlummon vein soon showed that its strike was about N. 15" E., and that the other outcrop was on the North Star lode; so it was inevitable that the Drumlummon vein would cross one or both side lines of the location, and the Montana Co. found it advisable to acquire adjoining claims on both sides of the Drumlummon, in order to avoid possible litigation over apex rights. They bought the Marble Heart, but would not purchase the Hopeful (see Pigs. 1 and 2), at the terms proposed for the reason that exploration in the Cruse level had shown the vein to be barren in that region. The owners of the Hopeful were sinking an incline from that claim in 1889, and the Montana Co. enjoined them, contending

Jan 1, 1915

By C. T. Malcomson

An elaborate series of experiments has been conducted during the past three years at Irvington, N. J., which has resulted in the perfection of a process for the manufacture of smokeless fuel from high-volatile coals, and for the recovery and refinement of the coal-tar products derived therefrom. These experiments have been financed by Messrs. Blair & Co., of New York, and were conducted under the direction of Charles H. Smith, a member of this Institute, and the inventor of the process. The low-temperature distillation of coal has interested investigators for many years. Sporadic attempts have been made to solve the mechanical problems, but until the Smith process was developed, they were not carried to conclusions of economic value. The present coal shortage and the increasing demand for smokeless fuels make this subject one of timely interest. DescRiption of Plant The following equipment was installed and operated during the experimental period: Four horizontal and two vertical units of commercial size for the low-temperature distillation of the coal; two vertical, two horizontal, and two inclined benches for distillation of the briquets at medium and higher temperatures; presses and auxiliary equipment necessary for making briquets; and a complete byproduct recovery and tar-refining plant. This commercial equipment is provided with gas and electric meters, pyrometers and other apparatus for recording accurately the results of all experiments. There is, in addition to the commercial equipment, a complete chemical laboratory with distillation and recovery apparatus, including facilities far refining and cracking the tar and measuring the yields and calorific value of the gas. This apparatus makes possible a study on a small scale, of the various problems involved in the process. Description of Process Mr. Smith's experiments have resulted in the production on a commercial scale of: 1. A fuel, called Carbocoal, which, for convenience in handling, is prepared in briquet form.

Jan 1, 1920

By Thomas C. Baker

The Fresnillo unit of the Mexican Corporation, S. A., is situated at the old historic mining town of Fresnillo, Zacatecas, Mexico, 33 miles north of the city of Zacatecas and 750 miles south of El Paso, Tex. It is connected with the Mexican Central Railroad by a broad-gage spur 5.5 miles long, belonging to the company. Fresnillo is surrounded by a broad semi-arid valley on the Mexican plateau at an elevation of 7300 ft. The monotony of the valley is broken by a number of low hills. Near the town of Fresnillo is the " Cerro de Proano," an elliptic-shaped hill of gentle slope, rising out of the plain to a height of 325 ft.; the base has a major axis of 4500ft. and a minor axis of 3000 ft. In this hill is the silver-bearing mineralized zone, which comprises past and present mining operations. (In this paper money values are expressed throughout in American currency and the dry short ton of 2000 lb. is used.) The discovery of ore at Fresnillo is credited to the Spaniards, soon after the conquest of Mexico. There are, however, no authentic records to show the amount of work done by them. In 1832, the State of Zacatecas took possession of the property and operated it. Evidently the rich ore above the horizon of the plain had been fairly well exhausted, as an old record states that thirty shafts were used for unwatering, requiring 300 men and 1500 animals. The cost of pumping alone amounted to $150,000 a year. In spite of the fact that cheap convict labor was used, mining costs were reported as $20 and treatment charges as $20 per ton. In 1835, the state was obliged to seek foreign capital, and a company formed in London secured a controlling interest in the property. This new organization sank two shafts, one 11 by 19 ft. and the other 10 by 15 ft., to unwater the mines and extract ore. Large Cornish pumps were purchased in England and hauled overland from Vera Cruz; engines also were installed to operate the arrastres (grinding mills) in the patio process of ore treatment. Substantial buildings were erected and operations were conducted on a large scale, for that period. The patio, the largest in Mexico, was 1150 ft. square. The costs for 1850 were:

