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By K. M. Rolls, R. M. Rose, H. B. Shukovsky

Studies of the phase structure, critical current density, and resistive critical magnetic field of a 45 pct Nb-55 pct Zr superconducting alloy after final-size heat treatments are reported in this paper. A combination of optical metallography, X-ray diffraction, and electrical-resistivity measurements were used to determine the phase structure. Superconductivity measurements, made with heat-treated wires, are correlated with microstructure. Although no quantitative relationship between microstructure and critical current density is found, it is shown that SINCE Kunzler1 as well as Berlincourt, Hake, and Leslie2 first described the high-field, high-current-density superconductivity of Nb-Zr alloys, it has be- the critical current density is highest when the microstructure is finely divided by fibering, coring, precipitation, or fine-scale phase dispersions. The resistive critical field is very sensitive to the compositions of the phases present. Since the alloy investigated here is near the maximum resistive critical field for the Nb-Zr system, any phase decomposition results in a lower H,. Elimination of the effects of cold work lowers H, also. A possible interpretation of the latter in terms of internal surface superconductivity is suggested. come apparent that the resistive critical field and the current-carrying capacity of such alloys are, in large measure, dependent on composition and processing. The resistive critical magnetic field (Hr) for low current densities has been found to increase progressively with zirconium content until a flat maximum is reached between 50 and 65 pet Zr.3 For any single composition, a characteristic maximum value of H, is attained by heavily cold-drawn wire.4 critical current density (J,) depends not only upon cold work but also, apparently, upon microstructure. Heat treatments of cold-worked wires generally

Jan 1, 1965

By Hugh Rose

THE properties of the company lie within the Pachuca district, State of Hidalgo, Mexico, connected by three railway lines with Mexico City, 55 miles southwest, and by two lines with Vera Cruz, 250 miles southeast. The ores were formerly divided by sorting into two classes, smelting and milling, the former averaging about 2 oz. gold and 335 oz. silver, the latter 0.12 oz. gold and 23 oz. silver. The smelting ores were sold to custom plants, principally the American Smelting & Refining. Co. at Aguascalientes. The milling ores were treated by the patio process at the Guadalupe Hacienda, at Pachuca. This patio was probably the largest in existence at the time and continued in active operation up to March, 1910. In January, 1910, the mines and patio were sold to English interests, represented by Camp Bird Limited. Two new companies were formed, the Compañia de Santa Gertrudis, S. A., to operate the mines, and the Compañia Beneficiadora de Pachuca, S. A., to build and operate a custom cyanide milling plant. (Fig. 1.) GEOLOGY The historical geology of the Pachuca district is described by Fred J. Pope as follows: 1. The most recent sedimentary rocks in the district belong to the Cretaceous period. 2. The Cretaceous rocks were penetrated by large intrusions of ande-site (referred to hereafter as primary andesite) which occur as elliptical dome-shaped masses, striking northwest-southeast. These andesite bodies are from 8 to 15 miles long and from 6 to 10 miles wide. 3. A period of erosion during which the contour of the andesite domes was changed. 4. Andesite flows (secondary andesite) which rest unconformably on the primary andesites.

Jan 8, 1916

[America,-Dear, G. C. Anniston.-Klugh, B. G. Auburn. *Poor, R. S. Bankhead.-Armstrong, W. D. Bessemer.-Creveling, J. G. Lindstrom, W. A. McKenzie, W. C. Mitchell, F. R. Birmingham.-Abbott, C. E. Armstrong, G. R. Austin, W. W., Jr. Ball, T. L. Beard, A. H. Benjamin, F. S. Blackburn, E. C. Blair, A. J. Blair, C. S. Blair. H. W.]

