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By Jack A. Simon, M. E. Hopkins

GENERAL GEOLOGY Coal is defined as a combustible rock that originated in the accumulation and physical and chemical alteration of vegetation. Coal can be ignited and burned like the wood that was man's earliest fuel, but coal gives more heat than the same amount of wood and has many industrial uses. Unlike wood, coal is not generally found on the surface of the ground but is mined from the solid rock of the earth. Before taking up the occurrence, formation, and the unique character of coal in the rock sequence, let us briefly consider the general character of all rocks in the crust of the earth. Relatively little is known about the very earliest history of the earth, although a number of logical theories have been developed. Manned exploration of the moon and the rocks returned to earth continue to provide some answers to questions concerning the earth's origin and history. The period of earth history with which we concern ourselves here begins after great areas of water had evolved on earth and substantial land areas of once molten (igneous) rock existed. Weathering and other processes that attacked the surface of the rocks reduced them to small particles. Water provided by rainfall transported this material, ultimately, to large bodies of water where it was deposited. Thus was initiated the geologic sequence of sedimentary rocks that lie above the once molten igneous rocks. The crust and upper mantle of the earth are made up of several large plates along which differential movement (primarily horizontal) takes place. Such movements, although small, are occurring today. These horizontal movements are accompanied by vertical movements causing important changes in the relative position of the continents and oceans. Low-lying coastal swamps with favorable climates are ideal locations for coal accumulation and burial by river-borne sediments, and large areas

Jan 1, 1981

By W. A. Forbes

by the combustion of this gas as it reached the air was a familiar sight in the days when open-top furnaces were in vogue. As blast-furnace practice progressed, however, involving the use of hot blast and the development of power from the gas, blast-furnace construction was modified to conserve this gas for heating hot-blast stoves, raising steam under boilers, and various miscellaneous purposes. When the use of blast-furnace gas was extended to the driving of gas engines, the necessity for thoroughly cleaning the gas became apparent., and soon the advantages of also properly cleaning the gas for use in stoves and udder boilers became more fully recognized.

Jan 10, 1913

By John C. Branner

Inquiries are frequently made concerning the chalk- and clay-beds of Arkansas, usually with a view to the manufacture of Portland cement. The chalk-deposits were first described by Professor R. T. Hill in the annual report of the Geological Survey of Arkansas for 1888, vol. ii., pp. 153-162. Since the publication of that report I have visited localities then unknown, and have accumulated considerable additional information concerning these deposits, dl of which is brought together in the present paper. My report upon the clays of the State has never been published; only a few of the more conveniently available deposits are mentioned in the present paper. The Chalk-Deposits. Stratigraphic Position of the Chalk.—The chalk-deposits of Arkansas belong to rocks of Cretaceous age. The Cretaceous rocks are confined to a single definite area in Southwest Arkansas. Beginning on the Ouachita river, a little northeast of Arkadelphia, its southern or upper margin follows a line about five miles southeast of, and approximately parallel to, the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway from Arkadelphia

Jan 1, 1898

By Harold E. Rowen

Sintering is accomplished at a temperature of more than 2000°F. For the purpose of this discussion it will be defined as the art of burning a solid fuel with 90 to 95 pct ash content. Think of the problems of combustion involved in keeping a home furnace burning properly with 12 to 20 pct ash in the fuel and remember that the amount of fuel involved in the 5 to 10 pct combustion loss represented by the definition has to be just about right or nothing is going to happen. Our forefathers discovered that many ores containing metals csscntial to the steadily rising standards of living were associated with other minerals, sulfur and arsenic, for example, which had to be removed before ultimate refining. They did this by utilizing the solid fuels they had available-the sulfur or other readily combustible components- to create roasting heat.

