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By L. W. McKeehan, W. C. Elmore

The magnetic powder method, long used for roughly mapping magnetic fields, has recently been refined1, "or investigating the microscopic variations in the surface magnetization of ferromagnetic crystals. Bitter2 first discovered regular powder patterns connected with the crystal structure of such specimens. Several other investigators:' have used Bitter's original technique, with slight modifications, to study the variation of the patterns with variations in the magnetizing field applied parallel to the surface, and their dependence upon the state of strain, of polish and of crystal cut. All of the explanations of these patterns on metallic ferromagnetics have been couched in general terms. In a preliminary report we have described an improvement ill the powder technique which led us to the discovery of a new effect throwing considerable light on the magnetic secondary structure of alpha iron4 and of nickel5 single crystals. We now report additional evidence confirming the existence and stability of a magnetic block secondary structure. Specimens The following list describes the specimens used in the present investigation. Designation Description A1 Silicon ferrite furnished to us by Dr. W. E. Ruder, of the General Electric Co., for which lie gave the following typical analysis: C, 0.05; P, 0.038; S, 0.026; Mn, 0.15; Si, 3.24. Disk, 0.60 cm. diameter, about 0.05 cm. thick. By X-ray analysis angles between disk normal and [100] 75o, [0101 76" [00l] 21o. A2 Same as A1 except: diameter 0.75 cm. A, Same as A1 except: diameter 0.68 cm.

Jan 1, 1936

By Emory Kemler

The problem of determining the most desirable operating conditions of an oil-well pumping unit, the selection of the proper material and size of sucker rods, and the design of the pumping unit, requires that the sucker-rod loads be known with a reasonable degree of accuracy. In production practice, it is also desirable to know the effects of operating speeds and strokes on a plunger motion, as well as on the rod loads. For a particular well, data on rod loads can be obtained by measuring the load in sucker rods with a dynamometer. This method is not satisfactory because it does not permit the various factors to be investigated independently. It is also impossible to measure the plunger motion simultancously with rod motion under operating conditions. The mathematical solution is impractical because of the simplifications that have to be made to get a solution and the tremendous amount of numerical work that is necessary after such a simplified solution has been attained. This paper shows how analogies and models can be applied to the solution of these problems. The loads set up in a sucker-rod string during the ordinary pumping cycle are made up of the weight of the rods, force required to accelerate the rods, weight of the oil and force required to accelerate the oil on the upstroke, rod friction, stuffing-box friction, plunger friction, friction of the oil in the tubing and rods, arid friction loss through the valves. The problem of determining the sucker-rod load is further complicated by the fact that the long oil column and the sucker-rod column act as springs, which affect the transmission of the polished-rod motion. A further complication is the fact that the motion cannot be transmitted at a speed greater than that of the velocity of sound in the material, and this means that there will be a time lag in the transmission in the motion, as well as a modification of its magnitude and a phase displacement.

Jan 1, 1936

By William C. Schulte, Gilbert E. Doan

An extensive program of investigation is being carried out at Lehigh University in the study of arcs and arc welds of high-purity iron1, sponsored by the Engineering Foundation. The part of that program reported in the present paper deals with welds made of high-purity iron in an argon atmosphere and for comparison with them welds made of the same iron in ordinary air. Welds of commercial steel also were made in argon and in air. The primary purpose of the study is to discover the basic physical constants of iron welds when not contaminated either by impurities in the iron or by the action of oxygen and nitrogen of the air during welding. Upon these constants can be founded such future studies as will determine what effects the various impurities and alloy elements present in steel have upon its welding characteristics, and what influence is exerted by the action of oxygen and nitrogen. The welding of steel involves such a multitude of variables, both of composition and of procedure, that development in the fabrication of this most important metal has necessarily been slow, wasteful, and in many instances discouraging. In the present investigation, the simplest possible condition has been selected; namely, iron practically free from contamination and a nonparticipating atmosphere, the inert gas argon. This simplification reduces the number of variables to a point where more rigid control of the system is possible. Although this study is significant for the contributions it makes to the science of steel fabrication, yet it is hoped that it will not be without value also in increasing knowledge of the. nature and behavior of iron and steel in general. From the standpoint of open-hearth practice, and to some extent from the standpoint of electric-furnace practice also, the conditions of melting and casting iron in this investigation are extraordinary. The casting temperature is high, the mean temperature of the metal probably reaching 2000' C. (3600' F.)? The rate of chilling of

