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By Arthur Taggart

FLOTATION of ores is a practical utilization of the energy that resides in the surfaces of solids and liquids. The best known manifestation of this energy is called surface tension; an equally important, though less apparent, phenomenon is adsorption. This paper reviews some of the recent investigations of these phenomena, and gives the results of certain experiments performed by the authors. Surface tension is a manifestation of energy having its seat at the bounding surface between the adjacent phases of a multiphase system. Thus, at the interface between a liquid and a gas, or between two immiscible liquids, or between a solid and a gas or a liquid, there are forces capable of doing work, their magnitude depending on the nature of the adjacent phases and the extent of the bounding area. These surface forces are inappreciable when the ratio of surface to volume of the adjacent phases is small, but they become powerful when this ratio becomes large, as it does when one of the phases is highly dispersed. Froth flotation, which consists in buoying solids heavier than water to the surface of water by means of gas bubbles, utilizes the force of surface tension to attach the solid particles to the gas bubbles and again to maintain the floating mass of bubbles as a more or less persistent froth at the surface of a pulp for a sufficiently long time to allow its removal. It follows from the second law of thermodynamics that the potential energy of a system in equilibrium is a minimum. Therefore a multiphase system, tending toward equilibrium, will arrange itself in such a way that the total energy of the interfaces will be the least possible. This end can be accomplished in two ways: by a change in shape that will reduce the interfacial area; by a change in the nature of the surface layer in

Jan 8, 1922

By G. M. Ritcey, M. J. Slater, B. H. Lucas

The recovery of uranium from acid leach slurries by continuous ion exchange, or solvent extraction using sieve-plate pulse columns, is compared. Differences in processing costs are of prime concern and can be related to differences in the unit operations of the two methods, as well as the chemical and physical properties of the slurry. Parameters are defined for the operation of the solvent-in-pulp process and the design of the continuous ion exchange column. Pilot plant operating experience with both recovery systems is described, and an overall assessment of the relative costs is presented.

Jan 1, 1973

By William E. Ford, Edward Salisbury Dana

Examination in the Wet Way Examination by Means of the Blowpipe 479. The complete investigation of the chemical composition of a .mineral includes, first, the identification of the elements present by qualitative analysis, and, second, the determination of the relative amounts of each by quantitative analysis, from which last the formula can be calculated. Both processes carried out in full call for the equipment of a chemical laboratory. An approximate qualitative analysis, however, can, in many cases, be made quickly and simply with .few conveniences. The methods employed involve either (a) the use of acids or other reagents " in the wet way," or (b) the use

Jan 1, 1922

By Carl Henrich

Aspen, the flourishing mountain- and mining-town of Pitkin county, Colorado, is located in the valley of the Roaring Fork, 11 miles above Glenwood springs, where that stream empties its waters into Grand river, a tributary of the Colorado. The Roaring Fork heads on the western slope of the Sawatch range near Grizzly peak, and runs in a general northwesterly direction to its junction with the Grand river. Of its numerous tributaries, Castle creek joins it just below the town of Aspen, the town being built on an extensive flat hounded on the northeast by the Roaring Fork and on the west by Castle creek. The latter heads at the junction of the Sawatch and the Elk mountains and flows northward between the two chains, until it empties into Roaring Fork. Opposite the town of Aspen, Hunter creek, coming westward from the western slope of Mount Massive, joins the Roaring Fork. About a mile north of Aspen, the bed of Hunter creek is at least 300 feet higher than that of the Roaring Fork at Aspen. Hunter creek forms thus, at its mouth, one of the best water-powers in Colorado. A portion of it is now utilized for electric lighting in Aspen, while in the near future, the whole of this magnificent natural power will be applied, through electric transmission, for hoisting, pumping and ventilating at different mines of the district. The mountain opposite the town of Aspen, on the east side of Hunter creek (which near its mouth flows southerly), is called Smuggler mountain, from the famous mine at the foot of it. On the other, or western, side of Hunter's creek (see map, Fig. I), a higher mountain rises, on the slope of which the regular dip of the Triassie or Upper Carboniferous red sandstone strata, alternating with white layers of the same rock, can be clearly seen from town. This mountain is called Red mountain, from the prevailing color of its rocky