Apr 1, 1956

By Erskine Ramsay

The following description of the Alabama coal-,fields is taken (with slight omissions) from the report " On the Warrior CoalField, by Henry McCalley, A.M., C. and M. E., Assistant State Geologist:" The coal lands of Alabama are of the great coal basin of the Ohio, or of the great Appalachian coal-field, and are estimated at 8660 square miles. They formed one connected field prior to the great Appalachian revolution, when there was pushed up through them long, narrow, anticlinal ridges which have been denuded into the present well-known anticlinal valleys, and thus this great field has been divided up into three more or less distinct parts. These parts were named by Prof. Tuomey, in 1849, the Warrior, the Cahaba and the Coosa coal-fields, respectively, from the names of the rivers which drain them. They are of very unequal size, the Warrior, with an area of 7810 square miles, being nearly ten times as large as the other two combined, and about two-thirds as large as the coal-area of Great Britain. This Warrior field is the most northwestern of the three coal-fields of Alabama, and comprises all of the coal-measnres in Alabama, northwest of the Alabama Great Southern railroad, or all of those drained by the Warrior and Tennessee rivers. The greater part of this field, almost all of it away from the present railroad lines, has never received more than a surface-examination. Still, we have in the Warrior coal-field one of the richest coal-basins of this or any other country. As a whole, the Warrior coal-field is a broad, shallow, tray-shaped depression, sloping towards the southwest, and with its southwest end covered by a newer formation and its southeast side, especially, complicated by folds and fractures. As is the case with all of our Coal Measures. it is composed of a series of sandstones. conglomerates, shales, slates and coal-seams, with some little limestone at several horizontal positions, but contains no thick bed of this last rock like the Measures of Pennsylvania and other States. The thickest conglomerates are near the bottom and top of the series, and hence these coals might be said to belong mainly to the

Jan 1, 1891

By A. W. Gray

Page CRUSHING STRENGTH...................... 659 The Black Dynamometer....................659 A Standardized Procedure for Crushing Strength Tests...... 660 Influence of Height of Test-piece upon Apparent Strength ..... 662 Influence of Packing Pressure and of Packing Time........ 662 Application of the Logarithmic Law...............665 Influence of Amalgamation Variables.............. 665 Influence of Temperature................... 669 The Transition Region Near 70" C............... 671 Influence of Packing Pressure at Various Temperatures ...... 673 Influence of Age upon Alloy and Amalgam........... 676 DIMENSIONAL CHANGES DURING THE HARDENING OF AN AMALGAM .......................... 678 The Black Amalgam Micrometer............... 678 Thermostated Dilatometer Designed by the Author........ 681 Graphical Representation of Reaction Expansions......... 683 The Typical Reaction Expansion Curve ............. 684 Influence of Packing Pressure................. 686 Influence of Trituration Time................. 687 Influence of Temperature................... 688 Influence of Mercury-alloy Ratio................ 689 Influence of Packing Time................... 689 Influence of Annealing the Alloy................ 691 Influence of Size of Alloy Particles...............691 Extension of the Typical Expansion Curve........... 693 Influence of Thermal Softening and of Reamalgamating a Hardened Amalgam.......................... 634 Curves Obtained with a Variety of Dental Alloys ........ 694 Copper Amalgam ...................... 694 PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF THE RESULTS.......... 695 Phenomena which reveal chemical and physical processes that probably go on in many alloys at temperatures not far removed from their melting ranges are observable in dental amalgams. These amalgams should. therefore. be of even more interest to the metallographer, the metallurgistl the chemist. and the physicist than to the dentist who uses them for saving decaying teeth. For this reason I am here de-

