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By E. P. Abrahamson II

The effect of transition elements which form binary solid solution upon the recrystallization temperature of zirconium has been investigated. All additions raised the recrystallization temperature. A correlation is obtained between the logarithm of the rate of change of recrystallization temperature with atomic percent solute and the free atom ground state electron configuration of the solute element. ThE work of Abrahamson, et al., on dilute binary solid-solution alloys indicated a correlation between the free-atom ground state electron configuration of the solute and either the brittle-ductile transition or recrystallization temperature. These studies were carried out on bcc base materials. The implication is that the outer s and d electrons of the solute are the prime determinant of the absolute rate of change of recrystallization or transition temperature. Furthermore, the limit of linearity has been shown to be a function of solute electron configuration for recrystallization in iron and vanadium. To date no Complete systematic recrystallization study of dilute binary zirconium base alloys has been made. It is the purpose of this study to note whether the change in solvent structure from bcc to hcp will influence the correlation. It was also desired to learn more of the role of the electron configuration of the solvent on recrystallization temperature. PROCEDURE All alloys were made using 99.87 pct Zr with 0.01 Cr, 0.04 Fe, 0.006 Hf, 0.003 Mg, 0.003 Mn, 0.003 N, and 0.080 0 (132 BHN). The solute elements were 99.9 pct pure. According to the published binary phase diagrams6 and metallographic examinations at X750, all alloys used were solid solutions. The alloys were arc melted and remelted six times in the form of cubic 200-g buttons under an argon atmosphere. They were then hot pressed at 950°C to 0.450 in., upset pressed to 0.350 in., and annealed at 800°C for 1 hr. The specimens were then Blanchard ground to 0.250 in., removing 0.050 in. from each side. The grain size of the material at this stage was found to be 8000 100 grains per sq mm. The specimens were then cold rolled to 0.130 in. and cold pressed to 0.125 in., yielding 50 1 pct cold work. All alloys were then chemically analyzed for the principal addition. The interstitial contents remained at the values of the starting material when checked on random alloy specimens. The rolled sheet was cut into 6.75 by 0.25-in. lengths and heat treated in a gradient furnace for 1 hr. The gradient was 250o to 900°C over the 6-in. length, recorded continuously by six thermocouples resting on each specimen. Control was 3oC, accomplished at the hot end. The recrystallization temperature was determined metallographically using polarized light. The criterion chosen was the point on the specimen showing the first recrystallized grain at a constant magnification, X200. Specimens were repeated, and the agreement was found to be 3°C. RESULTS Three different pure zirconium specimens were tested, and the recrystallization temperature was

Jan 1, 1962

By M. Mortada

Nonsteady-state flow of slightly compressible liquids in porous media of non-uniform properties has been the subject of a number of recent studies. Most of these studies considered one-dimensional flow in systems with cylindrical geometry and with the properties of the porous medium varying with radial distance only. A. Houpeurt' studied the problem in its general form by examining the solutions of the differential equation, In Eq. 1, the permeability k and the porosity + are arbitrary functions of radial distance. Houpeurt concluded that, except for special forms of the functions k and the problem is not well suited for mathematical treatment, but lends itself to high-speed digital computation. Carslaw and Jaeger' discussed the solution of Eq. 1 for the case in which the permeability varies as a power of the radial distance. P. Albert3 studied analytically the pseudo steady-state solutions in systems of finite radial extent and non-uniform properties. He also obtained some numerical solutions for nonsteady-state flow using a high-speed computer. William Hurst4 examined the interference pressure drop due to a point sink located in an infinite system consisting of two permeability regions in series. In this case, the permeability changed at a radial distance r from the point sink. INTERFERENCE BETWEEN OIL FIELDS IN A NON-UNIFORM AQUIFER The interference pressure drop for oil fields located in an extensive aquifer of uniform properties is discussed in a number of places in the literature. This work considers the interference pressure drop for oil fields located in a non-uniform extensive aquifer comprising two regions of different properties as shown in Fig. 1. Region I of the aquifer extends from which is the radius of Oil Field A, to ar,,, where a>1. It has permeability k,, porosity +, and effective compressibility c,. Oil Field B is located in Region II which extends from ar, to infinity and has different properties from those of Region I, but the same formation thickness h. Region II has permeability k2, porosity and effective compressibility c2. The choice of this type of aquifer should not imply that it is of frequent occurrence. It is chosen primarily to illustrate the effects of non-uniform aquifer properties on oilfield interference. It is of interest to point out that a non-uniform radial aquifer in which both the permeability and the porosity are inversely proportional to the radial distance can be treated in a manner similar to a linear aquifer of uniform properties. The situation where only the permeability varies as the inverse of the radial distance is also amenable to analytical treatment. Both aquifers behave quite differently from a radial aquifer with uniform properties so far as the water influx and the interference pressure drop are concerned. METHOD OF SOLUTION The expression for the interference pressure drop in Oil Field B due to a constant rate of water influx in Oil Field A is developed in the Appendix. This is accomplished by the simultaneous solution of two partial differential equations describing the pressure in Regions I and 11. The two differential equations are solved subject to the following conditions: (1) at r,, the pressure gradient is constant; (2) at ar the pressure and

