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By John D. Sullivan

A DISCUSSION of the developments of the past decade in the field of refractories, and the effect of these developments on the performance and life of open-hearth furnaces, is perhaps best introduced by reference to Fig. 1. This shows the most important types of refractories doing into various parts of the furnace, together with their cost, and remarks on their use. It has been estimated that half of the refractory makers market comes from the iron and steel industry, and something like one-third of all refractory brick used finds its way into open-hearth furnaces. To melt steel, a furnace capable of withstanding temperatures close to 3000 deg. F. is required. The furnace is assembled of various refractory materials selected by experience and economic considerations. Furnace structures today, from a refractory standpoint, are considerably different from a quarter century ago. Furnace operators, interested in the performance of refractories, care little how they are made or where they come from so long as they give reasonable service. But, the entire history of the refractory is important and technical knowledge of the ceramic materials used in making the refractory is necessary to the manufacturers, so that the proper article gets into the hands of the ultimate consumer.

Jan 1, 1936

By Maurice Magee

The Ducktown ore deposits have been known, explored, and mined for 120 years. Eight massive sulfide ore bodies occur in highly folded and metamorphosed graywacke, graywacke conglomerate, mica schist, chloritegarnet schist, and staurolite schist of Precambrian age. The ore deposits are tabular bodies that have been extensively folded, generally conform to the enclosing rocks, but show local complex differences. The ore deposits, ranging in size from 250,000 tons to over 20 million tons, are composed principally of the minerals pyrrhotite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and magnetite. Gangue minerals are quartz, calcite, actinolite, tremolite, hornblende, garnet, and masses of schistose wall- rock. Three fault systems are present that have influenced ore control and ore body configuration. Hydrothermal effects are evident in wall-rock alteration. Evidence of retrograde metamorphism is extensive in the wall and ore associated rock. Preliminary isotopic age dates have indicated four possible metamorphic events during the Paleozoic Era. Ore genesis is considered to be hydrothermal replacement of receptive beds, predominantly highly calcareous zones, quartzitic zones, and brecciated shear zones. Ore deposition is thought to have occurred during the Devonian Period, with later mobilization and recrystallization of the ore and gangue during Middle and Late Paleozoic times.

Jan 1, 1968

By C. D Looker

Common salt is mentioned in the most ancient writings as an important article of diet. It is fairly certain that it was used by men and animals long before the dawn of civilization. Its presence in natural springs has often been the determining factor in colonization; wars have been fought for possession of salt deposits; trade routes have been established expressly for the purpose of traffic in salt. Naturally this led men into adventures and discoveries that altered history and advanced civilization. In the early days the uses for salt were few and the methods of manufacture were crude and the purity low when compared to salt of the present day. Then the salt came largely from springs, shallow wells or the ocean, while today deep wells must be drilled to the natural brines or beds of rock salt and spacious shafts sunk so that the ancient deposits may be made to yield their supply of stored mineral. Mining and Purification The quantity of available salt seems inexhaustible. It occurs in practically every country of the globe. About 20 million tons is produced and consumed annually in the world. Of this amount about 7 million tons is produced in the United States; 13/4 million tons of rock salt, 2 1/4 million tons as evaporated salt and 31/2 million tons in brine used in the chemical industry. Mined rock salt is used in its natural state without purification. It is classified for the trade by crushing and screening. The average purity of rock salt mined in the United States is about 98.3 per cent pure sodium chloride1. The usual impurities are gypsiferous shale, anhydrite and silica, with traces of potassium, magnesium and calcium compounds. Refined or evaporated salt is made by crystallizing the salt from brine in open pans or vacuum pans. A comparatively small amount of salt is made from ocean water or the brines of inland lakes or seas, sometimes by solar evaporation. By far the larger amount of brine is obtained by drill-