Jan 1, 1946

By R. S. Hooper

In attempting to describe recent mining developments at the Bunker Hill mine, it may be well to recall first the old days of hand mining when holes were laboriously drilled by hand to a maximum depth of three feet, and were shot one or two at a time, in order that the miner could take advantage of every slip, crack or bedding plane, and so save as much drilling as possible. Broken muck, of course, was loaded by hand shoveling into wheelbarrows or small cars, and heading advances or stope tonnages were governed by the number of men that could find room to work in any given place. The first big improvement over these old methods was the introduction of the reciprocating type of air-powered rock drill. This innovation, crude as it was, enabled the miners to set up a machine and drill a complete round of holes in one shift; but broken muck was still loaded by hand, and the size and rate of advance in headings were limited by time required to remove the broken rock. The next improvement of consequence was the appearance of the hammer-type rock drill, which greatly increased drilling speed over the reciprocating type, and made possible the completion of a full cycle in one shift, by the use of crossbars in headings, and permitted drilling and mucking to be carried on at the same time. Rock drills continued to improve as time passed, and finally the smaller and more efficient mucking machines appeared on the scene, and it became possible to muck out a round of broken rock and have a clean setup for one or more drill columns and machines. A complete cycle of mucking, drilling, and blasting was completed in one shift with an average advance of five feet. These conditions prevailed for several years, but as the mine grew deeper, the distances to transport the workers grew longer, and this fact together with the shortening of the working day, soon presented the problem of attempting to complete a cycle of operations in a shift of only six hours at the working faces. Anticipating this condition, the operating heads at the Bunker Hill had started an intensive study of more and better mechanization, and over a period of comparatively few years have adopted and placed in service methods and machines that make it possible for a three-man crew to consistently advance headings seven by nine feet in cross section, at the rate of eight feet, and more, per shift, doing all the mucking, switching, drilling and loading. These improvements consist of the following major items: I. The development of a light, flexible, easily transported jumbo equipped with pneumatic columns (Fig I), that has decreased the "setting up" and "tearing down" time an average of 11/2 hr per shift, Or 25 PCt of the available working time. These jumbos were developed at the Bunker Hill mine by members of the staff and consist of two pneumatic columns attached to a suitable carriage. They fold

Jan 1, 1949

By James Aston

THREE years ago the writer presented a paper on the trend of development in the wrought iron industry,1 wherein was described a process in the development of which he has been a factor, which at that time had passed through several years of progressive experimental development but which had not then been put upon a commercial scale of operation. The present paper deals with two years of observation and experience in the commercial operation of a plant by the A. A Byers Co. at Warren, Ohio. It will not enter into the controversial field of the relative merit of wrought iron and steel in various classes of service, nor will it elaborate upon the characteristic services or fields of utility to which wrought iron is particularly adapted. It is sufficient to state that the wrought iron industry is upon a substantial basis and that the material finds service in pipe, where its advantages are in superior corrosion, fatigue, welding and threading qualities; in bar iron for staybolts, engine bolts, and rivets, demanding maximum service against corrosion and fatigue; in plates for corrosion service; and in chains, because of welding and shock-resisting characteristics. In short, ability to withstand the stresses of shock and vibration, or the ravages of corrosion, to hold protective coatings, and to give maximum efficiency in welding, are its features of relative superiority. If these features were not well recognized, the wrought iron industry would have shrunk to insignificance in the face of high costs and acknowledged limitations in manufacture. To charge that this industry is built upon a structure of assumption, psychology, and improperly weighed evidence is an impeachment of the integrity or belittling of the powers of observation of users through many centuries of service experiences.

