Search Documents

By Hsun Hu

Based on Kurdjumoiv-Sachs orientation relationship for the fee bee transformation in metals, the jirzal crystal orientation resulting from successive transformations of bee-fee-bee has been analyzed mathematically. There are 528 different variants; many of ther are crystallograpyically equirvalent. Specific examples show that, for equal probability of all the variants, the principal crystallographic axes [100 ], [110], and [111] of the initial bcc crystal can be transformed into vairous axes in the fina1 crystal However, fur each of these principal crystallographic axes, a continuous range of orientation within certain regions of the unit triangle is completely avoided by the finctl Crystals. For uses of higher indices, the final orientations are more uniformly distributed throughout the unit triangle. Results from the PI-esent analysis are in good agreement with preferred Oientations Observed in a zone-meltecl iron bar. THE allotropic forms of iron are characterized by the unusual fact that at both high and low temperatures a bcc structure is stable, whereas at intermediate temperatures (1400" to 910°C) the metal is fcc. Hence, during cooling from its melting temperature, iron undergoes successive phase transformations ofd—? —a with corresponding changes in the crystal structure of bcc — fcc -bcc. while numerous studies have been made in the past of the 1 — a transformation in iron and in various iron-base alloys, no information is available in the literature as to the mechanism of 6 — l transformation and the lattice orientation relationship between these two phases. Experimental difficulties have apparently prevented researchers from undertaking these studies. The laltice orientation relationship between the parent and the new phases of iron resulting from

Jan 1, 1965

By B. Egeberg

BRITANNIA metal is a white alloy consisting primarily of tin and antimony, the tin greatly predominating. The alloy usually contains a small amount of copper and occasionally very small amounts of one or two, other metals, such as bismuth, zinc, and lead. It is capable of being cold-rolled, it takes a high polish, and it is fairly noncorrosive; properties which make it a popular metal for many household and traveling utensils. Britannia metal is similar in many respects to pewter and has largely replaced pewter in the arts, but it should not be confused with that alloy, because pewter is essentially a tin-lead alloy, while Britannia is a tin-antimony alloy. In view of the fact that so little has been published concerning Britannia metal, the authors feel justified in presenting the results of their investigation, particularly since the behavior of this alloy under cold rolling and heat treatment differs so greatly from that of other metals and alloys. The old craftsman, engaged in the making of ornaments or tableware, heated the cold-rolled sheet metal or his finished product to a straw color corresponding to about 375° F., claiming to produce thereby a harder and more rigid article. The fact that possibly led him to this heating was that a reheated article or sheet made from Britannia metal has a distinct metallic ring when struck a sharp blow, whereas an unheated article or sheet has a leady, dead note. No doubt he has associated the metallic ring with a greater rigidity and strength, and justly so, as will be seen later.

Jan 1, 1928

By J. V. Emmons

THE processes of hardening and tempering steel tools within the past 15 or 20 years have been so developed that the forward strides of the industry can scarcely be followed by the average observer. No small part of the credit for this phenomenal advancement is due to the improved methods of measuring the high temperatures necessary. Pyrometry has made possible the discovery and use of the many special alloy steels the wonderful properties of which are revolutionizing the industrial world. So sensitive are these steels to changes of temperature that often a variation of only 10° F. at a critical point of the heat treatment will cause the failure of the tool. In the tool-manufacturing industry today, accurate control of the many heating operations is imperative. The principal processes in the manufacture of tools that require accurate high-temperature measurements are annealing, carburizing, hardening, tempering, and laboratory research. Several other operations, such as forging and straightening, use rougher and correspondingly less accurate methods. These operations are usually performed in the following approximate ranges of temperature: DEGREES F. DEGREES F. Annealing 1000 to 1700 Tempering 200 to 1200 Carburizing 1400 to 1000 Forging 1400 to 1800 Hardening 1400 to 2500 Straightening 300 to 1300 Laboratory research covers the entire range. Annealing and carburizing are usually done in muffle or semi-muffle furnaces, heated with coal, coke, oil, gas, or electricity. Many of them are of large size, holding several tons of steel at one charge. Both indicating and recording pyrometers are used. The recording instruments are generally of the thermoelectric type, while for the indicating, both optical and thermoelectric are used.