Jan 1, 1889

By J. C. Melrose

The contact angle is one of the boundary conditions for the differential equation specilying the configuration of fluid-fluid interfaces. Hence, applying knowledge concerning the wettability of a solid surface to problems of fluid distribution in porous solids, it is important to consider the complexity of the geometrical shapes of the individual, interconnected pores. As an approach to this problem, the ideal soil model introduced by soil physicists is discussed in detail. This model predicts that the pore structure of typical porous solids will lead to hysteresis effects in capillary pressure, even if a zero value of the contact angle is maintained. The model is generalized to situations in which the contact angle takes on values between zero and 40 degrees. For the imbibition branch of the capillary- pressure function, the model predicts a considerable departme ftom the usually assumed cos 0 relationship. In fact, according to the model, it is possible that a displaced wetting phase will not be able to reimbibe, even when the contact angle does not exhibit hysteresis. INTRODUCTION The subject of capillarity in porous media has long been of interest in many branches of engineering and applied science. The earlier investigators were those concerned with the physics of soils. 1-5 More recently, petroleum engineers and others dealing with the problems of petroleum production from reservoir rock have given much attention to the subject.6-10 Also, important additions to the literature of capillarity have been contributed from the field of chemical engineering.11-12 These attest to the wide range of industrial applications in which capillary phenomena play a role. The present paper is concerned with the role which wettability plays in capillary action in porous media. As is well known, capillary-rise (or capillary pressure) phenomena have frequently been interpreted with the aid of a model employing the concept of a cylindrical capillary tube. This approach has enjoyed a certain degree of success in correlating experimental results.13 The generalization of this model, however, to situations which involve varying wettability, has not been established and, in fact, is likely to be unsuccessful. In this paper another approach to this problem will be discussed. A considerable literature relating to this approach exists in the field of soil science, where it is referred to as the ideal soil model. Certain features of this model have also been discussed by Purcel114 in relation to variable wettability. The application of this model, however, to studying the role of wettability in capillary phenomena has not previously been attempted in detail. In the present paper, additional features of the model are introduced. These features are critical in determining the quantitative behavior of the model. GENERAL FEATURES OF CAPILLARY HYDROSTATICS BASIC PRINCIPLES When the interstices of a typical porous solid are occupied by two or more immiscible fluid phases, the fluids are microscopically commingled. Hence, fluid-fluid interfaces are found within a certain fraction of the pore openings. The fundamental equation of capillarity specifies the configuration of these fluid-fluid interfaces. This is known as the Laplace equation, when derived from mechanics, and as the Gibbs-Kelvin equation when derived thermodynamically.15 Given two fluid phases, a and ß, in hydrostatic equilibrium, the Laplace equation states that the respective fluid pressures in regions close to the interface are related by Here oaß is the surface or interfacial tension and rl and r2 are the principal radii of curvature of the surface or interface. The pressure difference, Pa-Pß, is the capillary pressure, PC. As Buff15 has shown, Eq. 1 states the condition for hydrostatic equilibrium within the two-phase confluent region, which is referred to as the interface. It thus can

Jan 1, 1966

By F. N. Rhines, T. E. Leonitis

The oxide scale that forms upon magnesium at elevated temperatures is non-protective in the sense that the rate of oxidation is constant and thus does not decrease with the growth of the scale as it does with other common metals. This generality was first stated by Pilling and Bedworth' and has been verified by Suzuki2 and by ScheiL3 Pilling and Bcdworth argued that the nonprotective characteristic could be predicted from the fact that magnesium oxide occupies less space than does the metal from which it springs, wherefore the scale is not expected to cover the metal so completely as to exclude all direct access to the atmosphere. Linear oxidation is thought by Scheil to be common to all cases where the reaction occurs at the oxide-metal interface. According to Suzuki," he product of high-temperature oxidation in the air is MgO contaminated with no more than traces of a nitride. When the metal is allowed to burn freely a fume composed of cubic crystals of Mg04 is given off. Delavaults observed that excrescences form upon liquid magnesium and alloys in thc course of oxidation. Beyond this it is known that the use of atmospheres containing small quantities of sulphur dioxide6 or carbon dioxide serve to retard the oxidation of solid magnesium and that beryllium' and calciums minimize the oxidation of molten magnesium exposed to the air. Many studies have been devoted to the nature and rates of "protective" oxidation, as exemplified by the cases of copper and iron, wherein the rate is characteristically parabolic. The theory of parabolic oxidation is well developed.~ Linear oxidation, on the other hand, has received but little attention and the theories proposed by Pilling and Bedworth and by Schcil have yet to withstand careful examination. There exists no comprehensive survey of the high-temperature oxidation of magnesium (or of any other metal that exhibits linear oxidation) over a broad range of temperature, under a variety of atmospheric conditions and covering a large group of alloys. It has been the purpose of the present investigation to provide such a survey, with the object of gaining a fuller understanding of linear oxidation, especially as applied to magnesium. Experimental Procedure and Results The experimental studies undertaken were of two kinds: (I) measurement of the rate of oxidation as influenced by the 6c

