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By C. M. F. Vieira

This work has as its objective to characterize ceramic bodies for vitrified tiles elaborated with the mixture of nepheline-syenite flux and kaolinitic clay. Formulations were prepared with 0, 30 and 50 wt.% of nepheline-syenite incorporated in a kaolinitic clay. To determine the physical and mechanical properties such as dry bulk density, linear shrinkage, water absorption and flexural rupture strength, specimens were prepared by 30 MPa uniaxial pressure-molding and then fired in a laboratory furnace at 1150oC. The microstructure of the fired ceramics was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that the nepheline-syenite improved the evaluated properties of the clay and attended the specifications of vitrified ceramic tiles.

Jan 1, 2010

By Yunyan Wang

Diagrams of pc-pH for the complex ions concentration and pH value and -g- for activity coefficient and ionic strength ln±MnSOI4had been drew based on the thermodynamic principle of coordination chemistry and combined with Pitzer theory at 298.15K. The diagram of -g- indicated that -gincreased sharply from 0.0000 up to 1.2147 when I changed from 0.00 ln±MnSOIln4±MnSO4to 0.09; The increase of -gbecame slowly when I was more than 1.00 and less than 1.69; kept still when I ln±MnSOln4-g±MnSO4was more than 2.25 and less than 4.00. Diagrams of pc-pH illustrated that the minimum solubility of Mn(OH)2(s) increased with the increase of I, the pc increased from 6.5 to 5.5 when I increased from 0.00 to 4.00; The pH of the minimum solubility of Mn(OH)2(s) increased with the increase of I, the pH increased from 11.80 to 12.76 when I increased from 0.00 to 2.89, the pH kept still when I (I was less than 4.0) increased. There is single function relationship between the minimum solubility of Mn(OH)2(s) and relevant pH in different I.

Jan 1, 2010

By Geir Martin Haarberg

Modern electrolysis technologies can provide possibilities for developing sustainable processes in terms of energy and environment. Laboratory experiments were carried out to study electrodeposition of iron from molten salts and aqueous solutions using an inert oxygen evolving anode to eliminate the emissions of CO2. The possibilities of molten salt electrorefining of metallurgical grade silicon to produce solar grade silicon were also investigated. Electrochemical techniques were used to study the electrochemical behaviour of dissolved iron, silicon, and titanium species. Bulk electrolysis was carried out to deposit pure iron, silicon, and titanium. The quality of the deposits was studied by SEM/EDS and XRD analyses. Calculations based on laboratory studies indicate that great improvements in terms of reduced energy consum

Jan 1, 2010

By Dongok Kim

Regardless of the advantages of the Friction Stir Process (FSP), for age-hardened aluminum alloys, the mechanical properties such as hardness in the stir zone decreased after FSP due to the growth or dissolution of strengthening precipitates. Here, as a new technique, FSP was introduced to alloy copper nanopowders in Al7075 T651. Mechanical properties of copper nanopowder- alloyed Al7075 T651 together with micro and nanostructures were compared with those of as-FSPed Al7075 T651 using SEM, TEM, and Vickers hardness testing to understand structure-property relationships. It was observed that Vickers hardness of the stir zone in copper nanopowder alloyed Al7075 T651 increased by 20% compared to that of the heat affected zone, while the as-FSPed samples did not show a noticeable increase in hardness in the same zone. Xray mapping showed traces of copper nanopowder after the process. TEM is being used to verify if there was CuAl2 formed in the copper alloyed sample.

Jan 1, 2006

By Alaina B. Hanlon

Keywords: Undercooling, Convection, Dendrites, Stainless Steel, Levitation Certain Fe-Cr-Ni stainless steel alloys solidify from an undercooled melt by a two-step process in which the metastable ferrite phase forms first followed by the stable austenite phase. Recent experiments have shown that the lifetime of the metastable phase is strongly influenced by flow within the molten sample. The current research will provide insight to why flow affects the metastable phase. This new understanding will lead to the use of convection to control microstructural evolution in spray-forming of stainless steels. Simulations using a commercial computational fluid dynamics package, FIDAP, yield a range of convective flow velocities that cause mechanical damage to the dendrites which is compared to experimental results. If the convective velocities are great enough that the dendrites bend, then low angle boundaries form at the points of collision. These result in high energy sites that could serve as nuclei for the stable phase.

