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By Paul Beck

WHILE the recrystallization properties of most of the practically important metals are known in considerable detail, those of lead are still relatively little known in spite of some valuable contributions in recent years. This condition probably is due to the difficulties involved in applying the usual methods of investigation. The microscopic method of discriminating between the elongated deformed grains of the familiar lenticular shape and the equiaxed recrys-tallized grains is not successful with fully refined lead: lenticular grains cannot be seen under the microscope with any amount of deformation whatever. The probable cause of this phenomenon was recognized long ago. With large deformation the time of recrystallization at room tem-perature is shorter than the period of preparation of the specimen for microscopic examination; with small deformation the deformed grains are not noticeably elongated in the first place. However, with small deformation the migration of the grain boundaries can be observed. The only systematic investigations yet published on the recrystallization of lead, those by R. S. Russell,1-3 make use of the conditions just described. Russell considered recrystallization completed when no further migration of boundaries could be observed. A serious objection to this method arises from the fact that there is no evidence to support the view that grain-boundary migration results only from recrystallization. If such migration does result from other sources after recrystallization is com-pleted-after the deformed grains have been replaced by new unde-formed grains-the "time of recrystallization" as determined by Russell may be too long. Furthermore, the method is subject to the above-mentioned limitation because of the unavoidable period of preparation of the sample. According to Russell, even with the fastest technique 5 min. elapsed before the deformed samples were ready for examination, and consequently no recrystallization time shorter than 5 min. could be measured.

Jan 1, 1939

By W. S. CAYPLESS, H. O. Hofman, E. E. HARRINGTON

1. INTRODUCTION. AT the Lake Superior meeting, September, 1904, Messrs. A. Gibb and R. C. Philp presented a paper entitled " The Constitution of Mattes Produced in Copper Smelting,)' in which they concluded that ferrous and cuprous sulphides formed the chemical compound, 5 Cu2S, fee. They arrived at this inference from the observed fact that a matte containing Cu2S, 90.4, and Fee, 9.6 per cent (or, in round figures, Cu2S, 90, and Fee, 10 per cent.), did not contain any metallic copper, while one with more than 10 per cent of FeS readily dissolved copper, and with less than this amount retained copper in mechanical suspension. Although they determined the melting-points of five mattes containing from 32.6 to 80.1 per cent of copper, they did not draw a freezing-point curve, as the necessary apparatus was not available. A microscopical examination of 11 polished samples, gave them a grayish-black field of very uniform appearance, except that 5 of the specimens showed the presence of metallic copper. The object of the present investigation was to supplement the above paper by drawing the freezing-point curve of the series ferrous sulphide cuprous sulphide, and to see how the constitution could be further, revealed by microscopical work. The results obtained lead to conclusions very different from those of Gibb and Philp. While their paper bears the date 1904, it was published only in 1906.2 In the meantime, Bolles3 had presented his paper, "The Concentration of Gold and Silver in Iron Bottoms." The raw material which formed the basis of the research was a matte containing Fe, 61.68, and Cu, 11.20

Jan 1, 1907

By George A. Packard

THE experiments here described were made under my supervision while temporarily acting as head of the Department of Metallurgy at the Missouri School of Mines, at Rolla. The work was done by Messrs. W. E. Brown, W. C. Richards, and F. L. L. Wilson, and the description of the results forms a portion of a thesis presented for the degree of Bachelor of Science. These results are submitted because I have seen no description of the application of pot roasting to the treatment of a copper-concentrate. This work followed that already described in the discussion of the ' Lime-Roasting of a Galena-Concentrate,"' and was similarly occasioned by the lack of a furnace of the reverberatory type in which the copper-concentrates could be smelted. The material for the tests was a mixture of three lots available. The first consisted of 8-mm. jig-concentrates and the second of 0.5 mm. table-concentrates, from the San Juan district, Colo. Both contained pyrite, chalcopyrite and galena. The third was a lot of copper-ore, found in the laboratory, which had been crushed through 8-mm. screen, and had at some previous time, before the laboratory roasting-furnace was torn down, received a partial roasting. The analyses of these ores are given in Table I. In order to determine the applicability of pot-roasting as to each lot of ore, and the effect of varying proportions of lime, six preliminary tests were made in a " size N " Battersea crucible, 9 in. high by 6 in. in diameter at top, with a 5/8 in. hole bored through the bottom. The crucible was set in the upturned elbow of a 2-in. pipe, the joint being luted with clay; and air was obtained from a receiver supplied by a compressor. The