Jan 1, 1929

C. W. GENNET, JR.,* Chicago, 111. (written discussion?).-Since the Lehigh Valley accident, transverse fissures have become a source of constant anxiety to railroad officials, because such defects, only infrequently detected by the trackmen, may appear under a moving train entirely without warning. The number of actual accidents resulting from rails containing fissures is no doubt a small proportion of the total, but the serious losses that have been directly attributable to fissures, coupled with the continual possibility of repetition, creates an alarming situation which demands a full investigation of the cause of fissures; apart from other types of rail failures. Mr. Howard's position gives him a field for action and an opportunity for laboratory examination and research that are unsurpassed, and the results. of his investigations must be received with the utmost attention and respect. His admirable paper, summarizing his previously published studies and analyses of the transverse fissure problem, constitutes a convincing treatment of the subject chiefly from the standpoint of stress and strain to which rails are subjected. The intricacies of the problem are so great that seemingly any theory advanced for the cause of fissures may be attacked from some angle; and although Mr. Howard's deductions are logical in the direction followed, it is apparently necessary for considerable work to be done along other lines before his theories can be fully accepted. It is generally conceded that fissures, whether fundamentally clue to fatigue or something else, are of a progressive character, their ultimate size' being the result of growth from an originating nucleus or point of rupture. Abundant proof of this lies in the variable sizes of the fissures found, and there can be no doubt that their development or growth is the result of the strains to which rails are subjected in the track. Obviously, therefore, the most important factor in investigating the cause for fissures lies in determining the conditions that exist at the point or

Jan 4, 1918

By Paul Weaver

OF the four papers that comprise this TECHNICAL PUBLICATION, three are case histories of individual geophysical prospects, subsequently tested by drilling. The bibliography of Dr. Barton's published scientific papers† includes investigaions in physiography and surface geological mapping, as well as his geophysical papers, and from this list it is to be observed that he early recognized the place of different types of geophysical prospecting methods in the search for geological structures of economic importance. Moreover, his viewpoint was not merely that the structures should be found, but that the geophysical data should be examined quantitatively to determine the geometry of the structures. In other words, that although these data are insufficient to deduce a unique form for the structure that caused the effects measured in the data, the engineering computations should be carried-out to give as much of a definite configuration to he structure as the data permitted, in order that the testing of the structures could be conducted in the most economical manner and with the idea that the experience so gained could be later incorporated in the study of structures subsequently found. Dr. Barton continually emphasized the quantitative use of geophysical observations, whereas at the time that he began his specialization in geophysics it was considered sufficient to use observations only qualitatively. He, more than any one else, was responsible for -the first volume on geophysical prospecting issued by the Institute in 1929, and his three articles in that volume stressed the quantitative use of geophysical prospecting. The fourth article in this present TECHNICAL PUBLICATION is a further contribution to this branch of geophysical interpretation, and is a supplement to the paper in the 1929 volume, "Calculations in the Interpretation of Observations with .the Eötvös Torsion Balance." From the successful' demonstration by Dr. Barton of the usefulness of quan-

Jan 1, 1944

By Stuart Croasdale

NOT long ago I was called upon to conduct some experiments on the treatment of ores from the New Cornelia copper mine, Ajo mountains, Arizona, for the Calumet & Arizona Copper Co. The problem was a very interesting one and contained some unusual features. Incidental with this problem was the utilization of a large amount of low-grade pyrite in the Bisbee mines of the company, provided this could be accomplished by any feasible method. The New Cornelia mine is situated 45 miles south of Gila Bend, the nearest railroad point, on the Southern Pacific Railroad. It is about 160 miles, almost due west, from Tucson. This section is one of the most arid in the United States. The normal annual precipitation, as given by the United States Weather Bureau covering a period from 1870 to 1901, is 3 to 5 in. During June and July, 1913, the records kept by the company gave the following results. These are all I have available, but they show the enormous evaporation that can be expected, which may be a factor in leaching operations on a large scale.