Jan 1, 1938

By C. D. Looker

Common salt is mentioned in the most ancient writings as an important article of diet. It is fairly certain that it was used by men and animals long before the dawn of civilization. Its presence in natural springs has often been the determining factor in colonization; wars have been fought for possession of salt deposits; trade routes have been established expressly for the purpose of traffic in salt. Naturally this led men into adventures and discoveries that altered history and advanced civilization. In the early days the uses for salt were few and the methods of manufacture were crude and the purity low when compared to salt of the present day. Then the salt came largely from springs, shallow wells or the ocean, while today deep wells must be drilled to the natural brines or beds of rock salt and spacious shafts sunk so that the ancient deposits may be made to yield their supply of stored mineral. Mining and Purification The quantity of available salt seems inexhaustible. It occurs in practically every country of the globe. About 20 million tons is produced and consumed annually in the world. Of this amount about 7 million tons is produced in the United States; 13/4 million tons of rock salt, 2 1/4 million tons as evaporated salt and 31/2 million tons in brine used in the chemical industry. Mined rock salt is used in its natural state without purification. It is classified for the trade by crushing and screening. The average purity of rock salt mined in the United States is about 98.3 per cent pure sodium chloride1. The usual impurities are gypsiferous shale, anhydrite and silica, with traces of potassium, magnesium and calcium compounds. Refined or evaporated salt is made by crystallizing the salt from brine in open pans or vacuum pans. A comparatively small amount of salt is made from ocean water or the brines of inland lakes or seas, sometimes by solar evaporation. By far the larger amount of brine is obtained by drill-

Jan 1, 1938

By S. E. Bronisz, J. O. Brittain

Experiments have been carried out to study the effect of an applied stress on strain aging in steel. It was found that the stress-induced strain aging reaction proceeds rapidly in the temperature range of 0° to 60°C. The variation of stress-induced strain aging with plastic strain, aging time, and temperatures is reported. The activation energy for the stress-induced strain aging was found to be 10,000 cal per mol for the steel used in this investigation. VARIOUS observations1-5 have been made of the influence of an applied stress upon the yielding of iron and steel. However, there have been only cursory studies of the effect of an applied tensile stress upon strain aging in iron and steel1,2 The following represents the results of a preliminary study of strain aging as influenced by the application of an external tensile load during the aging process. For the most part, previous experimental work on strain aging can be classified into two parts. First, the experimental technique involved a direct determination of mechanical properties of a suitable specimen that has been plastically deformed to a constant strain and aged generally at a temperature of the order of 200°C, with the aging times varying from about 1/10 to 2 hr.6-8 The second classification of strain aging experiments involves an indirect determination of strain aging by means of physical property such as electrical resistivity or internal friction as a function of the aging time at a constant temperature and strain.9-12 The latter results have

Jan 1, 1961

By H. O. HOPMAN

(Canal Zone Meeting, November, 1910.) I. INTRODUCTION. THE substance of this paper was prepared for the Seventh International Congress of Applied Chemistry, held in London, May, 1909, under the title, Some Developments in Blast-Roasting. In the absence of the author, a -short abstract of the paper was read, and the abstract only will appear in the proceedings of the congress. The present paper has been partly rewritten and considerably enlarged by information gained since the original was prepared ; also some illustrations have been added. Blast-roasting' is a generic term for the process of forcing air through finely-divided. metallic sulphide with the object of roasting and agglomerating in a single operation. At first the process was confined to a galena-concentrate ; lime, limestone, or gypsum was added, to serve both as a diluent to keep separate the particles of galena that they might be thoroughly oxidized, and as a flux that the partly-roasted ore might be agglomerated by the formation of some slag. Later it was extended to treat other metallic sulphides. The leading processes were the Huntington-Heberlein and the Savelsberg of Europe, and the Carmichael-Bradford of Australia. In the United States and Canada, the Huntington-Heberlein process has found application in some instances with galena-concentrates, for which it was originally intended; but this class of ore is not often treated alone, hence the process has had to be modified to suit conditions. The Savelsberg process has been transplanted to this country in about its original form. The Carmichael-Bradford is not used at present. The changes called for in the Huntington-Heberlein process to adapt it to the class of lead-bearing ores usually smelted have been the 1 A. S. Dwight, Engineering and Mining Journal, vol. lxxxv., No. 13, p. 649 (Mar. 28, 1908).