Jan 1, 1925

By Ottokar Hofmann

In tank-lixiviation, the extraction of the silver from chloridized ore by solutions of hyposulphite salts is performed by filtration. The ore-particles are kept stationary, while the solvent moves down through the mass of ore. The quickness of extraction, other conditions alike, is in direct proportion to the rapidity of the movement of the solvent through the ore. The solution, if left in contact with the ore without moving, displays but very little solving energy. If the filtration is interrupted for ten or twelve hours, and thus solution and ore are left in complete contact for that length of time, it mill be found that, when filtration is started again, the outflowing solution is but very little more saturated with silver than it was at the time of interruption, and that the ten or twelve hours were almost a perfect loss in the total time of extraction. Notwithstanding the long contact, the solution had not become saturated with silver chloride to its full solving capacity. A rapid movement of the solvent through the ore is essential to a quick extraction. This fact is well known ; and the endeavor of leachers has been to hasten extraction by increasing the rate of filtration. Siphons, vacuumpumps and other devices have been used with more or less success; but none of them have given full satisfaction. I have found that, if chloridized ore is brought into rapid contact with a proper volume of moving sodium hyposulphite solution, the silver chloride contained in the ore dissolves almost instantly, and that it is rather the volume of the solvent than its concentrated state which produces this effect. Such favorable conditions cannot be attained in tanks. The rapidity with which a certain volume of the solvent can be brought into contact with the ore-particles is limited by the speed with which the solution descends through the ore; and thus the leaching-time in tanks cannot be shortened beyond the limit set by the filteringcapacity of the ore. In a trough, however, these favorable conditions can be attained by gradually introducing the ore into the moving stream of the solvent. The ore can thus be brought into

Jan 1, 1888

By Howard I. Smith

POTASH is of prime importance as a plant food and is also widely used in industry. The term "potash was applied to a crude pearlash obtained by evaporating, in iron pots, solutions leached from plant ashes. Later it included caustic potash obtained by treating pot ashes with lime, and now it is applied generally to various compounds of potassium used by agriculture and industry. Herein it applies to the theoretical equivalent in potassium oxide (K20)--a compound never found in nature or manufactured in commerce but generally used as a common denominator for comparison of all potassium compounds. Potash was made from plant ashes at an early date, but potassium in mineral form was not noted until 1797, when it was identified in leucite.3 The importance to plant life of potash in the soil was first recognized by von Liebig3 and his published reference thereto appeared in 1840. In 1843, potash was discovered in the brine of a well drilled for salt near Stassfurt. HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN POTASH INDUSTRY Among the colonists reaching Virginia in 1608 were men from Poland skilled in making potash from wood ashes19 and records show that the production of potash was begun in other colonies also, soon after their establishment. The American product entered the trade in 1635, and at various times since that date the production of potash for industry has been subsidized by the Government or protected by tariffs. The production of potash from wood ashes reached its peak in 1825. Beginning in 1823, a cheaper product, sodium carbonate, made by the Leblanc process, was substituted for much of the potash used in industry. Production rapidly declined after the Civil War, when the forests most productive of potash had become depleted and labor had become

Jan 1, 1949

By H. P. Greenwald, H. C. Howarth

The rapidly increasing use in coal mines of portable auxiliary fans, which are generally 'blowers" employed in connection with canvas tubing, raises questions concerning the hazards of such equipment, especially where the practices are opposed to established methods of ventilating face workings. Half a dozen or more coal-mine explosions and some fires have been attributed to the use of auxiliary fans; moreover, competent mining engineers have found many dangerous installations and methods of use-for example, intermittent running of the fans in gassy mines with consequent accumulations of firedamp at the faces. These facts have led the U. S. Bureau of Mines to issue this recommendation: "In the interest of safety, the Bureau of Mines, Department of Commerce, recommends that auxiliary fans or blowers should not be used in coal mines as a substitute for methods of regular and continuous coursing of the air to every face in the mine." The comparatively recent introduction of new types of mining machines, mechanical loaders, face conveyors, and slabbing machines has encouraged the trial of new systems of face mining, all of which have for their object the rapid advance of the faces. Although the latter has certain economic advantages, in gassy mines the rate at which gas is given off is generally found to increase in proportion to the speed of advance into new territory, which in turn increases the difficulties of efficient ventilation of the face workings. Some of the systems of advance mining being tried in connection with new mechanizing methods practically compel the use of blower fans and tubing, as single narrow places arc now driven 300 ft. or more without crosscuts. In some instances a series of parallel headings are driven without crosscuts pre-