Jan 1, 1936

By Eric Sinkinson

MANY of the magnesite ores of the western part of the United States contain such large amounts of silica and hydrous silicate minerals that the value of the ores is either low or nominal. Expensive and carefully controlled mining methods are necessary to prevent excessive dilution of the higher grade ores by introduction in mining' of small pieces of the hanging walls or footwalls of the deposit. This difficulty is further complicated by the various states of decomposition of the country rock of the deposits in which many of the ores occur. The problem the authors attempted to solve arose from a request to float an impure magnesite containing varying proportions of siliceous gangue with calcium carbonate. The ore is normally. enclosed in serpen-tine masses, somewhat decomposed, and in mining it wall rock is inci-dentally added, so that variable amounts of siliceous material occur in the samples. The silica, alumina, and iron oxide are so closely associated with the magnesium carbonate in the magnesite that ordinary mechanical separation at coarse mesh sizes is of no avail. It is well known that calcium carbonate can be floated by suitable reagents, therefore it seemed reasonable to suppose that magnesium carbonate minerals would behave in a similar manner, but experimental trial proved that this supposition was unfounded. Therefore the first step in the problem was to find out what differences of behavior there were between magnesium and calcium carbonates under flotation conditions, or when suspended in water. In water at 18° C. magnesium carbonate is slightly more soluble than calcium carbonate; in fact, MgCO3 is soluble to the extent of 0.0106 grams in 100 c.c. of water at 18° C. and CaCO3 to the extent of 0.0013 grams. However, magnesium carbonate in water gradually changes to the basic carbonates of a composition (3MgCO3.Mg(OH)23H20) or (4MgCO3.Mg(OH)25H20), depending upon conditions, and calcium carbonate to calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2, The relative solubilities of these hydroxides in water are the reverse of the solubilities of magnesium and calcium carbonates.. The range in published figures for solubility

Jan 1, 1936

By M. Albertson

The purposes of this statement are to define a problem that exists in regard to the estimation of developed petroleum reserves, to analyze the problem in an abstract manner, and to discuss it as an introduction to certain papers that follow. The problem is to devise and develop a suitable procedure to permit more accurate estimates of developed petroleum reserves. Part of the problem is to make such estimates available earlier in the life of any particular pool. The problem of securing more accurate estimates of developed petroleum reserves existed prior to curtailment of production. With curtailment, however, the problem became acute, some of the more prominent reasons being as follows: 1. The standard method of estimation depended on production-decline curves. This method is inapplicable while curtailment prevails and available methods arc insufficient. 2. The retarding influence imposed by wide open flow conditions upon overdevelopment is absent. Great losses of capital by overdevelopment can now occur before realization of the true situation occurs, or before effective steps can be taken to stop such wastage. This increases the need for early, accurate estimates. 3. Above-ground stocks have diminished and the equivalent of such supply tends more and more to be retained underground in the natural reservoirs. It becomes increasingly necessary to know accurately the amount of these stocks. To direct attention to an additional point of different nature: improved accuracy of reserve estimation can be obtained only by closer scrutiny of the factors that determine recovery. This examination and the resulting efforts to measure the effect of these factors in terms of ultimate recovery must tend to improve ultimate recovery. The statements regarding the acute nature of the problem also indicate to some extent the importance of the problem and the necessity of finding a solution. Developed reserves of the industry, and of individual opera-tors, are one of the great factors that properly should determine explora-