Jan 1, 1946

By T. E. Leonitis, F. N. Rhines

The oxide scale that forms upon magnesium at elevated temperatures is non-protective in the sense that the rate of oxidation is constant and thus does not decrease with the growth of the scale as it does with other common metals. This generality was first stated by Pilling and Bedworth' and has been verified by Suzuki2 and by ScheiL3 Pilling and Bcdworth argued that the nonprotective characteristic could be predicted from the fact that magnesium oxide occupies less space than does the metal from which it springs, wherefore the scale is not expected to cover the metal so completely as to exclude all direct access to the atmosphere. Linear oxidation is thought by Scheil to be common to all cases where the reaction occurs at the oxide-metal interface. According to Suzuki," he product of high-temperature oxidation in the air is MgO contaminated with no more than traces of a nitride. When the metal is allowed to burn freely a fume composed of cubic crystals of Mg04 is given off. Delavaults observed that excrescences form upon liquid magnesium and alloys in thc course of oxidation. Beyond this it is known that the use of atmospheres containing small quantities of sulphur dioxide6 or carbon dioxide serve to retard the oxidation of solid magnesium and that beryllium' and calciums minimize the oxidation of molten magnesium exposed to the air. Many studies have been devoted to the nature and rates of "protective" oxidation, as exemplified by the cases of copper and iron, wherein the rate is characteristically parabolic. The theory of parabolic oxidation is well developed.~ Linear oxidation, on the other hand, has received but little attention and the theories proposed by Pilling and Bedworth and by Schcil have yet to withstand careful examination. There exists no comprehensive survey of the high-temperature oxidation of magnesium (or of any other metal that exhibits linear oxidation) over a broad range of temperature, under a variety of atmospheric conditions and covering a large group of alloys. It has been the purpose of the present investigation to provide such a survey, with the object of gaining a fuller understanding of linear oxidation, especially as applied to magnesium. Experimental Procedure and Results The experimental studies undertaken were of two kinds: (I) measurement of the rate of oxidation as influenced by the 6c

Jan 1, 1946

By N. C. Fick, R. L. Rickett

DESPITE the large volume of literature on alloys of iron and silicon,1 there is little published information dealing specifically with the constitution, at various temperatures, of the alloys containing less than 0.10 per cent carbon and from 0.5 to 4.5 per cent silicon that are used extensively in the electrical industry. Because such information was needed by those engaged in the production of these alloys in, sheet and strip form, the constitution was determined of a series of commercial silicon steels containing 0.05 to o.08 per cent carbon and 0.20 to 4.31 per cent silicon, over the temperature range 1300° to 2500°F. These alloys were all from regular production heats and of commercial quality. The results of, the tests are given in Fig. I and for comparison the constitution diagram of iron-silicon alloys with 0.01 to 0.02 per cent carbon, taken from the literature, is also presented. MATERIAL AND PROCEDURE All steels were hot-rolled to a thickness of 0.060 to 0.080 in. and used in this condition. Their chemical compositions, including over-all check analysis, and "center" analysis for carbon and silicon, are given in Table I. The so-called center analysis was determined on samples pickled to remove the outer surface and leave only the center third of the gauge thickness-the portion of the sample on which metallographic ratings were based. In most, but not all, of the alloys, slightly higher carbon was found at the center than when the whole strip was sampled; the two methods of sampling show relatively little difference in silicon. Two of the steels, A and E, contain relatively high phosphorus, while I and K are somewhat higher in manganese than the others. [ ] The procedure consisted essentially of heating specimens (about 1/16 by 3/8 by 3/4 in.), protected from oxidation or change in carbon content, at a temperature in the desired. range and for a selected period, after which they were quenched in iced brine; the degree of transformation that had then occurred was determined by metallographic examination. The soaking periods were selected after preliminary investigation had shown that a con-