By F. Keller, E. H. Dix, L. A. Willey

The consideration of alloying elements for aluminum has led to a series of investigations of the equilibrium relations between aluminum and those alloying elements. Therefore, the aluminum end of the aluminum-antimony diagram has been studied. The general form of the aluminum-antimony equilibrium diagram has been worked out by Campbell and Mathewsi and by Tammann.2 Canlpbell and mathews described principally the beginning of solidification. They found the curve of beginning of solidification rising gradually from the melting point of pure alunlinum to a maximum at about 67 per cent. aluminum. After a slight lowering of the curve at a little greater antimony concentration the curve again rises to a maximum at 18.4 per cent. aluminum, which corresponds to the compound AISb. The curve then drops to the melting point of pure antimony. Tamrriarln explained the maximum occurring at about 67 per cent. aluminum as the result of the slow formation of the single compound AISb. The space lattice of the compound AISb, according to Owen and Preaton,³ is face-centered cubic, the antimony atoms being intermeshed with an identical aluminum lattice. Very little, if any, work has been done on aluminum alloys containing small amounts of antimony. The Present Investigation It has been the purpose of this investigation to determine the solid solubility of antimony in aluminum and also to investigate the eutectic temperature and concentration. The experimental work has been carried out in a manner similar to that described in a previous paper4 from this laboratory.

Jan 1, 1931

Carlisle: An old friend and good friend, Alan Bateman, is the Silliman Professor of Geology Emeritus at Yale and editor of the Journal of Economic Geology. Now, Alan, let's start off by telling us something about how you became interested in copper. Bateman: Well, after I left Yale in 1913, I was appointed one of the field members of the Secondary Enrichment Investigation. We spent three years in the field studying all the copper deposits of North America, trying to find out how secondary copper enrichment took place. As part of this investigation, I went up to Kennecott, Alaska, in 1916. After the trip I was asked by the president of the company to become consulting geologist to them. I accepted his offer, and to this day I'm still consulting geologist to the Kennecott Copper Corp. Up at Kennecott, there were both Henry Krumb and my good friend Henry DeWitt Smith, who was general superintendent. He and I had been together at Yale, and I had ushered at his wedding. Interestingly enough, Henry took his bride to Alaska and I took mine there two months later. My assistant was Don McLaughlin, and I think that was his first experience in a mining camp. We published a paper on Kennecott together and cemented a friendship lasting to this day.

Jan 11, 1964

By Dean, R. S.

