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By J. J. Frawley, W. J. Childs

Experiments were carried out to induce grain refinement during solidification by applying vibrational energy (freq 20 kc) to small specimens of bismuth, tin, and bismuth-tin alloys. The results show that if the intensity of the applied sound -field is not great enough to fragment the growing dendrites of a pure metal, no grain refinement is observed and the pain size of the dynamically nucleated specimens is the same as the grain size of a specimen statically supercooled the same amount. Bismuth specimens did not show any grain refinement; whereas, the tin specimens did show grain refinement. This phenomenon is the result of the difference in growth habit between the bismuth and tin dendrites. The bismuth-tin alloys showed grain refinement and, in addition, the segregation pattern was changed. THE solidification process is a change in phase requiring the nucleation of the solid phase from the liquid and the growth of this solid phase at the expense of the liquid phase. Since many physical properties and also the integrity of a casting are dependent on the solidification process, understanding and controlling this process are very important.' A good example in the controlling of a cast structure using heterogeneous nucleation theory is the reduction of grain size in aluminum castings by nucleation catalysis.2 This mechanism of nucleation catalysis has been explained by Turnbull.3 Another technique for grain refinement, which has received much attention but the mechanism has not been fully understood, is to vibrate the solidifying melt. Vibrations can be applied to the melt either by vibrating the mold directly or by introducing a vibrating rod into the melt.4-13 Three mechanisms have been proposed to explain this phenomenon: 1) The mechanical fragmentation of the original dendrites that grew into the melt. These crystals or fragmented dendrites act as new growth sites. 2) The nucleation of new grains in the liquid by the generation of very high pressure pulses caused by cavitation in the liquid. 3) The remelting of the dendrite arms during the solidification process. This mechanism is operative only in alloy systems and would be enhanced by stirring or mechanical vibration. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the mechanism that will increase the number of grains when mechanical energy is introduced into a solidifying melt. APPARATUS The unit used to generate the ultrasonic vibrations was manufactured by the Redford Co., and is similar to the one used in ultrasonic soldering. Fig. 1 is a sketch of the major components used for generating ultrasonic vibrations. The crystal transducer assembly consisted of four lead zirconate ti-tanate piezoelectric crystals in an aluminum holder. An acoustical horn, which was fabricated from stainless steel, was attached to the holder by a set screw. The resonant frequency of this unit was 20,000 cycles per sec. A Pyrex crucible, 4 in. in diam and 4 in. high, was contained in a hole in the top of the horn. The piezoelectric crystals changed volume when excited by an electric signal, thereby generating a sound signal which passed through the horn. The crucible was coupled to the horn by a liquid silicone oil. The purpose of the couplant was to transmit the soundwaves from the horn to the crucible. Without the couplant, much of the sound energy would be lost. The energy transmitted was sufficient at the resonant frequency used, so that acoustical cavitation always occurred in the molten metal. The presence of acoustical cavitation was detected by the characteristic hissing sound emitted from the liquid. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The influence of ultrasonic vibration on the grain refinement of bismuth, tin, and bismuth-tin alloys was studied. These metals were chosen because of their low melting temperature and the relative ease with which they can be thermally supercooled. The following procedure was used for obtaining large amounts of supercooling. Pure bismuth (99.999+), which was received in bar form, was mechanically broken into pieces small enough to be accommodated in a 50 ml beaker. About 200 to 300 g of bismuth and a few grams of SnCl2 as a flux were placed in the 50 ml beaker and melted by induction heating. The melt was held for 20 min at