Jan 1, 1946

By C. L. Mantell

Although so common and well known a metal, tin is really a less abundant element than many of those less familiar and usually ranked with the scarce or rare elements, such as cerium, yttrium, lithium, beryllium, titanium, zirconium and vanadium. The color of tin is white, with a slightly bluish tinge. When it is compared with nickel, the latter metal is brown. When placed alongside of tin, chromium is definitely blue. Tin is whiter than silver or zinc. Exceedingly thin films of tin show various shades of brown by transmitted light. The metal has a brilliant luster, and when mirror-polished, has high light reflectivity. The luster depends to a large extent upon the pouring temperature at which the metal is cast. If the temperature be too high, iridescent colors may show on the surface. These are the result of oxide film formation. If the pouring temperature be too low, the surface is dull. Small amounts of foreign metals, such as lead, arsenic, antimony and iron, decrease the luster of tin and impart a yellowish tinge to the metal. The structure is decidedly crystalline. The cast metal is a mass of crystals. When a bar of tin is bent, it emits a characteristic creaking sound. This is called the "cry" of tin, resulting from the grinding of the crystals one against the other during the bending of the metal. Tin metal may lose its crystalline structure by cold working, but grain growth occurs rapidly under the influence of heat. Metal which has been cast at a low temperature may become amorphous as the result of mechanical work. If such material be heated to temperatures well below the melting point, say at 110° C. for a half hour or for a few minutes at 150" C. recrystallization occurs. If the surface of tinned plate, tin foil, or tin meta1 in cast form be etched with hydrochloric acid containing a little free chlorine, attack occurs at the intererystalline faces. The surface shows patterns resembling the frost flowers on window panes in winter. The etched appearance is called moire metallique. Fine dendritic surface crystals of tin may be obtained by casting the metal on a surface of polished steel. In commercial tin plate, the intercrystalline boundaries are shown by fine grooves or channels, .which result from the method

Jan 1, 1929

By John S. Johnson

THE purpose of this article is to describe several types of borehole lining in common use, and especially to offer a relatively new means of reducing the expense of maintaining boreholes where they are subjected to corrosive action of water flowing either inside or outside of their casing. In the Anthracite region of Pennsylvania, boreholes are used for many purposes, the principal ones being: openings between the surface and underground workings through which are passed steam, water and compressed-air lines, ropeways from surface hoists to underground rope haulages, conduits for electric power and signal lines, water-discharge lines from underground pumping stations, and inlets to mine workings for flushing material. LININGS FOR BOREHOLES The inadequacy of steel pipe for use in boreholes has long been recognized. Various substitute materials have been tried, including screw-joint cast-iron pipe (Fig. I). Cast-iron pipe, while very effective as a discharge line for acid water (mine water) being pumped to the surface, is not so effective when serving as a conduit for silt and crushed rock being flushed underground for filling mine voids. Terra cotta pipe (Fig. 2) has been used in boreholes, and lasts a long time if the glazed inner surface of the pipe remains intact. Its installation in a borehole is very difficult and is recommended only where it is certain that there will be no subsidence of the surrounding territory. Accessibility in order properly to join each section of the pipe is essential to a satisfactory job. In large water holes, where it is possible to lower a man into the hole for sealing the joints of the pipe, glazed terra cotta pipe has been used successfully for delivering mine water from pumps in the mines. For large holes used for flushing refuse into mine workings where the surface wash is shallow, standard paving brick have been used to form a tube through the wash to the bedrock. These brick are laid radially, backed by common brick and cobbles laid in cement. It is obvious that the shaft through the wash must be large enough to permit a man to work in it. The flushing material is carried through bare rock from the juncture at bedrock to the openings underground. This plan has been used, particularly where a cast-iron surface line is laid upon the surface to carry the flushing material from the breaker to the hole, and down the hole continuously, with no opening to the air at the top of the hole, thereby eliminating the necessity of an attendant at this point (Fig. 3). Another similar type of borehole lining is constructed of hexagonal pieces of vitrified brick (Fig. 4). This type requires a steel drive pipe through the surface wash large enough to provide a finished tube of the desired size surrounded by a brick wall about 4 in. thick. The special bricks are laid in cement, six to a circle, around a lubricated pipe used as a form, and lowered in sections inside the large drive pipe; the bottom section is seated in a socket drilled in the solid rock, having the same inside