Jan 1, 1919

By A. F. Lucas

The discovery of oil in 1901 on the Spindletop dome, Texas, inaugurated a new industry on the Gulf Coast, an industry which has gran with the discovery of successive fields, until today it engages the services of thousands of workers and employs enormous capital. New fields are being discovered from time to time and doubtless some still remain to be found, though of late years discoveries have become more infrequent. Nowadays several hundred dry holes are drilled each year in a fruitless and blind effort to discover new fields, for as yet geologic science has developed no effectual method of locating the coastal oil deposits in advance of drilling. Moreover despite the occasional discovery of new fields, the total production of the Gulf Coast is today no greater than it was in 1906, for the added production of the new fields has been offset by the rapid decline and more or less complete exhaustion of some of the older ones. Careful geologic work within the fields has in some cases increased the production temporarily, but has developed no really new supplies. The Gulf Coast oil industry seems to have passed its period of greatest expansion and to be declining at a fairly steady rate, and this condition is naturally viewed with alarm by the more farsighted operators. In my opinion, the time has come for the adoption of radical and aggressive methods of prospecting; and a fraction of the money wasted yearly in drilling shallow wells in hopeless locations might well be devoted to this purpose. Many facts lead me to believe that all the salt-dome oil has had a common origin; that it has migrated up from considerable depth along lines of structural weakness; and that a deep well, properly located, stands an excellent chance of discovering the parent reservoir and thus of developing new and probably great supplies. This paper is presented as a discussion—necessarily hypothetical and based largely on personal opinion—of the possibility of encountering deep-seated oil deposits beneath the salt domes. Salt-dome Structure All of the oil produced in the coastal region of Texas and Louisiana is probably associated with salt domes, though in Goose Creek, Edgerly, and one or two other fields no salt has yet been actually penetrated. As

Jan 1, 1920

By G. L. Oldright

THE development of the reverberatory furnace for smelting copper ores up to 1912 was described by E. P. Mathewson1 with details concerning the great changes in dimensions of the furnace. Hayward2 tabulated similar data, giving developments up to about 1924, in his revision of Hofman's Metallurgy of Copper. DEVELOPMENT OF PRESENT SMELTING PRACTICE Dimensions of Furnace Very great changes were made in the dimensions of the smelting hearths of the furnaces in the period from about 1800 to 1906, the length increasing from about 11 to 116 ft., and the width from 8 to 19 ft. During this time the tonnage smelted increased from about 9 to 250 tons per 24 hr., and the tons of charge smelted per ton of coal increased from 0.77 to 4.3. Dr. Mathewson3 noted no great difference in the "fuel ratio" (i. e., the amount of charge smelted per ton of coal) as the furnace at Anaconda was increased in length by stages from 85 to 116 ft. (The percentage of copper in the slag, however, was lowered from 0.42 to 0.36 per cent. The other components of the slag were not given.) Lump coal fired on grates was the fuel used during this period. The practice in operating the furnaces over such a length of time naturally varied considerably, and there were differences in composition and nature of the charge, yet it may be considered that the improvements made were due largely to increases in the size of the furnace used. Doubt-less some credit should be given to improvements in operating technique, like changes in the methods of firing the lump coal. However, the greater part of the advance was probably due to factors influencing the

Jan 1, 1928

By Eric Jette

IN order to control a chemical process by other than empirical, rule of thumb methods, two types of knowledge concerning the reactions involved must be available: (1) the thermodynamics of the reactions, and (2), by no means less important for efficient operation, the mechanisms and kinetics of the reactions. Information on the thermodynamic side enables the operator to decide upon initial and final conditions, whether heat must be .added or removed from the system, whether the reactions proceed farthest in the desired direction at high pressure or low, etc. Knowledge of the mechanisms involves the determination of the individual steps by which an initial set of reactants, under given conditions, proceed to give the desired final products and kinetic studies upon which the mechanisms are based give the speed at which each of these reactions or steps take place. Thus thermodynamic studies of a 'reaction enable the operator to control the direction and extent to which the reaction can proceed, while kinetic studies enable him to control rates and thus the time' efficiency of the operations. The thermodynamics set the limit to which the reacting system approaches; the kinetics tell how fast the system actually approaches this limit. The two types of information are complementary and not antagonistic even though in discussing the mechanism the introduction of thermodynamics is entirely needless and generally of no assistance, while in thermodynamic studies mechanism need not even be mentioned.