Jan 1, 1928

By Noel H. Stearn

When the Age of Machinery was suddenly thrust upon civilization about the beginning of the 19th century, an unprecedented demand for mineral resources sprang up. This demand brought about the rapid development of the known ore deposits and the discovery of such other deposits as could be encountered by energetic and canny prospectors. Thus in the countries now reasonably accessible nearly all orebodies have been located except those which are totally concealed even from the eyes and "senses " of experienced and expert prospectors. The high rate of exhaustion of known ore deposits and the necessity of looking farther and farther ahead for raw materials as a matter of insurance on the stupendous capital outlays involved in mining, development, and conversion operations, have resulted in exceptional activity in three different fields of effort. The first is purely geographic. Prospectors are now penetrating the few hitherto inaccessible regions in the hope of stumbling upon exposed ore deposits or locating visible indications of their presence. The second is chemical. Industrial chemists and metallurgists are seeking to facilitate the exploitation of lower grade ores or to find methods of recovering valuable metals from common substances. In the third field of effort lie the activities of the economic geologist and the mining engineer, who endeavor to locate concealed ore deposits which would remain hidden from the prospector no matter how expert or conscientious he might be. Obviously the task which such a man must face is both exacting and indefinite, and the tools which he has heretofore been permitted to bring to it are, for the most part, abstract—a knowledge of certain fundamental principles and processes involved in the origin, occurrence, structure, and distribution of deposits of natural resources and of the rocks which form the environments of those deposits; and a process of reasoning by analogy supplemented by the use of the diamond drill, or such artificial exposure as the test pit, trench, shaft, or tunnel.

Jan 1, 1929

By J. E. Johnson

It is the purpose of the present paper, while not excluding chemical considerations, to deal more extensively with some of the physical and mechanical aspects of the blast-furnace process, and to point out its dependence, in these respects, on well-known laws. The quantity and cost of ore and flux required to make a ton of iron being determined by circumstances over which the furnace-man, under given conditions as to quality and quantity of product, has commonly little control, the principal item of cost, apart from the saving of labor, which he can aspire to reduce, is that of fuel. To determine the limits of possibility in this direction is clearly the first step in a practical inquiry; and this step is represented herewith in Fig. 1, a diagram showing the total useful effect obtained from a pound of fuel under various conditions, and thus permitting direct comparison, under any given conditions, between actual results and the maximum possible results. The following statements will explain the basis upon which this diagram has been constructed. One pound of fuel, containing 90 per cent. of fixed carbon (which represents average conditions), is taken as the unit. The degree of oxidation of the carbon is measured by the ratio of the two oxides of carbon contained in the top-gases. It is necessary to remember that a considerable quantity of carbon is brought in as carbon dioxide by the flux, and to take account of it and of its condition. It is here considered that the carbon dioxide liberated by the limestone does not affect the analysis of the top-gases, and that the ratio of CO to CO2 will remain unchanged by the addition of limestone; enough CO, being reduced by the solution

Jan 1, 1906

By K. C. Gilbart, Edgar Stansfield

One of the most striking features of the coal series passing from peat through brown coal, lignite, etc., up to anthracite is the gradual reduction of moisture content with the increased coalification of the original plant material. Thus drained peat from a bog may contain 90 per cent water, brown coal contain 50 per cent, lignite 30 per cent, while a bituminous coal may contain only 1 per cent moisture. Moisture, therefore, is one of the important factors to be considered in coal classification, especially with the lower rank coals. With bituminous and higher rank coals the moisture content is less satisfactory for classification; it may even pass a minimum value and then increase with increasing rank to anthracite and superanthracite. Coal in an undisturbed seam contains moisture which is an integral part of the coal, but it may also be wet with free, underground water percolating through the seam. Only the former must be considered in evaluating the moisture content of the coal for classification purposes; this will be called the "true moisture" of the coal. When the seam is mined and sampled the sample taken may show the true moisture; on the contrary, it may contain in addition free mine water or, especially in dry, well ventilated mines, it may contain less than the true moisture. Coal contains unstable organic compounds which may decompose, with the production of moisture, when the coal is exposed to air at ordinary temperatures, or is heated with or without exposure to air. The potential moisture of a coal therefore is higher than its actual moisture. The lower the rank of the coal, the greater its instability, as a rule, and the greater the care necessary to avoid oxidation or decomposition in any investigation of moisture content. The majority of coal workers have preferred, on account of the difficulty in evaluating the true moisture of a coal, and for other reasons, to classify coals by analyses calculated to the dry-coal basis. A number of workers familiar with lower rank coals have recently insisted that the classification of such coals can be satisfactory only if analyses on the moist-coal basis are employed. The moisture-holding capacity of coal is therefore intimately connected with coal classification, and in this paper a procedure is outlined for determining the true moisture of a coal,