Jan 1, 1908

By F. N. Rhines

DESPITE the large amount of study which has been devoted to the subject our present knowledge of the copper-oxygen system remains incomplete and unsatisfactory in many respects. This applies particu-larly to those regions in which solid metallic copper exists. The primary object of the present paper is the contribution of new information relative to the solid solubility of oxygen (or cuprous oxide) in copper at atmospheric pressure, together with certain observations in the low-pressure regions of the system. It seems appropriate also to present a brief summary of the outstanding previous work on the constitution of mixtures of copper with its lowest oxide in order to show the relation between the new facts and the system as a whole. The earliest recorded investigations of the copper-oxygen system are those of M. S. Lucas (1) § and of M. Chevillot(2) in 1819 and 1820. Lucas believed that liquid copper is capable of dissolving its oxide, but neither he nor Chevillot was able to furnish convincing proof of this property. It was not until 1866 that T. Graham° definitely established the existence of such a solubility. Nine years later W. Hampe(4) measured its extent and roughly outlined the copper-rich portion of the system. The first really precise examination of the constitutional relationship between copper and cuprous oxide, however, was that of E. Heyn(5) who in 1900 published a temperature-concentration diagram covering the range from 0 to 10 per cent of cuprous oxide at atmospheric pressure. Within these limits of composition cuprous oxide was found to dissolve in liquid copper, forming at 3.4 to 3.5 per cent a eutectic which melted at 1065° C. R. E. Slade and F. D. Farrow(6) extended these studies to mixtures of higher

Jan 1, 1934

By T. A. Read, H. K. Birnbaum

Deformation of AuCd alloys having the 8 (orthorhombic) and (3" (tetragonal) structures occurs by the stress induced motion of twin boutdaries. A restoring force acts on displaced twin boutdaries as a result of internal energy increases in the volume through which the boundaries are displaced. The phenomonology of the twin boundary motion is described and a mechanism for twin boundary motion and the restoring force is proposed. A time-dependent stabilization behavior of the twin boundaries, which is observed after the twins are formed by the diffusionless phase transformations, is described. THE AuCd 8 phase (ordered bcc structure) exhibits a transformation to a phase having an orthorhombic structure, 8' (space group D'), for compositions in the vicinity of 47.5 at. pct Cd and to a phase having a tetragonal structure, 8" (point group 4/m, m,m), for compositions in the vicinity 50.0 at. pct Cd. Both transformations are diffusionless, occur on cooling at 60" and 30OC, respectively, and are crystallo-graphically reversible.' They are accompanied by an inhomogeneous deformation which was observed to be twinning in the low-temperature phase. 3'4 The transformations may occur by a "single interface" or by "multiple interfaces."5'6 In the "single interface" transformation, the twinned product phase consisted of two twin orientations as shown in Fig. 1. In the multiple interface transformation the product phase contained "domains" each of which contained two twin orientations, Fig. 2. Deformation of specimens containing transformation twins was achieved by motion of the twin boundaries. Releasing the applied stress resulted in the displaced twin boundaries returning towards their initial positions. This "pseudo-elastic" behavior of the boundaries varied with time after the formation of the twin boundaries by the transformation.

Jan 1, 1961

By H. L. Hopkins, L. W. Kempf

Aluminum alloys, in common with most other metallic alloys exhibit slight density changes with variations in temper achieved by heat-treatment, which usually are the result of the variation with temperature of the solid solubility of the various alloy constituents in the solvent metal. Changes in density are, of course, most marked in conditions that exhibit the maximum variation in solid solubility of the constituents. In aluminum alloys these conditions usually prevail when alloys are quenched from just below the melting point and are subsequently reheated to some lower temperature. Since commercial heat-treatments may be of this type, the density changes, although small (of the order of 0.3 per cent which may be compared with the density change of about 1.5 per cent involved in the transformation, at ordinary temperatures, of gamma to alpha iron during the hardening of steel), may in some specific applications necessitate quantitative consideration. This phenomenon has been investigated extensively in the laboratories of the Aluminum Company of America over a period of years. A number of investigators '-5t have observed and measured the density changes accompanying the heat-treatment of aluminum alloys. In general, these changes have not been directly translated to dimensional changes and their significance has been overlooked to some extent by the practical user of aluminum alloys. It is the purpose of this paper to consider some practical aspects of these density and dimensional changes. These density changes were given some consideration in 1917 in connection with the use of aluminum-alloy pistons for aircraft engines. Investigations by Lea and Shakespear were reported in some confidential reports of the British Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, Light Alloys Subcommittee, during 1917 and 1918, which are not generally available in published form. In these reports the term "permanent growth" was applied to the dimensional changes occurring in the pistons at the tem-

