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By J. A. C. Fortescue

During the past decade, geochemical prospecting methods have become important in Canadian mineral exploration. The object of this paper is to discuss the role of geochemical methods in a typical mineral exploration program involving parallel geological and geophysical methods applied at different degrees of intensity. Particular attention is given to the description of the degree of development of geochemical prospecting under different kinds of local conditions.

Jan 1, 1967

By E. K. Kleespies

The rate of the heterogeneous reaction between titanium-oxygen solid solutions and titanium trichloride in molten sodium chloride was determined at high temperatures. In the alpha phase, the reaction rate decreases uniformly with the increasing concentration of oxygen. The gamma crystalline form of titanium (above 33 atomic percent oxygen) was much less reactive than the alpha phase, and the reaction rate approached zero at 50 atomic percent oxygen. The activation energy for the reaction of titanium-oxygen solution containing 22.8 percent oxygen was 11.7 kcal/mole of TiCl3 as compared with 8.3 kcal/mole of TiCl3 for pure titanium.

Jan 1, 1967

By C. B. Alcock, M. G. Hocking

The kinetics of the growth of sulfate layers on blocks of Cu20 has been studied between 688" and 800°C. At 788c the over-all weight increases followed the parabolic rate law, with k = 216 30 sq mg per cm4 min, using a 1:1 entering gas mixture of SO2:02. At 757 after an initial linear period the parabolic rate law was followed, with k = 57.8 10 sq mg per cm4 min. The gas mixture required a platinum catalyst to produce the maximum SOs pressure. The sulfation rate at 757' and 788c was high until all the CUZO had changed into a core of CuO, when it became very much lower. At 757°C marker experiments showed that the sulfates (CuO. CuS04 and CuSO4) grow outwards from the oxide surface, but CuO. CuS04 mixed with CuO was found beneath the markers. At 688 markers were found at the CuO. CuS04/CuS04 interface. Visual observations at 757 showed a liquid eutectic moving beneath the sulfate surface. causing very rapid sulfation and extruding to solidify as thick 'needles" up to 8 mm long. Marker experiments have shown conclusi.cely that CuO grows on Cu20 in air by the outward migration of copper. ThermODYNAMIC measurements on the sulfate and basic sulfate of copper, reported recently,' are followed here by measurements of the rates of formation of these sulfates on cuprous oxide, in order to provide a background for the understanding of roasting processes. peretti2 and McCabe and Morgan3 have shown that the phase Cu20 lies next to Cu2S when the sulfide is roasted under conditions where sulfates will be formed. Since this would present too complex a system for kinetic study, the present work4 has been based on the kinetics of sulfation of the oxide phase. The results of a study of the kinetics and mechanism of the sulfation of cobaltous oxide have recently been reported.4,5 Results on the sulfation of cuprous oxide have also appeared,6 but are at variance with those to be reported here. This seems to be because the previous workers6 did not obtain constant SO3 pressures from the SO2/O2 sulfating gas mixtures used, as will be discussed later. Wadsworth, Leiter, Porter, and Lewis found that the sulfates produced when SO2/O2 mixtures are passed over Cu20 at red heats are CuS04 and the basic sulfate CuO.CuSO4. When the decomposition of CuS04 was followed' by differential thermal analysis, a stage corresponding to CuO .CuS04 was reached before decomposition into the oxide occurred. APPARATUS The vertical furnace used for quantitative studies was a conventional resistance-heated and propor- tionately controlled furnace with an even zone (1 deg) which was 4 cm long. The gas mixtures of SO2 and 02 were made by mixing measured flows from capillary flowmeters and drying over phosphorous pentoxide before passing them into the Pyrex top-piece of the furnace assembly. A mullite tube of bore 2% cm was used as reaction vessel and at the bottom of this tube was a trap for SO3, which condensed as a colorless liquid. The residual gas was led into a fume cupboard for ventilation to the atmosphere. The furnace used for visual observations of needle growth and other phenomena consisted of a transparent silica reaction tube of bore 3 cm, having an optically flat silica window sealed into its wall. The reaction tube was clamped vertically, inside a mullite tube of bore 4 cm and length 42 cm which was heated by Kanthal windings. The window in the silica reaction tube was arranged opposite a hole 3 cm wide and 2 cm tall which had been cut in the wall of the mullite winding tube 19 cm from its top end. A binocular microscope was used to look through the window, illumination being provided by a focusing microscope-lamp offset sideways and downwards. The oxide block to be sulfated was suspended from the removable Pyrex top-piece to the reaction tube, by means of which it was inserted at the start of the experiment, and through which entered the S02/02 gas mixture. The variation of the temperature inside the reaction tube with horizontal and vertical displacement from the window was investigated, and, while it can be said that the temperature was constant 1 deg, its value at a given position was known only to 12 deg. In both furnaces, the oxide block to be sulfated was suspended from a small silica hook immediately downstream from a platinum thimble used as catalyst, which was held on a long silica rod from a Pyrex spring attached to the removable Pyrex top-piece of the furnace. The spring was only included in the quantitative sulfating furnace; its sensitivity was 1.4 cm per g and it was found to be free from creep in a 16-hr test when carrying the working load. The extensions were followed by a cathetometer which could be read to 0.001 cm, corresponding to i0.7 mg. Extensions of the spring were measured on adding weights between 5 and 500 mg to the working load (thimble + oxide block), and Hooke's law was closely obeyed. SAMPLES Cuprous oxide blocks were prepared by oxidizing Johnson Matthey "Specpure" copper sheet of 1 mm thickness (impurities: iron at 3 ppm, silver at 2 ppm, lead, nickel, sodium, and silicon each at 1 ppm, calcium, chromium, magnesium, and manganese each at less than 1 ppm) for 6 days in air at 1000°C in a re-crystallized alumina boat. It has been reported7 that when Cu20 is prepared by heating copper sheet for 1 day the central plane of the blocks produced consists