Jan 1, 1936

By J. L. Rodda, R. L. Wilcox, E. C. Truesdale

In recent years various problems in connection with research work on the preparation and properties of zinc-base alloys have required reliable information concerning the constitution of the zinc-rich portion of the iron-zinc equilibrium diagram. On numerous occasions rather positive indications were obtained that, for example, the solubility of iron in zinc was incorrectly represented on the current equilibrium diagrams. A careful study of all the available literature relating to the iron-zinc system led to the conclusion that much of the early work was unsatisfactory as measured by present standards of experimental accuracy, and as a result it was decided to redetermine the location of the liquidus curve and of adjacent portions of the diagram. Part I of this paper comprises a description of the experimental methods and a summary of the results by means of which the zinc-rich end of- the iron-zinc diagram has been revised in the following ways: 1. Measurements of the solubility of iron in liquid zinc by several different sampling methods, leading to a relocation of the liquidus curve. 2. Microscopic, conductivity, and X-ray studies of the solid solubility of iron in zinc, which, together with thermal analyses, have resulted in new values for the solid solubility and the eutectic temperature and composition. 3. Heating and cooling curves, obtained by a refined differential method, leading to new locations for the two peritectic horizontals. In Part I1 of the paper the attempt is made to review all of the published work having a bearing on the constitution of the iron-zinc system, and to correlate the present results, and some recently published data involving the use of X-ray technique, with the earlier work, much of which was done from 25 to 30 years ago.

Jan 1, 1936

PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR JOHN M. LOVEJOY NEW YORK, N. Y. PAST PRESIDENTS AND DIRECTORS HOWARD N. EAVENSON PITTSBURGH, PA. HENRY A. BUEHLER ROLLA, Mo. VICE-PRESIDENT, TREASURER AND DIRECTOR KARL EILERS NEW YORK, N. Y. VICE-PRESIDENTS AND DIRECTORS LOUIS S. CATES NEW YORK, N. Y. PAUL D. MERICA NEW YORK, N. Y. WILFRED SYKES CHICAGO, ILL. R. C. ALLEN CLEVELAND; OHIO HENRY KRUMB NEW YORK, N. Y.

Jan 1, 1936

By Orson Shepard

THE term "electrocapillary amalgamation" is used in this paper to designate amalgamation processes that depend upon electrocapillary phenomenon; i.e., the action of an electric current upon the surface tension of mercury at the contact with aqueous solutions. Electro-capillary amalgamation is selected as a name for these processes because the electrocapillary phenomenon has been found to be the effective agent in the use of sodium amalgam, as well as in the various processes using an electric current from a source outside of the amalgam. Amalgamation processes that depend upon supplying an electric current to the amalgam from an outside source, such as batteries and generators, have previously been called electrical amalgamation processes. There has been a tremendous amount of experimental work done on amalgamation processes involving the use of an electric current, as shown by the large number of patents issued on these processes: the earliest in 1885 and the latest in 19341. Regardless of all the experimental work, the fundamental principles causing the operation of electrocapillary amalgamation processes have not been described. The explanation usually given is that an electric current keeps the amalgam bright and clean. Patent No. 328532 states: It is well known that when amalgam plates are used for collecting gold and silver from their ores the surfaces of these plates are liable to become tarnished or sickened by certain substances contained in the ores or in the current of water which is employed to carry the ore over the plates, and that in this condition they are unfitted for amalgamating the particles of gold and silver. To prevent this and to keep the surfaces of the amalgamation plates always bright and in a better condition for catching and amalgamating the particles of gold and silver I employ electricity in the following manner:. . . A similar explanation is given 49 years later, in patent No. 1953364: The sodium (Na) ions lose their charge at the cathode becoming sodium atoms, which do not react with the electrolyte, but follow the grounded electrical current through the mercury body producing in their passage sodium amalgam and liberate themselves in the amalgamation compartment when brought in contact with the fed

Jan 1, 1936

By Charles Becker

THE practice of drying phosphate in Florida is as old as the industry, which began a little more than half a century ago. The methods, however, have changed considerably. At first, the natural process of exposure to the sun and air was used, later supplemented by wood fires beneath open-air stationary dry kilns and drying towers of various designs. It was not until the early nineties that rotary driers came into use, and at first they were of very small design and fired with wood. As the industry grew and tonnage increased, so likewise grew the number and size of rotary driers, until today the largest installations are 6 ft. up to 7 ft. 6 in. in diameter, and 55 to 60 ft. long, fired with crude oil. The reasons for drying phosphate rock are: (1) to eliminate freight on water in the shipment and (2) to facilitate the good grinding qualities required by the buyers in their acidulation. Phosphate pebbles vary materially in natural characteristics and each property has a direct bearing on the processing. In making comparisons of cost and operating conditions, the following are usually taken into consideration: 1. The hard dense pebbles, which contain very little interior moisture and 6 to 8 per cent total moisture, usually produced from the low-grade deposits. 2. The lighter, porous pebbles, which contain 4 to 5 per cent interior moisture and a total moisture ranging from 9 to 15 per cent. 3. The product of recovery operations using oily reagents, containing from 15 to 25 per cent moisture. 4. The size of the pebbles. Usually the plus 5-mesh material is considered as "coarse rock"; the minus 5-mesh plus 24-mesh is "fine rock," and the minute particles below 24 mesh are called "concentrate." 5. The amount of moisture allowed in the dried product. The practice is generally to dry down to 1.5 to 2 per cent moisture. There is, however, an actual range in guarantee of from 1 per cent maximum to 3 per cent maximum.