Jan 1, 1970

By Richard H. Hopkins, R. W. Kraft

A new technique facilitating the rapid determination of the three-dimensional morphology of phases suspended in an opaque matrix is described. The vapidity of the technique is based upon continuous cinephotomicrographic recording of specimen microstructure as the specimen surface is removed under controlled conditions in an electrolytic cell. The advantages of the technique for determining spatial morphologies in opaque materials are illustrated by application of this method to the study of the configuration of faults in a specimen of directionally solidified CuAl2-Al eutectic alloy. A spatial model of the eutectic fault network deduced in this manner has substantiated the facts that faults in this alloy tend to lie parallel to one another in a direction close to that of the specimen growth axis and that the majority of faults tend to bridge lamellae rather than run parallel to them as growth proceeds. For the specimen studied fault density decreased as growth proceeded. ALTHOUGH metallographic observation is a powerful tool for investigating the correlation between structure and properties in metallic alloys, ordinary metallographic methods suffer the fundamental limitation that any conclusions concerning the three-dimensional structure of these opaque materials must rely upon inference from two-dimensional microsections. For this reason it is frequently impossible to make valid judgments regarding the true spatial distribution of the micro-constituents in specimens under investigation. Several techniques have been devised to circumvent the basic limitation of planar microsec-tioning and employed with varying success. These include construction of three-dimensional models of alloy microstructure from sequences of photomicrographs,1-3 quantitative deduction of spatial features based upon statistical studies of data from random and/or selected plane microsections,4-6 and selective dissolution of one phase in a two-phase alloy to reveal the topography of the phase remaining.' However these techniques also have certain obvious disadvantages. Construction of three-dimensional models is a very time-con- suming procedure due to the tedious polish-etch-photograph cycle needed to obtain the necessary photomicrographs to portray the spatial microstructure. Statistical methods by their very nature give only average values of the quantities being studied and cannot therefore give a detailed physical picture of the microstructure to be observed. Finally, the technique of selective dissolution is only applicable in systems where the phases are of vastly different chemical reactivity; it is of little use in the study of single-phase alloys. Since the determination of the three-dimensional structure of opaque materials is hindered by two facts—the materials are opaque to radiation in the visible spectrum and construction of spatial models of microstructure is quite laborious—two solutions to the problem suggest themselves: 1) use radiation of energy great enough to render the alloy transparent, i.e., some microradio-graphic method, or, 2) devise a rapid means to section and record alloy microstructure. Stereomicroradiography has indeed been used to study internal arrangements of phases in several materials8,9 but the method, in general, is limited to very thin specimens (due to X-ray absorption) and simple microstructures. It would seem then that development of a rapid, simple, and generally applicable technique for studying the details of alloy microstructures in three dimensions can best be undertaken by following the second approach above. Using this idea a new technique for rapid evaluation of spatial microstructures was developed based upon cinephotomicrographic recording of the micro-structure of a specimen undergoing controlled electrolytic dissolution. It was further felt that application of this technique to the careful study of the spatial configuration of faults in a CuAl2-Al eutectic alloy would yield information that could be correlated with the extensive data3,6,10-12 already compiled concerning the solidification and crystallography of this eutectic. The practicality and usefulness of similar methods for studying three-dimensional features in alloys has recently been illustrated by the study of dislocation loops in zinc13 and spheroidized structure in steel.14

Jan 1, 1965

By S. W. Kennedy, M. Cohen, L. D. Calvert

A high-temperature X-ray diffraction method has been used to study the composition and the kinetics of formation of oxide scales at 800 °C on iron and pure iron-nickel alloys containing 25.6, 75, and 84 pct Ni. This technique has been combined with chemical analysis, and metallographic examination, and determination of weight-gain time curves. The 75 and 84 pct Ni alloys form a three-layer scale consisting of porous NiO next to the metal, a spinel layer, and a -Fe203 on the outside. The 25 pct Ni alloy produces a scale of spinel and Fe,O,, in which, however, traces of FeO and NiO are observed near to the metal. On all the nickel alloys the Fe20, is orieqted with the (107) plane parallel to the surfaces. The exposed surface of the Fe20, is in the form of needles whose axis is perpendicular to the specimen surface. Although the alloys show nonuniform oxidation rates as determined from weight-gain measurements, the X-ray data indicate that the total scale and individml scale layers grow uniformly and parabolically. Deep subscale formation is observed in the 25 pct Ni alloy only. This appeared to be associated with cracking of the scale and penetration of the oxygen along the grain boundaries. ALTHOUGH film formation has been investigated by high-temperature electron-diffraction techniques, for example by Gulbransenl and Hickman,' there have apparently been no investigations of scaling by methods permitting study of the scale during formation at the reaction temperature. Methods involving quenching of scales are based on the working assumption that no significant changes take place on cooling. In general, however, compounds may disproportionate, and the different thermal expansions of constituents may cause disruption of the scale on cooling. In particular, some scales cannot be quenched without spalling. These difficulties are avoided by X-ray diffraction examination at the temperature of formation. High-temperature diffraction procedures also provide a method of determining the kinetics of formation of each phase separately in a multicom-ponent scale. The scaling of binary iron-nickel alloys Containing up to 30 pct Ni at a temperature of 800°C has been studied by Benard and Moreau using cooled specimen~,~ whilst Foley, Druck, and Fryxel14 made an electron-diffraction study of cooled oxide films formed on an iron 42 pci Ni alloy. In the present work the scaling of three iron-nickel alloys containing 25.6, 75, and 84 pct by weight of nickel, at 800°C in oxygen at atmospheric pressure was investigated by X-ray diffraction techniques using a Norelco Geiger-counter diffrac-tometer. The oxidation of iron was investigated for comparison. In addition normal metallographic examinations and chemical and X-ray analyses were made, and weight-gain time curves obtained. EXPERIMENTAL Materials Used—The analyses of the alloys were as follows: Percent by Weight Nickel 25.6 pct 75.4 pct 83.2 pct Aluminum 0.004 None found 0.002 Cobalt — 0.05 0.05 Chromium — — — Silicon — 0.01 None found Carbon All less than 0.05 pct The chemical analysis of the iron was: Al— 0.002 i 0.001 pct, C—0.007 pct, Cr less than 0.001 pct, Cu—0.002 ± 0.001 pct, Mn—0.003 ± 0.001 pct, N—0.0002 pct, 0-0.013 pct, P—less than 0.0002 pct, Pb—not detected, S—0.0017 pct, Si—0.0095 pct, Sn—none detected. This iron was the same as that used to make the alloys and was obtained from the same source-Vacuum Metals Corp. One specimen of pure iron from The British Iron and Steel Research Association was used for preliminary investigation. Specimens were machined to shape from cast rod, polished (the final polish being with 600 Sic paper), degreased in trichlorethylene, washed, and etched. The etching and neutralizing procedure adopted by