THE numerous theories of hardening which have been advanced in recent years are all satisfactory in accounting for some of the phenomena observed in hardening metals, but none so far presented account for all of the facts observed. Some years ago one of the authors, R. S. Dean,' presented a theory to account for some of the properties accompanying work hardening. The present paper develops this theory further in the light of recent experimental work and extends it to other forms of hardening. Many of the ideas included have come from the writings and personally communicated thoughts of others. We have attempted to give proper credit in every case, but it is possible that we have not always done so. As an historical basis it is desirable here to review very briefly the hardening theories which have been current. The first comprehensive theory of work-hardening phenomena was due to Sir George Beilby.2 He contributed the idea that with cold work part of the structure of the metal was rendered amorphous and that-it was to this amorphous material that the cold-worked metal owed its difference in properties. According to Beilby's theory this amorphous material was a supercooled liquid and, therefore, had the characteristics of a vitreous material. That such a theory is not capable of explaining the property changes in metals has been repeatedly pointed out. This theory also allowed a slip to take place only once on a given plane, which, as has been pointed out by Jeffries and Archer13 is not consistent with the observed length of an, individual slip and the amount of elongation which can be obtained by wire drawing. The modifications, which have been proposed to this hypothesis to make it coincide with the experimental facts, have to a considerable extent robbed the theory of its clean-cut characteristics. The commonest of these modifications replaces the amorphous phase with an

Jan 1, 1927

By N. O. Taylor

THE failure, by swelling, of several cast aluminum-zinc, spiral, pump rods, used to circulate water in a constant-temperature bath, brought up the question as to whether the presence of tin in varying quantities would have any appreciable influence in controlling this action. Previous workers had found the same difficulty with aluminum-zinc alloys, due to their swelling in water or solutions of electrolyte^.^ It was known that pure aluminum was practically insoluble in concentrated sulfuric and nitric acids, presumably due to the formation of an oxidized film on the surface. Concentrated sulfuric acid had little or no effect on pure zinc and tin and concentrated hydrochloric acid would attack all three metals. These facts aroused curiosity as to the probable reaction of the ternary alloys of these metals, and tests were made to determine their resistivity to the action of common laboratory reagents. Samples, covering the entire range of the ternary series of aluminum, zinc and tin alloys, were made up from good grades of the commercial metals.2 The materials were melted, at as low temperatures as possible, in graphite crucibles in a gas-fired crucible furnace. Graphite crucibles were used in preference to clay, to prevent the absorption of silicon by the aluminum, as found by previous workers. The melted materials were stirred thoroughly with pine sticks in order to ensure complete mixing and the greatest possible freedom from oxidation, and were cast in sectional, iron molds giving bars % in. in diameter and 5 in. long.