Jan 1, 2005

By P. A. Olubambi1

Representative samples of the hydrothermal vein deposits of the bulk complex sulphide ore deposit, 10 km south of Ishiagu, in Ebonyin State, South Eastern part of Nigeria were collected from two small scale mining companies. The samples were mixed and successively crushed in a jaw crusher and cone crusher, and ground in a rod mill. Characterization was carried out with SEM, EDX, XRD, XRF and ICP-OES. Mineralogical analysis revealed the presence of sphalerite, galena, siderite, pyrite, quartz and chalcopyrite. X-ray Diffractometry showed that sphalerite mineral in the ore occurs as sphalerite ferrous with varied percentage of Zn and Fe within the various sizes while chalcopyrite occurs as a chalcopyrite group mineral with chemical formula Cu2MnSnS4. Results of the elemental analysis showed variations in elemental composition within the different sizes.

Jan 1, 2006

By Zhang Chuanfu

Keywords: solid solution, Ni-Co alloy powders, thermal decomposition, fibres. Synthesis of fibrous Ni-Co alloy powders was achieved by thermal decomposition of precursor of complex Ni-Co oxalates solid solutions obtained via modified coprecipitation method among intimate mixing solution of NiCl2?6H2O , CoCl2?6H2O and H2C2O4?2H2O in the presence of surfactant polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and organic solvent ethanol. Scan electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), disperse energy X-ray analyses (EDX) were used to characterize the structure features and chemical compositions of the as-prepared fibres. The influences of decomposition conditions, including temperature, time, the flow rate of N2+H2, and the heating rate, on the morphology, average size and specific surface area of the Ni-Co alloy powders were investigated. It is found that a trend of the mutual alloying of nickel and cobalt: the formation of perfect solid solution for any compositions NixCo100-x was indicated and corresponding NixCo100-x alloys with fcc phase can be obtained under the optimal conditions.

Jan 1, 2005

By Helga Larravide

A new on-line database of literature about copper has been created through a joint undertaking by the Copper Development Association Inc. and PROCOBRE-Chile, with funding provided in part through the International Copper Association, Ltd. The new database will permit Spanish-speaking technologists to access publications maintained by PROCOBRE-Chile by means of standard keyword searches. In addition, a new Spanish- English thesaurus has been written to enable Spanish-speaking individuals to search d access the Technology and Environmental databases of the Copper Data Center, which together comprise more than 80,000 publications dealing with the production, properties, uses and environmental effects of copper. Planned expansion of the new Spanish literature database is described.

Jan 1, 1999

By Fumito Tanaka

The Mitsubishi Process is the sole pyrometallurgical process for the continuous production of blister copper from copper concentrates. Continuous converting originates from the application of the proven technology of a lime-ferrite slag (CaO-FeOX-Cu2O) on the Converting Furnace (C-furnace). Recent improvements on the C-furnace operation have included increasing the processing of recycled materials and the investigation of alternative fluxing agents. However, some minor oxides adversely affect C-furnace operation, with respect to magnetite behavior of the slag, with the most significant impact having been observed with the silica content of the slag. This paper will quantify the impact of silica on the lime-based slag, and discusses the controls that have been identified to sustain continuous converting operation.

Jan 1, 2005

By Qing Bo

In this study, the cobalt oxide precursor was prepared in open-style reactor in the condition of high reactant concentration, and then the precursor was decomposed to obtain the cobalt oxides (Co3O4). The effects of some factors on the cobalt precipitation, the particle size and size distribution, and the micro-morphology were addressed. The factors studied include cobalt concentration, initial pH of solution, temperature and time for the reaction, the charge amount of urea, and the temperature for decomposition. It is determined that the precursor particle is in the chemical composition of Co2(OH)3Cl with fine crystalline. By calcinations under proper conditions, the mono-dispersed cobalt oxide particles were prepared with fine crystalline, about 2 µ m in particle size and regular shape in morphology.