Jan 1, 1960

By W. van der Knapp

A theoretical and experimental ana1ysis is given of the change in volume of a porous medium due to changes in external and internal pressures. The result enable one to deduce directly the effect of large increlents in stresses. It is shown that the three-dimensional representation of the volume of a nonlinear porous system is a cylindrical rules surface, the generating lines of Which have a slope according to the solid rock compressibility. Analytical expression for such a ,surface is very simple. It follows that the bulk and pore compressihilities depend only on the difference between pore fluid and external hydrostatic pressure, i.e., the effective rock frame pressure. From measurements on a number of sandstones as well as limestones it can be conduded that for practical values of this effective frame pressure the pore compressibility falls in the range between the compressibility of water and that of undersaturated crude oil. In general, pore compressibility is found to be higher the lower the porosity. For a particular limestone reservoir pore compressibility and porosity could he related by means of a simple empirical formula. Results from the described study find a direct applicxtion in material balance calculations and in prob1ems of liquid flow through porous media. Since the elastic constants of the rock bulk material enter into equatiorls for velocity of acoustic waves, the results are also of importance for calculating rates of wave propagation in these media. It is shown for sandstones with 1.5 to -10 prr cent porosity that laboratory measured porosities may differ from those lender reservoir conditions by about I per cent of their value. The difference for low porosity limestotnes can be of the order of 10 per cent. The subsidence caused by elastic deformation of reservoir rock is shown to he very small. General formulas relating pore and bulk volume to external and internal pressure can be derived, as has been shown by Biot1, Gassmann2 and Geertsma.2 Their theories describe the differential change in volume caused by a variation in pore fluid tension and external hydrostatic tension. It has been known for a long timei that the stress-strain relations of a packing of spheres are essentially noninear. Our experiments show that for almost all reservoir rocks which arc elastically deformable the relation between volume and loading is also a nonlinear one, resembling that of a packing of spheres very closely. The behavior of these media is often described by using the linear stress-strain relations for small incremental stresses and strains in the vicinity of a pre-stressed condition." The present study differs from these considerations in that it enables one to deduce the effect of large increments in the stresses directly. In analogy to the stress tensor for a homogeneous body the stress tensor for a porous body can be written in the conventional way: where the tensor components, o, and t, represent the total forces acting on the faces of a unit cube of porous material. This tensor can be split into two parts. a hydrostatic and a deviatoric part, as follows2,3,1 where the component of the hydrostatic stress system, a. equals The hydrostatic stress causes a change in volume whereas the deviatoric stress system gives rise to a change in shape only. One of the difficulties in describing changes of volume occurring in reservoir rocks is that the relations connecting these volume changes with external and internal stresses are essentially non-linear. A complete description requires the bulk volume, V,,, as well as the pore volume,V,,. to be known as a function of both the changes in pore fluid tension (v) and the hydrostatic tension on the outer boundary.

By James P. Kimball

In a paper which I had the honor to present to the Institute at the Montreal meeting, September 1879,I took occasion to refer incidentally to certain practical difficulties in the sampling of coal-seams {Trans. Vol. VIII., p. 181-3). This reference was particularly to the unequal distribution of sulphur in the form of pyrite, and to the necessity of discriminating between the several members or " benches " of a coal seam as to their relative proportion of visible sulphur. What is a practically truthful estimation of the sulphur of a coal seam, is not necessarily the estimation of an average of sulphur in any given line of cross-section of the seam. Cornparatively speaking, the range of sulphur in quantity is generally so low that errors in its determination, arising from neglectful sampling or from slips in the laboratory, fall chiefly upon this single ingredient. Not so,