Jan 1, 1936

By L. D. Dougan, J. V. N. Dorr

PaGE Geological Conditions......................... 78 Development of Elko Prince Property.................. 78 Prince Vein.............................. 79 Mining Practice.............*.'.......:...... SO Milling Practice............................ 84 Power Plant............................... 96 Construction Costs.......................... 97 Geological Conditions The Elko Prince mine is in the Gold Circle district, Nevada, about 155 miles (2. 4 km.) from the town of Midas, 55 miles (88.5 km.) west of Battle Mountain and 50 miles (8.5 km.) northeast of Golconda. The district is described by Emmons in U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 408, 1910. Little was said of the Elko Prince, however, as only a small amount of work had then been completed. The geological structure of the region is simple. The oldest exposed formation, covering most of the area, is rhyolite, which has a light-colored devitrified groundmass enclosing phenocrysts of feldspar, quartz, and magnetite. It has been somewhat weathered and partially stained with oxide of iron. There are several outcrops of andesite which cut the rhyolite. The ore deposits occur as fissure veins, replacement veins, and sheeted zones. The Elko Prince vein is of the first type. The rhyolite near the veins is silicified, stained with oxide of iron, and, at some localities, replaced by ore, or is so permeated by metals as to be classed as ore. The vein filling consists chiefly of quartz, and the values consist entirely of gold and silver. Part of the gold exists as the native metal and part is associated with pyrite. Silver occurs free and as argentite in banded streaks through the vein. These veins trend in a northwesterly direction, with dips varying from 65' to vertical. Development of Elko Prince Property Gold was discovered in the district in the Fall of 1907, and a charac-stic rush followed The town of Midas was laid out and shortly had

Jan 1, 1919

By Howard Eavenson

EARLY in 1917, the United States Coal & Coke Co. secured options on several tracts in Harlan County, Ky., aggregating about 1.9,000 acres in area, and after careful prospecting by outcrop openings and diamond drilling, completed the purchase late in July of that year. This property is situated in the eastern end of Harlan County, south of the Poor Fork f Cumberland River, and extending across Big Black Mountain to the Clover Fork of Cumberland River, a distance of about 7 mi. (11.3 kg.). It extends from the Kentucky-Virginia line westward for about 6 mi. Looney Creek, which empties into Poor Fork, crosses the property for about 4 mi. (6.4 kg.), and as several of the seams within the property outcrop along this stream, it afforded an easy, and the logical, place for development. The property is on the northern side of the geological trough formed by the uplifting of Stone Mountain, on the southern, and Pine Mountain, on the northern side; the northern boundary along Poor Fork is practically at the base of Pine Mountain. This, area has been described in various geological reports.1 The main seam on this property is the one known variously as the "C," Benham, Keokee, Taggart, and Roda; it is, also called, by the Kentucky Geological Survey, the Kellioka seam of the western portion of Harlan County. This seam averages, in this property, about 5 ft. (1.5 m.) in thickness, although local rolls reduce this thickness considerably over small areas; and at the extreme western end of the property the seam splits. It is usually clean, although occasionally a small parting occurs within a few inches f the bottom f the seam; it is one f the best