Jan 1, 1967

By Lester G. Morrell

While developments in Australia dominated the minerals industry of the South Pacific area, New Caledonia's nickel, manganese ore from New Hebrides, gold from Fiji and New Guinea, and phosphate rock from several small islands were significant in world supplies of those materials. The total value of mineral commodities produced in this area in 1965 has been estimated at about $763 million an increase of nearly 16 percent over the value reported in 1964. Increases were recorded in mineral production value with respect to that of 1964 for all of the countries except Papua-New Guinea where lower gold output resulted in a drop of about $300,000 and in the several phosphate-producing islands that collectively recorded a value decline of around $1.3 million. Exploration and development activities continued at an intensified level, not only in Australia and New Zealand but also in the British Solomons, Bougainville, and Fiji. Substantial additions to world supplies of iron ore and bauxite are assured and recent discoveries of natural gas, manganese ore, and nickel combine to give Australia a brilliant mineral outlook. Important discoveries of copper on Bougainville Island and on Vanua Levu, the north island of the Fiji group, and a gold mine on Misma Island were being developed during the year, with plans for early production underway. In New Zealand progress has been made on the New Zealand Steel Company project, and preliminary appraisal of a new titano-magnetite beach sand resource on the South Island has aroused considerable industrial interest. Extensive geophysical investigations were carried out in the British Solomon Islands and on Fiji's goldfields. The expansion program that will double output of products by New Caledonia's Société Le Nickel continued through 1965, and several foreign private companies have expressed a desire to initiate additional industries based on nickel prospects in New Caledonia.

Jan 1, 1967

By P. Beardmore, B. W. Howlett, B. D. Lichter, M. B. Bever

The heats of formation at 273°K of the compounds Mg2Ge, Mg2sn, and Mg2b, the heats of fusion and melting points of Mg2Sn and Mg2Pb, and the heats of solution of magnesium, germanium, and lead in liquid tin have been measured. The excess free energies of the liquid alloys and the free energies of formation of magnesium-Group IVB compounds at their melting points and their standard free energies of formation at 298°K have been calculated. The stability and bonding of the compounds are discussed with reference to these properties. Some thermodynatnic aspects of the liquid phases in the systems Mg-Sn and Mg-Pb are also considered. THE compounds of magnesium with the Group TVB elements, silicon, germanium, tin, and lead, have often been considered to constitute a nearly ideal homologous series. In particular, their thermodynamic stability has been assumed to decrease with increasing atomic number of the Group IVB element.' The binary-phase diagrams of the magnesium-Group IVB elements given by Hansen and Anderko2 have the same form. Each system has a single con-gruently melting compound of limited homogeneity range. The structures of these compounds, which have the formula Mg2X, are anti-isomorphous with the calcium fluoride structure. A recent investigation has found evidence of a second compound in the system Mg-Pb.3 The solid compounds Mg2Si, Mg2Ge, and Mg,Sn are semiconductors, while the conductivity of Mg2Pb approaches that of a metallic conductor. This difference suggests that other properties may also show a discontinuity. The investigation reported here is concerned with the thermodynamic properties of magnesium-IVB compounds and particularly their variations with the period of the Group IVB element. The heats of formation at 273°K of the compounds MgzGe, Mg2Sn, and Mg2Pb and the heats of fusion and melting points of Mg2Sn and Mg2Pb have been measured. The results, combined with published data, are interpreted in relation to the stability and the bonding characteristics of the compounds. Some thermodynamic aspects of the liquid phases in the systems Mg-Sn and Mg-Pb are also considered. In the course of the investigation the heats of solution of magnesium, germanium, and lead in liquid tin have been determined. 1) EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES 1.1) Samples. Samples of the compounds Mg2Ge, Mg2Sn, and Mg2Pb, supplied by Professor P. Aigrain, Compagnie Générale de Télégraphie Sans Fils, were used in measuring heats of formation, heats of fusion, and melting points. Samples of Mg2Sn and Mg2Pb, supplied by Dr. V. B. Kurfman, Dow Metal Products Co., samples of Mg2Sn, prepared at the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories, and samples of MgzPb, prepared in this laboratory, were used for additional measurements of the heats of fusion and the melting points. The samples were stored in evacuated Pyrex capsules or under nonreacting liquids. 1.2) Heats of Formation. The heats of formation at 273°Kof the compounds Mg2Ge, Mg2Sn, and Mg,Pb were measured by tin-solution calorimetry. In this method, samples of the compound and of a mixture of the constituent elements are added alternately from 0°C to a tin-rich bath. The difference between the heat effects, corrected for the change in composition of the bath, is the heat of formation of the compound. Details of the method have been given elsewhere. 4 The bath was maintained at 350°C for the dissolution of the compounds MgzSn and Mg2Pb. Since at this temperature the dissolution of Mg2Ge was too slow, a bath temperature of 400" or 450°C was used with this compound. At least three calorimetric runs, each of approximately six additions, were made with each compound. 1.3) Heats of Solution. The determination of the heats of solution of magnesium, germanium, and lead in tin was included in this investigation because they were not well-established at the time this work was started. To obtain the heat of solution, the difference