Jan 1, 1931

By W. H. Bassett

IN their paper on the directional properties in cold-rolled and annealed commercial bronze,1 Phillips and Samans suggest that cupronickel, under distinctly different treatments, shows both "45° ears" and "90° ears. " Fig. 1 shows the ears on some cupronickel cups made some 17 years ago for bullet jackets for small arms ammunition. In this case the material heated to 425° C. had "45° ears, while that annealed at 950° C. showed FIG. 1.-CUPRONICKEL, 0.032-in. GAGE, CAST WITH MAGNESIUM. ANNEALED AT TEMPERATURES INDICATED (DEGREES CENTIGRADE) AND CUPPED. long "90° ears" when drawn with the same tools. The method of cupping, the shape of cupping tools, etc., were found to have very little influence on the earing tendency, but the deeper the cup was drawn, the higher the ears would be.

Jan 1, 1932

By Pol Duwez, Ellis P. Frink, Paul Pietrokowsky

Ti-Au alloys in the composition interval 0 to 66 213 atomic pct Au have been studied over a temperature range from 400° to 1500°C. A partial phase diagram has been established from micrographic and macroscopic observations. All intermediate phases, Ti3Au, TiAu, and TiAu., exhibit open melting maxima. It has been observed that small additions of gold lower the allotropic transformation temperature of titanium. The P solid solution decomposes eutectoidally to a solid solution plus Ti3Au. The solubility of gold in a solid solution decreases with temperature. THERE have been several papers in the literature pertaining to the alloy system Ti-Au. However, a comprehensive study of this interesting constitu- tion diagram has not been conducted. Previous investigations have been concerned with the crystal structure of intermediate phases or partial phase diagrams. This paper represents a partial constitution diagram, Ti-TiAu,, the first portion of an investigation of the entire binary system. Laves and Wallbaum' reported the intermediate phase Ti,Au to be isomorphous with CuAu, L12 type. In a more recent paper, Duwez and Jordan' have concluded that TiAu has an atomic arrangement which is related to Cr,Si. The intermediate phase

Jan 1, 1957

By R. C. Ku, A. J. McEvily, T. L. Johnston

The microplastic response of a series ofas-quenched Fe-Ni-C martensites has been measured at 77°K. At strains less than JO'3 the flow stress is governed primarily by the transformation-induced dislocation structure of the martensite. Only at strains in excess of 10-3 is the influence of carbon manifested in the flow stress. At these macroscopic strains, typically 10-2, the solid-solution hardening is proportional to (wt pct C)1/3, and, in an alloy containing 0.39 wt pct C, amounts to 50 pct of the flow stress. THE technological significance of high-strength ferrous martensite has stimulated many investigations of its structure and properties. Although our knowledge of the characteristics of martensite has increased immensely, especially with the advent of high-resolution techniques, an understanding of the basic strengthening mechanism still remains elusive. The purpose of the present paper is to consider certain aspects of micro-plastic behavior of Fe-Ni-C martensite which we feel can help to resolve this important problem. Such alloys are particularly suitable for experimental investigation because their compositions can be adjusted to reduce the M, to a temperature low enough essentially to eliminate the diffusion of carbon in the freshly formed martensite.1 The mechanical properties in this condition are of interest inasmuch as they reflect a state that is free of the important but complicating influence of precipitation processes. In this virgin martensite the carbon is distributed as it was inherited from the parent austenite; i.e., it is present interstitially, and gives rise to tetragonality through strain-induced ordering.' In order to determine the source of strength of such alloys, Winchell and Cohen1 investigated the low-temperature macroscopic stress-strain behavior of a series of virgin martensites of increasing carbon content but of common M, temperature (-35°C). They found that the flow stress increased rapidly with carbon content up to 0.4 wt pct; beyond this point the flow stress increased at a much slower rate. It was concluded that martensite is inherently strong. To account quantitatively for the strength of virgin or as- quenched martensite in terms of the role of carbon, Winchell and cohen3 suggested that the carbon atoms, trapped in their original positions by the diffusionless martensite transformation, interfere with dislocation motion according to a model akin to that of Mott and Nabarro. 4 In this treatment, individual carbon atoms are considered to constitute centers of elastic strain and thereby generate an average stress resisting the motion of dislocations throughout the lattice. The additional stress necessary to move dislocations, over and above that necessary for motion in a carbon-free martensite, is given by where L is an effective length of dislocation capable of motion. L was assumed to be limited to the spacing between the twins that are an essential structural element of Fe-Ni-C martensites. They assumtd the spacing to be invariant and of the order of 100A. However, recent work5 has shown that L is variable and can be in excess of 1000Å, so that the assignment of an appropriate value of L is not straightforward. In contrast to the above conclusion that there is an intrinsically high resistance to plastic flow, it has been suggested by Polakowski6 that freshly quenched martensite is in fact "soft" in the sense that dislocations are initially free to move upon application of stress. The high indentation hardness and macroscopic yield stress of ferrous martensites are then a consequence of rapid strain hardening that depends upon carbon in solution. Consistent with this point of view are the results of Beau lieu and Dubé who measured the rate of recovery of internal friction as a function of aging (tempering) temperature in a freshly quenched steel containing 0.90 wt pct C, 0.37 wt pct Mn, 0.1 wt pct Cr, and 0.07 wt pct Ni. The kinetics were clearly consistent with the idea that many dislocations are unpinned in the as-quenched state and that during aging they become progressively pinned by carbon at a rate controlled by carbon diffusion in the body-centered martensite lattice. In order to provide a basis upon which to distinguish between the "hard" and "soft" interpretations indicated above, we have made studies of the initial stages of plastic deformation in Fe-Ni-C martensites similar to those'used by Winchell and Cohen. It will be shown that the results support the contention that dislocation segments in as-quenched material are indeed