Jan 8, 1914

By Herbert Haas

ChEap power is essential to large-scale mining and metallurgical operations, particularly where fine grinding of large tonnages has to be resorted to, as is the case with an increasing number of mines treating disseminated copper ores, or low-grade gold ores, in the grinding of which considerable power is consumed. A comparison of the cost of generating power with Diesel engines and steam turbines and a brief discussion of the different factors governing the profitable use of either type of prime mover may be timely in view of the importance of a cheap supply of power to the mining industry, and the prominence that has lately been given to Diesel engines in America. As many of our most important mines and largest producers of metals are located in sections where neither cheap coal nor water power is available, and the price of oil fuel is increased by long hauls, the Diesel engine will become a prime mover of increasing importance. This applies particularly to the Southwestern States, where an ample supply of cold water for condensing purposes is unusual and local climatological conditions interfere in securing the high vacua essential to high turbine efficiency. About 12 times as much water will be required for condensing purposes with steam turbines under general conditions as is needed for jacket-cooling of two-stroke cycle Diesel engines; four-stroke cycle Diesel engines require only one-twentieth of the cooling water. Another condition favoring the use of Diesel engines is the high load factor at which most mine power plants operate. The influence of load factor on the cost of generating power is shown in Tables 1. and 2 and in Fig. 1. The higher the cost of fuel and the load factor, the greater will be the proportion of the fuel to the other costs making up the total cost of generating power. Capital charges (interest and redemption), maintenance, operating labor, and lubrication are practically constant amounts regardless of the load-output of the station; the fuel consumption and its cost are practically the only variables with the load. The costs here given are based on conditions as generally found in the Southwestern States, and on Diesel engine operating experience in European countries, where this type of prime mover has reached a high state of perfection, units upward of 4,000 hp. having proved entirely successful in operation.

Jan 1, 1917

By N. J. Grant, C. Stein

A more complete determination of the chromium-rich portion of the Cr-Ni phase diagram was made, based in part on resistivity measurements. The existence of a eutectoid reaction at 1215°C,made,based in addition to the previously reported eutectic reaction at 1343°C, was confirmed. Metallographic studies, lineal analysis, and diffusion-couple evidence were utilized to support Metallographicand extend the findings of the resistivity measurements. Delineation of the a chromium solvus line shows that the maximum solubility of nickel in a chromium decreases rapidly from 25 wt pct Ni at the eutectoid temperature to 16 wt pct. Ni at 950°C. IN recent years alloys of high chromium and nickel content have become of more interest as better performance of metals at higher temperatures is sought. It has become increasingly important, therefore, that the Cr-Ni binary diagram, which is composed of two of the elements commonly found in many high temperature alloys, be known more accurately. In particular, the chromium-rich portion of this diagram has for a long time remained incompletely determined and has been reported in the literature with a great deal of conflicting evidence. In general, electrolytic chromium of nominal purity was used by most of the earlier workers, who, except for Jenkins et al., made no further attempt to purify the metal. In the present redetermination of the chromium-rich portion of the Cr-Ni phase diagram, every effort was made to use the purest component metals available and to retain this purity throughout the preparation of the alloys and their subsequent handling. Early work by Voss, Bain," and Phebus and Blake4 indicated that the Ni-Cr binary diagram was a simple eutectic system with rather extensive terminal solid solutions. Later, Nishigori and Hamasumi," Tasaki, Weaver and Jellinghaus,' Matsunaga, and Jette, Nordstrom, Queneau, and Foote attempted to determine the limits of the phase fields. Except for Jette and coworkers, the other investigators agreed that the temperature of the eutectic reaction occurred between 1320" and 1340°C and at a composition of 50 or 51 pct Cr. There was, however, considerable disagreement as to the melting point of the chromium-rich alloys and the limits of the solid-solution fields. As a result of the studies of Jenkins et al., the liquidus and solidus curves up to 80 and 90 pct Cr, respectively, were outlined. In addition, the solid-solution phase fields at higher temperatures had been investigated and showed only two phases. The boundary of the chromium-rich a phase was not determined precisely according to these authors, but indications were that it tended to confirm the earlier work of Nishigori and Hamasumi. A more recent investigation by Taylor and Floyd,'" using X-ray methods, essentially corroborated the diagrams proposed by Jenkins et al., and by Wise and Eash (see Fig. 1). Again, no indication of a third phase in the chromium-rich portion of the diagram appeared. The earlier observations, however, are not substantiated by the modifications to the Ni-Cr binary diagram proposed by Bloom and Grant." In the investigation carried out by Bloom and Grant, X-ray methods showed that an eutectoid reaction existed at approximately 1180°C, in addition to the eutectic reaction at 1343°C (see Fig. 1). Their determination of the melting point of pure chromium was 1930°C (later revised to 1903"C)." Experimental Procedure and Results The chromium used for this study was electrolytic chromium, made available by the United States