Jan 1, 1967

By James T. Curry

The steady growth of the Northwest portion of the United States over the past two decades, and the very rapid development of Northern California, Western Nevada, and Oregon in particular, led the Calaveras Cement Company people to Shasta County, California in 1957. The presence of a large deposit of high calcium carbonate limestone had been recognized for many years, but it required the momentum of an expanding economy to make these long known reserves valuable. This, plus the availability of a reliable supply of fuel in the form of natural gas, and the ready means of shipping the product to the consumer both by highway and railroad, seemed to offer the proper combination to launch a successful venture. The Calaveras Cement Company had been manufacturing cement by the wet process since 1925 at their plant at San Andreas, California. Starting with two small kilns, the plant in Calaveras County started an expansion program in 1945 that ultimately resulted in the plant as it exists today, consisting of five kilns with a combined production of 4.5 million barrels annually.

Jan 1, 1967

By K. A. Jackson, J. D. Hunt

A general theory for the growth of lamellar and rod eutectics is presented. These modes of growth depend on the interplay between the diffusion required for phase separation and the formation of interphase boundaries. The present analysis of these factors provides a justification for earlier approximate theovies. The conditions for stability of rod and Lanlellar structures are consitleved in terms of the mechanisms by which the structure can change. The mechanisms considered include both small adjustments to the lnnzellar spacing due to the motion of lamellar faults, and catastrophic changes due to instabilities. It is concluded that stable growth occurs at or near the minimum interface undevcooling for a gizierz growth rate. The conseqrlences of the existence of a diffusion boundary layer at the interface are discussed. The experimental results for the variation of growth rate, undercooling, and Lanzellar spacing are cornpared with the theory. We believe that the theory presented in this paper provides an adequate basis for understanding the complex phenomena of lanzellar and rod eutectic growth. The growth of lamellar eutectics has been the subject of several theoretical and many experimental studies. The foundations for the theoretical work were laid by zenerl and Brandt2 in their analyses of the growth of pearlite. Zener estimated the effect cf diffusion, and took into account the surface energy of the lamellar structure. He found that the lamellar structure could grow in a range of growth rates at a given undercooling provided the lamellar spacing was appropriate for the growth rate. Since pearlite grows with only one growth rate and one lamellar spacing at a given undercooling, there is clearly an ambiguity in the theory. Zener removed this ambiguity by postulating that the growth rate was the maximum possible at the given undercooling. He predicted then that the product of the growth velocity v and the square of the lamellar spacing A should be constant, i.e., A2v = const. Brandt2 started out by assuming that the interface between the lamellae and austenite was sinusoidal. Because of this, the ambiguity encountered by Zener did not arise. Brandt was able to obtain an approximate solution to the diffusion equation, but, since he did not take into account the surface energy, his considerations are incomplete. Tiller3 applied some of these ideas to the growth of eutectics, and proposed a minimum undercooling condition to replace the maximum velocity condition used by Zener. These conditions are formally identical. Hillert4 extended the work of Zener. He found a solution to the diffusion equation assuming the interface to be plane. Taking surface energy into account, and applying Zener's maximum condition, he was able to calculate an approximate shape of the interface. Jackson et al.5 used an iterative method employing an electric analog to the diffusion problem to refine the calculation of interface shape. It was found that the interface shape calculated from a plane-interface solution to the diffusion equation was negligibly different from the exact solution. The method provided an analog only for eutectics for which the volumes of the two phases are equal, growing from a melt of exactly eu-tectic composition. There has also been considerable experimental work on eutectics, Several experimenters8-10 found that A2v is constant as predicted by Zener.1 Hunt and chilton10 demonstrated that ?T/v1/2 is also a constant for the Pb-Sn system as predicted. Lemkey et al.11have recently found A2v to be constant for a rod eutectic. In the present paper, we present the steady-state solution for the diffusion equation for a lamellar eutectic growing with a plane interface, for the general case, that is, with no restriction on the relative volumes of the two phases, and with the melt on or off eutectic composition. A similar solution is also found for a rod-type eutectic. Expressions are obtained for the average composition at the interface and the average curvature of the interface. These equations for the average composition and curvature are similar in form to those derived by Zener1 and Tiller,3 and provide a justification for some of the approximations made by these authors. The mechanisms by which the spacing in a lamellar structure can change are considered. The important mechanism for small changes in lamellar spacing involves a lamellar fault. Examination of the stability of lamellar faults leads to the conclusion that the growth occurs at or near the extremum.* The insta- bilities which can develop in a rodlike structure are also discussed, resulting in the conclusion that this structure also grows at or near the extremum. Comparison of the conditions for rod and lamellar growth permits a prediction of the surface-energy anisotropy required to produce rods or lamellae for various volume-fraction ratios. The diffusion equation predicts the existence of a diffusion boundary layer at the eutectic interface unless the eutectic has 0.5 volume fraction of each phase and is growing into a liquid of eutectic composition. This boundary layer is such as to make the composition in the liquid at the interface approximately equal to the eutectic composition. This boundary layer permits changes in composition during the zone refining of eutectics. Photographs of the eutectic interface of a growing transparent organic eutectic system have been made. Both the components of this eutectic are transparent organic compounds that freeze as metals do.12 The in-