Jan 1, 2006

By Pengfu Tan

A thermodynamic model has been developed to model the desilverising process of lead by the addition of zinc during lead refining, whereby silver-zinc solid solutions are formed, and floats out of the dissolved zinc/silver in the lead bath. The solubility of silver-zinc solid solutions in lead decreases with falling temperature. A number of variations and modifications of the desilverising process are modeled, and applied to a wide range of silver contents in lead bullions in the industry.

Jan 1, 2005

By Alex Del Castillo

The mineral processing industry has followed the development of database control systems, and various systems have been installed in existing and new plants. The goal is to improve product quality, raise productivity and lower production costs. Improvements in different units for mineral .processing .have been applied. This has led to increasing information for the operators. To support the operators and for an easy overview of the process, a complete concept for an integrated process-control system is required. This paper describes the plant-wide [process control system for the Collahuasi copper project located in northern Chile. The total investment for the project was $1,700,000,000 and included a port area and two copper processing plants, an oxide plant with a cathode production of 50 tons per year and a sulfide plant with a concentrate production of 330 kilotons per year. The main characteristics of the plant-wide process control system include a 200- kilometer long redundant control network and a 24-kilometer long redundant serial network providing coverage for the entire plant. The plants are located around 4,700 meters above sea level, serial communication lids allow the integration of over 2,700 SCADA data units, and the system handles over 7,500 physical signals plus the SCADA data integration. The main equipment consists of 39 different sized controllers, 16 operator stations, 5 engineering stations, 2 information management systems and 4 X- terminals. The project management, control configuration, factory acceptance test, system integration test, training, commissioning and start-up were carried out in close cooperation with the customer. The result was completely satisfactory for the customer.

Jan 1, 1999

By Nikhil Dhawan

Electronic waste (e-waste) is a collective name given to discarded electronic devices such as Television, Cellular Phones and Personal Computers. Among the heterogeneous metals present in the e-waste are the base metals: copper, aluminium, nickel, tin, zinc, iron and precious metals: gold, silver, palladium, platinum apart from several hazardous and halogens metals. Hence there is a need to recover these metals from electronic scrap by recycling and then re-use, which can meet large amount of metals demand. Hydrometallurgical processing was employed for the recovery of metals from television printed circuit board (TV PCB). Different lixiviants such as hydrochloric acid, Sulphuric acid, and nitric acid were used to understand the dissolution behavior of copper, iron and lead present in the TV PCB. Effect of increasing concentration of nitric acid was also studied. Selective recovery of tin over 95% in the form of tin oxide was precipitated. The precipitated tin oxide was identified by X-ray diffraction technique. Tin oxide of purity more than 99.9% was obtained.

Jan 1, 2009

By I. Nikolic

Twin-roll casting is an integrated casting and rolling process that involves the continuous solidification of a melt and the plastic deformation of the solidified metal between two rotating rolls. Computer modeling is a valuable tool to help engineers understand the metallurgical process during twin-roll casting. However, commercially available software can only model either the fluid flow/heat transfer of the melt or the plastic deformation of the solid, but not both. In this study, an object-oriented finite element program was developed to simulate the steady-state fluid flow, solidification and plastic deformation of an A7,31 magnesium alloy in a horizontal twin-roll caster. The melt, the mush zone and the solid were treated as a generalized Newtonian flow in an Eulerian reference frame and different constitutive equations were employed to describe the material behaviours. The effect of operational parameters on the solidification process was discussed based on the simulation results.

Jan 1, 2010

By Yuanbo Zhang

Keywords: Complex Iron Ores, Roasting, Tin, Zinc, Pellets, Comprehensive Recovery. The complex iron ores containing tin, zinc are typical refractory ores. Large reserves of the ores are found in China and have not been utilized efficiently so far. A new process of tin and zinc recovery and pellet preparation from iron concentrate containing tin and zinc by controlled atmosphere roasting is developed in this investigation. The results of 2573 N/P compression strength of product pellets, the 91.49% and 82.22% volatilization of tin and zinc respectively, are achieved for a concentrate containing 0.39% tin and 0.28% zinc. The strength and chemical compositions of the pellets meet the requirement of blast furnace ironmaking. Volatilization mechanism of tin and zinc are investigated. Thermodynamic study shows that the reduction balance curves of SnO2(s) and SnO(g) are proximate in the presence of carbon, and the standard formation free enthalpy of FeO and SnO2 is also approachable. Therefore, it is difficult to realize the complete volatilization of tin in the form of SnO(g) by selective reduction. But SnO2(s) and SnO(g) will form SnCl4(g) or SnCl2(g) in the presence of chlorides and can be easily volatilized from the ores.