Jun 1, 1910

By J. E. Burke, Y. G. Shiau

SEVERAL attempts have been made to account for the fact that grains in a fully recrystallized metal will coarsen on annealing Two fundamentally different hypotheses have been advanced; with several variations of each. One school considers that the cause of grain growth is the surface energy of the grain boundary The theory of Jeffries1 that grain size and grain size contrast control growth is an example The second school considers the primary cause to be a difference in the lattice energy on either side of the grain boundary The more perfect grains are considered to grow at the expense of their less perfect neighbors, with a decrease in free energy, and a consequent increase in the stability of the system. Burgers2 presents the case for the strain or lattice imperfection theory of grain growth quite completely The latter theory is attractive, since there is no doubt that differences in lattice energy or lattice perfection can cause grain boundary migration A recrystallization nucleus grows for this reason as was beautifully demonstrated by van Arkel and Ploos van Amstel3 Although it is generally stated that grain growth does not precede recrystallization, several workers4,5 have shown that small strains may induce a single crystal in an aggregate to grow, or at least may cause some' grain boundary migration The origin and nature of the imperfections that are considered to be responsible for normal grain growth have never been clearly described, but it is generally agreed that they are a consequence of the difficulty of atomic reorientation in the solid state, and that they do not seriously differ from the type of imperfection that-can be introduced by mechanical deformation An object of the present work was to determine whether the introduction of mechanical deformation would cause grain growth in a specimen which would not otherwise show it under the conditions used It was also planned to determine the effect of such deformation the rate of growth in a specimen which would show - growth in the unstrained condition Recently Maddigan and Blank6 have indicated that slightly strained specimens of alpha brass can undergo considerable growth prior to recrystallization if annealed at low temperatures French7 has reported that at deformations less than 17 pct it is very difficult to detect the beginning of recrystallization in the same material. It was therefore planned to broaden this work to include a complete study of the microscopic behavior of alpha brass under conditions of temperature, time, grain size and deformation such that recrystallization would not occur or would occur to only a small extent EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The brass was prepared by melting cathode copper and commercially pure zinc

Jan 1, 1947

By A. G. Roach

THIS paper deals with a plant built under joint agreement between the Canadian and United States Governments to supply the strategic mineral, corundum, at a time when African production was dwindling and war demands still increasing. The operation began in September 1944, retreating the tailings from a former mill by gravity methods, and is still in production (Sept. 1946). In 1942, when it became apparent that South African production would be insufficient to meet mounting wartime requirements of corundum, a survey was made of Canadian sources of the mineral, at the request of the Foreign Economic Administration of the U. S. Government. The investigation1 indicated that the quickest and cheapest supply would be obtained by reworking the tailings deposit at Craigmont, Ontario. Sampling of the dump by Canadian Government engineers revealed that 125,000 tons of tailings, averaging 2.96 pct corundum, was available for retreatment. Ore-dressing tests on representative samples of the deposit were conducted by the writer in the laboratories of the Industrial Minerals Section of the Department of Mines and Resources at Ottawa; and gravity concentration on tables was indicated as the most suitable method of treatment. Decision to proceed with the project was deferred until May 9, construction was begun on May 18, and tune-up operation of the plant begun on Sept. 15, 1944. CORUNDUM-ITS PROPERTIES AND USES Corundum is an oxide of aluminum having the formula A1203. Its outstanding characteristic is its great hardness; 9 in the Mohs scale. In this respect it is second only to the diamond. It usually occurs in barrel-shaped crystals in nepheline syenites and other feldspathic rocks deficient in silica. It has a specific gravity of 3.95 to 4.1 and is insoluble and infusible. In color it ranges from white, through red and green, to black. Ruby and sapphire are gem varieties of corundum. Corundum is supplied to industry as closely graded grain.2 The coarser products (10 to 24-mesh) are used largely for snagging wheels in the steel-castings industry, while the finer grades (from 70-mesh down to flours) find a wide application in the polishing of lenses and for other uses in the optical trade. All sizes of corundum grain are in close competition with synthetic abrasives such as carborundum and alundum. In some fields of application the artificial product is superior to the natural grain but not in all. The shape of the particle and its behavior under conditions of actual use determine its sphere of employment. The United States is the largest consumer of corundum, annual consumption in peacetime approaching 3000 tons; during the war this figure was roughly doubled. During the years 1902 to 1913, the bulk