Jan 1, 1967

By M. C. Flemings, T. S. Piwonka

Pore formation is examined analytically in cellu-larly solidified single crystals, in cylindrical castings of pure metals and alloys, and in unidirectionally solidified castings. Effects are considered of fluid flow. dissolved gas, and surface tension. Experimental results show that flow through a partially solid "mushy" aluminum alloy obeys relations similar to those applicable for flow through other types of porous beds. Flow rate is proportional to the square of the fraction liquid (fL) for fL less than 0.3. Results indicate models chosen for mathematical description of pore formation in alloy solidification are valid. ONE of the solidification variables which is influential in determining mechanical properties of castings and of wrought material produced from cast ingots is porosity. This porosity may result from shrinkage, dissolved gases, or a combination of both, and may take the form of either macroscopic pores in localized areas of the casting or microporosity evenly distributed throughout large areas of the casting. In alloys which freeze over a range of temperatures some microporosity is generally found after solidification. There has been much discussion as to whether the micropores are caused primarily by shrinkage, by gas, or by a combination of both.'-3 There has, however, been little experimental or analytical work performed to delineate the relative contributions of shrinkage and gas in causing microporosity or to quantitatively describe the influence of processing variables on microporosity. Porosity other than microporosity (e.g., center line shrinkage) has also received only limited quantitative treatment.495 The aim of this work is to examine analytically the general problem of pore formation in solidification and to perform limited confirmatory experiments. Consideration is first given to shrinkage porosity in pure and nearly pure metals (shrinkage in cellular growth, centerline shrinkage in cylinders). Next, a discussion is given of formation of shrinkage-caused microporosity in unidirectional solidification and in "mushy" solidification. Finally, influences of dissolved gas and surface tension on microporosity are examined. Numerical results are given for aluminum and an aluminum alloy. Typical examples of microporosity are shown in Figs. 1 to 3, for 1) cellularly solidified aluminum, 2) sand-cast aluminum alloy, and 3) low alloy steel. SHRINKAGE POROSITY IN PURE AND NEARLY PURE METALS 1) Cellular Growth. In cellular freezing of an impure liquid, liquid grooves may exist over a considerable length of the growing crystal.6 The cross-sectional area of the grooves decreases with increasing distance from the cell tips; the root of the groove is blunt if the liquid at this point reaches eutectic composition. As a result of volume contraction during solidification, flow occurs down the groove, parallel to the growth direction; hence, there must be a pressure drop from the groove entrance to points within the groove. The geometry of the groove is simplified to that of a circular cylinder of radius r and length L, Fig. 4, L » r, and a simple and useful limiting case is obtained. This is that, in the circular cylinder freezing at constant velocity, the pressure at the root of the groove is lower than that pressure at radius r in grooves of other geometries where r decreases continuously to a lower limit at L. As discussed below, a pore resulting from a given pressure difference

Jan 1, 1967

By E. K. Kleespies

The Bureau of Mines determined the kinetics of the reaction of titanium-iron alloys with titanium trichloride dissolved in sodium chloride to provide a basis for understanding the reactions occurring in metallurgical processes involving reduction of the metal halides or alloy refining in fused salts. The rate of the heterogeneous reaction was determined between titanium-iron alloys and titanium trichloride to elucidate the effects of alloy composition on the rate. Measurements were made in an inert atmosphere with a high-temperature thermobalance using high-purity reactants. The rates of the reactions were about 1 x 10-5 g Ti/cm2-sec, and the reaction was phase-boundary controlled. Titanium alloys of the body-centered cubic beta structure reacted faster than those with the hexagonal close-packed alpha structure. The inter-metallic compound, TiFe, reacted very slowly, whereas TiFe2 was inert. Alloys containing above 89 atomic percent iron gained weight by reacting with titanium species in the salt solution and depositing titanium in the alloy. The effect of TiCl3 concentration on the reaction rate was determined from 2 to 12 weight-percent TiC13 and at various alloy compositions. At high iron contents, above 50 atomic percent, the TiC13 concentration effect was small. At lower iron contents, the TiC13 concentration effect was greater for beta-crystalline alloys than for alpha-crystalline alloys. The temperature dependence of the reaction between titanium alloy containing 8.7 atomic percent iron and titanium trichloride was measured over the temperature range 1,062° to 1,220° K, and the energy of activation was 7.7 kilocalories for the reaction.