Jan 1, 1936

The Round Table on Qualities of Pig Iron, under the auspices of the Joint Committee on Qualities of Pig Iron, which is made up of members of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, the American Foundrymen's Association, the American Society for Testing Materials, the Gray Iron Institute, and the Malleable Iron Institute, was held at the Palmer House, Chicago, III., on Oct. 1, 1935. Prcoeedings R. H. SwEEtseR,* New York, N. Y.—Seven years ago last June, in Chicago, we had a round table on qualities of pig iron1, and at that time the foundrymen were out with their battle-axes for the blast-furnace men, and the open-hearth men were doing the same thing. After that meeting there was really a determined effort to find out about the qualities of pig iron, and great progress has been made all along the line. This afternoon we want to have a frank discussion of the qualities of pig iron, whether it is the molten pig iron going into the steel plant, or cold pigs going to the different foundries. We ought to hear something from Dr. J. T. MacKenzie, who is chairman of the Joint Committee, and from Mr. R. E. Kennedy, the Technical Secretary of the American Foundrymen's Association. J. T. MacKEnzie,† Birmingham, A1a.—As a result of that meeting in Chicago, there was considerable agitation in the Foundrymen's Association to develop a set of tests for pig iron. One of the difficulties was that nobody talked the same language on shrinkage, draws, live iron, dead iron, and so forth, which were the main complaints against pig iron. By request of a committee of the Foundrymen's Association, the Bureau of Standards ran a comprehensive set of tests that did develop the principles governing the optical pyrometer as applied to cast iron and pig iron. Then the Bureau went on further with the fluidity test, and developed a method for the absolute changes of volume at the freezing point. There is one serious gap in the yardstick, which has never been developed, and that is the tendency to draws from heavy sections to light. Everyone who has worried about the differences of section, and sponginess in changes of section, realizes that the

Jan 1, 1936

By Hertha Freche

THE diffusion of magnesium and silicon from the core into the high-purity coating of Alclad sheet is important commercially, and led to the use of a duplex product for the study of diffusion by means of spectro-graphic analysis of successive layers. It has been found that in the duplex materials the diffusion of magne-sium from an undersaturated aluminum-magnesium alloy into its high-purity aluminum coating is approximately of the same order of magnitude as the diffusion of silicon from a saturated aluminum-silicon alloy into its high-purity aluminum coating. However, if magnesium and silicon are both present in the alloy in the ratio of Mg2Si they appear to diffuse in the approximate ratio of this compound. Finally, if the alloy contains silicon in excess of the amount required by magnesium silicide, the amount of diffused silicon in the high-purity aluminum coating will also be in excess. The interdiffusion of metals in the solid state is of both scientific and technical interest, because it is helpful in the study of the alloy structure and in the solution of problems pertaining to the strength and surface condition of the fabricated product. W. C. Roberts-Austen1 carried out the first quantitative determination of the coefficient of diffusion of gold into lead. This classical experiment was followed by a series of investigations on the diffusion of metals and nonmetals in iron and steel and in nonferrous metals and alloys. Recently the diffusion of copper in coated strong aluminum alloys was investigated by A. Burkhardt2. This appeared to be the first published investigation on the diffusion of metals into aluminum.