Jan 1, 1927

By Amitava Gangulee, Michael B. Bever

The order-disorder transition in Ag-Mg alloys in the range 17 to 26 at. pct Mg was investigated and some thermodynamic, electrical and mechanical properties of ordered Ag-Mg alloys were measured. A modification of the phase diagram is proposed on the basis of measured transition temperatures. The stability of the ordered structure is analyzed in terms of the quasichemical theory. Kinetic aspects of the order-disorder transition were also investigated. The energies of ordering at 273°K of Ag-Mg alloys were measured by liquid metal solution calorimetry. The electrical resistivities and the tensile Properties of the ordered alloys were measured. The exothermic energy of ordering increased with magnesium concentration up to the composition Ag3Mg; it is discussed in terms of the quasichemical theory. Pronounced order hardening was observed and can be explained by several strengthening mechanisms, which are particularly effective because of a change in crystal structure associated with the ordering transition. IN silver-rich solid solutions containing approximately 17 to 26 at. pct Mg, long- range ordering may occur during appropriate therma1 treatments. Clare-brough and Nicholas1 first detected such long-range order in the solid solution of composition Ag3Mg and suggested that the unit cell of the superlattice contained 256 atoms. x-ray2 and electron diffraction3 investigations confirmed the occurrence of long-range order, but indicated a shifted Ll2-type structure. On the basis of recent X-ray measurements the crystal structure of ordered Ag3Mg has been confirmed as type D023.4 The present paper is concerned with the order-disorder transition in silver-rich Ag-Mg solid solutions and some thermodynamic, electrical, and mechanical properties of the ordered alloys. The effects of short-range order on the properties of silver-rich solid solutions containing up to 26 at. pct Mg are discussed in a concurrent paper.5 1) EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES 1.1) Preparation of Specimens. Specimens of Ag-Mg alloys containing from 18 to 26 at. pct Mg were prepared in the form of 1.0-mm-diam wires as described in Section 1.1 of Ref. 5. Disordered specimens were prepared by annealing at 773°K for 1 hr and quenching into iced brine. Ordered specimens were prepared by annealing at 773°K for 1 hr and slowly cooling to room temperature over a period of 15 days. The specimens were stored at 78°K. 1.2) Resistivity Measurements. Electrical resistivi- ties were measured by a potentiometric method.' Equilibrium values were obtained at several temperatures. The kinetics of ordering were investigated by following the time-dependent changes of the resistivity of initially disordered specimens during annealing. The specimens were enclosed in copper capsules and immersed in salt pots; the heating up was accelerated by injecting preheated helium into the capsules. 1.3) Calorimetry. The energies of ordering of the alloys were measured in a tin solution calorimeter as the difference between the heat effects of additions of completely ordered and disordered specimens of the same composition. The procedure and the method of calculation have been described.6 Magnesium was used for thermal compensation in most calorimetric runs in order to improve the accuracy.677 1.4) Mechanical Tests. Tensile tests were carried out with wire specimens at room temperature as described in Section 1.5 of Ref. 5. Microhardness measurements were also made.? 2) RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The characteristics of the order-disorder transition of silver-rich Ag-Mg solid solutions will be discussed first. Some thermodynamic, electrical, and mechanical properties of the ordered alloys will then be considered and compared with the corresponding properties of dis-disordered alloys. 2.1) The Order-Disorder Transition. 2.1.1) Thermodynamic and Structural Aspects. The transition temperatures Tt were determined from discontinuities in the slope of the equilibrium resistivity vs temperature curves. Normalized curves for three compositions are shown in Fig. 1. The transition temperature increases with the magnesium concentration and reaches a maximum at the stoichiometric composition Ag3Mg. The transition temperature of the alloy Ag3Mg was measured as 665° ± 2°K and compares with published values of 660°,1 663°,8 and 66°k.3 In the slopes of the resistivity vs temperature curves of alloys containing 22.2 and 22.5 at. pct Mg, discontinuities were observed at two temperatures. Such upper and lower discontinuities indicate a two-phase field. A modified form of the published phase diagram9 is shown in Fig. 2. A two-phase field was found only on the low-magnesium side of the composition Ag3Mg. On the high-magnesium side, the existence of a two-phase field could not be established because of insufficient resolution, but such a field must be present. This part of the phase diagram can be made complete by a eutec-toid-type reaction a = (a' + ß). The existence of a boundary between the two-phase fields (a + ß) and (a' + ß) is also in accord with published lattice parameters.3 The crystal structure of ordered Ag3Mg (type Do23)

Jan 1, 1969

COUNCIL OF ECONOMICS OF AIME Formerly Mineral Economics Division Established as a Division December 15, 1948 Established as a Council February 26, 1957 Franz R Dykstra, Chairman Paul Schultz, Vice-Chairman A J Phillips, Vice-Chairman Douglas Donald, Vice-Chairman J S Vanick, Contact AIME Director A H Lindley, Jr, Secretary-Treasurer Lehman Brothers 1 William Street New York 4, N Y COUNCIL OF EDUCATION OF AIME Formerly Mineral Industry Education Division Established as a Division January 15, 1932 Established as a Council February 26, 1957 0 Cutler Shepard,Chairman Lysle E Shaffer, Vice-Chairman John C Calhoun, Jr, Past Chairman J C Kinnear, Jr, Contact AIME Director J D Forrester, Secretary-Treasurer College of Mines Univ of Arizona Tucson, Arizona