Jan 1, 1884

By R. Thiessen

The question whether the kind, rank and grade of coal is in any way determined by the kind or type of plant from which it originated has been a problem since coal was first studied. Some investigators claim that the kind of plants has contributed none of the attributes that characterize the differences found in the various coals; others claim that all differences are caused by the contributing plant; and others hold that only a few characteristics are inherited from the kind of plant from which the coal originated. Most coalologists, however, give this matter no thought. It can easily be shown that the kind of plant which contributed to a coal had a marked influence on its kind and type. A number of factors enter into this problem, and all unrelated ones must be carefully eliminated, including metamorphism caused by the pressure of the cover, earth movements, mountain building and higher temperature. Only the fundamental substance—the plants out of which coal was formed—• and the causative conditions that gave rise to a peat swamp and the conditions imposed upon the plant and the plant substances during the formation of the peat swamp can be considered. Everything else being equal, the question then is, how far do different classes and types of coal owe their differences to different kinds or types of plants? Geologic Age of Coal Coal has been laid down in almost every geological period since the Devonian era. Even as early as the middle Devonian some coal was formed; although of no value it has great scientific significance. The most valuable coal was deposited during the Carboniferous. The coals of England were formed during the Mississippian, and most of the valuable coals of America, Europe and China during the Mississippian and chiefly the Pennsylvanian. From the Permian come the coals of France, Saxony, Thuringia and Schwarzwald in Germany and of Bohemia and of the Ural districts of Russia. From the Mesozoic come the coals

Jan 1, 1930

By Thomas Cox

THIS paper makes no claim to any new idea; it simply reviews the Treasury Department Regulations pertaining to the practical application of depreciation and depletion and other allowances governing taxation of oil and gas properties. Other methods may be existent, but as they may not conform to the legal status they must be discarded. In complying with the present laws governing the, industry with regard to taxation and the allowable deductions therefrom, the following considerations are essential: Depletion, depreciation, amortization, other allowances, and items not deductible. It is definitely understood that depletion is the loss or exhaustion sustained in the continuous operating of an oil and gas property, and that each unit of oil or gas taken out reduces the value of the property until its final exhaustion. Depletion applies only to the natural deposits of oil and gas due to their-removal in the course of exploitation of any property. Depreciation is defined to cover the waste of assets due to exhaustion, wear and tear, and obsolescence of the physical property, and is separate and distinct from depletion; its allowance is that amount which should be set aside for the taxable year in such sums as for the useful life of ,the property will suffice to repay its original cost-or its value as of Mar: 1, 1913, if acquired by the taxpayer before that date-less the salvage value at the end of such useful life. Amortization is allowed for such facilities as were built or acquired on or after Apr. 6, 1917, for the production of articles contributing to the prosecution of the war and, in the case of vessels, those built and acquired after that date. The amount to be extinguished, in general, is the excess of the unextinguished or unrecovered cost of the property over its maximum value under stable .post-war conditions.

Jan 9, 1920

By J. T. Crawford

COAL-CLEANING plants using the launder process generally wash the fine coal (minus 3/8 or minus 5/16-in.) separately in a plant consisting of washing launders or troughs placed one below another and sometimes supplemented by additional washing equipment such as tables and jigs. The coal and its associated impurities enters the feed end of the top launder, with a current of push water. As the material moves along the impurities, being heavier than coal, settle toward the bottom of the launder and are drawn off, with some coal, through "free discharge" boxes to the launder below. These boxes were given their name because their discharge falls freely; that is, it does not discharge into a water seal. Thus the impurities are progressively concentrated in the lower launders until box products are sufficiently free of coal to be discharged to refuse. The overflows of the upper launders go to clean coal while the overflow of the lowest launder, and perhaps that of the one immedi-ately above, is usually recirculated to the plant feed. Thus the bulk of the clean coal is removed rapidly and the impurities are concentrated more slowly. The chief purpose of this paper is to present the cleaning data of such a plant under different operating conditions.

Jan 1, 1940

By A. J. Lyon

The stability and permanence of any structural material used in aircraft are of paramount importance. The spontaneous hardening, or age-hardening, which takes place in some of the aluminum alloys under ordinary conditions of temperature and atmosphere, is accompanied by an increase in tensile strength and proportional limit and a decrease in elongation or ductility. Within the last few years the introduction of a number of strong and ductile casting alloys led to a study by the Materiel Division, Air Corps, of the permanence of the physical properties in several of these alloys. It has been found that even though some alloys have good properties directly after casting or heat treatment, they are not satisfactory for stressed parts that require a combination of strength and ductility. It has also led to the conclusion that all alloys that can be hardened by artificial aging—heating in a temperature range below 170" C. (340" F.)—will harden spontaneously if allowed to stand for a sufficient length of time. It follows that, in aircraft work where the factors of safety are limited on account of the necessity of keeping the weight of the structures as low as possible consistent with their safe operation, the properties of the alloys in the stable or final condition should be used as a basis for design rather than the properties obtained on the material directly after casting. The work of Wilm in Germany, Hanson and Gayler at the National Physical Laboratory in England, and Merica, Jeffries, and others in the United States, has shown that the spontaneous hardening is characteristic to a greater or less extent in all aluminum-base alloys in which the solubility in the solid state of the alloying constituents decreases with the temperature. It has been shown that, by heating to a temperature as near as possible to the melting point of the material and soaking at that temperature for a sufficient length of time and then quenching or cooling rapidly, a maximum amount of the soluble constituents can be retained in solution and the condition of maximum hardening effect upon aging can be obtained. Also, in ordinary sand and chill castings, without heat treatment, a sufficient amount of the alloying constituents is held in solution to cause important changes in the final physical properties.

