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By O. G. Bell

Development and exploratory work continued vigorously during 1933 in Southwest Texas and, from a standpoint of new production discovered, the new discoveries probably equal or may even exceed any previous year in the history of this area. While exploratory work has been general over the area much of it has been confined to two localities; namely, northern Duval-southern McMullen counties and Starr County. A persistent effort has been made to open new productive areas in northern Duval County and the adjacent part of McMullen County, occasioned primarily by the fact that the Government Wells group of fields in northern Duval County have been by far the best fields so far developed in this part of the state, and the possibility of being able to find new fields in the same general area under similar geologic conditions. This has resulted in the discovery of three new fields, Northwest Government Wells, Moca and Eagle Hill. In addition encouraging shows have been found in North Kohler, Hoffman, Smith-Hunter and the Ignacio areas with the prospect that continued exploratory work will develop some of these prospects into fields. Wildcatting in Starr County was the continued result of an effort to find a trend of production through the county southwestward from the older Reynosa Escarpment fields in Webb, Jim Hogg and Zapata counties. This same impulse has caused most of the wildcatting in Zapata County. New Fields Cuevitas.—During the early part of the year the Sun Oil Co. began some core-drill work on a block of leases in northern Starr County, then in June drilled a test which found production in the McElroy member of the Jackson at 2200 ft. Drilling in this field has continued but the productive area has not as yet been clearly defined. Seven oil wells and three gas wells have been completed. There is as yet no pipe line outlet for this production, hence no productive history of the wells has been

Jan 1, 1934

By William R. Webster

At the Florida meeting of the Institute, in March, 1895, I presented a Note on a Proposed Scheme for the Study of the Physics of Cast-Iron,1 giving an outline which, for convenience of reference, I here repeat. Suggested Lines for DiScuSsion and IvestiGation. I.—Correspondence between chemical composition and melting-point, fluidity, shrinkage, fracture, chill, micro-structure, and other physical properties. II.—Influence of: 1. Cupola-mixture, use of steel and other scrap, oxidized or clean material, 2. Manner of melting, flux, etc., 3. Casting-temperature, A. Fracture. 4. Manner of handling melted metal and B. Micro-structure. method of casting, C. Physical properties. 5. Size and form of casting, D. Shrinkage. 6 Kind of mold, green sand (under dif- on E. Chill. ferent conditions of ramming, amount F. Residual strew of moisture, and skin-dried), dry sand, G. Condition and quan- loam, and chills, tity of carbon and 7. Rate and mode of cooling castings, other elements. 8. Manner and temperature of heating for annealing, 9. Additions of nickel or aluminum, III. —-Segregation as affected by : 1. Composition ; 2. Casting-temperature; 3. Rate of cooling ; 4. Size and shape of casting. IV. —Blow-holes, their volume and position as affected by: 1. Composition; 2. Casting-temperature; 3. Casting-pressure ; 4. Rate of cooling; 5. Size and ehape of casting ; 6. Special additions. It was hoped that a discussion might thus be elicited, similar in interest and value to the discussion of the physics of steel, which had been so widely and gratefully welcomed by students and practitioners in that department. That this hope was not

Jan 1, 1905

By H. I. Smith

The technical and safety press have devoted much space in support of or in opposition to the use of booster and auxiliary fans in coal mines. The Mine Safety Board of the U. S. Bureau of Mines has given the matter consideration, and the Mine Ventilation Committee of the A. I. M. E. is now seeking a discussion of the merits and demerits of such fans to guide it in formulating recommendations. In this paper I will set up some principles on which I believe most engineers will agree and from which we may work toward a decision, though as to what that decision shall be there may be a difference in opinion. Before stating the points on which I believe there is accord, I will distinguish between booster and auxiliary fans. Definition of Booster and Auxiliary Fans In discussing underground fans G. S. Rice1 distinguishes between those used to increase the amount of air passing a given point and those used to augment the ventilation locally. He describes a booster fan as one which is installed to handle the entire air current passing a given