Jan 1, 1936

By Gilbert Thiessen

THE use of a pneumatic process for removing fine material (usually less than 48-mesh) is increasing in, the preparation of stoker-size coal. The fine material, produced as a byproduct, is known as dedusting-plant dust. Since fusain is the most friable ingredient in bituminous coal (it may readily be rubbed to an impalpable powder with the fingers), it tends to accumulate in this byproduct. While studying the properties of cokes produced by blending Illinois coals with other materials, considerable quantities of fusain were required. Dedusting-plant dust suggested itself as a-convenient supply. It became necessary, therefore, to determine how much fusain was contained in a measured sample of dust, how the fusain was distributed with respect to size and specific gravity in the sample, and whether or not it would be feasible or desirable further to concentrate or to recover the fusain from, the dust before using it in the blends to be coked. The results obtained indicate the possibilities of production of a high-fusain material.

Jan 1, 1936

By V. R. Garfias, R. V. Whetzel

It has been repeatedly questioned whether estimates of oil reserves are of any practical value, as the greater number of such calculations previously made have subsequently been proved to be grossly inaccurate. But even admitting partial justification for such statements, it must be evident that some idea, however approximate, of the available reserves of essential minerals—petroleum included—is of vital importance in mapping their development and the future trend of the related industries, particularly if it is kept constantly in mind that these estimates are not only never intended as a final word but must continually be subject to revision in accordance with the changes in their component factors. The value of these estimates, therefore, hinges on the clear understanding of what is meant by reserves and that the figures can only apply within the limited time when the controlling factors remain unchanged. It should be understood, further, that while estimates of possible and probable oil deposits are as a rule but idle conjectures, appraisals of proven oil reserves can undoubtedly be made with an ever-increasing degree of accuracy. And it is with this in mind that in the present study the endeavor has been to estimate only the world's proven oil reserves and to leave out of consideration the questionable volume of the probable and possible oil reserves. Such a survey presupposes further a clear distinction between the known amount of oil underground in proven fields at any one time, and the proven reserves: the portion that can be economically brought to the surface and made available for utilization. Only a fraction of the petroleum stored underground in proven fields— usually associated with natural gas—is or can be economically brought to the surface, and not all of the oik brought to the surface is economically utilized; also, although practically all the natural gas can be economically recovered and utilized, in actual practice a large part of the total volume that reaches the mouth of the well is wantonly blown into the air and wasted. It is thus estimated that in the United States only some 25 per cent of the petroleum stored underground in proven fields is actually brought to the surface; and in actual practice close to 25 per cent of the total gas produced is now absolutely wasted. And the dissipation of this

Jan 1, 1936

By John J. Croston

THE year 1935 witnessed one of the world's oldest industries-gold mining-attain the stature of a billion dollar business. Preliminary estimates indicate that somewhat over 30,000,000 oz. of gold was pro-duced, the largest output ever recorded and exceeding the previous year by more than 11 per cent. Of this huge total the Witwatersrand field produced about 10,800,000 oz., compared with 10,480,000 oz. in 1934. Russia was apparently the stellar performer, and from incomplete data it appears that between five and five and a half million ounces were produced by the Soviets compared with 4,200,000 last year and 2,814,000 in 1933. The United States nosed Canada out of third place with a production of 3,546,000 oz. against 2,916,000 in 1934, while Canada increased her total from 2,965,000 to 3,291,000 oz. Similarly, gains of lesser magnitude were made in Australia, the Gold Coast and other countries. As a result of great activity in developing outlying areas on the Rand, and the great number of new companies building mills in Canada, Australia, the Gold Coast and the United States, the years 1936 and 1937 should see new high records, as these new producers will more than offset any decline in the older properties. The whole world has become "gold conscious" during the past three years. It has been the subject of innumerable articles by economists and others, but, unfortunately, because of their lack of actual mining knowl-edge, they have treated the production of gold as a static affair, ignoring geological and technical factors. It is hardly necessary to draw attention to the fact that the world's gold-mining industry was slowly but steadily shrinking in importance, owing to the gradual depletion of known deposits that were profitable to work at costs existing prior to 1929. The International Geological Congress at Pretoria and the League of Nations Committee drew atten-tion to the estimates of the mining experts of the various governments predicting a steady falling off in world production. On the Rand there