Jan 9, 1921

By Darwin Soler

This chapter will outline the operating procedures at Freeport Kaolin Co.5 kaolin mining operations in Georgia, with emphasis on explaining new techniques recently introduced to reclaim mined-out areas for reforestation. Kaolin is found in the central Georgia area (See Fig. 1) in lenticular, sedimentary deposits of high purity. The beds are Cretaceous in age and vary from 4 to 60 ft in thickness, under a cover of sedimentary overburden ranging from 5 to 150 ft. The kaolin beds contain the mineral kaolinite (a hydrous aluminum silicate) and have a particle-size distribution ranging from about 20µ to the submicron level and averaging about 60% below 2µ. The only contaminants in the deposits are coarse mica, quartz particles, and minor amounts of iron and titanium oxides. These kaolin deposits vary widely in quality from deposit to deposit and also vary within individual deposits. Some of the controlling quality specifications which are determined during exploration are viscosity in water suspension, optical brightness index as measured by reflectance, amenability to bleaching, and particle-size distribution. For this reason, only a small portion of the total kaolin reserves in the Georgia belt are suitable for wet processing for the present markets being served. Kaolin clays are selectively mined by different mechanical methods and are beneficiated by both wet and dry processing to produce a number of products used as fillers and coatings in the paper industry; fillers or additives in the paint, plastic, and rubber industries; and as basic raw materials for the ceramic industry. The State of Georgia is the largest kaolin producer in the United States, with 3,206,454 tons produced in 1966, according to U.S. Bureau of Mines statistics. Freeport Kaolin Co’s processing plant is located in Gordon, Ga., about 20 miles east of Macon, Ga.

Jan 1, 1969

By E. J. Eisenach, Edward Matsen

AT the present time the Climax Molybdenum Co. is the largest molybdenum producer in the world and the operator of the largest underground mine in North America. It has grown steadily and rapidly since its beginning in 1917. Only 250,000 lb of MoS2 were produced during the first year from 1917 to 1918 when the company was formed. Operations were suspended shortly thereafter because of the lack of a market and knowledge of the uses of molybdenum. During World War I it was used as a substitute for some rare metals and for minor chemical purposes. After 5 years of intensive research and sales promotion, Climax metallurgists succeeded in finding proper applications for the newly discovered metal and the mine was reopened in 1924. Demand for molybdenum increased gradually and in 1930, 3.5 million lb of MoS2 were produced. In the meantime, research work for additional uses of molybdenum continued until it had established itself as one of the most important alloying elements in producing high quality steels. After the start of World War 11, from January 1942 to October 1953, 43 million tons of molybdenum ore were mined and 484 million lb of MoS2 were produced. Climax mine is located in Colorado, 100 miles southwest of Denver and 12 miles northeast of Leadville on the Continental Divide of the Rocky Mountains. The principal mine workings range from 11,170 to 12,000 ft in elevation. Topographically, it lies in the base of a large cirque that is surrounded by Mt. Bartlett to the north, Clinton Peak and McNamee Peak to the east and Ceresco Ridge to the south. This cirque opens to the west and to the Ten Mile Valley.

Jan 3, 1954

By J. T. Eash, E. M. Wise

Platinum and palladium are the most generally useful, most ductile and least rare members of the platinum family. They have many important applications in the pure state but for other applications it is frequently desirable to harden them and otherwise modify their properties by alloying small amounts of the other platinum group metals with them. These alloys are frequently required to withstand very drastic forming operations and to possess certain mechanical properties to fulfill specific requirements. For these reasons a knowledge of the tensile properties and annealing characteristics of pure platinum and palladium as well as their more useful commercial alloys is important to the user and the fabricator. The present work was undertaken to fill this need. Rather brief (5 min.) annealing treatments were employed to render the data of maximum practical value and all tests were conducted upon 0.050-in. dia. wire, initially reduced 50 per cent in area by cold drawing, for the same reason. Conclusions 1. Pure (thermocouple grade) platinum reduced 50 per. cent by cold drawing exhibits the following tensile properties: ultimate tensile strength, 36,000 lb. per sq. in.; proportional limit, 27,000 lb. per sq. in.; elongation, 2.5 per cent in 2 in.; reduction in area, 95 per cent. When fully annealed by treatment at 1100°C. its properties are: ultimate tensile strength, 20,700 lb. per sq. in.; elongation, 30 per cent in 2 in.; reduction in area, 93 per cent. 2. The addition of alloying elements in moderate amounts markedly increases the strength and annealing temperature without much detriment to the ductility. The behavior and properties of variously hardened platinum alloys are considered in some detail. The behavior of a 20 per cent iridium