Jan 1, 1929

By A. J. Lyon

The stability and permanence of any structural material used in aircraft are of paramount importance. The spontaneous hardening, or age-hardening, which takes place in some of the aluminum alloys under ordinary conditions of temperature and atmosphere, is accompanied by an increase in tensile strength and proportional limit and a decrease in elongation or ductility. Within the last few years the introduction of a number of strong and ductile casting alloys led to a study by the Materiel Division, Air Corps, of the permanence of the physical properties in several of these alloys. It has been found that even though some alloys have good properties directly after casting or heat treatment, they are not satisfactory for stressed parts that require a combination of strength and ductility. It has also led to the conclusion that all alloys that can be hardened by artificial aging—heating in a temperature range below 170" C. (340" F.)—will harden spontaneously if allowed to stand for a sufficient length of time. It follows that, in aircraft work where the factors of safety are limited on account of the necessity of keeping the weight of the structures as low as possible consistent with their safe operation, the properties of the alloys in the stable or final condition should be used as a basis for design rather than the properties obtained on the material directly after casting. The work of Wilm in Germany, Hanson and Gayler at the National Physical Laboratory in England, and Merica, Jeffries, and others in the United States, has shown that the spontaneous hardening is characteristic to a greater or less extent in all aluminum-base alloys in which the solubility in the solid state of the alloying constituents decreases with the temperature. It has been shown that, by heating to a temperature as near as possible to the melting point of the material and soaking at that temperature for a sufficient length of time and then quenching or cooling rapidly, a maximum amount of the soluble constituents can be retained in solution and the condition of maximum hardening effect upon aging can be obtained. Also, in ordinary sand and chill castings, without heat treatment, a sufficient amount of the alloying constituents is held in solution to cause important changes in the final physical properties.

Jan 1, 1929

By S. G. Epstein

Using the capillary-reservoir technique, electromi-gvation rates of cadmium and indium in liquid bismuth were measured at several temperatures. The electric mobility of cadmium Jrom 305° to 535°C and indium from 310° to 595°C can be expressed as a function of temperature by the equations UIn = 1.52 x 10-3 exp sq caz per v-sec Migraion of both solutes was cathode-divected at a rate rnore than four tiMes tHAt previously found for siluer in liquid bisnmth. The electric mobilities of cadmium and indiulrz in liquid bismuth at 500° C are nearly identical with their respective mobilities in mercury at room temperature. AS part of a systematic study of the variables which are considered to control electromigration in liquid metals, the electromigration rates of cadmium and indium in liquid bismuth have been measured. Mass transport properties of silver in liquid bismuth have been reported previously,&apos; and measurements of tin and antimony in liquid bismuth are forthcoming. Comparisons will be made with literature values for these same solutes in mercury.2&apos;3 This series of solutes was selected to determine the effect of the solute valence on its electromigration. Silver, cadmium, indium, tin, and antimony have nearly equal atomic masses but have chemical valences ranging from +1 to +5. They are all fairly soluble in bismuth above 300°C and all have radioactive isotopes, which are an aid in making analyses. EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUE Electromigration of cadmium and indium in liquid bismuth was measured by the modified capillary-reservoir technique previously described.&apos; In this method irradiated cadmium or indium is added to bismuth to form alloys containing about 1 wt pct solute (<2 at. pct solute). Several quartz or Pyrex capillaries: 1 mm ID and 5 cm long, vertically oriented, are simultaneously filled in the reservoir of the liquid alloy. A direct current is passed through two of the capillaries, which contain tungsten electrodes sealed in the upper end. The other capillaries sample the reservoir during the experiment. After a measured time interval the capillaries are removed from the reservoir and rapidly cooled. The glass is then broken away from the solidi- fied alloy, which is then weighed, dissolved in acid, and analyzed for solute content by chemical and radiochem-ical techniques. An electric mobility (velocity per unit field) can be calculated from the amount of solute entering or leaving each capillary by the simplified expression1 in which Ui is the electric mobility of the solute, ?mi the solute weight change, Ci the solute concentration of the reservoir, I the current, p the alloy resistivity, and l the duration of the experiment. This expression is valid as long as the experiment is terminated before a concentration gradient develops across the capillary orifice. Earlier experiments showed that the concentration gradient formed initially at the electrode changes with time and eventually reaches the orifice, due to back-diffusion. This condition produces a solute exchange between capillary and reservoir by diffusion or convection, opposing the electromigration, which results in a lower measured value for the electric mobility. To determine if the concentration gradient had reached the orifice, the capillaries used in some of the experiments were sectioned at 1-cm intervals and the solute content of the alloy from each section was radiochemically determined. A typical concentration profile for an experiment with indium in bismuth is shown in Fig. 1; cadmium in bismuth showed similar behavior. As illustrated in the graph, very little back-diffusion has occurred in the capillary containing the cathode, since the concentration gradient is confined to the upper 1 cm of the capillary. In the capillary containing the anode, however, the concentration gradient is much broader, extending nearly to the orifice, even though the net change in solute concentration is nearlv the same in both capillaries. Since cadmium and indium probably lower the density of bismuth when alloyed, depletion of the solute from the alloy adjacent to the anode would increase the density of the liquid in the uppermost region of the capillary. This would give rise to convective mixing within the capillary, causing the broadened concentration gradient. Conversely, the alloy adjacent to the cathode should have a reduced density as the solute concentration is increased by migration, explaining the "normal" concentration profiles found in these capillaries. This disparity was not found for electromigration of silver in bismuth. Both metals have similar densities at the operating temperatures, and nearly symmetrical concentration profiles were found in the two capillaries of each exueriment. This density effect was also apparently encountered when an attempt was made to measure diffusion coefficients for indium in liquid bismuth by the same technique which was successfully used to measure diffusion of silver in bismuth.&apos; Capillaries 1 mm ID and 2 cm