Jan 1, 1936

By Roy Lindgren

Since the year 1643, when the first blast furnace in America for treating iron ore was built at Saugus, Mass., out of mica schist quarried in the neighboring district, the procurement of a suitable refractory for furnace lining has been a problem of concern to the operators of furnaces. The stacks built of mica schist continued to smelt iron ore until about 1836, when, according to F. H. Norton, the first firebrick were produced1, at Queens Run, Pa. Other writers speak of brick having been molded and burned in Massachusetts about the year 1834. In 1841, Andrew Russell began to produce medium refractory plastic clay brick near East Liverpool, Ohio, that were used for lining blast furnaces1. The well-known Kentucky clay-producing district was not opened up until the year 1871, but since then it has produced a large percentage of the linings for iron blast furnaces. While some strides have been made by the refractories industry during the 100 years that have passed since the first firebrick were produced, it has been only during the last two decades that any real progress has been made towards bettering the product, even though the method of production had improved. Perhaps the fault lies with the user of the brick rather than with the producer, for not sooner demanding a supe¬rior product. During the past 15 years the tonnage produced per lining has increased from 500,000 gross tons to 1,000,000 gross tons, and now some furnaces are producing 1,600,000 gross tons and better on a single lining. It is true that enlarged capacity of furnaces and improved practice have accounted for some of this increase in tonnage, nevertheless better quality in firebrick must be given credit for its share. However, we are not yet ready to say that we have reached a maximum life of furnace lining. We believe that a better product can be produced and that the refractories industries of America will, through their extensive research depart-

Jan 1, 1936

By William Fink

APPROXIMATELY two years ago the authors obtained data that indi-cated that initial precipitation could not be detected by change of lattice parameter in the aluminum-rich aluminum-magnesium alloys. Some of these data were first published in a brief note in MINING AND METAL-LURGY1. Cast specimens were used at that time and they showed initial precipitation relatively sooner than sheet material of the sane composi-tion. For this reason a more thorough investigation has been carried out using a homogenized aluminum-magnesium sheet containing approxi-mately 10 per cent magnesium. Materials.-The aluminum used in the preparation of the aluminum-magnesium alloy was of high purity, containing less than 0.01 per cent each of iron, silicon and copper. The magnesium was high-purity sub-limed magnesium. Preparation of Alloy.-Approximately 4 kg. of the aluminum was melted in a plumbago crucible in an electric furnace and the magnesium was added. The melt was thoroughly stirred with a graphite rod and fluxed with chlorine gas before casting. The alloy was cast in the form of a sheet ingot in a cold iron tilting mold (approximately 200 by 165 by 40 min.) and into small chill-cast, slabs for chemical analysis (75 by 40 by 5 mm.). The chemical analyses were made upon drillings from the analysis slabs. The analytical methods were those described in "Chemical Analysis of Aluminum," published by the Aluminum Company of Amer-ica. The composition of the alloy was found to be: magnesium 10.30, silicon 0.013, iron 0.008 and copper 0.005 per cent.

Jan 1, 1936

By Fred A. Krafft

The time allotted to this paper will permit only the sketching of general principles and practice as generally employed in the industry to maintain and preserve the physical well-being of the miner and his family. Let it be emphasized on behalf of the industry that coal opera- . tors, individually and collectively, have given primary consideration to the appointment of a mine or community physician who is charged with the responsibility of caring for the sick and injured. However, it too frequently happens that with the selection or appointment of the camp doctor many operators wash their hands of further responsibility toward the health and the working efficiency of their employees. The coal industry is so organized in most of the coal-producing areas that not only is the health of the individual miner an important production problem but the collective health of the entire mining community is a fundamental operating problem. This is particularly demonstrated when epidemics of communicable diseases attack entire communities, with resultant loss of life and production and general community distress. The problem and responsibility of maintaining high health standards among miners and their families should be given as much consideration as safety, economical production and efficient distribution are given in the successful operation of coal mines. Company Policy In the inauguration or administration of a medical program for a large mining operation or for an individual mine, the first question to be solved is what the company policy is to be with respect to the following factors pertinent to a medical program: 1. On what basis will the company and the employees finance the program ? 2. Should a contract doctor or a full-time doctor on salary be employed ? 3. What measure of service is to be rendered the employee and his family in return for his monthly contribution to the medical program?