Jan 1, 1967

By K. M. Rolls, F. W. Reuter, J. Wulff

The superconducting behavior and microstructural characteristics of a nominal Nb-40 wt pct Ti-0.239 wt pct O alloy were studied as a function of ther mo -mechanical processing treatment. Critical current density us applied transverse magnetic field was obtained for 0.010-in.-diam wires at 4.2°Kin steady fields 14 to 110 kG. Both optical metallogvaphy and transmission electron microscopy were used to delineate the micros tructures of the same wires. It wan found that a 1-hr 500°C precipitation heat treatment after cold drawing to final size led to the highest critical current density. Heat treatment at 600°C also led to a high critical current density, but the precipitate differs in kind and form from that at 500°C. The resistire critical field was also found to be sensitive to precipitation heat treatment since the effective composition of the superconducting phase changes. This is discussed in terms of the oxygen in interstitial solid solution. Two types of high-field superconducting wire are at present used in the construction of high-field superconducting solenoids. These types are solid-solution alloy wire such as Nb-Zr and Nb-Ti and composites of the brittle inter metallic compound Nb3Sn. The latter generally have a high super cur rent-carry ing capacity which is difficult to vary if properly made. The supercur rent- carry ing capacity of the former can be varied drastically and often predictably by suitable thermomechanical processing treatments. In general, the critical current density Jc of the solid-solution type of alloy is increased by cold work and by additions of interstitial elements along with aging heat treatments. The imperfections which result are be-iieved to be responsible for the observed increase in Jc. In 1962 Kneip and coworkers1 found that the critical faurrent density of Nb-Zr alloys could be increased by proper heat treatment preceded and followed by cold work. Betterton and coworkers2 using a Nb-25 at. pct Zr alloy found that small additions of oxygen or carbon enhanced the effect of this heat treatment. They suggested that the interstitials present aided precipitation in the alloy, leading to a filamentary structure with superior properties. If the precipitation heat treatment was omitted, interstitial additions had a negligible effect on Jc. wong3 showed that higher heat-treatment temperatures lowered Jc. Walker and co-workers,4 who studied microstructure (by transmission electron microscopy) as well as superconductivity, found that the Jc anisotropy introduced by cold rolling was itself affected by heat treatment. They were unable to clarify the relation between microstructure and critical current density, although evidence of precipitation was indicated. More recent investigation of Nb-Zr alloys,5,6 besides showing that structural defects and fiber ing due to cold work and precipitation serve to raise Jc, also elucidate important optically observable microstructural changes which occur upon precipitation. In these reports, coarsening of the microstructural features was found to decrease Jc. Vetrano and Boom,7 who studied Ti-20.7 at. pct Nb, found that Jc was increased to a maximum by a 415°C, 3-hr heat treatment following quenching from 800°C and cold working. Heat treatments can also affect the resistive critical field Hr. Final-size heat treatments of Nb-Zr wire can lower Hr drastically if gross phase decomposition occurs5'* or moderately if the effects of cold work are eliminated without changing significantly the composition of the phase of interest.3,5,6,8 The percentage of oxygen which can be added to Nb-Zr alloys to enhance Jc is limited by the difficulty of subsequent cold drawing. Since Nb-Ti and Ta-Ti alloys in contrast can tolerate appreciably higher percentages of oxygen, it was decided to investigate the superconducting behavior of various alloys in these systems. The present paper describes the results of adding oxygen to a nominal 40 wt pct Nb alloy as a function of thermomechanical treatment. I) EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE A small alloy ingot was prepared from high-purity niobium, iodide, crystal-bar titanium, and Nb2O5 powder by arc melting on a water-cooled copper hearth in a gettered argon atmosphere. The ingot was turned and remelted fourteen times to insure homogeneity. After final melting and rapid cooling, it was machined round to 0.415 in. diam, jacketed in stainless steel, and cold-swaged to 0.117 in. diam. The jacket was removed and swaging continued to 0.051 in. diam followed by wire drawing in carbide dies to 0.010 in. diam. Although it was intended that about 1500 ppm O (by weight) be added, inert gas fusion analysis indicated a 2390 ppm 0 content, apparently due to additional oxygen pickup in the arc furnace. Even so, the alloy was sufficiently ductile to be cold-worked to greater than 99.9 pct reduction