Jan 1, 1967

By G. W. Nabor, A. S. Odeh

The effect of production history of a well on the results of two-rate flow tests, and conventional build-up analyses was investigated. The effect was examined by means of digital computers and an R-C network model, respectively, for wells with infinite and finite radii of drainage. For systems which behave as infinite, it was found that production history and the duration of production at constant rate prior to the initiation of the test have important effects on the results. During build-up time equal to about one-fourth of the stabilized time, correct permeability-thickness product calculations can be made. For wells with finite radii of drainage, the time was determined during which the straight line can be satisfactorily used for permeability-thickness product calculations in case of drawdowns and build-ups. On build-ups, the dimensionless time (based on the external radius) during which the straight line gives reliable results was detertriined to be about 1/12. This is one-fourth as long as that of the drawdown. The investigation was done theoretically, and subsequently was verified by R-C network model runs. General interpretive rules were formulated which, if not followed, could lead to serious errors. Moreover, a recommended testing procedure is reported. INTRODUCTION The method used by most reservoir engineers for estimating formation characteristics in a producing well is the analysis of pressure build-up data. The method originally devised by Horner' makes use of the point source solution to the diffusion equation. This solution is approximated by a logarithmic function and the superposition principle is employed to arrive at the well known pressure build-up equation:where q, the flow rate, is in reservoir B/D; ft is in cp; kh is in md-ft; At is the shut-in time; and t is the producing time. At and t are in any consistent time units. Ey. 1 is applicable to a well of unlimited drainage radius which produces at a constant rate q from zero to time t and is then shut in. Such a constant production rate seldom obtains in practice. Therefore. a correction term must be applied to Eq. I to account for the varying rate. Two theoretically accurate methods are available for treating the variable rate case. The first, originally derived by Horner,' is based on the application of the superposition theorem. It requires knowlege of production history of the well as a function of time and results in lengthy and laborious calculations. The second t*q* niethod is suited for short production tests and requires that the shut-in time be at least one and one-half times the production time. A third method which is not based on any theoretical justification and which was suggested by Horner as a "good working approximation" is the one used by the majority of reservoir analysts. especially when the well has been producing for a long time and the t*q* method is not practicable. The key to this method is in choosing or determining the t that appears in Eq. 1. Horner suggested using a corrected time t, in place of t. t, is calculated by dividing the total cumulative production by the last established rate. Therefore, a normal procedure of pressure build-up testing is to stabilize the well at a constant rate for at least 24 hours before shut in and to use the stabilized rate to calculate t,. The analysis is then made by plotting either or P. and examining the resulting plot for the expected straight line to calculate kh and the original reservoir pressure. Recently, Russell" proposed a method for determining formation characteristics from two-rate flow tests. His method reduces to pressure build-up if the second flow rate is zero. Russell uses the Horner simplified procedure for calculating a corrected t,. His method also requires the stabilization of the well at a constant rate q which is used to calculate t,. Theoretically, the above procedure is valid for a well with an unlimited radius of drainage or with a limited radius as long as the boundary effect has not been felt by the well. Several authors'' derived formulas which allow the estimation of time during which limited reservoirs behave as infinite ones and, thus, can be treated by unsteady-state mechanics. One equation derived by Swift and Kiel' terminates the application of unsteady-state theory when the drainage radius reaches one-half the reservoir radius. Thereafter, steady-state behavior obtains. Another equation derived by Jones'" initiates steady-state