Jan 1, 1941

By C. L. Mantell

Although so common and well known a metal, tin is really a less abundant element than many of those less familiar and usually ranked with the scarce or rare elements, such as cerium, yttrium, lithium, beryllium, titanium, zirconium and vanadium. The color of tin is white, with a slightly bluish tinge. When it is compared with nickel, the latter metal is brown. When placed alongside of tin, chromium is definitely blue. Tin is whiter than silver or zinc. Exceedingly thin films of tin show various shades of brown by transmitted light. The metal has a brilliant luster, and when mirror-polished, has high light reflectivity. The luster depends to a large extent upon the pouring temperature at which the metal is cast. If the temperature be too high, iridescent colors may show on the surface. These are the result of oxide film formation. If the pouring temperature be too low, the surface is dull. Small amounts of foreign metals, such as lead, arsenic, antimony and iron, decrease the luster of tin and impart a yellowish tinge to the metal. The structure is decidedly crystalline. The cast metal is a mass of crystals. When a bar of tin is bent, it emits a characteristic creaking sound. This is called the "cry" of tin, resulting from the grinding of the crystals one against the other during the bending of the metal. Tin metal may lose its crystalline structure by cold working, but grain growth occurs rapidly under the influence of heat. Metal which has been cast at a low temperature may become amorphous as the result of mechanical work. If such material be heated to temperatures well below the melting point, say at 110° C. for a half hour or for a few minutes at 150" C. recrystallization occurs. If the surface of tinned plate, tin foil, or tin meta1 in cast form be etched with hydrochloric acid containing a little free chlorine, attack occurs at the intererystalline faces. The surface shows patterns resembling the frost flowers on window panes in winter. The etched appearance is called moire metallique. Fine dendritic surface crystals of tin may be obtained by casting the metal on a surface of polished steel. In commercial tin plate, the intercrystalline boundaries are shown by fine grooves or channels, .which result from the method

Jan 1, 1929

By T. W. Lippert

CUBA fancies herself the "pearl of the Antilles" and, by many, Jamaica is called "blessed." But far to the southward lies what is seemingly the Caribbean's most glittering jewel, the sparsely-settled, Spanish-speaking United States of Venezuela, indeed blessed by nature to a lavish degree. Not a large country, Venezuela is leaping from the donkey to the airplane under the impact of its natural wonders. Angel Falls, dwarfing Niagara and seldom seen by man, is hidden in the cold, primitive and unexplored Guiana highlands along the southeast border. A few hundred miles northwest are the low and torrid coastal plains from which gush unlimited black-gold streams of oil. About midway are the Llanos-low-lying, savanna-type grasslands, beneath which large deposits of bauxite are as yet barely touched by the explorer's diamond drill. And jutting starkly upward 2000 ft from a surrounding expanse of savanna is a small mountain (see front cover), 11 miles long and 1 mile wide. It is, or was, La Parida.