Jan 1, 1935

By J. T. Eash, E. M. Wise

Platinum and palladium are the most generally useful, most ductile and least rare members of the platinum family. They have many important applications in the pure state but for other applications it is frequently desirable to harden them and otherwise modify their properties by alloying small amounts of the other platinum group metals with them. These alloys are frequently required to withstand very drastic forming operations and to possess certain mechanical properties to fulfill specific requirements. For these reasons a knowledge of the tensile properties and annealing characteristics of pure platinum and palladium as well as their more useful commercial alloys is important to the user and the fabricator. The present work was undertaken to fill this need. Rather brief (5 min.) annealing treatments were employed to render the data of maximum practical value and all tests were conducted upon 0.050-in. dia. wire, initially reduced 50 per cent in area by cold drawing, for the same reason. Conclusions 1. Pure (thermocouple grade) platinum reduced 50 per. cent by cold drawing exhibits the following tensile properties: ultimate tensile strength, 36,000 lb. per sq. in.; proportional limit, 27,000 lb. per sq. in.; elongation, 2.5 per cent in 2 in.; reduction in area, 95 per cent. When fully annealed by treatment at 1100°C. its properties are: ultimate tensile strength, 20,700 lb. per sq. in.; elongation, 30 per cent in 2 in.; reduction in area, 93 per cent. 2. The addition of alloying elements in moderate amounts markedly increases the strength and annealing temperature without much detriment to the ductility. The behavior and properties of variously hardened platinum alloys are considered in some detail. The behavior of a 20 per cent iridium

Jan 1, 1935

By Louis Jordan

THIS paper presents in an abbreviated form the chief points of interest in an investigation of the tarnish-resistant qualities of silver alloys, an investigation which has been carried out as a joint research by the Bureau of Mines and the Bureau of Standards and will later be reported in detail in an official publication from these bureaus. In 1923 a Commission of Gold and Silver Inquiry was created by a Resolution of the U. S. Senate to study the causes of the depressed condi¬tion of the gold and silver industry. In cooperation with this commission the Bureau of Mines made a preliminary survey to determine in what ways, if any, it might be possible to increase the uses of silver. One of the possibilities indicated by this survey was the development of silver alloys which should be non-tarnishing, or at least less-tarnishing, than the usual sterling silver (copper-silver). The preparation of a rather wide variety of silver alloys and the determination of their behavior under accelerated tarnish tests in the laboratory was therefore undertaken by the bureaus, of Mines and Standards as a joint investigation. PREVIOUS WORK ON TARNISH RESISTING SILVERS At about the time this work was undertaken interest in tarnish-resisting silvers was rather keen due to announcements from England that there had been developed a new silver alloy, "Silanca," which was resistant to tarnish. It was even frequently described in the popular press as "non-tarnishing." A few samples and several analyses of "Silanca" which were available indicated that it was an alloy of sterling fineness, that is, it contained about 93 per cent. of silver, with approximately 4.5 per cent. of antimony and either cadmium or zinc, or both, to make the remaining 2.5 per cent.

Jan 1, 1927

By E. V. Daveler

The milling plant of the Alaska-Gastineau Mining Co. is located at the town of Thane, Alaska, on Gastineau Channel, 4 mi. south of Juneau and directly across the channel from the Ready Bullion mine of the Treadwell mines on Douglas Island. Previous to the organization of the Alaska-Gastineau Mining Co., in 1912, the milling was done at the stamp mill of the Alaska Perseverance Co. located at the mine in Silver Bow Basin. But the contemplated increase in production made it necessary to locate the mill on Gastineau Channel, as not enough water was available at the mine during the winter months, nor was there room for taking care of the large tonnage of tailings that would ultimately be discarded from the mill. Character of Ore The gold and silver values occur in quartz lenses associated with pyrrhotite, galena, arsenical pyrites, and zinc blende. These lenses occur in large bodies of slate, schist, and metagabbro, which also carry some valuable metallic contents. With the essential low cost of mining, it was necessary to mine large bodies of low-grade material containing the high-grade streaks. Of the minerals, pyrrhotite, the magnetic sulfide of iron, is predominant, and galena is the next sulfide present in quantity. The gold occurs free and coarse and associated with the iron sulfide in its finer state. The silver occurs with the lead or is alloyed with the gold. A chemical analysis of the ore shows Silver............ 0.10 oz. Magnesia......... 0.4 per cent. Silica............. 59.7percent. Sulfur............ 1.2 per cent. Iron.............. 5.2 per cent. Lead............. 0.1 per cent. Alumina.......... 21.4percent. Zinc............. 0.2percent.. Lime............. 5.0 per cent. Experimental Work Investigations at the old Perseverance stamp mill had developed the following points: Roughing concentration following stamping gives a fair recovery.