Jan 1, 1967

By R. P. Abendroth

The hydrogen-water vapor ratio at which Fe-Cr alloy, chromium oxide, andiron chromite coexist in equilibrium was determined between 900" and 1200°C. A thermogravimetric method was used to determine equilibrium conditions. The results fit a straight-line relationship in the temperature region studied, and are given by Reduction experiments were also performed to confirm the results of the equilibrium investigation. ThE oxygen pressures at which Fe-Cr alloy, chromium oxide, and iron chromite coexist in equilibrium have been previously determined by Boericke and angert,' Morozov and Novokharski,' and Katsura and uan. Only one determination (at 1300°C) was made by Katsura and Muan, but it agrees with the results of orozov and Novokharski. The results of Boericke and Bangert, however, differ appreciably from the results of these investigators. Previous studies have assumed that the equilibrium metallic phase is pure iron, but Dahl and Van vlack have shown that the iron contains from about 1 wt pct Cr at 1000°C to over 2 wt pct above 1300°C. The chromium oxide also contains a small amount of iron in solid solution. In the present study, hydrogen-water vapor mixtures were equilibrated with the condensed phases, using a therrnogravimetric method to determine equilibrium conditions. The reaction can be written EXPERIMENTAL General Procedure. The starting material was a sintered pellet of Fe2O3-Cr2O3 solid solution with a hole in the center, and was placed on a fused silica hook. This assembly was raised into the preheated hot zone of the furnace in a helium atmosphere, hooked onto a fused silica hangdown suspended from one arm of an Ainsworth Model RV-AU-1 recording balance, and the starting weight determined. A flowing hydrogen-water vapor atmosphere was then exchanged for the helium by evacuation, and the sample reduced until the weight loss indicated the sample composition to be in the alloy-Cr2O3-chromite field. The tem- perature was adjusted incrementally until constant sample weight was achieved for several hours, to within 0.02 mg. A hydrogen-water vapor atmosphere of different composition was then admitted, and the same procedure carried out. At the end of a series of determinations, the sample was examined by X-ray diffraction to verify the presence of the desired phases. Microscopic examination of the silica hook showed no interaction with the sample, nor did it lose any weight. Several criteria were used to insure equilibrium besides constancy of weight. For a given hydrogen-water vapor composition, equilibrium was approached from both oxidizing and reducing sides by varying the furnace temperature slightly. The resulting slow weight loss or gain was observed for several hours. Constant weight could be re-established by returning to the original furnace temperature. The last criterion used was varying the relative amounts of the phases by further reduction or oxidation, and observing any changes in temperature required for constant weight for a given hydrogen-water vapor atmosphere. None were observed. This procedure was essentially the same as approaching the equilibrium from oxidizing and reducing sides, but larger weight excursions were carried out. Sample Preparation. Reagent-grade Fe2O3 and Cr83 powders were mixed in the desired proportions and heated in air at 1250°C for 2 hr. The mixture was re-ground and heated in air overnight at 1250°C. X-ray diffraction showed complete solid-solution formation as a result of this procedure. The solid solution was then pressed into l/2-in.-diam pellets using Carbowax 4000 as a binder. The hole was drilled in the center, and the pellets were sintered 24 hr at 1250°C in air on a bed of Fe2O3-Cr2O3 of the same composition, contained in an alundum boat. After cooling, the pellet surfaces were abraded with 310 paper to remove any surface compositional differences, such as loss of Cr2O3. Chemical analysis of the sintered pellets was 67.16 wt pct CrP3 and 33.02 wt pct Fe203. Atmosphere Generation and Control. The hydrogen-water vapor atmospheres were generated by passing Matheson ultrahigh-purity hydrogen, with no further purification, through two water bubblers contained in a constant-temperature water bath. Since the water-vapor dew points required in this study were below room temperature, the bath was insulated, and was cooled by thermoelectric-immersion devices. The bath temperature was controlled to 0.0l0C. Since rather high flow rates of about 900 ml per min were used through the furnace tube, an independent check of the dew point was made to insure saturation of the hydrogen by the water vapor. Although the dew point could only be determined to within 1/2"C, the determined dew points agreed with the water-bath temper-

Jan 1, 1967

By Stanley A. Feitler

This Bureau of Mines report deals principally with the resources and economic aspects of feldspar in the United States east of the Mississippi River. Although in a strict sense, all phases of the feldspar industry affect its economic structure, emphasis in this study is on supply, demand, and marketing. Although feldspar was originally mined for use in the manufacture of pottery and other ceramics, the glass industry, which began to use feldspar in the mid-1920's, now consumes more than half of the annual output. Most mining is open cut, and the methods used are similar to those used in mining crushed stone. Excess plant capacity has been chronic, and production is usually about 50 percent of capacity fur the industry as a whole. Since 1947, feldspar consumption has grown more slowly than the average for all U.S. industry. This has fostered intense competition, especially for the glass market. Prices have not kept pace with inflation, and profits are small. The trend of consumption through 1.970 for glass feldspar is expected to be upward; less rapid growth in consumption of ceramic feldspar is anticipated.

Jan 1, 1967

By G. A. Parks, C. Kovacs

The xanthate flotation of chrysocolla can be improved by preheating the ore to 500° to 600°C. Addition of water vapor reduces the preheating temperature required. The temperature range of flotation improvement correlates well with the range over which dehydroxylation occurs. This observation is consistent with changes in the structure and properties of the mineral as detected by measurement of solubility, D.T.A., T.G.A., X-ray diffraction, and infrared absorption and with recently proposed explanations of chrysocolla flotation. A brief experiment by one of the authors several years ago showed that exposure of chrysocolla to high temperature water vapor resulted in increased recovery by subsequent xanthate flotation. Recently renewed interest in flotation and thermal properties of chrysocolla1-5 prompted further study of this effect and more detailed reporting.6 This paper explores the response of pure chrysocolla recovery in Hallimond tube flotation tests to the time and temperature of exposure and to changes in the water vapor pressure. Brief attention is paid to the effects of such treatment on accessory minerals. A single experiment with flotation of chrysocolla from an ore is reported. MATERIALS Chysocolla from Inspiration, Gila County, Ariz. was crushed in a porcelain mortar, cleaned of visible and magnetic impurities, and screened to obtain -48 +65 mesh (Tyler) material for flotation test work. The clean material contained 28.5% Cu and was identified as chrysocolla by comparison of X-ray diffraction, D.T.A., and infrared absorption data with that reported for similar materials by others.4,5,7 Samples of malachite and chalcopyrite, prepared in a similar way, were also identified by X-ray diffraction. The sources of these materials are unknown. A sample of chysocolla-bearing oxidized copper ore from Pima, Ariz. was crushed and dry ground for thermal activation and subsequent flotation. PROCEDURES Activation: The apparatus used for exposure of materials to high temperature water vapor is illustrated in Fig. 1. The furnace temperature was controlled to ±5°C Water vapor pressure was controlled by pre-saturating a nitrogen carrier stream with water in an adjustable thermostatted saturator (multiple bubbler). A water manometer and capillary orifice flow meter were used to measure nitrogen flow rates for activation and for subsequent Hallimond tube tests. Gas flow rate and temperature were adjusted prior to introduction of samples. Exposure time was measured from the moment of introduction of the sample to the furnace, hence includes an initial drop below the control temperature. After heating, the samples were removed from the furnace and stored at room temperature in air. Representative samples of activated materials were examined by X-ray diffraction and infrared absorption.