Jan 2, 1950

By James P. Kimball

Sulphur is always present in mineral coal of every variety. In the oxidized state it may exist as sulphuric acid in combination with a base. In the unoxidized state it exists in combination with iron as bisulphide of iron. It is also supposed by some chemists to exist in unknown combinations with the organic elements of the coal. This supposition requires the demonstration as a fact that certain coals yield more sulphur than what may exist in a free state, or what belongs to recognized combinations, not only with the accompanying iron but with other inorganic bases abundantly occurring in coals, but which unfortunately are very rarely estimated. This practically as well as theoretically important question it is at present impossible to decide, simply for want of available thorough ultimate coal analyses including the ash. Such analyses, at the best imperfect, are luborious and intricate, and therefore seldom made, the much simpler proximate analyses, so-called, being resorted to by most chemists for technical purposes, and commonly substituted for more scientific work even in the laboratories of government surveys. And it is unfortunate enough that few ultimate analyses are extended to the composition of the ash, much less to its relation to the original constitution of the coal. Sulphur chiefly occurs in most coals in the form of yellow pyrites (pyrite) and white pyrites (marcasite), both minerals, characterized by differences in crystalline form and in physical properties as well as in color, but having the same chemical composition (FeS2). No coal is entirely free from one or both of these dimorphous forms of bisulphide of iron. It may be disseminated through the mass so as to be invisible, in plates or scales between the laminæ of the coal, or in conspicuous segregations or nodules, sometimes of considerable dimensions. Coals greatly differ as to the proportion of sulphur which they contain. They also differ as to the relative proportion in which its several forms of combination occur. Such qualitative and qnantitative disparities arc scarcely, if at all, more marked in separate coal seams of a uniform type than in different parts of one and the same coal seam, whether it be considered locally as constituted of several

Jan 1, 1880

By Gunnar Thaning, Borje Bjorkvall

At LKAB Central Division for Metallurgical Research at Malmberget, Sweden, fired pellets are examined in respect to mechanical and reduction properties. The paper deals with descriptions of the test methods. It also involves the rationale for the choice of these tests. Their correlation to the blast furnace operation will be examined. The mechanical tests used are the ISO-tumbler test and the cold compression strength test. Concerning the metallurgical properties, experiments have shown that some superbasic pellets in particular have different disintegration properties in different temperature ranges. Pellets which have favorable reduction properties when tested under isothermal reduction at high temperature may disintegrate to a large extent under low temperature reduction. This is also valid for some types of acid pellets. Consequently, it was found to be necessary to determine the reduction strength both at high and low temperatures. In the low temperature range, the disintegration is measured by tumbling the pellets in soft reducing conditions at 600°C in a modified Linder test equipment. The high temperature reduction strength is determined under load in the Burghardt-Grebe equipment. However, in order to get more information of the high temperature strength, LKAB intends to introduce a softening test. The tendency of high temperature disintegration will also turn up in the swelling test. The swelling properties are examined according to a procedure developed at LKAB. In this test the pellets are subjected to free swelling without mutual contact. The reducibility of the pellets is recorded in the swelling test.

Jan 1, 1974

By A. C. Spencer, H. F. Bain, E. C. Harder, Sidney Paige, C. M. Weld, W. Lindgren

At a meeting of the New York Section, on May 23, 1918, the sole subject of discussion was the nature and occurrence of iron ores in certain parts of the world." Owing to the importance of this subject, it has been deemed advisable to publish the remarks made at that meeting in the form of a paper, for presentation at the Milwaukee Meeting. The remarks related to the following districts: Page Brazil. By E. C. Harder................................. 116 Scandinavia. By Waldemar Lindgren..................... 120 Cuba. By C. M. Weld.................................. 124 Southern Europe. By A. C. Spencer...................... 130 China. By H. Foster Bain............................... 132 Alsace-Lorraine. By Sidney Paige......................... 135 Brazil BY E. C. HARDER† During the years immediately preceding the war, the iron ores of Brazil were attracting the attention of iron operators both in Europe and in the United States. This was due to the large quantities of practically undeveloped ore available, and to its great purity. It is reasonably safe to state that had capital not been diverted from the exploitation of these deposits to war purposes, Brazilian iron ores would probably now be offered in European and American markets. It is certain that after the war these ores will play a prominent part in the economic reconstruction of Europe and perhaps in the development of America. The Brazilian iron-ore field ranks among the six great iron-ore districts of the world, the others being: (1) The Lake Superior district of the United States; (2) the Lorraine ore field of northern France and southern Germany; (3) the magnetic deposits of northern Sweden; (4) the ore fields of Oriente, Cuba; and (5) the Wabana ores of Newfoundland. It is doubtless the greatest known undeveloped iron-ore district in the world. The Brazilian iron ores are situated in the State of Minas Geraes, the center of the district being located about 250 miles in a direct line west of