Jan 1, 1920

By J. R. Campbell

The need for standardizing methods of arriving at definite conclusions regarding the cleanability of a given coal, and for measuring the performance of coal-cleaning equipment, is constantly increasing. Earlier notes by the author on this subject are amplified in this paper, because he believes that better preparation of bituminous coal is a partial solution of the coal operators' troubles. Washability Studies The term "washability" of coal was coined when washing was the universal method of separating coal from its impurities by utilizing their difference in specific gravity. This and analogous terms are still used in their broad sense although pneumatic or air separation is now used to clean coal. These terms are so used in this paper. Too much time or money can hardly be spent on "feed surveys') to get a "picture" of the coal that is to be cleaned. There have been too many "rule of thumb" methods used. Screen analyses and "sink-and-float" tests on the raw coal enable the coal operator and washery man to predict within reasonable limits the results that may be expected from any efficient cleaning apparatus. The sizes to be examined to get the picture are optional to the investigator. In modern wet washing, the range is from 4 to 0 in. Hand-picking on properly constructed belts is perhaps the standard for cleaning above these sizes. A good picture of the coal may be obtained by the following screen analysis: 3½ to 1¼ in. 1¼ to 3½ in. ½ to 5/16 in. 5/16 in. to 14 mesh 14 to 28 mesh 28 to 48 mesh and for very complete data on the fines: 48 to 100 mesh 100 to 200 mesh and through 200 mesh

Jan 1, 1930

By S. F. Shaw

The Seminole field was first drilled in 1913. During the next 10 years other attempts were made to discover oil in this field, but without encouragement until March, 1926, when the Indian Territory Illuminating Oil Co. completed NO. 1 Dyer in the Hunton lime for 1100 bbl. On July 16, 1926, the Independent-Garland interests discovered oil in the Wilcox formation when No. 1 T. Fixico came in at 4055 ft. and on Sept. 9, 1926, production reached a peak of 8040 bbl. On Aug. 1, 1927, the daily production of the pools making up the Seminole district amounted to slightly over 500,000 bbl., practically all of which was coming from the Wilcox formation. The Hunton formation has not been very productive of oil, but has maintained a fairly high gas pressure; this formation has been encountered at from 3800 to 4200 ft., below which there is about 100 ft. of Sylvan shale. The shale is underlain by 75 ft. of Viola limestone in a few places in which formation oil has been encountered. Below the Viola lies the upper Simpson formation in which is found the Wilcox sand. The depth of the Wilcox in the Seminole field varies from 3900 to 4500 ft., and initial production has reached as much as 12,000 bbl. The gravity of the oil is about 41° Be. The general practice is to set 6 5/8 -in. casing above the Wilcox and drill in, though in several cases 5 3/16-in. casing has been set for the oil string, and in a few instances, casing as small as 4 3/4 in. has been employed. Production Statistics Production for the Seminole district for the various months since its discovery is shown in Table 1.

Jan 1, 1928

By Lyle L. Marsh, David L. Douglas

CORRELATION was made between the heat treatment and hardness of three U-Ti alloys ranging in composition from 8.5 to 50 atomic pct Ti. The following important observations were made: 1) A direct quench of y U-Ti solid solution resulted in the formation of a hard martensitic phase in low-titanium alloys. 2) Subsequent tempering initially increased the hardness by the precipitation of a fine dispersion of U2Ti; further precipitation of U2Ti with tempering time eventually resulted in softening. 3) High-hardness levels were obtained also by isothermal transformation of an 8.5 atomic pct Ti alloy at 400º and 500°C. 4) The crystal structure of the phases present at the solution-treating temperature (one region in the phase diagram excepted) and the temperature within a given phase region affected the hardness of both quenched and isothermally transformed alloys. Introduction It has been known since 1887 that the mechanical properties of metals were dependent upon their microstructure. Sorby pointed out in that year that annealed gray iron castings were softer than chilled iron castings by virtue of the graphite which had replaced hard cementite in the microstructure. Over the years, interest has increased in the effect of microstructure on the mechanical properties of metals, and now high-strength levels may be achieved by bringing about the dispersion of a second phase or by other microstructural adjustments. The nature of a second phase in an alloy strongly influences the properties. For example, the size, shape, amount, and distribution of a second phase plays a very important role in the ultimate properties of an alloy. Microstructural control is achieved by heat treatments. Hence, any alloy system of potential use should be understood in terms of its response to heat treatment and the resultant effects upon the properties.