Jan 1, 1936

By Lombard Squires, W. K. Lewis, W. I. Thompson

The authors presented an article2† last year on colloidal properties of clay suspensions in which they attempted to sustain the position that the behavior of clay suspensions is due primarily to the mechanical interference of the platy particles, the nature and extent of the interference being profoundly influenced by the character of the surfaces of the particles, which in turn is determined primarily by the nature and amount of adsorbed foreign materials held on the surface of the particles by forces which are predominantly chemical in type. The following discussion is a continuation of that article to extend these same interpretative points of view to the behavior of clay gels. Insight into the mechanism of gelation is certainly of outstanding importance in the handling of drilling muds. In the former article it was suggested that the thin, flat plates that constitute the ultimate clay particles may build up aggregates by the overlapping of the ultimate plates face to face much longer and perhaps also much wider than the ultimate plates themselves, but not appreciably thicker. Exhaustive microscopic examinations of characteristic clays show no tendency for the larger particles, clearly visible under the microscope, to orient themselves in this way. It is true that the gelation of the clays is due primarily to the smallest particles, unresolvable other than by the ultramicroscope, so that the possibility of the deve1opment by them of an overlapping structure is not excluded. Furthermore, as one approaches the limit of resolving power of the microscope, the difficulty of observing accurately the shapes and relative positions of particles incresses excessively. However, in the absence of any observable tendency toward overlapping orientation of the large, visible particles, one hesitates to ascribe such a tendency to the smaller particles beyond the range of visibility. Should it develop that one must exclude the assumption of overlapping orientation, the explanations offered in the previous article are changed in only one respect; namely, one would now have to assume that the ultimate particles themselves have length, and probably also width, very large in comparison with their thickness.

Jan 1, 1936

By Richard Ageton

SALT bodies in the form of rolls, horses (sometimes called horsebacks), folds, wants and pinches1 have been encountered while driving entries and mining out rooms during the development of the potash mines in New Mexico. Superficially these sporadic salt occurrences appear to be much alike, but closer examination reveals individual characteristics, and after four years of observation it seems possible to divide them into three general groups that may tentatively be called "depositional," "erosional," and "structural." The data collected are not yet sufficient to permit forecasts of their probable location, so that the annoyance of having to mine salt instead of potash could be avoided or lessened. However, the information so far available appears to throw some light on the occurrence of the sylvinite2 bed now being mined, and it is as a progress report that the writer presents the results of his observations. The mines of the United States Potash Co. and the Potash Company of America are about 20 miles northeast of Carlsbad, in Eddy County, N. M. They are on the southwestern flank of the Permian salt basin, which underlies western Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, south-central Nebraska, southeastern Colorado and eastern New Mexico. The cuttings from many oil wells and the cores from the potash tests drilled in this basin indicate that this salt series approached its greatest thick-ness (about 4000 ft.) in the southeastern part of New Mexico and the adjoining portions of Texas, and that the most advanced stages of

Jan 1, 1936

By Morris Cohen

IT has been known for several years that in certain age-hardenable alloys precipitation of finely divided particles occurs simultaneously with the changes in physical properties; while, in other alloys, these changes take place prior to, or without any, precipitation. . The silver-copper alloys are generally considered to be the classical example of the first group, and the aluminum-copper alloys (duralumin) are typical of the second group. The two types of aging are explained by the precipitation theory and the knot theory respectively. ? It is well recognized now that these theories do not conflict with each other; the one used for a given aging system depends upon which way the alloy in question happens to age-harden. However, previous work on the aluminum-copper alloys1,2 has shown that if the aging temperature is raised sufficiently the hardening will be accompanied by actual precipitation. In fact, it is quite probable that all of the so-called knot-hardening alloys will harden by precipitation at elevated temperatures. Therefore, a combination of the knot and precip-itation theories is necessary to give a complete picture of the age-harden-ing of these alloys, and indicates that knot formation and precipitation are not independent processes. To test the generality of this concept, it is necessary to show that the alloys that commonly harden by precipitation will harden prior to precip¬itation if the aging temperature is sufficiently lowered. For this reason, it would be well to carefully re-examine the aging characteristics of the silver-copper alloys at aging temperatures somewhat below those used by previous investigators. If hardening can be detected prior to precipi¬tation in these alloys, it will lend great weight to the idea that knot forma-

Jan 1, 1936