Jan 1, 1967

By A. Lubinski

In drilling operations, attention generally is given to hole angles rather than to changes of angle, in spite of the fact that the latter are responsible for drilling and production troubles. The paper presents means for specifying maximum permissible changes of hole angle to insure a trouble-free hole, using a minimum amount of surveys. It is expected that the paper will result in a decrease of drilling costs, not only by avoiding troubles, but also by removing the fear of such troubles. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Excessive dog-legs result in such troubles as fatigue failures of drill pipe, fatigue failures of drill-collar connections, worn tool joints and drill pipe, key seats, grooved casing, etc. Most of these detrimental effects greatly increase with the amount of tension to which drill pipe is subjected in the dog-leg. Therefore, the closer a dog-leg is to the total anticipated depth, the greater becomes its acceptable severity. Very large collar-to-hole clearances will cause fatigue of drill-collar connections and shorten their life, even in very mild dog-legs. Another finding regarding fatiguing of collar connections in dog-legs is that rotating with the bit off bottom sometimes may be worse than drilling with the full weight of drill collars on the bit, mainly in highly inclined holes when the inclination decreases with depth in the dog-leg. Means are given for specifying maximum dog-legs compatible with trouble-free holes. An inexpensive technique proposed is to take inclinometer or directional surveys far apart; then, if an excessive dog-leg is detected in some interval, intermediate close-spaced surveys are run in this interval. The application of the findings should result in a decrease of drilling costs, not only by avoiding troubles, but mainly by removing the fear of such troubles. The result would be much more frequent drilling with heavy weights on bit, regardless of hole deviation. Because of errors inherent to their use, presently available surveys are not very suitable for detecting dog-legs. There is a need for instruments especially adapted to dog-leg surveys. Crooked hole drilling rules should fall into two distinct categories—(1) those whose purpose is to bottom the hole as desired, and (2) those whose purpose is to insure a trouble-free hole. Three kinds of first-category rules in usage today are as follows. 1. A means to bottom the hole as desired is to prevent the bottom of the hole from being horizontally too far from the surface location; this may be achieved by keeping the hole inclination below some maximum permissible value such as, for instance, 5. 2. Another means to achieve the same goal is to limit the rate at which the inclination is allowed to increase with depth. A frequently used rate is 1/1,000 ft. In other words, a maximum deviation of l° is allowed at 1,000 ft, 2 at 2,000 ft, 3 at 3,000 ft, etc. 3. Whenever application of the first two means precludes carrying the full weight on bit required for most economical drilling, then the best course is to take advantage of the natural tendency of the hole to drift updip, displace the surface location accordingly and impose a target area within which the hole should be bottomed. This method has already been successfully applied,'.' and its usage probably will become more frequent in the future. Means for calculating the amount of necessary surface location displacement are avail-able.3'5'6 If in high-dip formations the full weight on bit should result in unreasonably great deviations, the situation could be remedied by increasing the size of collars and (if needed) the size of both hole and collars,351 or in some cases by using several stabilizers. Rules which would fall into the second category (i.e., rules whose purpose is to insure a trouble-free hole) are seldom specified today. It is vaguely believed that following Rules 1 and 2 of the first category will automatically prevent troubles. Actually, this is not true. If at some depth the only specified rule is that the hole inclination must be less than 4", the hole may be lost if the deviation suddenly drops from 4 to 2, or if the direction of the drift changes, etc. Rule 3 of the first category is generally used in conjunction with a rule belonging to the second category, namely, that the hole curvature' (dog-leg severity) must not exceed the arbitrarily chosen value of 1½ /100 ft. Moreover, when using this rule, the industry is not clear over what depth intervals the hole curvature should be measured. All this results in a frequent fear