Jan 1, 1927

By E. P. Mathewson

The early development of the reverberatory furnace for smelting copper-ores was the work of the Welsh smelters, particularly those of Swansea. The first record of a reverberatory furnace is made by Jars, who states that in 1755 copper-smelting was effected .in reverberatory furnaces at Middleton-Tyas, in Yorkshire, England. The first patent, of any importance, for improvements in reverberatory furnaces was granted to Thomas Williams in 1778 for the granulation of the regulus. The next was that of William Evetts, in Sheffield, in 1812, for the cooling of the fire-bridge by the admission of air. Charge-hoppers above the furnaces were in common use in 1848. The size of the hearth of the furnaces about the beginning of the 19th century was commonly 11 by 8 feet. No material development was made until the Welsh process mas brought to Colorado, where Richard Pearce, as manager of the Argo works, near Denver, developed the furnace to meet the requirements of a custom plant, under keen competition with lead-silver smelting-plants, using blast-furnaces. His improvements are outlined in Fig. 1, elaborated by permission from E. D. Peters's excellent work,' to which the reader is referred for further details. This figure shows that the furiiaces were in 1878, 9 ft. 8 in. by 15 ft. in hearth; and in 1894, 16 by 35 ft., while the capacity of the furnace had been increased from 12 tons per 24 hr. to 50 tons in the same period.

Jan 1, 1913

By R. J. Cowan

IN the art of cementation a controversy has been going on for years as to whether solid or gaseous carbon is the active agent in carburizing steel. More recently opinion has crystallized into a compromise to the effect that carburizing is a gaseous cementation of steel in the presence of solid carbon. The importance of this theory has a particular bearing upon the work to be described. In the art of carburizing, use is commonly made of such words as "catalytic," "atomic," "nascent" and "activated;" in an attempt to describe the process. These words are used indiscriminately. For, instance, the gas is said to be "catalytic" and carbon to be "nascent," or vice versa. In using these expressions, investigators are confirming the acceptance in their minds of the active conditions of both gas and carbon in the cementation process.

Jan 1, 1931

By W. M. Albrecht, W. D. Klopp, R. I. Jaffee, B. G. Koehl

Kinetic studies were made of the reactions of tantalum with oxygen, nitrogen, and air at 400o to 1500°C. The tantalum-oxygen reaction is linear from 500° to 1250°C. The tantalum-nitrogen reaction follows a cubic rate law at 400° to 700°C and a parabolic rate law at 800" to 1475°C. The reaction behavior in air is initially parabolic followed by a transition to linear behavior. In the search for high-temperature materials, considerable interest is being shown in the refractory metal, tantalum. It is the third highest melting metal with a melting point of 2996°C. Also, tantalum has excellent ductility, making it one of the most workable refractory metals. In considering high-temperature applications of tantalum, the oxidation kinetics of the metal must be known. Such information also serves as a basis for the development of corrosion resistant tantalum-base alloys. Therefore, this study was made to investigate the reaction of tantalum with air, nitrogen, and oxygen. LITERATURE Several oxides of tantalum have been reported. The pentoxide, Taz05, is the only oxide of tantalum whose identity has been established. A high-temperature modification, aTa2Os, has been reported by several investigators.1-4 A low-temperature phase, ßTa2O5, undergoes an allotropic transformation at 1320o to 1350oC. 5-8 Four other oxides of tantalum have been reported. The oxides TaO2, TaO, and Ta4O have been reported by schonberg.9 A suboxide Ta2O, was observed by Wasilewski 6. However, the presence of oxides lower than Ta2O5 is questioned by Lagergren and Magneli.7 In oxidation studies, vermilyeal0 and Peterson, et al.,12 reported one possible phase intermediate between Ta and Ta2O5. Only Ta2O5 was formed in the tantalum air reaction, as reported by Michae1.l3 Several studies have been made on the kinetics of the tantalum-oxygen reaction. vermilyeal4 investigated the range 50° to 300°C and found that the rate of growth of a thin adherent oxide film could be described by the Cabrera-Mott theory. Gulbransen and Andrew15,18 studied the reaction kinetics of tantalum in oxygen pressure of 1/10 atm at 250° to 450°C. At all temperatures the reaction followed the parabolic rate law for periods up to two hours. The oxidation behavior in the range 500" to 1000°C was found to be linear at oxygen pressures of 0.2 to 600 psi according to Peterson. et al.l1 At very low pressures (1 x 10-3 to 2 X lo-' mm of Hg) Gebhardt and seghezzi17 reported linear oxidation at 800° to 1500°C. The reaction of tantalum with air is similar to the reaction with oxygen. Studies have been made by Waber, et a1.,12 and Michae1.l3 Two nitrides of tantalum, TaN and Ta2N are known. Their structures have been determined by Brauer and Zapp 18,19 The tantalum-nitrogen reaction kinetics have been investigated by Gulbransen and Andrews. 15, 16 The reaction follows the parabolic rate law at 500° to 850°C at a nitrogen pressure of 1/10 ,atm. At the same temperature, the tantalum-nitrogen reaction is much slower than the tantalum-oxygen reaction. EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES Material— The material used in this study was high-purity, electron-beam-melted tantalum obtained from the Temescal Metallurgical Corp. The hardness of the as received ingot was 76 Vhn. The analysis of the material is given in Table I. Methods—Cylindrical specimens of tantalum approximately 0.9 cm in diam and 0.5 cm in length