Jan 1, 1967

By Edward A. Vitunac

The emerging importance of pneumatic conveying systems for bulk materials is becoming recognized by more persons responsible for materials management as consultants, at the corporate level and at the plant level. They have learned that the economic advantages of a pneumatic system are frequently decisive when compared to alternate methods. Included in these advantages are relative simplicity, ease of installation, flexibility, ease of maintenance, cleanliness, safety and ease of automation to the degree desired. In general, installed costs favor a pneumatic system when compared to competing mechanical systems if the transporting distances are long or to and from many points. In addition, supplemental use such as cooling, heating, or drying may supply the incremental value required to justify its selection. (1). The main disadvantages of a pneumatic system is the greater horsepower required per unit weight of material conveyed and material limits in abrasiveness and density. In addition, there is a tendency to increase material breakage at changes of direction and at any obstruction such as the imperfect butting of one, piece of pipe to another in the conveying line. Classification of the material at the discharge may also cause problems in dusting and segregation. Materials weighing less than 4 pounds per cubic foot tend to cause feeding and collecting problems although they can be conveyed easily. Material between 4 and 20 pounds per cubic foot can be handled with less problems but flow rate is hard to predict. The 20 to 60 pounds per cubic foot range offers best results; whereas, over 60 pounds per cubic foot, materials tend to drop out of the air stream and settle in the pipe line unless careful provisions are made to prevent it. (2).

Jan 1, 1967

By Keith K. Griffiths

Computers are a valuable tool to the aggregate industry and should not be overlooked. The selection of proper mechanical components is necessary. Merely the addition of a computer to operate a mechanical system will not guarantee that the system will work. Material delivery by rail or truck for stock-piling and intra-plant material transfer can be accurately supervised by automation with simplified controls for the layman to use. There are mechanical problems that occur in material blending and load-out systems when such a system is automated. Such things as material flow, bridging, stockpiling methods, overloading of equipment and safety must be considered. How these problems can be overcome by proper selection of compatible mechanical and computer equipment will be discussed. Also, there are many individual material circuits in a plant that can be computerized at a nominal cost. This type of computer installation will not necessarily result in increased production, but it will produce greater efficiency in manpower. These small computers, binary counters, memory circuits and other devices and their application to the aggregate industry will also be presented. A careful evaluation of the mechanical and computer inter-relationship by someone understanding both "Rocks and Electronics" is essential to proper handling of material by computers. Computers for the mining industry may be either digital or analog computers. Unless the computer is to control some type of chemical process, such as a cement plant, the, analog computer is not required and the digital computer' will be quite adequate and less expensive.

Jan 1, 1967

By G. W. Phelps

The field of industrial minerals is concerned with both sieve size and distribution of sub-sieve particles. A great deal of work has been reported on the techniques designed to provide information of this work. The term sub-sieve is here considered to include particular material that will pass a 325-mesh testing sieve. Plant men require rapid, precise and simple testing techniques that are, if possible, inexpensive with respect to equipment and manpower. A number of particle-size procedures have been developed, based on the Stokes equation for streamline movement of a particle of diam D, moving at velocity V through a liquid of viscosity n. 1 Particles are considered to be rigid, smooth spheres, completely dispersed at low concentration and moving at low velocity through the suspending medium with no slippage between particle and liquid. In particle size determinations the particle moves either from natural gravitational forces or those provided by centrifugal means. The diagram of Fig. 1 shows a spherical particle of density S and diam D moving downward at velocity L/T (or V) through a liquid of density So and viscosity n. The forces of gravity G (natural) or Gc (centrifugal) cause the particle to move through the liquid, thereby creating a viscous drag F or Fc. Within the streamline flow

Jan 1, 1967

By M. J. Lempel

A theoretical study of the heat-transfer characteristics of a dilute gas-solids mixture in an externally heated tube is reported. Detailed equations are developed describing the system, and a numerical method is presented to solve the equations using a digital computer. The methods are applied to a system containing fine coal particles entrained in hydrogen, flowing through a hot tube. Heat-transfer coefficients and several other physical constants are evaluated in detail.

Jan 1, 1967

By Edmond F. Lawrence

The Calico area lies within the Walker Lane fault zone, six miles north of Schurz, Nevada. The mineralized area is overlain by a thick section of Tertiary tuffs and ash-flows, that have been intruded by a series of andesite plug, dikes, and sills. The pre-Tertiary rocks outcrops only in two areas at one to two miles distance from the drilling areas. Underlying the volcanics are sediments ranging from siltstones, sandstone, calcareous shales, to carbonates of the Luning sequence. These have been intruded by one or more phaneritic intrusives ranging in composition from quartz diorite to quartz monzonite, with the development of a skarn zone on the south flank that contains extensive mineralization consisting of magnetite, pyrrhotite, pyrite, and chalcopytite, with traces of sphalerite, galena, and molybdenite. The magnetite, pyrrhotite, and part of the pyrite appears to be contemporaneous with the skarn, while, part of the chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, molybdenite, quartz, and calcite, occurs as minute veinlets cutting the other minerals. This later mineralization may be associated with a late stage of the same sequence, or possibly associated with another intrusive to the southwest. Geophysical work has consisted of aerial magnetics, ground magnetics, gravity, seismic, and induced polarization surveys. Preliminary induced polarization surveys indicated anomalies at depth, both over the magnetic anomaly and to the northwest. Subsequent IP work confirmed this earlier anomaly, and drilling disclosed extensive mineralization at depths of 400 feet on the northwest end and over 1,000 feet to the southeast.