Jan 1, 1968

By Henning Nielsen

SIX weeks ahead of schedule, the International Nickel Co. of Canada Ltd. has brought a 30-mile rail line into the newly born town of Thompson, Manitoba. Its construction spurs the development of a rich new mining region slated to become the world&apos;s second largest nickel-producing area-exceeded only by Inco&apos;s Sudbury, Ont., workings. Two mines, the Thompson and the Moak Lake, will be opened to meet International Nickel&apos;s scheduled annual production goal of 385 million lb of refined nickel by 1961. Accomplishment of this aim will mean an additional 75 million lb of the metal available to consumers. In addition, stepped-up out- put of Inco&apos;s Sudbury holdings may increase this figure by another 25 million lb. (For an earlier report on these developments see MINING ENGINEERING News, January 1957).

Jan 12, 1957

By Robert Glass Cleland

THE DEATH of William E. Dodge occurred at a time when, all unwittingly, the company in which he had so long been the dominant factor was about to break with its old practices, its old traditions, its old interests, and transfer its major activities three fourths of the way across the continent and engage in an enterprise that differed almost as much from the original Phelps Dodge undertakings as the rough, arid mountains of the new region differed from the green hills and valleys of New England. To understand the effect of this transformation upon the fortunes of Phelps Dodge, one must change the setting of the present narrative from the familiar locale of the Atlantic seaboard to the land of "distance, silence, and solitude," that men called Arizona. In 1880 that Territory was one of the last frontiers of the Old West. To the Spaniards it had been a land of mystery and fable, the limit of the King&apos;s settlements, the far edge of the rim of Christendom. Through it Coronado; in a vain effort to find the fabulous Cities of Cibola, had led "the most brilliant company ever assembled in the Indies to go in search of new lands." Below its southern border, Father Kino, the "steel-thewed" Jesuit described by his

Jan 1, 1952

L. D. Ricketts, New York, N. Y.-In recent years the metallurgical field of the copper industry has expanded greatly, the copper ores have become lean and diverse in character, and we are obliged to treat such ores on a very large scale. On the commercial side, the operating and consulting staffs of ,the great mining companies have been enlarged and organized, and no great capital expenditure is decided upon until it has been investigated and recommended by a highly organized force of specialists as a committee. I believe that in the scientific field and in the most valuable proceedings of our various societies the old idea of one-man point of view and one-man treatment of principle and detail together has been. splendidly developed and should continue, but for the advancement of our art we should deliberately discuss subjects among ourselves in order to do away with the idiosyncrasies of the individual and to gain a composite view representing the best thought of many men. In the development of new ideas leading to the introduction of new methods, the societies could enlarge their present great field of usefulness if such discussion be had, and in my opinion further great good could be done if a number of men of different qualifications and experience would join in preparing a joint book, each dealing with his particular problem, but consulting the other men. In this way individualism would be preserved and various processes would be described, and if properly reviewed the paper would be palpably capable of analysis, and the student would have at his command the associated efforts of a group of qualified engineers.