Jan 1, 1962

Jan 1, 1970

Discussion of the paper of DAVID COLE, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 9S, February, 191.5, pp. 431 to 444. R. H. RICHARDS, Boston, Mass.-The Butchart riffle seems to violate, according to our preconceived notions, some of the very essential principles of the Wilfley riffle, and therefore ought not to succeed, but it does. On this account it must conform to other very important principles, or it would not succeed. It would beinteresting to know what these principles are which enable it to succeed. E. P. MATHEWSON, Butte, Mont.-I cannot, explain the principles on which this riffle acts, because I have not given it personal attention. All I can say is that I first saw the riffle in operation several years ago at the Steptoe Valley mill in Nevada, and I was told that a man had been around there guaranteeing that these riffles would make the table do twice as much work and do it better than with the ordinary Wilfley riffles. I heard nothing further about it for a long time. I heard about a year ago, from David Cole, the author of this paper, that the riffles were a success, and that he was using them at Morenci, and if, we were interested he would send the inventor to show us how they worked. As we knew of David Cole's reputation, we invited Mr. Butchart to come up and show us how his riffles worked. We did not have sufficient confidence in the invention to guarantee Mr. Butchart his traveling expenses, but lie came up entirely at his own expense and put in a set of the riffles on one table. It was known as a roughing table in our No.

Jan 5, 1915

By Arnold J. Rothstein, Raymond Kaufman

A large number of firms and institutions have evaluated possibilities of mining the manganese nodule source, beginning with a major effort in 1957-58. There have been as many as ten commercial firms actively engaged in major programs of engineering and development, including Deepsea Ventures/Tenneco, Hughes Tool Co., Kennecott Copper Corp. and Ocean Resources, Inc. Foreign firms active in the field are International Nickel CO., Sumitomo Group/MITI, AMR (a joint venture of three West German companies-Metallgesell- schaft AG, Preussag and Salzgitter AG), and Societe le Nickel (CNEXO). It is estimated that it will take from 11 to 19 years for the more successful ventures to reach operational levels. Investment Costs and Rates of Return Five different programs, all from public sources, have been studied to analyze dollar figures regarding investment costs and the possible return on these costs. All are based on a unit of production of a million tpy of dry nodules through the processing plant, which is considered the minimum likely capacity. The costs are not always comparable, and with some liberties, have been forced into two categories. The first covers mining and sea-related costs. The second will include the onshore processing and other costs such as administrative and distribution figures. The costs in all cases are for complete ventures extending from prospecting through mining, processing and distribution of several metals and other products derived from the nodules. All costs are joint product costs, making certain comparisons with land mining difficult.