Jan 1, 2005

By Zhouhua Jinag

The attempt has been made to manufacture high nitrogen austenitic stainless steels by pressurized electro-slag remelting furnace with maximum nitrogen pressure of 7MPa. To obtain high nitrogen content in steels, the compound electrodes with different nitrogen sources (FeCrN, Si3N4) were prepared. Using the Si3N4 as the nitrogen alloying source, the silicon contents in ingots were prone to be out of the specification range, and the electric current fluctuated greatly and the surface qualities of the ingots were poor. The surface qualities of the ingots were improved using FeCrN as nitrogen alloying source. The sound and compact macrostructure ingot with the maximum nitrogen above 1.0wt% could be obtained. A series of high nitrogen austenitic stainless steels have been successfully developed by this method. The mechanical and pitting corrosion resistance properties of high nitrogen austenitic stainless steels were investigated. The results show that the steels exhibit excellent mechanical and pitting corrosion resistance properties.

Jan 1, 2009

By Alicia Esther Ares

The family of Zn-Al (ZA), Zn-Ag and Zn-Al-Ag (ZINAG) alloys offers high mechanical properties, ease of finishing, the advantage of low energy and pollution-free melting. Also, present alternatives to the well developed alloy systems, such as brasses, bronzes, cast irons and aluminum alloys. The main objective of this paper is to measure thermal parameters in ZA, Zn-Ag and ZINAG hypoeutectic and hypereutectic alloys directionally solidified which present columnar, equiaxed and columnar to equiaxed transition structures (CET). Also, estimate the mechanical properties, such as microhardness and tensile parameters and correlate these with the thermal (cooling rate) and structural parameters (grain size and dendritic spacing). The different types of structures were analyzed with optical and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed the influence of concentration, microstructural arrangement and thermal conditions during solidification on the mechanical properties. The results of the present investigation are compared with previous experiments.

Jan 1, 2010

By Jacques J. Eksteen

Any effort to improve the metallurgical control of industrial furnaces employed in the primary extraction of high carbon ferroalloys are bound to fail unless the variability of the melt is not fully accounted for. A number of sampling campaigns were performed on both 3phase AC submerged arc and single phase DC open arc furnaces at different smelter sites in South Africa where High Carbon Ferrochrome is produced. It was found that the heterogeneity between multiple samples during a single taps were much higher that for heterogeneity found within a sample. Moreover, this heterogeneity (as quantified by the relative standard deviation per tap) varied with the operating conditions of the furnace, the element monitored and the type of furnace. A relationship was found between the relative standard deviation of certain elements and the degree of subcooling of the melt.

Jan 1, 2006

By Y. Zhoa

The surface morphology of materials is of fundamental importance to many surface related applications, such as wetting, friction, reflection, drag, and adhesion. Various approaches for micro/nano patterning atop polymer surfaces have been proposed in recent years. However, a cost effective technique is still highly in demand. In this paper, we demonstrate a novel but rather simple and generic approach for surface micro/nano patterning using shape memory polymers (SMPs). Different types of novel patterns are realized and their 3-D surface features are quantitatively analyzed by a PLµ Confocal imaging profiler.

Jan 1, 2010

By S. Prasad

The effectiveness of ultrasonic velocity measurements and attenuation of the propagating pulse was evaluated as a means of Non-Destructive characterization of cold worked and annealed copper. Commercial copper is subjected to mechanical working such as forging, rolling and thermal treatment to induce re-crystallization. The microstructural changes that occur in copper and a variation in its mechanical properties are subjected to analysis using the ultrasonic technique. The signal processing is carried out using the wavelet analysis technique. The features of wavelet analysis namely, localization in space and the presence of an infinite set of basis functions allows removing noise from the time series and components of a non-stationary signal to be analyzed. This is seen to improve the accuracy of the results obtained from the ultrasonic technique in the case of copper, which has distinct coarse grains that are difficult to inspect due to backscattering from the grain boundaries.

Jan 1, 2010