Jan 4, 1915

By A. P. Boller

In the victories of peace as well as of war, the science of engineering has played a prominent, if, indeed, not the leading part. While it might be interesting, and food for profitable thought, to trace the development of engineering from early times in its bearings upon the social betterment of mankind, it will be sufficient on the present occasion to suggest a few thoughts that it is hoped will aid the unprofessional listener to an appreciative consideration of the subject-matter laid down for to-day&apos;s discussion, and possibly lead the professional brother to a higher conception of the profession to which he belongs. Since the advent of the railway era, it is difficult to grasp the sequence of historic events that have led to the wondrous derelopment of mechanical science, making possible the civilization that is our daily boast, and opening up a vista of future intellectual and moral advancement among the nations of the earth, &apos;before which the imagination becomes hopelessly lost. Even now, looking back over a period of only half a century, we often fail to realize the vast change in the relations of individuals and nations to each other., brought about by the results of those mechanical discoveries which, having made the whole world kin, exercise a resistless levelling influence that bears fruit politically in the spread of republican ideas, and morally in the elevation of the individual through the facilities given to the dissemination of Christian ideas and general intelligence. In this view, it seems almost like a work of supererogation for a body of representative men of one department of that science to which the whole world owe. so much, to meet here at the centre of our national life to plead not only for a practical recognition of the national importance of the work to which their lives are devoted, but also for national aid, on a scale beyond that of private effort, to the end that mechanical science may be carried to a higher plane than ever yet attained, each step on the way being of material benefit to every man, woman, and child in the community. Possibly this is strong language, but none too strong when we consider that the work for which we plead is one affecting not only vast scientific and commercial interests, but also human life, to a degree little ap

Jan 1, 1882

By H. C. Fiedler

A high degree of cuhe-on-edge grain orientation and good magnetic properties were obtained in Si-Fe strip processed from laboratory heats containing vanadium nitride inclusions. The higher the nitrogen content the greater was the restraint on normal grain growth and the greater was the ability to undergo secondary recrystal-lization. The degree of restraint in a heat containing magnanese sulfide inclusions was slightly greater than that in the lowest nitrogen vanadium nitride heat. The high rate of diffusion of nitrogen in the temperature range in which the texture is developed makes it necessary to retard the loss of the inclusions until the texture has been developed. MAY and Turnbulll have shown that to develop the cube-on-edge secondary recrystallization texture in Si-Fe it is necessary that inclusions, such as manganese sulfide, be present to prevent normal grain growth. They showed that the driving force for the growth of the secondary grains is inversely proportional to the diameter of the matrix grains, and that the function of the inclusions is to maintain a small matrix grain size. Fast3has developed cube-on- edge texture in Si-Fe by nitriding the hot rolled band. The silicon nitride thereby formed promotes secondary recrystallization during the anneal of the final gage strip. To obtain the best magnetic properties, the inclusions must be removed from the strip after the grain orientation has been developed. Nitride inclusions have an inherent advantage over sulfide inclusions in that the greater diffusivity of nitrogen as comared to sulfur permits the use of shorter times and or lower temperatures for the purification heat treatment. The purpose of the work to be described was to examine the usefulness of vanadium nitride inclusions in developing the cube-on-edge texture and to determine the magnetic properties of oriented strip made from heats containing these inclusions. A comparison is made with a heat having had iden-

Jan 1, 1962

By A. D. Zunkel, A. H. Larson

Equilibrium antimony contents of pb-sb alloys in contact with PbO-Sb2O3 slags containing less than 45 mole pct Sb203 uleve determined at 650&apos;, 700°, and 750°C in an inert atmosphere. In this ten~pevature range, the antimony contmzt of the alloy increased with increasing temperature at all slag compositions. The PbO-Sb203 phase diagram below 28 mole pct Sb2O3 was determined by thermal analysis and by application of a log sbZ4/y$b0 us plot determined from the equilibrium-activity data. The resulting phase diagram showed a eutectic at a temperature of 604°C and a comfiosition of 21.6 mole pct Sb2O, with a maximum terminal solid solubility of Sb203 in PbO of 5.6 mole pct. These results are compared with existing data in the literature. In the past three decades, only a small amount of experimental work has been done on the slag-metal equilibria in the Pb-PbO-SbaO3 or the analogous arsenic and tin systems. These systems are important in commercial lead-refining processes such as softening and dross fuming since it is impurities such as antimony, arsenic, and tin in lead bullion and Sb2O3, As2O3, and SnOz in lead drosses which must be re-

Jan 1, 1968

By Edwin Ludlow

For many years, coal has been known to exist in the valley of the Sabinas river, in the State of Coahuila, and for about 15 years it has been worked by the Mexican International Railway Co., which opened mines for its own fuel-supply when the railway was built, and has been mining continuously ever since. The coal-basin worked by this company lies along the Sabinas river, principally on the SW. side. It covers a wide area and has been carefully prospected, but only in a few parts have the beds been found sufficiently thick and regular for economical operation. This Sabinas basin was considered the only one in this field, until, in the Spring of 1899, the Las Esperanzas basin was found by Messrs. J. L. Elliot and E. D. Peters, who were in Mexico looking after some copper-properties. After a further examination by Mr. James T. Gardiner, of New York, the Mexican Coal & Coke Co. was organized in June, and active work was begun on Nov. 5, 1899. The coal-field of Las Esperanzas, situated in the State of Coahuila, about 85 miles SW. of Eagle Pass, Texas, adjoins and runs parallel with the Sabinas basin—an anticlinal separating the two outcrops by about 2 miles. Fig. 1 is a sketch-map of a part of the basin. The coal-formation is in the Upper Cretaceous, and corresponds with the Laramie measures of the United States. The following geological section, taken in Nogales canon, shows the measures between the massive limestones forming the Sierra de la Santa Rosa and the outcrop of the coal: Section. Feet. Limestone,...Unknown. Blue shale,.........110 Shale and sandstone,.. 60 Bed of fossiliferous shale,. 60