Jan 1, 1946

By Francis Foley

IN examining steel under the microscope, one is constantly confronted with structures that are difficult to interpret. Recently, in a collection of samples for exhibition purposes, the writer found apiece of open-hearth runner metal, 2 in. (50 mm.) in diameter, that had been fractured for use as a sample of cast-steel structure. On polishing and etching a section for the purpose of photographing a field to typify the microstructure of steel in the "as cast" condition, a variety of structures was found (Fig. 1) so arranged as to arouse interest at once. For a distance of about 0.065 in. (1.6 mm.) from the skin of the runner, normal ingot structure was found (Fig. 2); this was followed by a zone, about 0.215 in. (5.5 mm.) wide, of considerably lower carbon content in which occurred a most pronounced Widmannstättian structure (Fig. 3); from this point on to the center of the runner, the metal was again of normal ingot structure (Fig. 4). Representative samples taken from the metal in the three zones showed the following analysis: C Ni Cr Metal from skin 0.34 1.26 0.63 Widmannstättian zone 0.21 1.18 0.63 Metal from center 0.34 1.32 0.67

Jan 7, 1919

Coal - Surface Mining Coal Preparation Coal Utilization Research and Development Health and Safety

Jan 3, 1976

By D. B. Williams

The end of the war in Europe and the Pacific failed to curb the upward trend of production in Venezuela,- which easily surpassed that of any previous year. The total production for 1945 amounted- to 323,369, 430 bbl., which was 26 per cent over the total for 1944, the previous peak in the history of the oil industry of the country. This increase was caused mainly by the greater demand for petroleum in the last stages of the war; the fact that the danger from enemy submarines had been overcome, which allowed all oil companies to use increased shipping facilities, and the fact that more materials were available for drilling operations. However, the materials supplied were by no means adequate and considerable credit is reflected on the Venezuelan petroleum industry for the increased production obtained by utilizing all available equipment to its fullest extent.

Jan 1, 1946

By Rossiter W. Raymond

(Canal Zone Meeting, November, 1910.) THE death of Professor Blake removes the oldest of American economic geologists and mining engineers, and deprives this Institute of one of its, earliest and most illustrious members. To many of us it brings a personal loss also, the loss of a friend. William Phipps Blake was born June 21, 1826, in New York City. -His father, Elihu Blake, was a surgeon-dentist of eminence, a direct descendant of William Blake, who settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony about 1630. He was prepared for college at private schools in New York, and entered the Sheffield School of Yale, where he was graduated as Ph.B. in the chemical course, class of 1852, the first graduating-class of the institution. In the same year he became chemist and mineralogist of the New Jersey Zinc Co., and chemist of chemical works at Baltimore, Md. In 1853, lie started the Department of Mineralogy of the World's Fair at New York City. In 1854, 1855 and 1856, he was mineralogist and geologist of the United States Pacific Railroad Surveys of Williamson, Pope, and Whipple, and for the War Department at Washington. His writings, during this period comprise reports on the geology and mineralogy of California and other parts of the Southwest, and constitute well nigh the earliest scientific accounts of the regions described. One of them. was a translation of the Resume and Field Notes of Jules Marcou, of Whipple's expedition. From 1856 to 1859, he was engaged in explorations of the geology and mineral deposits of North Carolina, :and other parts of the country. In 1859, he became editor and proprietor of The Mining Magazine. This was a monthly periodical, founded in 1853 by W. J. Tenny, who conducted it until 1858, when it passed into the hands of Thomas McElrath, a New York publisher, and appeared in May of that year as The Mining and Statistic Magazine, with the name of