Jan 1, 1958

By W. M. Bertholf

To establish the minimum or break-even efficiency of a preparation plant it is necessary to determine the ratio of production costs per ton of run-of-mine coal to sale price per ton of clean coal. This ratio is then divided by the percentage of plant recovery. Assume, for example, that washability data indicate that 80 pct of the run-of-mine coal may be recovered as clean coal selling for $5.50 per ton. If the same plant incurs $4.00 per ton mining costs and $0.25 per ton preparation costs, the cost to sale price ratio would be 4.25/5.50, or 77.3 pct. Since the plant is capable of recovering 80 pct of the run-of-mine coal the minimum plant efficiency would be 77.3/80, or 96.6 pct. If the plant efficiency were increased to 100 pct the limit on preparation costs would be increased to $0.40. Therefore, the washing operation must be accomplished at a cost of $0.25 to $0.40 per ton and the efficiency must be 96.6 pct or higher. By plotting a curve of efficiency vs preparation costs and taking into consideration the plant cost, feed rate, operating costs, and yields of the various flowsheets it is possible to select a financially sound process. Table I classifies preparation processes according to their nature of separation. It must be remembered that what is thought to be ideal does not always prove practical under actual operation. An outstanding example is the work done on the plunger-type jig. It was determined by the law of equivalence that this unit could treat satisfactorily only sizes differing by no more than a ratio of 2. Yet these same plunger-type jigs are successfully treating sizes considerably greater than this ratio.

Jan 12, 1957

By J. H. Allport, C. Garnsey

During the latter part of 1916 and the early months of 1917, due to war activities, there was a threatened shortage of coal which resulted in panic among consumers and a rush to obtain coal at once at any price. As a result of this insistent demand for immediate delivery, prices were bid up by the consumers to unprecedented heights; spot coal which had previously been selling at from $1.50 to $2 per ton was bid up to $5, $6, and, in exceptional cases, as high as $7.50 or more per ton. Then when the April, 1917, contract period arrived, contracts could be made only at prices ranging from $3 up to $5 and $6 per ton for the year's delivery. This condition caused such a demoralization of the business, and SO much complaint, that some action to regulate prices was considered essential by the National Administration. Lane-Peabody Agreement In May, 1917, a committee under the chairmanship of F. S. Peabody, of Chicago, was appointed by the Council of National Defense, through Mr. Lane, to consider the whole question of bituminous coal. This committee, with the Secretary of the Interior, Mr. Lane, after numerous meetings and long negotiations with the operators throughout the country, announced on June 29 an agreement between the Committee and the producers, fixing a tentative maximum price for bituminous coal throughout the country at $3 per net ton f.o.b. mines, to which was added 25 c. for selling commission to wholesalers. This plan was based on the idea of fixing a maximum price, high enough to greatly stimulate production, with the expectation that the laws of supply and demand would, with ample production, operate to maintain fair and just prices for coal throughout the country.

Jan 1, 1920

By Courtenay de Kalb

THE Exposed Treasure gold-mine has, for the past four years, been one of the largest producing mines of Southern California, its annual output having constituted 1 per cent of the total gold and silver production of the entire State. At the present moment the property is idle, owing to the large quantity of water encountered oil the lower levels, which will require the installation of a powerful pumping-plant before operations can be recommenced. Moreover, a prompt change in the character of the ore has occurred at water-level, which makes imperative an extensive campaign of development in the region of the unoxidized ores before a plant adapted to their treatment can be definitely decided upon. The character of the changes encountered in these deeper ores makes the geology of this deposit a matter of importance, not only for the immediate district, but for the desert region of Southern California in general, where many mines exist having in the oxidized belt conditions that, in many respects, resemble those in the Exposed Treasure mine. The deposit is situated in an apparently isolated butte about 2.5 miles south from the town of Mojave, on the Mojave desert; The butte, though apparently isolated, is in fact geologically part of an extinct volcano, known as Soledad butte, which rises out of the plain 1,5 miles SW. of the mine, to an altitude of 4,650 ft. above sea-level. Other buttes also rise from the desert plain toward the south and east, and again to the westward, all being closely related geologically to Soledad butte,-the whole constituting a single system as to origin and time. Since the end of the period of active volcanism in this region, there has been extensive denudation, the ancient plateau having been dissected during an epoch of apparently exces-

Jan 1, 1907