Jan 4, 1974

By F. Keller, A. H. Geisler

Some of the important changes that take place in the structure of aluminum alloys are largely submicroscopic in character. This is especially true of the changes that accompany age-hardening and recrystallization. Although improved metallographic practices have been helpful in indicating some of these changes indirectly, results are limited by the resolving power of optical microscope lenses. The electron microscope, however, provides a new and important means for investigating the fine structure of metals in a range not possible heretofore. It is anticipated that this microscope will yield new and useful information to metallurgists when suitable techniques are developed to utilize its very high resolving power. Several unique methods have been devised to permit the examination of the structure of opaque samples by the electron microscope. These are all based on the principle of producing a very thin film that represents the prepared surface of the opaque metal sample, which can be examined in the transmission microscope; however, the available methods fall into three categories, depending on the manner in which the film is obtained. With the oxide-film method developed by Mahl3-17 a very thin surface layer of the metallographic sample is converted into oxide by a thermal, chemical or anodic treatment. After removal from the metal sample by one of the special techniques described by Evans,19 this oxide film is examined in the electron microscope, and is found to portray the structure of the original metal surface. Films formed on aluminum,8,17 nickel,7 iron 3,8,9 and a nickel-beryllium alloy" by heating; films formed on iron 8.9 by chemical action; and films formed on aluminum3-16 by anodic oxidation, have been examined. The other two are more recent methods developed principally in this country; they consist in making the thin film in the form of a mold or replica of the surface contour of an etched sample. With the negative replica method the thin film is made directly on the sample; with the positive replica method it is made on a negative reproduction of the sample. With both methods, variations in the contour of the metal sample, caused mainly by etching, produce variations in the thickness of the surface replica. Because of the direct dependence of the amount of scattering of the illuminating electrons upon the thickness of the film penetrated, only the variations in thickness of the replica are responsible for tones in the electron image. Negative replicas are made by forming a thin film of some suitable material directly on the polished and etched metal sample, and derive their name from the fact that after removal from the sample they have the high and low points in the sample reversed, as shown in Fig. I. Nega-

Jan 1, 1944

By Donald H. McLaughlin

THE primary function of the mining engineer is to find mineral deposits and fuels in the accessible rocks of the earth and to recover them for the vast needs of our complicated civilization. On him has been placed the responsibility for the exploitation of the nation's and world's mineral resources. The degree to which the minerals of the earth have been utilized serves to an extent as a measure of man's material advancement, as well as an index of the relative strength of nations. The natural endowment of lands, varies greatly, but the intellectual energy of a people is revealed by the way in which they take advantage of their heritage of minerals or reach out to less developed regions by exporting their engineering skill as well as capital to secure the raw materials they need.

Jan 2, 1953

FOLLOWING- the major explosion disaster in the Orient No. 2 mine of the Chicago, Wilmington and Franklin Coal Co., West Frankfort, Ill., on December 21, 1951, resulting in the death of 119 miners, an investigation was made by the U. S. Bureau of Mines under the direction of J. J. Forbes, Bureau director. The subsequent report concluded that the disaster. was caused by the emergence of a-large body of explosive gas from an abandoned area and simultaneous short circuiting of the ventilating current; the gas was ignited by an electric arc from nonpermissible electrical equipment and the flame was propagated throughout a large part of the affected area by coal dust and possibly by gas from other worked-out and abandoned areas. An immediate repercussion of the disaster was the opening of hearings by the. Senate Labor and Public Welfare Subcommittee on the Neely Mine Inspection Bill (S. 1310, introduced April 11, 1951) which would give federal coal-mine inspectors power to enforce safety recommendations by ordering the withdrawal of all employees where conditions constitute an imminent danger to their safety. Two days of testimony, January 24 and 25, disclosed that coal operators were not in agreement on the bill, although John L. Lewis, speaking for the UMWA, and J. J. Forbes, for the Bureau of Mines, were advocates.

Jan 1, 1952

By B. Haimson, C. Fairhurst

One of the main functions of rock mechanics research has been to find ways of determining in-situ stresses. Many methods have been suggested, the most significant ones calling for measurements inside bore- holes. These methods usually employ some instrumentation for the purpose of measuring hole deformation. Several years ago, a new method was suggested by Scheidegger,l based on previous work by Hubbert and Willis.2 It was the method of "hydraulic fracturing," which had been introduced by the oil industry in 1948 for the purpose of oil-well production stimulation. Basically, hydraulic fracturing consists of sealing off a section of a borehole, pumping in a fluid, and pressurizing it until fracture occurs. If pumping is continued vigorously, the fracture is opened up and extended. In an oil field, such an artificial fracture increases the overall permeability of the formation and usually enhances production. During the entire operation, the variation of pressure with time is ordinarily recorded. Hubbert,2 Scheidegger,1 Kehle,3 and others have shown that the recorded pressures can be theoretically related to the magnitudes of the principal in-situ stresses; the orientation of the fracture can often be used to determine the direction of the principal stresses. The advantage of hydraulic fracturing over the present in-situ stress determination methods is simplicity: no sophisticated instrumentation is required inside the borehole; hence, the stresses can be measured at any depth. Moreover, if the formation is impermeable to the fracturing fluid, no elastic constants of the rock are required in calculating the stresses, a