Jan 1, 1958

By J. B. Dyess

TARNISH films on some of the common metals (particularly on copper and silver) have been of much scientific and commercial concern for a long time, but before the development of the electrical method1 of measuring film thicknesses there was no satisfactory quantitative approach by which to study the separate parts of these complex films. This method has been adapted to the measurement of duplex (cuprous-cupric) oxide films on copper .2 In the present work it has been used to measure tarnish films on copper when they were mixtures of cuprous oxide and cuprous sulphide, and also when they contained cuprous oxide, cupric oxide and cuprous sulphide, each component part being measured at a different potential value. Oxide-coated copper specimens, prepared by heating copper in air at chosen temperatures for given periods, were exposed to moist hydrogen. sulphide in air to form the various oxide-sulphide films studied. The comparative resistances afforded by (1) different thicknesses of oxide films, and also (2) equal thicknesses of oxide and sulphide films, against severe attacks of hydrogen sulphide were measured. The electrical method requires that the time be observed for the cathodic reduction of each part of the film substance, and these respective time values multiplied by the constant current give the corresponding quantities of electricity expended. Then each millicoulomb per square centimeter represents a film thickness of T= MX10 8 2D X 96,494 X 103 (a) where M is weight of oxide (or sulphide) giving one gram-atom of oxygen (or sulphur) for cathodic reduction, D is density of the oxide (or sulphide) and t is the thickness in Angström units per millicoulomb per square centimeter. The value of t for cuprous sulphide (cubical) is 14.27, and is obtained by substituting 5.78 for D and 159.20 for M in equation a. Previous values2 of t for cuprous and cupric oxides (12.36 and 6.39, respectively) were used in the present work.

Jan 1, 1939

By Herty, C. H.

No attempt will be made here to review the previous work done by investigators on the general subject of inclusions, because it was discussed sufficiently in an early cooperative bulletin of this series (No. 36, 1928), and reference was then made to general bibliographies. The work described in this present bulletin deals directly with the study of the mechanism of deoxidation of steel with aluminum and the formation of inclusions containing alumina. Unquestion- ably, such inclusions are encountered in most steel-making practices and little has been done to determine their characteristics. Aluminum is used to ensure rapid deoxidation during the solidification stages of the steel. For this reason the possibilities of inclusion elimination are slight and alumina-containing particles will undoubtedly be present in the ingot. Besides this common practice, aluminum is often used in the ladle with other deoxidizing agents such as silicon and manganese. Ladle additions of aluminum are made to rimming steels to obtain the correct partial deoxidation desired in this type of steel. In killed steels the aluminum is added to ensure soundness, as far as blowholes are concerned, in the ingot. In either rimmed or killed steels, alumina or alumina-containing inclusions are found therein, the amount and type depending on the oxidation of the metal, the amount of aluminum added, and the addition of other deoxidizers.

Jan 1, 1957

By Enrique Touceda

FOR a number of years prior to the world war, the firm of Geo. H. Thacher & Co., of Albany, N. Y., was engaged in the manufacture of marine and other gray-iron castings. At -the outbreak of the war the firm decided to specialize in the manufacture f propeller wheels. It attacked the problem, therefore, from a foundry point of view, seeking to produce a casting that would be so accurate that no subsequent machining would be required on the blades, also from the point of view of the ship builder. There were two general methods f manufacture, the shortcomings of which have been freely acknowledged. In the sweep method, the nowel, or bottom half-mold, for each blade is swept up by a spindle beam and pitch race, while the top half-mold for each blade is built up individually. In the pattern method one individual blade, with the hub or hub portion, is mounted on a spindle and the individual -blade mold formed, the pattern is then rotated on the spindle to the position- for the next blade, etc. In rare cases wheels were made from a solid pattern. Owing to the cost of the pattern, its failure in many instances to be correctly made, and (when made of wood) its early and sure distortion the disadvantage of this practice is obvious, while metal patterns in most instances were prohibitive in cost. In these methods both green-sand and loam molding was practiced. The casting produced by either method can be considered only as a blank from which the propeller must be machined. The back surface f each blade must be chipped too the templet and through this procedure chipped to such accuracy, as will be required for a static balance. Inasmuch as the' work done by the machine tool is confined to the driving face of the blades, not only is perfection most difficult, but corrosion will be greater because of the removal of the dense skin f the casting and the local strains set up by the pneumatic tool in chipping. To produce a finished 9-ft. propeller for a Navy destroyer required from 8 to 21 days f foundry work and about the same length of, time for the machining. Through the use f the Thacher process, only as many hours are required, besides it is possible to produce a finished casting in perfect conformity, with any particular propeller-wheel design,

Jan 4, 1921

Discussion, at the Virginia Beach Meeting, February, 1894, of the Paper of Prof. Posepny. (Trans., xxiii., 197, 587.) Including communications subsequently received. a T. A. Rickard, Denver, Colorado (communication to the Secretary) : The paper of Professor Posepny was printed so short a time