Jan 9, 1919

Problems discussed and research opportunities identified during the workshop in the major areas of 1) flocculation, 2) flotation, 3) leaching and magnetic separation are summarized below. I. FLOCCULATION Problems Practical problems caused by unintentional flocculation or dispersion were described in the papers that dealt with iron ore processing, selective flocculation, fine coal processing, phosphate processing and potash processing. Ideas generated during the discussions ranged from the very practical suggestion that a conscious effort be made to transfer knowhow from the experienced clay industry to the metals and fuels-from-slimes industry. . . , to the familiar appeals for omnipotent theoretical developments. There was surprising recurrence of some questions in many contexts. Recurring questions are emphasized here rather than commodity-specific problems because their answers would serve a wider clientele usage. There is indeed no objection and some advantage to commodity-specific research, however, provided the proposed project is planned with full cognizance of transferable knowledge in other commodities, and of the possible usefulness of these results in other areas. Research Needs Most of the questions or research opportunities can be classified into three groups: a) water chemistry, b) dewatering, and c) flocculation theory. Other classifications are possible and probably useful. In each group there is a clear need for outwardly esoteric theoretical research a clear application of that work to current practical problems. Higher priority should be given to proposals for theoretical research which explicitly show the expected ultimate usefulness of the result. Likewise, proposals for applied research should demonstrate cognizance of applicable theory. Both of these types of projects could profit from collaboration among industrial, university and government personnel.

Jan 1, 1979

By H. S. Gieser

THE flotation of oxidized silver, ores offers an interesting problem to the operating metallurgist, who has to treat this material. The advances made in the art of selective flotation by the use of newer collectors with accelerating and inhibiting reagents suggests that there should be something to help to decrease tailing losses. For many years there was no working hypothesis, so the subject was approached more or less in the dark, but with the publication of a paper by Taggart, Taylor and Ince1 giving results of flotation tests with many organic compounds and presenting a tentative theory, a better foundation has been laid and henceforth progress should be more rapid. Over a period of one and one-half years there was much experimentation with flotation of oxidized silver ores at El Tigre, Sonora, Mexico. The material coming to the mill was straight sulfide ore in a silicified rhyolite gangue, the ore minerals being sphalerite, galena, pyrite and tetrahedrite. This came largely from the lower levels of the mine. With the approaching exhaustion of these orebodies, attention was turned to oxidized ores left behind during higher prices of silver. Of late oxidized ore has been at times 25 per cent. of mill tonnage. Aerofloat 25, in considerable quantity, together with ethyl xanthate, has been used in the mill. The former raises large quantities of "insoluble" or gangue, which is difficult to reject when the density of the tailing pulp approaches 33 per cent. solids, as it did during periods of water scarcity. The mill tailing at times contained as much as 5 oz. of silver on a 32-oz. mill head.

Jan 1, 1931

By James Boyd

REACTIVE metals are not only those sufficiently radioactive to be used as fuels, such as uranium and thorium, but all metals that will find application in power reactors. It is required of such metals that they be relatively inert or chemically unreactive, dimensionally stable at high temperatures and pressures, and either very absorbent of radioactivity or transparent to it. To gain the right perspective concerning these metals it is necessary at this point to explode some erroneous concepts propounded so often they have become accepted as fact. The first of these is that the great industrial nations, especially the U. S., have reached their pre-eminent position chiefly because they possess abundant mineral resources. Some U. S. mineral economists, echoed by the politicians, have taken this position so often that many of their theories and policies are based on the presence of developed mineral resources as a sine qua non to the country's greatness. Actually the reverse is true- under a social and political system granting free rein to the initiative and creativeness of its people, many hidden mineral resources that otherwise would have lain fallow have been developed into productive enterprises to the benefit of the national industrial economy. Again, once the proper incentive was furnished, other countries have also been able to establish valuable mineral enterprises in recent years; resources long dormant for lack of a proper economic environment suddenly have become valuable and productive. It is possible to name immediately several nations where such domestic economic developments have had favorable repercussions within the last decade. The absence of productive mines in any country is no indication that workable deposits do not exist within its territory.