Jan 1, 1920

By R. Laird Auchmuty

The A. I. M. E. Subcommittee on Bituminous Mining has been trying for several years to secure the information that was collected by the Marquette Cement Manufacturing &. on the subsidence of its property caused by mining coal beneath it. The Marquette company was willing to have these data used, but it was impossible to obtain them because the records had been filed away. About two years ago these records became available and the engineering data presented herewith were compiled from them by R. L. Auchmuty, assisted by L. E. Young, who was connected with the collection of the information. On account of the cost, it is impossible to reproduce all of the data here, although the original information is on file with the records of the Committee on Ground Movement and Subsidence. The accompanying charts show representative and average data and give only the engineering information with enough description to tell how it was obtained. It is hoped that all of those connected with the original case will participate in the discussion that this will bring forth. Howard N. Eavenson, Chairman, Subcommittee on Bituminous Coal Mining. PRobably the most complete records of subsidence due to coal mining in the United States are those compiled by the Marquette Cement Manufacturing Co. at LaSalle, 111. These records, covering a period of more than three years, were compiled and used as evidence during the suit of the Marquette Cement Manufacturing Co. vs. the Oglesby Coal Co. at Oglesby, LaSalle County, Ill., in which the cement company successfully endeavored to stop the coal company from mining under its property. Fig. 1 shows a typical section of the geological formation. The cement company was mining the LaSalle limestone which lies about 125 ft. under the surface. The limestone is 30 to 35 ft. thick and underlain by about 15 ft. of shale. The cement company was mining about 20 ft. of the limestone, and in some places 10 to 12 ft. of the underlying shale, by the room and pillar method. The mining of the limestone always preceded the mining of the shale. The coal company was mining by longwall advance methods the NO. 2 seam of coal 42 in. thick underlying the limestone bed by 435 to 470 ft. The coal mine, a very old one, had largely mined out its original property

Jan 1, 1931

By Robert Anderson

The diffraction of x-rays by cold-worked and heavily polished surfaces of metals gives, no evidence of an amorphous state and typically perfect crystallographic diffraction' patterns are obtained. Severely cold-worked metals, reduced as much as 98 per cent. in area, give true crystallographic diffraction patterns, and polished surfaces of large single crystals of metal give typical crystallographic patterns. The conclusion is drawn, on basis of x-ray evidence, that metals are fragmented on cold work and polishing and not amorphized. THE purpose of this paper is to report evidence, regarding, metal: structures, that is contradictory to the amorphous-metal, hypothesis of Beilby, and particularly evidence that is opposed to the proposition that a vitreous amorphous layer is produced by polishing a piece of metal. According to the theory of Beilby, which has been developed, by Rosenhain and others, polishing a piece of metal greatly affects the condition of the metal at or near the surface polished, making that surface entirely different in character from the metal beneath. A vitreous amorphous surface film is said to be formed. The polishing process, on the basis of Beilby's explanation, is well known-and does not' require discussion here, but it is advisable to seek the precise meaning of,., the term "amorphous." According to Beilby, "amorphous means. Non-crystalline in the most intimate sense of the word'; the molecules are not marshalled in crystalline order and orientation." According to Rosenhain, the amorphous condition is that assumed by a metal when, the .crystalline arrangement is completely broken up so that the atoms exist in a state of disorderly arrangement similar to that ;which exists in the liquid state. Thus, from the point of view of the phase rule, the "amorphous phase" is regarded as being identical with the liquid phase. Amorphous metal is often likened to an undercooled liquid. A crystalline substance is one in which the atoms are arranged in space according to some definite repeating geometrical pattern. The existence of amorphous metal has not been definitely proved.