Jan 1, 1895

By Joseph R. Hatch

When compared to average shale composition, average coal is enriched in sulfur and selenium, has similar amounts of arsenic, beryllium, lead, antimony and molybdenum, and is depleted in at least 26 other elements. Within a coalfield, or region, some coals are enriched (10X average shale) in silver, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, germanium, molybdenum, nickel, lead, selenium, uranium, and zinc. Important factors controlling element distributions in coal include geochemical conditions (primarily pH) in the peat swamp, composition and depositional environment of coal roof rocks, thermal maturity (rank), nature and intensity of any epigenetic mineralization, composition of ground waters that come in contact with the coal, and degree of weathering.

Jan 1, 1983

By Grafton Thrasher

For the proper discussion of this subject it is necessary to incorporate in this paper the substance of part of an article published by rite in Metallurgical and Chemical Engineering for January, 1915. CAST-IRON TEST PLUG, SHOWING LOW MOTTLED AND MOTTLED FRACTURES. Several years ago, while I was thief chemist for a malleable-iron company, it occurred to me that the mere regulation of silicon was not sufficient to produce the desired degree of chill. But only after repeatedly encountering this fact in befit open-hearth and air-furnace, as well as cupola metal, was I led to regard variation in the total carbon as the principal cause of disturbance; and I resolved to determine the total carbon as well as the sill on ill every heat, and by a carefully prepared test piece to gauge the approximate degree of chill. The test piece selected was a round plug, 2 in. in diameter and 12 in. long, cast on end

Jan 10, 1915

By W. R. Ingalls

THE following chronology presents the history of lead-mining in the United States in a brief form and is a useful reference in connection with the statistics of production 1621. Lead was mined and smelted near Falling Creek, Va., to supply the local demand for bullets and shot. This was the first mining and smelting of lead in what is now the United States. 1632. In a report made on the minerals of New England, lead-ore is mentioned. (Bishop, I., 470.) 1650. Supposed beginning of mining by Jesuits in Pima county, Ariz. 1651. Grant of lead-mine at Middletown, Conn., to Gov. John Winthrop.

Jan 9, 1907

Jan 1, 1959

By A. Thielen

In experiments for the production of steel the principal problem has always been the introduction into, or removal from, the iron of a definite quantity of carbon. Although the solution of this problem had engaged a more or less blindly and empirically directed effort for a long time, it was only with the development of analytical chemistry that the rôle which carbon plays in the constitution of steel was disclosed in its full significance, and that many of the problems confronting the steel-maker were thereby more clearly defined than before. For a long time, and to a certain extent even to this day, the percentage of carbon in steel has been the controlling means of deter mining its quality and hardness. In many cases the percentage of carbon alone has been relied on for judging large consignments, such as the large deliveries of wire-billets and blooms to America during the past twenty years; and though to-day the influences of the other constituents are recognized and many other considerations are taken into account, and though, moreover, some special steels, such as the Hadfield manganese steel, apparently dispense to a certain extent with the assistance of the carbon, yet fix our Bessemer, Thomas, Siemens and crucible steel the carbon still remains one of the most important constituents, and I venture to say it is indispensable. In order to produce in the Bessemer converter a steel of a certain required percentage of carbon, two methods, as is well known, present themselves. By the one the decarburization process is stopped when the desired carbon limit in the bath has been reached ; by the other the bath is completely decarburizecl, and then a calculated amount of carbon added in the form of spiegel, ferro manganese, etc. In Germany the latter method only was adopted, and it was retained when the Thomas-Gilchrist process for the production of low-Phosphorus steel from high-phosphorus iron eame into use, since from the nature of the new process complete decarburization is neces-