Sep 1, 1910

By Clyde Ross

The Thunder Mountain mining district is in eastern Valley County, Idaho. It is of undefined extent but nearly all of the development is confined to the ridge between Monumental and Marble creeks in unsurveyed T. 19 N., R. 11 E. (Fig. 1.) The district is still remembered among the mining men of Idaho because of the ill-advised rush there in 1902, but available evidence indicates that optimism regard-ing the future development of the gold deposits of the district is warranted. The former disappointment arose from the fact that many who took part in the early rush hoped for bonanza deposits, whereas the district is characterized by large masses of low tenor. In 1926 the writer,, assisted by C. Y. Behre, 3r., incidental to other work in the region, devoted four days to the detailed examination of the then access-ible workings in the district. Tha major workings in the Sunnyside, Venable, Standard and H-Y mines, most of which were still in good shape, were examined., Surface exposures at the Dewey were studied, but the main workings there have long been caved. The time available did not permit more than a cursory examination of the surface at a distance from the mines. Sufficient data have been gathered, how-ever, from published and unpublished accounts, production records and mine maps so that the major features of this deposit, by far the most productive in the dis-trict, can be summarized. The kindness of Messrs. Dan McRae and R: A. Davis in making available information regarding the mines of the district, a rd of these men and others in recounting early history and their observations in now inaccessible workings, have aided materially in preparing the present paper. A brief summary of the salient characteristics of the district has already been published.1/ Cir-cumstances have contributed to delay in the publication of the full official report, which will contain mine maps and ?such other detailed data as could be ontained. In view of the present interest in gold deposits it seems desirable to present here a summary of results of the study.

Jan 1, 1933

By P. E. Baker

Approximate solutions are presented for the heat-flow equations in a loss-free linear system with a moving source and with heat transfer by convection and conduction, representing in situ combustion in an oil reservoir. The rate of heat generation and the velocity vf of the source (flame front) are assumed constant. A cold front or convection front caused by the cooling effect of in-jected air develops behind the flame front and moves with velocity vc, which is determined by the thermal properties of the air and rock. Because of thermal conduction the fronts are not sharp; i.e., they do not represent temperature discontinuities. The following solutions apply after a sufficiently long time. where Q is heat generated per unit volume of formation, k is thermal conductivity, CF is volumetric heat capacity, a is thermal diffusivity, and subscripts 1 and 2 refer to values behind and ahead of the flame front, respectively. The parameter CF2 is contained in v . Te is initial reservoir temper- . C2 e ature and air-injection temperature. Other mathematically possible solutions are presented. The different solutions result from the use of different values for various physical parameters. The solution just presented is thought to be most commonly applicable. INTRODUCTION In this paper, approximate analytical expressions are derived for the temperature profile developed in the underground combustion method of oil recovery. A qualitative description of the process may be found in a paper by Tadema.1 The flame front is regarded as a moving source with a constant rate of heat generation. Heat transfer is by conduction and convection. Previous publications, of which a few are cited here, 2-5 have also attacked this problem and have presented solutions pertaining to different methods of approximating or idealizing the process studied. The present paper also treats an idealized case: linear flow is assumed for heat and fluids, and vaporization and condensation effects are neglected. The results obtained are similar to those derived by Bailey and Larkin,3 but are obtained by an entirely different procedure. The method used here should give considerably greater insight into the physics of the in situ combustion process. Four types of cases are considered, distinguished by thermal and fluid-flow properties of the system. A constant rate of heat generation and constant rate of flame-front advance are assumed. Flame-front temperature is determined for each case using a heat balance which involves the entire temperature profile. The applicability of the different solutions to real systems is discussed after they are all presented. Again, this is done for the purpose of understanding better the physics of the process. Consideration of the nonapplicable solutions and of the reasons for their not applying is significant. In a paper by Cooperman,4 the only case solved is one considered here as not applicable. Fluid flow, as such (pressures, saturations, oil recovery, etc.), is not treated. This subject has been covered in a paper by Wilson, et al.6 Also, we are not concerned with requirements for continuance of the process; we only attempt to determine the temperature history for cases where the process has continued for some time. PHYSICAL SYSTEM AND APPROACH TO PROBLEM A linear flow (heat and fluid) system is assumed and the x-axis is taken parallel to the flow direction. The combustion zone (flame front) is vertical,

The total estimated production of coal in the United States during the first century and a quarter of mining is shown in Table 20. This is the total of the production of the various states already shown in the various tables, and is believed to be the first statement of this sort made. No such table prepared from limited data can be accurate, but it is the writer's opinion that the totals shown are less than those actually produced. It was thought that this study would enable a reasonably accurate account of the movement of coal down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to be written. The searches made have shown that at this time the data do not exist from which such a study can be made, but some of the facts collected may be useful to future students.