Jan 1, 1925

By S. J. Burns, W. W. Webb

The dislocation arrangements formed during unsteady propagation of cleavage fractures on (010) planes in LiF have been investigated by high-resolution etch-pit techniques and by X-ray diffraction topogvaphy. In impurity-hardened crystals, cracks propagating in any direction on (010) planes at velocities of about 103 cm per sec are usually accompanied by light plastic deformation which is enhanced wherever the crack is allowed to hesitate. Dislocations with [011] type Burger's vectors are often formed looped around the crack tip. They are dragged along with the crack tips leaving edge dislocations lying nearly parallel with the clearage surface about 5µ from it. These dislocations are easily overlooked since they may initially intersect with the cleavage surface infrequently and later may disappear from the crystals due to image forces during aging at room temperature. Although the plastic work associated with these dislocations is only comparable with the reversible (010) surface energy, an instability in crack propagation appears due to a limit of the velocity with which dislocations can be dragged along with the crack. Transition to a fully brittle nonplastic fracture mode occurs when the crack velocity exceeds the velocity with which dislocations can be moved by the stress field of the crack. TRANSITIONS between brittle and ductile modes of fracture appear to be common processes in the behavior of materials in which the flow stress is close to the stress at which brittle cracks can propagate. High-strength engineering alloys fit into this category and the transition from ductile to brittle modes of crack propagation may be associated with catastrophic failures in these important materials. The methods of theoretical mechanics indicate the geometrical conditions in which these processes may occur but the detailed mechanisms controlling the generation of dislocations in the initiation of the plastic mode and the process by which the loss of plasticity occurs on transition to the brittle mode are not yet clear. Since these mechanisms are not amenable to direct observation in engineering alloys we have chosen a semi-ductile alkali halide LiF as a model system in which to observe transition mechanisms between plastic and brittle modes of crack propagation. Cleavage cracks in this system are known to undergo a plastic-elastic transition at velocities between 103 to 104 cm per secl and dislocation configurations in LiF are amenable to study by optical-microscopic observation of dislocation etch pits2 and by X-ray diffraction topography.3 We have been able to identify a dislocation mechanism responsible for the transition from brittle to slightly plastic modes of crack propagation in LiF. A model based on this mechanism permits calculation of the critical crack-propagation velocity for this transition and indicates the importance of the stress dependence of dislocation velocity in determining the critical crack velocity. Of course, this model cannot be carried directly over to more complex materials but it is quite possible that its qualitative features are generally applicable. Dislocations intersecting fresh cleavage surfaces in LiF were reported by Gilman,4 by Forty,5 and by Wash-burn et a1.6 Such dislocations were construed to have been nucleated where the cleavage crack hesitated or stopped, near stress concentrators, such as cleavage steps, on the crystal face. The loci of such dislocations deposited On the cleavage plane in bands were called "stop lines" or "deformation zones". Gilman, Knudsen, and walshl measured the velocity of cleavage cracks in lithium fluoride by evaporating thin resistive strips on the crystal side and recording

Jan 1, 1967

By W. A. Gibson, Zay Jeffries

It has been known for a number of years that certain aluminum alloys could be hardened by quenching from a temperature of about 500' C. Immediately after quenching the total increase in hardness is not marked, but the hardness increases gradually so that after about 4 days, it has reached a maximum. The actual increase in hardness probably continues for weeks or even months, but in order to detect the differences after 4 days, it is necessary to make tests at rather long intervals. So far as is known to the authors, Alfred Wilm was the first to discover these properties in aluminum alloys.' The aluminum-copper alloys are amenable to this treatment and the addition of magnesium makes the heat-treatment effect more pronounced. Until recently heat treatment of aluminum alloys has been confined to the worked alloys in the form of sheet or extruded products. The alloy that has been most used in this connection is known commercially as duralumin and has about the following composition: copper not exceeding, 6 per cent.; magnesium not exceeding, 2 per cent.; manganese not exceeding, 1 per cent.; commercial aluminum,2 balance. A typically good alloy in this range consists of: copper, 4 per cent.; magnesium, 0.5 per cent.; manganese, 1 per cent.; commercial aluminum, balance. This alloy can be rolled into sheets or extruded; and in this condition it can be heated in the ordinary furnace atmosphere to a temperature near 500° C. and quenched in water. After about 4 days it will have the following physical properties: tensile strength 55,000 to 60,000 1b. per sq. in. (3866 to 4218 kg. per sq. cm.); elongation in 2 in., 15 to 20 per cent. No harmful effects of the furnace gases or even the air, if the heating is effected in an electric furnace in an air atmospherc.

Jan 1, 1921

By D. Murgue

The circulation of air in underground workings is subject to a gradual and continuous reduction of its pressure, from intake to outlet, caused by the friction between it and the more or less rough and uneven surfaces of the passages. For comparison with the flow

Jan 1, 1894