Jan 11, 1957

By M. T. Abasov

Among a host of challenges dictated by the explosively developing scientific and technical revolution, the improvement of control and management is one of the most essential problems. This problem is also of far-reaching importance for the oil and gas industries. An oil and gas extracting complex is an involved multilink system characterized by a great number of elements and by intricate interconnections between these elements. Of paramount importance for these systems is the quality of control. Any deviation of the control from the optimum reduces the effectiveness of the system and deteriorates its basic technical and economic factors. In case of large systems, even a relatively small deviation from the optimum may result in considerable material and power losses. Optimization of control of large production systems is therefore one of the basic means to enhance their effectiveness. The present paper discusses a development control problem for a multilayer gas deposit using the method of simultaneous exploitation of several strata by means of a single well. The optimum control is achieved by determining the dynamics of changes in the number of producing wells in a reservoir with regard to the depth of occurrence of these reservoirs as well as the difference in the time of introduction of the wells from drilling and their transfer to another reservoir. A mathematical model was constructed for the problem under consideration and a method was given to solve this problem. The problem was dealt with under the assumption that either each of the reservoirs or a part of them have vertically overlying areas and that there is no hydrodynamic interference between the horizons. It was

Jan 1, 1977

By Jamie Deuel

The a ad on Connection" For the purpose of this paper, we will concentrate on the ubquitous radon gas as the principle, low-level radiation effect from uranium tailings piles. Standards are also proposed for gamma radiations but, by most accounts, this is much less of a low level problem than is radon. I am also aware of some just completed research at Oak Ridge National Laboratories that suggest polonium may be a major concern in tailings, but those data are preliminary at this time. What is radon gas? In the first place it is not a gas in the accepted sense in that it has no driving pressure head. It might prove a more convenient description to call it radon vapor. Radon vapor, then, is 7-1/2 times heavier than air. Radiologically, it is an alpha emitter which means it spontaneously gives off high ionizing potential but low penetrating power particles. In fact, the alpha particle has such low penetrating power that this sheet of paper will completely shield a person. The problem, though, is breathing the radon decay products, called radon daughters. If radon daughter products are ingested into the lungs, their alpha emissions may cause cancer. The principle carcinoma associated with breathing radon, or more basically, associated with radiological effects is oat cell car- cinoma of the undifferentiated mall cell type. Radon has a 3.8 day half life which means in less than four days half of its initial radioactivity has decayed away. In less than a month it essentially becomes inert or non-radioactive. The Tailings Situation The NRC, in its April 1979 Generic Environmental Impact Statement

Jan 1, 1983

By B. J. Kochanowsky

The primary use of a portable crusher, i.e., a crusher mounted on crawlers or tires, in the rock and mining industries is to reduce costs by permitting the substitution of conveyor belt haulage for truck or track haulage. The usual sequence of operations in surface mining is drilling, blasting, loading, haulage, and crushing. Haulage is normally accomplished by truck or track-mounted cars, the latter method being used for the longer distances. However, by using a portable crusher in the pit, the sequence of operations would be changed so that the crushing stage would occur before haulage (Fig. 1). Such a sequence would permit the use of conveyors to replace the more expensive truck or track haulage methods. Since most quarry and open pit operations normally require a crushing stage, the only additional costs incurred will be due to the investment required to purchase or construct a mobile arrangement for a crusher. But this factor has to be weighed against the advantages to be gained by conveyor haulage. As shown in Fig. 2, transportation of material by belt conveyor over short distances is less ex- pensive than by truck. The inclination of the belt has no effect on belt speed; consequently, the hourly tonnage moved remains the same. Conversely, the output rate of trucks as expressed in tons or ton- miles per shift decreases proportionally to the haulage speed, which is considerably slowed by the steepness of the road (Fig. 3a). Although maximum possible grades and maximum economic grades of haulage are greater for a belt than for a truck (over the same total lift), the longer haulage distances favor the use of trucks.

Jan 12, 1960

By J. L. Leland Myer

Some of the early experiments on the oxidation temperature of coal1 were undertaken in England in connection with a study of self-heating, or spontaneous combustion. It was then suspected that coals with low oxidation temperature were most likely to ignite by self-heating, but further experiments showed that many additional factors were involved. The oxidation temperature has importance as a physical property or characteristic of the coal. While only a few of the physical properties have been studied, they appear to have basic significance2 in the ultimate classification of all coals. When reliable data become available on the oxidation temperatures, as determined by standard and adequate methods, it should provide an additional basis for classification and comparative evaluation. Oxidation Temperature Defined For such a heterogeneous substance as coal is known to be, no simple definition of oxidation temperature can be established on a theoretical basis. If coals were homogeneous and of simpler structure, the accepted definition of "ignition temperature " as applied to simple gaseous mixtures might be adopted; that is, the temperature at which self-heating of the mixture sets in. But most coals self-heat slightly even at storage temperature, as evidenced by spontaneous combustion, and the definition for gases cannot be applied to coals with any exactness. By subjecting coals to suitable experimental conditions various oxidation characteristics can be obtained and examined for critical or significant stages of the oxidation process. Oxidation temperature itself must then be defined on the basis of such experimental results. Experimental Methods Attempts to determine critical points in the temperature functions of coal undergoing oxidation have resulted in the following experimental methods:

Jan 1, 1932

By P. E. Senseny

INTRODUCTION Massive hydraulic fractures have been used since 1949 in the petroleum industry to enhance production rates and increase recoverable reserves. Currently, a research program, the Multi-Well Experiment, is underway to develop the understanding and technology to a1 low economic production of the large gas reserves of the low permeability, lenticular sandstone formations in the western U.S. (Atkinson, et al, 1981; Northrop and Sattler, 1983). Use of state- of-the-art hydraulic fracturing techniques is a part of this investigation. As a portion of an extensive core program in support of this experiment (Sattler, 1983), fracture toughness has been determined for 56 sandstone, shale, mudstone, or siltstone horizons from three wells in the Piceance Basin. The role of fracture toughness in hydraulic fracturing is not well understood because other factors, such as in situ stress, dominate fracture geometry and containment. Rubin (1983) concluded from analysis of his laboratory hydrofracture experiments that fracture toughness should be included in design and numerical simulation of hydraulic fractures. However, van Eekelen (1982) contends that the stress intensity at the crack front should be so much greater than the fracture toughness of the rock that toughness can have no importance. Generally, fracture toughness and other material properties, such as elastic moduli and permeability, are thought to be of secondary importance in determining fracture geometry and containment. In spite of this, there is a need to acquire a more quantitative understanding of their importance for accurate design and simulation calculations. Analysis of fracture geometry and containment data from hydraulic fracturing experiments carried out in formations where fracture toughness and other rock properties are

Jan 1, 1984

By M. J. Taffanel

I AM very much impressed by this manifestation of international brotherhood; the mining engineers on both sides of the ocean have similar subjects to deal with, meet with the same difficulties, expose themselves sometimes to similar dangers; they are like companions in arms in the battle fought by mankind in order to subjugate the natural forces and to draw profit therefrom. There is no other field where this fraternity must manifest itself more actively than in the studies pursued with a view to improving the safety of mines and to rendering impossible in the future these mining disasters, which every year claim hundreds of victims. These are very difficult problems, the solution of which requires numerous and laborious experiments accompanied by very arduous scientific investigations; it is extremely desirable that the various mining countries, which have undertaken to solve these difficult problems, should unite their efforts in order to succeed as soon as possible and as well as possible. This idea has been fully grasped by your Bureau of Mines, which has brought me to Pittsburg; the daily exchange of views with the distinguished chief of-the mine investigation division, George S. Rice, and with his excellent collaborators, the comparison of the results obtained at Lievin and Bruceton, the checking of these results by means of new tests, the profound study of the measurements, diagrams, measuring and laboratory apparatus, the cooperative investigation of new apparatus, or the preparation of new investigations, are, I hope, of such a nature as to bring about great progress. I think that it will be interesting to you to know what has been done in France along this line.

Jan 9, 1914

By W. B. Clarke

It is the purpose of this paper to discuss briefly some of the recent developmellts in connection with the use of electrical apparatus for the mining of coal. For several years electricity has been employed extensively for the distribution of power, primarily for the operation of mine-locomotives and chain coal-cutters, and secondarily for motors driving pumps, ventilating-fans, rope-haulage, conveyors, crushers, auger-drills, coke-oven larries, etc. The severe and peculiar conditions which attend the development and distribution of power for the operation of coalmining machinery constitute a field to which the electricmotor seems to be especially adapted. The underground use of steam-engines, to any great extent, is impracticable for obvious reasons. The much higher efficiency of the electrical system is a potent argument in its favor as compared with compressed air, which, under ordinary circumstances, should only be employed for the operation of rock-drills and coal" punchers." The conditions in many mines prohibit the under-cutting of coal with a chain-machine; and the compressed-air " puncher," with its very low efficiency, is extensively employed. There have been no recent important improvements in the design and construction of the chain-machine, although, of course, minor changes are continually being made. More time and attention are being paid now than ever before to the details of mining-machinery, with the idea of eliminating the weaknesses which have been developed, and especially of facilitating repairs and renewals. Electric mine-locomotives are very extensively employecl for the haulage of coal on the main entries and the branchheadings; but in the majority of coal-mines the cars are still