Jan 1, 1970

By J. B. Newkirk

IN 1939 Bitter and Kaufmann1 suggested that iron, precipitating from a copper-rich, Cu-Fe solid solution, appears initially as coherent particles of r-Fe which transform to the body-centered-cubic form of iron when the alloy is cold worked. Since then there has been considerable discussion, supported only by indirect evidence, regarding the validity of the concept. For example, Reekie, Hutchison, and Hether-ington2 interpreted the changes in electrical resistance accompanying the aging of Cu-Fe specimens in terms of a coherent 7-Fe precipitate which transformed to the incoherent a-phase during long aging or cold working. Greninger- ound that Cu-Fe alloys which had been water quenched from 1050" and then held at 650°C for 3 hr changed from weakly to strongly ferromagnetic as the aged wire was subsequently cold worked. He also found diffraction lines corresponding to body-centered-cubic iron in Debye-Scherrer patterns given by aged and worked specimens but lines corresponding to only one face-centered-cubic phase in specimens which had been aged but not worked. Knoppwost,' and later Cech and Turnbull,5 found that aged Cu-Fe specimens showed a slight increase in ferromagnet-ism after they had be? cooled in liquid nitrogen. Very recently Denney6 followed the kinetics of the precipitation reaction as indicated by the saturation magnetization, hardness, and diffuse X-ray effects. The experimental results reported by all of the authors mentioned above are readily explained in terms of the Bitter and Kaufmann concept. However, most of the evidence is indirect when used to define the structural changes involved. It was the aim of the present investigation to determine the mechanism of precipitation of iron from a Cu-Fe solid solution in the light of available published information and with additional new and more direct experimental data. Experimental Method At 1060°C copper will contain up to 3 atomic pct Fe in equilibrium solid solution.7 The solvus slopes rapidly toward lower iron concentration, so that at 600°C only about 0.5 pct Fe remains in solution at equilibrium. Below the eutectoid temperature (850°C), the iron-rich phase in equilibrium with the copper-rich solid solution consists of body-centered-cubic a-Fe. Above 850 °C the equilibrium iron-rich phase is face-centered-cubic r-Fe. The alloy to be studied was made by melting electrolytic iron and OFHC copper by induction under vacuum in an Alundum-lined crucible. The metal was held molten for about 5 min, after which time the power was turned off and the crucible was tipped about 70" to promote directional solidification. The resulting ingot, containing 2.5 wt pct Fe by analysis, was clean, large grained, and free of gross segregation. Slices % in. thick were cut from the ingot, rolled to 1/8 in. in thickness, homogenized in hydrogen at 1060°C for 24 hr and, finally, quenched in cold water. Specimens for all subsequent tests were made from these slices. Squares measuring about 1 cm on a side were cut from the slices to make specimens for studying hardness and microstructure. Wires (0.020 in.) for the Debye-Scherrer survey were drawn from 1/8 in. sq rods which had been cut from the homogenized slices. Large crystals for observing diffuse X-ray diffraction effects were prepared by mechanically