Jan 1, 1942

By C. B. Jordan

LAVES and Wallbaum' have described TiRu and TiOs as having the same structure as TiFe; they had previously described the latter compound as having the CsCl structure. On the other hand, a careful investigation of the structure of TiFe by Duwez and Taylor- ailed to reveal the ordered CsCl structure, finding instead a random arrangement of titanium and iron atoms on the points of a body-centered-cubic space lattice. Consequently, it is not clear whether Laves and Wallbaum proposed the ordered or the disordered structure for TiRu and TiOs. In order to settle this question as to the structural type and to obtain values of the lattice para- meters (thereby completely determining the structures), the present investigation was undertaken. Samples having the compositions TiRu and TiOs were weighed out accurately from iodide titanium supplied by the New Jersey Zinc Co., ruthenium powder from Goldsmith Brothers Smelting & Refining Co., and osmium powder from Wildberg Brothers Smelting & Refining Co. No analysis was made of any of these metals. According to the respective analyses of the suppliers, total impurities amount to less than 0.03 pct in the titanium and to less than 0.5 pct in the osmium. The purity of the ruthenium is not known. The alloys were prepared by arc melting in a furnace of the type described by Schramm, Gordon, and Kaufmann.9 pecimens for X-ray diffraction were obtained by crushing the ingots and passing the resulting powders through a 200 mesh screen. Diffraction patterns were made with a powder

Jan 1, 1956

By A. G. Roach

This paper deals with a plant built under joint agreement between the Canadian and United States Governments to supply the strategic mineral, corundum, at a time when African production was dwindling and war demands still increasing. The operation began in September 1944, retreating the tailings from a former mill by gravity methods, and is still in production (Sept. 1946). In 1942, when it became apparent that South African production would be insufficient to meet mounting wartime requirements of corundum, a survey was made of Canadian sources of the mineral, at the request of the Foreign Economic Administration of the U. S. Government. The investigation' indicated that the quickest and cheapest supply would be obtained by reworking the tailings deposit at Craig-mont, Ontario. Sampling of the dump by Canadian Government engineers revealed that 125,000 tons of tailings, averaging 2.96 pct corundum, was available for retreat-ment. Ore-dressing tests on representative samples of the deposit were conducted by the writer in the laboratories of the Industrial Minerals Section of the Department of Mines and Resources at Ottawa; and gravity concentration on tables was indicated as the most suitable method of treatment. Decision to proceed with the project was deferred until May 9, construction was begun on May 18, and tune-up operation of the plant begun on Sept. IS, 1944. Corundum—Its Properties and Uses Corundum is an oxide of aluminum having the formula Al2O3. Its outstanding characteristic is its great hardness; 9 in the Mohs scale. In this respect it is second only to the diamond. It usually occurs in barrel-shaped crystals in nepheline syenites and other feldspathic rocks deficient in silica. It has a specific gravity of 3.95 to 4.1 and is insoluble and infusible. In color it ranges from white, through red and green, to black. Ruby and sapphire are gem varieties of corundum. Corundum is supplied to industry as closely graded grain.= The coarser roducts (10 to 24-mesh) are used largely for snagging wheels in the steel-castings industry, while the finer grades (from 70-mesh down to flours) find a wide application in the polishing of lenses and for other uses in the optical trade. All sizes of corundum grain are in close competition with synthetic abrasives such as carborundum and alundum. In some fields of application the artificial product is superior to the natural grain but not in' all. The shape of the particle and its behavior under conditions of actual use determine its sphere of employment. The United States is the largest 'Onsumer of corundum, annual consumption in peacetime approaching 3000 tons; during the war this figure was roughly doubled. During the years 1902 to 1913, the bulk