Jan 1, 1904

By Heinrich Ries

In another place,* the writer has called attention to the modern methods of the laboratory investigation of clay, and it is desired here simply to discuss one branch of the subject, which, though of considerable importance, has heretofore received little attention in this country, viz., the rational analysis of clay. In order, however, the better to point out the bearings and advantages of this procedure, it is necessary to refer briefly to the ultimate analysis as well. The remarks in this paper refer only to the use of clay for the manufacture of clay-products. Pure clay or kaolin-f is extremely refractory, possesses little plasticity, and usually shrinks aud warps considerably in burning. Even the smallest proportion of impurities changes these properties, so that the kaolin exhibits variations in shrinkage, plasticity, tensile strength, fusibility, and often color when burned. The majority of nearly pure kaolins consist of kaolinite (A1,O2 2SiO,, 2H20), undecomposed feldspar, and quartz. The kaolinite generally forms the finest particles of the clay and is known as the clay-substance, while the rest of the clay-particles are collectively spoken of as sand. In the ordinary or ultimate analysis, the substances generally determined are silica, alumina, ferric oxide, lime, magnesia, alkalies and water. An analysis of this type simply regards the clay as a mixture of elements or oxides, but gives no clue as to the actual condition in which these substances exist, i.e., whether as silicates, oxides or carbonates, etc., a point which it is of the highest importance to know; for the individual components of the clay influence its properties not only according

Jan 1, 1899

By T. S. Lovering

Geochemical prospecting extends the age-old method of searching out lodes with a gold pan and rationalizes the prospector's hunch that certain plants are associated with ore. It uses sensitive but cheap and rapid analytical methods to find the diagnostic chemical variations related to hidden mineral deposits. Exploration geologists can gain tremendous assistance from this new tool, although its optimum use is not simple. To bring out the geochemical pattern that reveals the presence of a hidden ore deposit with a minimum number of samples requires a combination of shrewdness, chemical knowledge, and exploration geology. The use of sensitive analytical methods for prospecting had its start in the 1930's in northern Europe, where Scandinavian and Russian geologists had some success in these early efforts. Very little geochemical prospecting was carried on in the United States at this time, and no sustained interest was manifest until the close of World War II, when geochemical investigations were started by the Mineral Deposits Branch of the U. S. Geological Survey. The purpose of these investigations was to apply geochemical principles and techniques to surface exploration for mineral deposits. Both the research on analytical methods and the routine trace analyses for field investigations were at first conducted by a single group, but it later became apparent that the trace analyses could be done by men of less experience than that required for successful research on methods. For the past several years there have been two groups of chemists, and although their functions overlap, three of the chemists are chiefly concerned with research, while four to six other men make the trace analyses for field projects.

Oct 1, 1955

By P. W. George

THE rapid increase in cost of discovering new orebodies by churn drilling in the Tri-State district has led to some attempts to lessen the expense by using geophysical methods. Electrical prospecting was tried three or four years ago, but no successful results were recorded. In 1926, the Federal Mining and Smelting Co. engaged the North American Exploration Co., of Houston, Texas, to make some tests with the torsion balance. At first, it was thought that the most favorable conditions for discovery of ore deposits with the torsion balance would be in locations where the ore was known to occur at rather shallow depths, FIG. 1.-CROSS-SECTION OF DUENWEG LEASE. therefore the first trial was made at Duenweg, east of Joplin, where some zinc ore had been developed at a depth of 130 ft. The gravity gradients at 61 stations on a tract of about seventeen acres indicated plainly one large zone of maximum gravity and a smaller narrow zone of minimum gravity. Fourteen churn-drill holes, half of which struck ore, show that all the ore found was located outside the zones of maximum and minimum gravity. In the zone of maximum gravity the limestone beds were closest to the surface, and the first chert beds encountered were at the greatest depth. The results (shown in Table 1) indicated that the gravity of the, limestone was greater than the gravity of the fractured chert together with its orebodies, and probably also greater than the bouldery soil and clay on top of the limestone. A cross-section of the Duenweg lease is shown in Fig. 1.

Jan 1, 1928

By Henry Hanson

A STUDY of the ore to be treated should be the first step in deciding on a machine for crushing or grinding. Coarse crushing is practically confined to the jaw and the gyratory crushers, the large-size jaw type being often employed in large installations as a primary crusher, followed by the gyratory type for secondary reduction. In small plants where mine-run ore is reduced in a single step, either of these machines will do the work. In intermediate and fine grinding, various machines are used. The relative merit of the different types will be governed in no small measure by the size of the installation, the character of the ore to be reduced and the final product desired for subsequent treatment. It should be possible, nevertheless, with the data available, if properly classified, to arrive at an approximation of the relative efficiency of these intermediate and fine grinders. It should be possible, also, to determine the economic grinding range of the different machines. With this in mind, it will be the object of this article to indicate, in rough outline, how the data available may be classified, rather than to attempt to discuss any particular practice and compare the results with other practices. Conclusions or generalizations can not be drawn without an exhaustive classification of data; in fact, many vital points will have to be determined by additional experiments which can be carried on most advantageously in the laboratory. The expense en-tailed in such experiments would be worth while if the data obtained should lead to definite conclusions that would aid in standardizing and simplifying grinding practice.