Jan 1, 1932

THERE are two general types of scientific approach to a problem. One approach, which is the more widely known, involves an analysis of the situation at the beginning of the experiment; this is followed by an analysis of the situation at each instant of time during the experiment and leads to a-detailed description of the prevailing conditions at the end of the experiment. Suppose, for example, we wish to predict the final rest position on a billiard table of a ball moving initially in a certain known direction with a known speed. The obvious approach is to estimate or measure off its course by consideration of angles of rebound, taking account of the "English" or spin if necessary and finally estimating from experience (or calculating from coefficients of friction) the slowing down occasioned by friction, thus establishing the point of the course at which the ball may be expected to stop. Any interference with the calculated course occasioned by collision with an unanticipated object would obviously cause us to revise drastically our estimate of the rest position. This general method of approach characterized by detailed description of how one situation developed from another seems intuitively appealing and is the most widely known method. There is no doubt that it gives very satisfying results when it can be used. There is a second general method of approach. In this method, the final state of a system is predicted from knowledge of general broad principles and their application, considering only the restrictions imposed upon the system. It is unnecessary to follow the course in detail; intermediate steps are not even considered. For example, if the billiard table mentioned in the first paragraph were tilted to one corner, one could predict that the final resting place of the ball would be in that corner; this prediction can be made independent of any particular course the ball may follow. This second general method of attacking problems is the one used in thermodynamics. There its use is so outstand-

Jan 1, 1951

By H. K. Work

The Bessemer process is one of the most interesting methods of making steel. At one time it was by far the most important. In recent years, however, it has steadily lost ground to the open-hearth process. The forces working against this method of stccl-making are partly economic and partly metallurgical.1 In this paper, dealing as it does with the control of the process, the metallurgical factors alone will be considered, although it is obvious that economic factors must play a part in determining the ultimate status of the Bessemer process. This discussion has been limited in another respect—it deals primarily with the acid Bessemer process in bottom-blown converters, although much of the information is applicable to basic and side-blown converters. The fact that open-hearth steel has superseded Ressemer steel to a large extent has tended to create an impression that Bessemer steel is inferior. As a matter of fact, Bessemer steel is actually superior to open-hearth for many applications.2 There are, however, definite metallurgical limitations to the use of Bessemer steel, resulting largely from two factors: (1) the physical properties conferred by nitrogen and phosphorus, and (2) the variability from blow to blow. These, of course, are not entirely independent, since some of the variability covered in the second item is undoubtedly due to nitrogen. But the variability is also caused by other factors. One of these is the relatively small size of the Bessemer heats. Because of this, a given shipment of Bessemer steel is more likely than a shipment of open-hearth steel to contain the product of several heats, each with its own distinctive and slightly different characteristics. Added to this is the fact that the refining of Bessemer steel proceeds so rapidly that the timing of the end point is limited to a matter of seconds, whereas the finishing period in the open hearth extends over a period of one or two hours and the timing of the end point may vary by several minutes without seriously affecting the product. There is no doubt that this has contributed to the variability of Bessemer steel and has led to the use of open-hearth steel in many optional applications. That Bessemer steel may vary is not necessarily objectionable, and it may even prove an advantage, providing a precise control is available to secure the desired qualities for any specific application. With this in mind, a comprehensive research program was undertaken, one phase of which was directed toward securing more accurate control of the blow. The results have been encouraging, and it is the purpose of this paper to describe a method in which modern scientific instruments, based on photocells, are currently being employed to assist the blower. The Control Problem In this day of scientific control of technical processes, where the operating

Jan 1, 1941