By E. Hoek

INTRODUCTION Rock slope stability research has been in progress for the past four years at the Royal School of Mines in London under the sponsorship of a consortium of 23 companies* with interests in open pit mining. This paper reviews the principal aims and achievements of this research project. In order to assist the reader in following these details, the basic philosophy underlying the formulation and direction of this research project is discussed. DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONSIBILITY In open pit mining, the economic necessity of keeping waste rock removal to a minimum generally means that the mine slopes have to be excavated to the steepest possible slope angle. On the other hand, excessive steepening of these slopes can induce failures, which may negate the economic benefits that have been aimed at and which may also result in loss of life and damage to equipment. Consequently, where slope failures are likely to prove to be a problem, an evaluation of the stability of the slopes to be created should be included as part of the overall pit design. How is the stability of a rock slope evaluated? When this question was examined, during discussions on the research policy to be followed at the Royal School of Mines, it was clear that relatively few satisfactory techniques were available in a form that would be comprehensible and therefore useful to the practical mining engineer. It was recognised that the research project must be directed towards two distinct aims: a) The evaluation of existing techniques for rock slope stability analysis and the provision of new techniques where these existing methods were found to be inadequate and b) The presentation of the results of this evaluation and research in a form that would be useful to engineers without specialist training in rock mechanics. It was soon realized that a university based research team, however large and efficient, could not achieve these aims without the co-operation and assistance of mining engineers,

Jan 1, 1972

THE primary interest in the subject of this chapter lies in the fact that various heats of steel made to the same chemical specification do not always have the same properties. The properties considered here, of course, are those inherent in the ingot immediately after solidification and not qualities imparted by variations in subsequent mechanical or thermal treatment. The expression "made to the same chemical specification" is used because some of the variations in properties are due to variations in chemical analysis within the specified ranges of those elements commonly specified and determined. Other variations in properties are due to variations in those constituents of steel (elements or compounds) that are not ordinarily included among the elements specified, thus not a part of the specified "composition." The term "constitution" is used to include not only the specified composition but also the nature and distribution of every element or compound contained in the steel entering the ingot mold ; also included are items such as aluminum oxides and nitrides, presence of soluble gases, and dispersion of nonmetallic particles. When it is considered that the constitution of steel is determined by the addition or absorption into the bath of all such constituents from whatever source, it follows that constitution is of necessity the final result of steelmaking practice. It is the agency through which steelmaking practice operates to control the properties of the steel. The term steelmaking practice is here used in the broad sense, meaning the control of all the materials entering the steel and of the conditions under which the process is carried out. Steelmaking practice, thus defined, establishes the chemical system within which the reactions between components must proceed in obedience to the laws of chemistry. Thus the chemical constitution of the steel is established and, through constitution, the properties of the metal are established. In the preceding chapters it has been shown how the constitu-