Jan 1, 1958

By T. L. McCall

THE late Walter Herd1 in 1929 gave a full description of past and present conditions in No. 2 mine, Springhill, Nova Scotia, developed theories regarding the cause of these bumps and made certain suggestions regarding possible methods of future development. Recapitulating briefly from Mr. Herd's paper, the seam is bituminous coal, averages 9 ft. in thickness and has a well defined parting containing fusain about 14 in. from the roof. This roof coal is somewhat stronger than the rest of the seam and has a tendency to cling to the roof. The pitch of the seam where it is now being worked is about 20°. The first manifestations of bumps began when the room and pillar workings had reached a depth of cover of 1900 ft. and under continuously increasing depth of cover these bumps increased to such an extent, both in number and severity, that in the year 1924 it became apparent that some change in the system of extraction was necessary. After closely studying all the factors involved and benefiting largely by valuable out-side advice obtained by the Provincial Department of Mines of Nova Scotia,2 the system of working was changed from room and pillar to longwall retreating. Mr. Herd's paper described in detail three remarkable bumps in the year 1928 in April, July and October that affected the 5700-ft. and 5900-ft. East levels, the last bump being so severe both in intensity and in extent of damage done that this district was abandoned. The longwall workings to the west of the slope had been stopped in the year 1926 owing to an inbreak of water, coming from the flooded waste of No. 3 seam lying some 400 ft. vertically overhead. This inflow was not excessive, but a large quantity of water being impounded in the old workings it was considered advisable to take the prudent course and not incur the risk of possibly increasing the flow by further working. This district has remained idle ever since.

Jan 1, 1934

By Robert Maes, Robert de Strycker

The Cu-Sn-As systeM was studied in the region near the Cu-42 and (214-As binary diagrams, where reactions in the solid state appear, resulting from the decomposition of the y(Cu-Sn) phase and from the formation of the 7 phase (Cu,As). The techniques used were microscopic observation, thermal analysis by dilatometry, and X-vay diffraction. The formation of the 7 phase gives rise to a ternavy pevitectoid veaction; the decomposition of the y phase gives rise to five transitional reactions. The temperatures of almost all these reactions could be determined; in the most favorable cases , the accuracy of this determination was of 11.5-C. The 7 phase is stabilized by tin additions, the arsenic atoms being replaced by tin atoms up to 35 pct; this has allowed the preparation of pure j) phase and the confirmation, by extrapolation, of the conrposition of this compound in the Cu-As diagram. In the first part of this work, the solidification reactions in the Cu-Sn-As phase diagram were studied. In the copper corner, the structure of the alloys presented the evidence of reactions in the solid state: on the one hand, all the alloys containing the y phase of the Cu-Sn diagram showed, under the microscope, that this phase had formed different decomposition products after complete solidification; on the other hand, the appearance of the 7 phase of the Cu-As diagram necessitated the introduction of a peritectoid formation reaction. The study of the decomposition of the y phase has been done by preparing about forty alloys that were homogeneous y at high temperature. The formation of the 7 phase has been studied by means of a few alloys with a composition near the homogeneity field of this phase at room temperature. The part of the Cu-Sn phase diagram of interest for this study is represented by Fig. 1, with the phase designation which will be used in the remainder of this paper; it is drawn after Hansen and Anderko.' The Cu-As diagram has already been presented in Part I of this work; the significant features of this study are the existence of the arsenides CusAs and Cu5Asz, and the formation of a compound CUEAS, designated as the 7 phase, by a peritectoid reaction at about 325°C. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS The fundamental technique for the investigation of this part of the Cu-Sn-As constitution diagram was microscopic observation; the greatest part of the observed alloys has also been subjected to thermal analysis by dilatometry; a few selected alloys have then undergone an X-ray analysis by powder diffraction. Alloy Preparation. The alloys were prepared from the same products as in Part I of this study: cathode copper, arsenic with a purity better than 99.5, and tin with a purity of 99.98. The fusion of the ternary alloys was realized from