Jan 2, 1923

E. A. HOLBROOK,*Urbana, Ill.-To those who have followed the development of powdered coal two questions often occur. First, as to the moisture in the coal. In Illinois we recognize that the bituminous coals contain about 12 to 15 per cent. of what we call "contained moisture," that is, the moisture is present in the coal although this may appear absolutely dry and dusty. In addition, the surface moisture may be present in any amount. I would like to ask what is the relative effect of these two forms of moisture upon the work of pulverizing. Does Mr. Collins refer to the contained moisture or to the surface moisture in estimating the degree to which the coal must be dried? H. R. COLLINS.-In the lignite coals, of which this country possesses a great deal and is beginning to develop them to considerable extent, the "contained" or "combined" moisture does not .trouble us; we have no difficulty in reducing lignites to a high degree of fineness. But when dealing with bituminous, sub-bituminous, or semi-bituminous, we, prefer to reduce the combined moisture as well as the hydroscopic moisture as far as possible. We have recently put into operation, at a plant, furnaces and boilers consuming the lignite from northern New Mexico, which contains between 4 and 5 per cent. moisture as we pulverize and burn it. The evaporating efficiencies under the boilers have been so remarkable that we wish to check the results half a dozen times before quoting them. We have also just started two boilers at the Garfield smelter, and have obtained the same high efficiencies.

Jan 11, 1918

By Frederick Laist

IT IS obviously impossible to design a copper smelting plant which could be considered, ideal under all conditions. For example, a plant properly designed to smelt the concentrates resulting from the treatment of porphyry ores by flotation would not be the kind of plant that one would design for the treatment of a coarse pyritous copper ore. The smelting of flotation or other fine concentrates is generally accomplished in a reverberatory plant, although occasionally the concentrates are sintered and then smelted in blast furnaces. On the other hand, coarse self-fluxing ores, whether pyritic or semi-pyritic, are generally smelted in a blast-furnace plant. Even this statement is only- approximately true, since the choice will be influenced by many factors; for example, the kind of fuel available (coal, oil or coke), the value of power (electric or steam), the uses to which waste steam may be put (heating, drying, etc.), the cost of refractories (silica and fire brick), the permanence and continuity of the ore supply and the relative first costs of the two types of plant (the reverberatory plant is generally more expensive to construct and to shut down), the contour of the site on which the plant is to be built (rugged, rolling or flat), the intelligence and character of the labor avail-able, and many other factors. From these remarks, it is evident that no copper smelter can be ideal for all conditions of ore and locality, and inasmuch as most of the copper now being pro-duced comes from fine or flotation concentrates and these are generally smelted in reverberatory furnaces, I shall confine my remarks to this type of smelt-ing plant.

Jan 5, 1923

By M. Gensamer

THE stresses which initiate deformation processes in metals are funda-mentally important in the study of the mechanical properties of metals. A point of inflection in the load-elongation curves obtained for single crystals1 has been rather too readily interpreted as a true yield point, and the critical resolved shearing stress on the plane of slip taken as a material constant. Even early work showed that the stress at this point varies with rate of loading, but it has not been generally appreciated that creep tests under static loads alone are suited for determining the existence or nonexistence of a yield point.2 It has now been shown by Miller that single crystals of zinc3 when loaded statically begin to yield at loads too small to measure; as a result there is no case now known, apart from that cited in the present paper, in which a true critical stress for yielding has been demonstrated for single crystals of metals. The case of iron has especial interest: the existence of an upper and lower yield point and of an elongation at the yield point in ordinary iron and steel marks this substance as unusual, though the effects have been found to a very minor degree in other metals and alloys. ? Most alloys do not show such marked phenomena when appreciable yielding begins, and accordingly modern practice is to speak of the yield strength of such materials, a stress read from the load-elongation curve after elongation has begun, rather than yield point. The special behavior of iron suggests that it is more likely that single crystals of iron should have a true yield point than other metals.

Jan 1, 1938