Jan 1, 1891

By C. J. Beevers

Tlze influence of zirconium hydride precipitate mprphology on the fructure of Zr-H alloys tested at strain rates of 10- sec at 20° and - 196°C and at strain rates of -500 sec.-1 at 20°C has been inves-tigated. The critical stage in the embrittlement of these alloys was the fracture of the zirconium hyhide precipitates to form large interval cracks at a stress of 25,000 10 137,000 psi. In specimens con-temping up to 100 ppm H the preciptates existed as isolafed platelets in the zirconium matrix and their fracture as enhanced by low temperature (—196°C) and high strain rate (-500 set-f) loading. These resl~lts lead to the conclusion that the rate of strain hardening of the zirconium metal controls the frac-tzrm of the hydride platelets. Increased hydrogen contents of 500 to 2000 ppm resulted in an increase in the 1)volume fraction and size of precipitates and crlso led to crack propogation in the hydride at both 20 and —196C at the low strain rates (10'* sec-'). Quenching led to refinerment of hydride precipitate size and reduced the degree of embrittlement at — 196°C; this effect is attributed to the absence of fracture of the fine precipitates. The formation of zirconium hydride precipitates has been shown to be the cause of hydrogen embrittlement of zirconium.' Several investigators'-" have studied the problem in broad outline, demonstrating that impact-loading conditions, testing temperatures below room temperature, and increasing hydrogen content produce increased brittleness. For example, Muehlenkamp and schwope2 showed that the transition temperature for notched impact tests was raised from 150" to 350°C on increasing the hydrogen content from 45 to 490 ppm. The degree of embrittlement is also controlled by the morphology of the zirconium hydride precipitates. The solubility of hydrogen in zirconium decreases from 600 ppm at 550°C to 10 ppm at 20"C,~ so that the form of the zirconium hydride precipitates (ZrH2) can be modified by varying the cooling rate through the Zr-aZr + ZrH2 phase boundary.= Forscher showed that quenching a specimen containing 35 ppm H from above 315°C resulted in a reduction in area of 70 pct at -196"C, whereas slowly cooling from above 315°C resulted in a ductility of half this value. The role of the hydride precipitate in the fracture process has been examined by Young and schwartz6 and more recently by westlake.' From metallo-graphic observations on slowly cooled Zr-H alloys they have suggested that cracks are nucleated in the hydride precipitates by the interactions of twins in the zirconium metal with the hydride. The experiments reported in this paper show that crack propagation in the zirconium hydride precipitates is the critical stage in the embrittlement of Zr-H alloys. The factors influencing fracture of the hydride precipitates and crack propagation in the zirconium metal will be related to the problem of embrittlement. EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES The zirconium used in these experiments was produced from an ingot of vacuum arc-melted iodide zirconium forged down to 1 in. diameter at 800' to 850°C. The 1-in.-diameter bar was surface-machined and cold-swaged to 0.375 in. diameter. After a vacuum anneal at 800°C for 1 hr the hardness was 60 to 70 Vdh. The total impurity content was approxi-

Jan 1, 1965

By Robert S. Williams

NO new ferrous alloys have been produced in the last five or six years that are as outstanding contributions to civilization as were the high-speed steels of the early part of the century or the stainless steels announced at the close of the World War. There have been, however, many developments of major importance having to do either with modifications of existing alloys or with new methods of treatment of older iron or steel alloys. Only a limited number of these new developments can be discussed and their selection does not necessarily imply that these are the most important but merely that they are of general interest rather than perhaps of greater importance in highly specialized fields.

Jan 1, 1939

Preheating Feature of Leyner Oil Furnace for Heating Drill Steel The No. 3 Leyner oil-burning furnace, used for heating drill steel, is now made with a preheating chamber. By this addition it is claimed that the heating capacity and, effeciency of the furnace are increased about 50 per cent. This preheater is a section which fits between the body and cover of the furnace of the old design. It may be attached to an old furnace by simply changing a few bolts. Referring to the illustration, it will be seen that the lower chamber is used for the final heating and the upper one for preheating. The type of burner now furnished with this furnace is suitable for either high- or low-pressure air. It hats merely to be throttled for high pressures and when this is done, it, is as efficient as burners designed especially for high pressures and eliminates the noise common to such burners. This furnace burns petroleum or any of its oils, such a, gasoline, kerosene, distillate, etc. Oil heating has many advantages. The steel cannot be injured by absorbing injurious elements such as sulphur, phosphorus or other impurities which :ire present in nearly all coals, nor from unequal heating since the flame imparts a uniform temperature; further, o lie steel is in full view of the operator at all times.

Jan 3, 1916