Jan 1, 1902

By Howard A. Meyerhoff

Nonmetallic rock and mineral products are so diversified that any generalizations regarding the industries based upon them are of doubtful value and can be misleading. They are geared to every phase of the national economy and respond sensitively and immediately to any economic change, but the responses vary with the individual products. They are also affected by political and competitive factors to a degree that is disconcerting and, at times, ruinous to operators, owners, and stockholders of mineral properties. It is not unusual to find these special factors functioning in reverse of general trends insofar as individual products are concerned. As this summary is being written in the final weeks of 1949 production statistics for the year are not complete, but it is obvious that few, if any, new production records will be set, and that 1949 level, will, in general, be lower than those of 1948. The decline in output is not alarming and reflects in large part the tendency of users, who have been finding sources of supply more dependable to rely on prompt deliveries rather than on inventories to meet immediate needs. Except for the government&apos;s program of stock piling which, insofar as it has worked at all, is of more direct interest and benefit to foreign than to domestic producers, industrial inventories have been further reduced, and the neater balance between production and consumption has freed capital for the manufacturer and has cut down the serious hazard of substantial inventory losses. There are no quantity products and only a few special products that cannot be supplied in quick response to current demands. Normal development of a few nonmetallic industries has been retarded by the government&apos;s unpredictable application and irrational interpretation of antitrust laws, and by extension of preferential tariffs to new countries and new products. Synthesis is likewise a potent threat. in certain fields, but otherwise it is difficult to make a review of 1949 read much differently from a review of 1948. Changes have been qualitative rather than quantitative, except for a few operations that have been pinched out by the relentless competition that characterizes many of the industrial mineral industries.

Jan 1, 1950

By F. O. Garrabrant

POWER is furnished to the Climax Molybdenum Co. by the Public Service Co. of Colorado over two 100,000-volt line to a bank of three 3333-kva. Transformers 100/13.8 kv. These transformers arc so designed that with the addition of forced cooling their capacity may be increased 33 1/3 per cent at 12,000-ft. altitude. Under present conditions, these transformers are operated at 140 per cent of their rating with forced air cooling. On the secondary side of this bank there is a 15-kv., 1200- amp. Westinghouse oil circuit breaker provided with automatic reclosing relays allowing three successive short circuits before lockout. From this breaker 13.8-kv. power is transmitted to a central switching station (Fig. I) where all circuits radiate to the different operations of the property. Each circuit is protected by a 23-kv., 600-amp. oil circuit breaker with by-pass and isolating disconnecting switches. MINE Power at 13.8 kv. enters the mine through a ventilation raise over a three-conductor, size 1-0 varnished cambric insulated, leaded, steel-wire armored cable, insulated from 17 kv. This power is received and distributed through one switching station and four underground substations, shown in Fig. 2. No. 370 substation (Fig. 3) contains three 250-kva, 13,800/440-volt, single-phase Pyranol transformers protected on the high-voltage side by a 600-amp. manually operated oil circuit breaker. This station serves 20 slusher-hoist motors, a 45-kw., three-phase, 220-volt electric furnace, a Massco hot miller for tempering and milling Timken detachable bits and a hoist with 175-hp. motor on the No. 3 development shaft. Also at this shaft are three pumps. One two-stage pump, 1200 gal, per min., 100-ft. head, 3600 r.p.m., driven by a 150-hp. motor, is at the bottom of the shaft. Two deep-well pumps, 500 gal. per min., 500-ft. head, are at the collar of the shaft. Under normal operation the one pumping 1200 gal. per min. is controlled by a float switch to take care of the water. If this pump fails, or if its capacity is insufficient, the first 500-gal. pump is automatically started, and if still more capacity is needed the second 500-gal. pump automatically starts. Time delay relays are provided on the deep-well pumps, so that if power fails the column will have time to drain before the pumps restart. On failure of any of these, an alarm is sounded in the train dispatcher&apos;s office, so that mechanics can be sent to ascertain the cause of failure and make repairs. The cable from No. 370 substation is run to the switching station, in which are four15-kv., 600-amp. direct-current solenoid-operated oil circuit breakers. The current for operating and tripping is furnished by a 125-volt storage battery. All breakers are operated from the switchboard in the compressor room. One circuit from this switching station goes to the

Jan 1, 1944