Jan 1, 1967

By R. B. Burt, J. A. Barr, I. S. Tillotson

THE pumping of solids in water suspension is an important part of many metallurgical and mining operations. In most cases, it is still in the rule of thumb category for which no universal formula has been developed, and much research is needed. Because of the limited and incomplete data available, this article may be classed as an experience paper, which is presented with the hope that some contribution will be made toward the development of the so-called universal formula. This formula, if and when developed, may be evolved from several factors, many of which are not now available for general application. The designing engineer is interested in obtaining accurate forecasts on: 1—the minimum velocities needed to prevent choke-ups in the pipeline, which in turn dictates pipe sizes, 2—power required for pumping, 3—pump selection. The basic factors for a given problem will include: 1—weight per unit of time of solids to be handled, 2—specific gravity of solids, for calculation of volume, friction and power, 3—screen analysis of solids with the colloidal acting, i.e., the slime fraction, a very important factor, 4— shape of particle or some means of determining a friction constant, 5—effects of percentage of solids, 6—development of a viscosity factor to be used in the overall calculations, 7—calculation of the lower limits of pipeline velocities permissible, 8—calculation of total head, pump horsepower, and 9—setting up of pump specifications. In certain limited cases horsepower and total heads and minimum velocities may be computed and a suitable pump selected from basic data, but in many cases, as in mining of Florida pebble phosphate, experience rather than a hydraulic formula still should be used as a basis of selection. Pumping Florida Pebble Matrix Pumping at the Noralyn mine of International Minerals and Chemical Corp. will be used as an example. Other areas will vary as to the characteristics of the matrix, especially the slime content. A typical screen analysis of this matrix is: +14 mesh, pebble size,* 2.1 pct; —14 +35 mesh, 11.4 pct; -35 +I50 mesh, 60.5 pct; -150 mesh, 25.0; total, 100 pct; moisture in bank, 20.0 pct; weight per cu ft in bank, 120 lb. The —150 mesh fraction may increase to as much as 35 pct in adjacent areas. When thoroughly elutriated, the matrix has a relatively slow settling rate, which is an important factor in permitting lower pipeline velocities without choke-ups. Exact data is not available to evaluate settling rates. For a factor of 100 a suspension of clean building sand in water is suggested. When pumping long distances, a quick settling matrix allows the coarser solids to settle out along the bottom of the pipeline, causing drag, turbulence, and increased friction. With a slow settling matrix as at Noralyn, turbulence acts to keep the solids in suspension at a lower friction head, regardless of the pumping distance. When the pebble content of the matrix, i.e., the + 14 mesh fraction, is in excess of 10 pct of the total solids, trouble may be expected from settling out even in normal pumping distances. To prevent choke-ups and maintain tonnage, an additional pump must be added in the long runs, where one pump would otherwise be satisfactory. A typical pulp handled is: total volume, 7800 gpm; water, 4500; solids pumped per hr, 4200 lb; sp gr pulp, 1.4; percent solids in pulp, 46.; pipe size, 16-in. ID; pulp velocity, 12.85 fps; probable critical velocity, 10 fps, as below this minimum velocity choke-ups would be numerous. In calculating friction heads the Armco handbook is used where a roughness factor based on 15-year-old pipe is set up. Because the pipe used in pumping matrix is smooth and polished because of the scouring action of the phosphate and its silica content, the head losses in the Armco table for water are practically the same as in pumping the Noralyn matrix through smooth pipe, plus the fact that conditions vary widely over short periods, making accurate determinations difficult to obtain. New pumps and pump changes are being tested continuously and a wealth of data built up. This has resulted in a substantial improvement and lower relative costs in pumping matrix. The Florida phosphate industry is constantly seeking to offset higher wage and material costs with improved technique. Until a few years ago a 12-in. discharge pump was commonly used, with heads as low as 80 ft. Sizes have gradually increased and heads more than doubled. For example, the following pump was placed under test at the Noralyn mine: make, Georgia Iron Works; size, suction 16 in., discharge 14 in.; impeller, 39-in. diam; motor, 600 hp, slip ring; full load speed, 514 rpm. The results were increased head, higher capacity than the older design, with fewer pumps in the line from mine to washer.

Jan 1, 1953

By William L. Saunders

Many members of the Institute, who participated in the visit made, during the Bethlehem meeting of February, 1906, to the shops of the Ingersoll-Rand Company, at Phillipsburg, N. J., inspected with interest the new Electric-Air drill, which the company had set up for the purpose of showing it in actual operation to American mining engineers. At the request of the Secretary of the Institute, I promised at that time to prepare a paper for our Transactions, describing the construction and advantages of the machine. But such a paper would then necessarily have contained much that was only expected or claimed by the designers and manufacturers of the drill, and not yet incontrovertibly proved by varied and long-continued practice. However moderate such statements might have been, they would have given inevitably to the paper, to some extent at least, the air of a prospectus, rather than of a technical contribution. I therefore decided, with the Secretary's approval, to postpone the writing of the promised paper until it could set forth the results of adequate actual practice, as well as the latest details of construction, etc., based upon practical experience. That period has now arrived. The Electric-Air drill has been exhaustively tested in the field, under varied and arduous conditions and upon the hardest rocks. It is now fairly in the field; its merits and performances are matters of unimpeachable record, and its place among established competitors can be definitely determined. As a representative of the Ingersoll-Rand Co., as well as a member of the Institute, I may be permitted to add that my company, being largely interested in the manufacture of air-coxpressors and machinery driven by compressed air, has no desire to injure its own business by claiming for this new machine that it should immediately supersede all existing applications of pneumatic transmission of power for drilling. On the