Jan 1, 1948

By A. G. Roach

This paper deals with a plant built under joint agreement between the Canadian and United States Governments to supply the strategic mineral, corundum, at a time when African production was dwindling and war demands still increasing. The operation began in September 1944, retreating the tailings from a former mill by gravity methods, and is still in production (Sept. 1946). In 1942, when it became apparent that South African production would be insufficient to meet mounting wartime requirements of corundum, a survey was made of Canadian sources of the mineral, at the request of the Foreign Economic Administration of the U. S. Government. The investigation' indicated that the quickest and cheapest supply would be obtained by reworking the tailings deposit at Craig-mont, Ontario. Sampling of the dump by Canadian Government engineers revealed that 125,000 tons of tailings, averaging 2.96 pct corundum, was available for retreat-ment. Ore-dressing tests on representative samples of the deposit were conducted by the writer in the laboratories of the Industrial Minerals Section of the Department of Mines and Resources at Ottawa; and gravity concentration on tables was indicated as the most suitable method of treatment. Decision to proceed with the project was deferred until May 9, construction was begun on May 18, and tune-up operation of the plant begun on Sept. IS, 1944. Corundum—Its Properties and Uses Corundum is an oxide of aluminum having the formula Al2O3. Its outstanding characteristic is its great hardness; 9 in the Mohs scale. In this respect it is second only to the diamond. It usually occurs in barrel-shaped crystals in nepheline syenites and other feldspathic rocks deficient in silica. It has a specific gravity of 3.95 to 4.1 and is insoluble and infusible. In color it ranges from white, through red and green, to black. Ruby and sapphire are gem varieties of corundum. Corundum is supplied to industry as closely graded grain.= The coarser roducts (10 to 24-mesh) are used largely for snagging wheels in the steel-castings industry, while the finer grades (from 70-mesh down to flours) find a wide application in the polishing of lenses and for other uses in the optical trade. All sizes of corundum grain are in close competition with synthetic abrasives such as carborundum and alundum. In some fields of application the artificial product is superior to the natural grain but not in' all. The shape of the particle and its behavior under conditions of actual use determine its sphere of employment. The United States is the largest 'Onsumer of corundum, annual consumption in peacetime approaching 3000 tons; during the war this figure was roughly doubled. During the years 1902 to 1913, the bulk

Jan 1, 1948

By R. C. Philp, Allan Gibb

INTRODUCTION. THE term matte is applied to smelting-products so extremely diverse in composition and physical properties that it appears impossible to devise any generic formula to represent, chemically, the manner in which the varied proportions of the almost unlimited possible constituents combine with each other. Mattes produced in copper-smelting, in distinction from those produced in smelting-operations in which the recovery of copper is secondary to that of other metals, cover a narrower range in composition. The copper-content of such mattes vary from 20 to 80 per cent., and even this range is much smaller in general practice since it is found advantageous, when possible, to produce mattes with about. 50 per cent. of copper in the first operation. Further, it is unusual that arsenic or antimony occurs in copper-ores in sufficient proportions to form arsenides or antimonides in such quantities that they will separate out from the furnace-products, as is common in lead-smelting. Generally, the mattes produced in copper-smelting are composed mainly of copper (usually greater than 35 per cent.), iron and sulphur, the remaining elements being usually in proportions sufficiently small to allow of their treatment as impurities, rather than as essential constituents of the mattes. In modern practice of smelting copper-ores in blast-furnaces the tendency is to approach pyritic smelting as nearly as pos¬sible, the furnaces being low and the air supplied being largely in excess of that required for complete combustion of the carbonaceous fuel. Hence the atmosphere of the blast-furnace thus used is usually oxidizing or Dearly neutral? and, as a consequence, the reduction of metallic iron that was a necessary evil of former practice is of unusual occurrence in operations where the main object is the recovery of copper. Hearth-accre-

Nov 1, 1905

By AIME AIME

THE joint symposium on gases in metals on Tuesday: Feb. 16, between the Iron and Steel and the Institute of Metals divisions opened the technical sessions for both of these bodies. After a few words of introduction by P. D. Merica, R. S. Dean presented a paper by V. H: Gottshalk and himself on the solubility of gases in metals.

Jan 1, 1932