Jan 1, 1964

By Earl S. Bardwell

The structural relations existing between cuprous oxide and copper were first systematically studied by Heynl; who suggested that a study of the microstructure of refined copper might be substituted for the analytical methods in vogue for determining the oxygen content of copper coming from the refining furnace. Hofman, Green and Yerxa,2 in their paper A Laboratory Study of the Stages in the Refining of Copper, working along the lines suggested by Heyn, showed that a study of the microstructure could be made to yield a correct estimate of the oxygen content of refined copper. In order to determine the oxygen content of the specimen of refined copper under examination a photomicrograph was first made. From the relative areas of copper and eutectic, the percentage of cuprous oxide and the corresponding percentage of oxygen were then readily calculated. It was found that the values for oxygen thus obtained corresponded closely with the analytical results. With the idea of utilizing this method of determining the oxygen content of each charge dipped from the refining furnaces at the Boston & Montana Reduction Plant, the physical testing laboratory was equipped with suitable apparatus for carrying out the work. It may be of interest to describe certain of the methods which have been worked out in this connection and give such data as have been obtained bearing on the effect of the oxygen content of refined copper upon its conductivity. Apparatus.—For the benefit of those who may be unfamiliar with metallographical apparatus and methods and may be interested to know what equipment is required, a few words with regard to the apparatus are in place at this point.

Jan 1, 1914

By Frederick Mark Becket

DOCTOR Albert Sauveur, distinguished scientist and Honorary Member of this Institute, predicted in the first Howe Memorial Lecture that the privilege of delivering this annual address would be considered a highly significant honor. The intervening years have well borne out Sauveur's prophecy. I wish to assure the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers that I also deeply appreciate this honor, recognizing at the same time the present and even more the future responsibilities with which it is accompanied. Several of the previous lecturers had the good fortune to attend the classes of Professor Howe and to work in his laboratories. I was similarly favored, although in my instance and to my great regret the period was all too short. However, Howe's book, published in 1903, "Iron, Steel and Other Alloys," afforded me abundant opportunity to continue these studies. How well I remember the inspiration I derived from this famous book by Howe, the metallurgical master, pioneer, and educator! Remembering that Professor Howe contributed numerous papers to The Metallographist, a magazine supported from a technical point of view by the world's pioneers in metallography, I was curious a few days ago to learn the nature of Howe's early contributions to this magazine. The first paper by Howe in the first year of The Metallographist (1898) dealt with the allotropic theory; the second also treated of allotropy, and I quote the first sentence of that paper: The allotropic theory of the hardening of steel may, like so many other important theories, have to be accepted or rejected not on direct proof or disproof, but on the accumulation of circumstantial evidence for or against it. Howe's ability to stimulate others by his deep understanding and clarity of expression was truly remarkable; but just as striking was his intuitive judgment concerning the implications of metallurgical data in the arts and sciences. It therefore seems fitting that this lecture comprise a broad treatment of the subject chosen, rather than a closely documented thesis on any one phase of the problem; that in it attention be focused

Jan 1, 1938

By P. V. Martin

SHORTLY after the middle of the nineteenth century, the invention of the regenerative open-hearth furnace and the development of the Bes-semer process stimulated a, rate of steel production whose magnitude created an unprecedented demand for pig iron. Revolutionary improvements in furnace design, auxiliary equipment, and operating technique enabled the blast furnace to keep abreast of the constantly increasing requirements of the steel mill. The development of improved blowing equipment, more adequate facilities for material handling, and particularly the general use of anthracite and coke to replace the physically weaker charcoal, led to a rapid expansion in both the height and volume of furnaces. Beyond a doubt,, however, the greatest single factor in blast-furnace improvement at this time was the use of the higher blast temperatures made available by the replacement of the recuperative iron pipe stoves by the regenerative Cowper brick stove. The increased blast tempera-ture not only resulted in greater output but also reduced fuel consumption far more than could be explained by the additional heat content of the blast. The progress of iron manufacturing was thus largely mechanical and thermal. Little attention was given tile chemistry of the process until the publication of the investigations of Sir Lowthian Bell.1 Bell's pains-taking experiments and investigations gave to the blast-furnace man his first real scientific conception of blast-furnace chemistry. Bell's recog-nition of the dual function of the carbon, the technical importance of reversible reactions and chemical equilibria, and his conception of the degree of oxidation of the carbon as shown by the analysis of the outgoing gases as a criterion of furnace efficiency, laid the foundation upon which has since been erected the structure of blast-furnace theory.

Jan 1, 1939

By Raymond Ward

Jan 1, 1945