Jan 1, 1908

The Arizona Committee, consisting of GERALD F. G. SHERMAN, Chairman, ARTHUR NOTMAN, Secretary, NORMAN CARMICHAEL, B. BRITTON GOTTSBERGER, W. L. CLARK, J. C. GREENWAY, W. G. MCBRIDE, FOREST RUTHERFORD, has arranged the following program for the Arizona Meeting, which has been approved by the President of the 'Institute and by the Executive Committee. It is printed herewith for the information of members, and probably will not be changed in any material respect. Monday, September 18, 1916.-Arrive at El Paso, Texas,, 6.30 A.M. Arrive at Deming, N. Mex., 9.30 A.M. Arrive at Chino, Ariz., 11.30 A.M., where luncheon will be served, after which there will be a visit to the Chino mines. From there the train will proceed to Hurley, N. Mex., where a visit will be made to the mill of the Chino Copper Co. Tuesday, September 19, 1916.-Arrive at Douglas, Ariz., at 8.00 A.M. The morning will be spent at the reduction works of the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Co. "and of the Calumet & Arizona Mining Co. After luncheon a technical session will be held, with "Smelting" as a special subject for discussion. There will be a banquet in the evening, followed by another technical session or-a business meeting.

Jan 6, 1916

By R. S. Craig, W. E. Wallace, G. S. Kamath

The destruction of long-range order in Mg-Cd, has previously been thought to occur as a second order process. In the present work a variety of X-ray diffraction techniques are employed to show that in this case and in Mg-Cd alloys containing frorn 20 to 33 1/3 at. pct Mg the process more nearly resembles an ordinary first order phase transformation. It is found that the ordered alloy, which occurs as a single phase at lgw temperatures, transforms with increasing temperature into a Cd-enriched disordered (P) phase and an Mg-enriched ordered (a) phase. The interval over which these two phases coexist under apparently equilibrium conditiovs extends from 25" to 87°C content. At 33 1/3 at. pct Mg the two-phase region has disappeared. Measurement of the long range order parameter, s, for the ordered phase in MgCd, (from superlattice line intensities) shows that it disorders only very slightly before it is transformed into the p form. Kinetic experiments reveal that when the a phase is formed frorn the p phase by suitably quenching so as to suppress phase segregation, the transformation is essentially complete and the a phase has acquired its equilibrium value of S in less than 1 min. In an earlier investigation carried out in this Laboratory1 the rate of disordering of the MgCd3 superlattice was determined over an extensive range of temperature. The process was found to be first order and the rate constant, k, was established. At the lowest temperatures studied k was found to increase exponentially with temperature. At higher temperatures, however, it passed through a maximum and for the 100 deg interval below the point at which the superlattice was destroyed k was observed to decrease with increasing temperature. The various theoretical treatments1-3 of order-disorder phenomena lead to a negative temperature coefficient for k near the superlattice critical temperature but this region for MgCdB seemed unusually wide. Detailed analysis of the point indicated' that either the long-range order parameter, S, for MgCda varied with temperature in an anomalous way or the disordering in this instance is more complex than in the cases which have been treated theoretically. The original objective in the present work was simply to determine S vs temperature for MgCda to ascertain whether the disordering was in conformity with theoretical expectations.2° In an early stage of the work it was noted, however, that under equilibrium conditions ordered (a) and disordered (0) phases coexist in MgCd, over a considerable range of temperature. Since on thermo- dynamic grounds the coexisting phases must differ in composition, the investigation was enlarged to permit the compositions of the two phases in MgCd3 to be determined and to establish the extent of the two phase regions for alloys containing from 20 to 33 1/3 at. pct Cd.

Jan 1, 1963