Jan 1, 1967

"Many advances in glass technology and processing are being made and the possibilities for glass as a material in the future appear unlimited. Float glass, glass-ceramics, high-strength sheet and container glass, glass-reinforced plastics, glass for electronic equipment, aerospace glass, glass fibres, glass vehicles, glasses with selective-reflective coatings and glare-reducing glasses, to name a few, provide areas of significance at present and for the future. There appear to be great opportunities, in certain localities of Canada, to develop new sources of raw materials for an expanding Canadian glass industry.New developments in the structural clay products industry have centered around facing brick as a structural load-bearing material, prefabricated brick panels, large-sized units, isostatic pressing of sewer pipe and auto-matic settmg of brick. Fast-firing techniques, using prefired or calcined raw materials, and the development of high-strength products will result in the use of a wider range of raw materials in the whiteware and structural clay products industries.Porcelain enamel, a material used for many years in domestic appliances and for sanitary ware, now is used extensively in architecture, agriculture, water tanks, highway signs and reflectors, and in products where resistance to corrosion-plus-temperature is important. Exotic composites of ceramics and metals, and specialized ceramic coatings applied on metals by various techniques such as flame spray, plasma jet, or vapour and chemical deposition have proved useful in materials for aircraft power plants, rockets, missiles and nuclear applications."

Jan 1, 1967

By O. M. McRae

The Courtland-Gleeson area is in Cochise County about 15 miles east of Tombstone in southeastern Arizona. Rocks exposed in the area range in age from Pre-cambrian to Quaternary. The Precambrian is repre-sented by the Pinal schist. Paleozoic rocks include the Cambrian Bolsa quartzite and Abrigo limestone, Mississippian Escabrosa limestone, and the Permo-Carboniferous Naco Group limestones. Rocks believed to be of Triassic and/or Jurassic age include the Copper Belle monzonite porphyry, Turquoise granite, and Gleeson quartz monzonite. The Cretaceous is represented by andesitic volcanics and various sedimentary rocks. Tertiary rocks include the intrusive and extrusive Sugarloaf quartz latite porphyry and numerous dikes of various rock types. Quaternary conglomerates cover the northern and eastern part of the area. The geologic structure is extremely complex. All rocks as old as early Tertiary have been involved in either tilting, normal faulting, high angle reverse faulting, imbricate thrusting or folding and overfold-ing. Major deformation was initiated during the first half of the Tertiary. Northeast-southwest compres-sional forces caused thrust plates containing lower Paleozoic rocks to override Cretaceous rocks. Subsequently, two large slide blocks of lower Paleozoic rocks, acting under the influence of gravity, moved eastward. The imbricate structure and the gravity slide blocks were then broken by late Tertiary normal faults. INTRODUCTION The Courtland-Gleeson area, or Turquoise Mining District, has long been recognized as an area of extreme structural complexity. Gilluly 2 referred to the entire district as a "gigantic thrust breccia". In 1962, Bear Creek Mining Company completed a two year program of detailed geologic mapping supported by exploration drilling. The purpose of this paper is to present some of the results of this investigation and to provide a structural interpretation based on these results. The geologic map that accompanies this report is generalized and shows only the major and significant features. The area was initially mapped on aerial photographs on a scale of 1 in. equals approximately 500 ft. These data were transferred to a planimetric base using a vertical sketch master. LOCATION The Courtland-Gleeson area is in central Cochise County, about fifteen miles east of Tombstone, and about twenty-two miles northeast of Bisbee in southeastern Arizona (Fig. 1). The area is readily accessible over graded gravel roads from both Tombstone and Elfrida. GENERAL GEOLOGY Rocks exposed in the area range in age from Pre-cambrian to Quaternary. wilson3 and Gilluly2 have published very detailed descriptions of the principal rock units exposed in the area. Only a summary description is provided in Table I. A great number of previously unmapped narrow Tertiary dikes and small irregular masses of hornblende andesite porphyry, lamprophyre, and aplite intrude the Gleeson quartz monzonite in the western part of the map area. The scale of the map prohibits showing them. The aplite dikes are related to, and bear the same structural relationships as, the Sugarloaf quartz latite dikes found in this area. For that reason, and because both the hornblende andesite porphyry and the lamprophyre are post-mineral and post-thrusting, their omission from the map is not considered significant. Because so many of the contacts in the district are fault contacts, because bedding faults appear to be prevalent but are difficult to recognize and map, and because igneous intrusions are so common throughout the sedimentary section, it is virtually impossible to measure an exact total thickness of any of the sedimentary rock units. Nevertheless, neither the field mapping program nor the diamond drilling provided any basis for suspecting that the thicknesses of the sedimentary units are significantly greater or less than what might be inferred from surrounding districts.

Jan 1, 1967