Jan 1, 1956

By D. R. Mash

A strong yield point with attendant enhanced mechanical properties was found in commercially pure beryllium under certain conditions of heat treatment. Beryllium specimens also responded to both quench and strain aging treatments. Based on these results, a possible means of obtaining increased normal temperature mechanical properties is suggested. COMMERCIALLY pure beryllium has been found to exhibit the yield point phenomenon and several other aging manifestations under certain conditions of heat treatment. This behavior is not surprising in view of the present accumulation of experience regarding such effects in numerous metals; but in addition to extending this experience to include beryllium, the present study is of interest because aging effects are generally associated with the presence of small amounts of solute elements. The well known lack of tensile ductility in beryllium at normal temperatures is also considered to be due to impurities in some way. In the present investigation, the view was taken that beryllium of commercial purity (greater than 98 pct) should be considered as a dilute alloy and that precipitation phenomena may well exist which could lead to enhanced mechanical properties. In connection with this possibility, published data on the variation of mechanical properties with temperature are of interest. For example, Fig. 1 illustrates the variation of ductility (percentage of elongation) and ultimate strength as a function of temperature for beryllium of various histories.* Although these curves are somewhat schematic in nature, they clearly indicate the possibility that precipitation of an unstable phase and/or aging effects occur during tests in the region 400" to 700°C. The existence of such behavior should be recognized as affecting the properties of the commercial material and perhaps can be employed advantageously. Experimental Method All testing was done at room temperature using a Baldwin universal testing machine. A microformer extensometer was used in conjunction with a micro-former-type stress-strain recorder. All tests were conducted at constant loading rate, the slowest rates being used. This corresponded to 120 lb per min in the 1200 lb full scale range and 300 lb per min in the 6000 lb full scale range. After the rate of loading was set in the elastic range of the material during the early part of the test, no further adjustments were made, allowing the test to proceed at that setting. In the plastic region of the curve above the yield region, strain rates of from 0.002 to 0.006 in. per min were regularly obtained. All experimentation was carried out on specimens machined from the same lot of beryllium, lot No. Y5036BP. Table I shows the chemical analysis as furnished by the supplier, Brush Beryllium Co., as well as the standard specifications to which commercial beryllium is produced. Both 1/4 in. thick hot pressed plate and ½ in. round hot pressed and warm extruded rods were obtained. The history of the material is reported to be as follows: 1—Beryllium metal plates, produced from a standard hot pressed QMV beryllium metal block 4x15x40 in., were cut off and finished machined to 1/4x6x12 in. flat plates. The original hot pressed block was made by hot pressing —200 mesh vacuum cast attri-tioned powder at about 1050°C under vacuum. 2—Beryllium rod was hot pressed and warm extruded. Extrusion billets were machined from the regular hot pressed blocks followed by extrusion at 425°C. The extrusion was done without jacketing, and graphite was used as a lubricant. The rods were then straightened at 720 °C, after which they were annealed at 800°C for 15 min. Both flat tensile specimens and round tensile specimens were tested. The former were machined from the plate stock into standard specimens according to specifications shown in ASTM E8-52T. The nominal cross-section was 0.25x0.500 in. and the gage length was 2 in. The round specimens were

Jan 1, 1956

By T. P. Floridis, J. H. Young

The need for close control of the phosphorus content of steels has led to numerous investigations on the equilibria of the dephosphorization reactions. Winkler and chipman1 have established the general conditions for effective dephosphorization of steel. They are high slag basicity, high oxygen potential, and low temperature. Other investigators have made additional contributions to the understanding of the dephosphorization process. The current status of the understanding of the dephosphorization of steel is concisely presented by Bodsworth2 and by Ward. The investigation reported in this communication was undertaken with the purpose of establishing the effect of additions of barium oxide and calcium fluoride on the dephosphorizing capacity of slags. Esin and Gel'd4 proposed that barium oxide, being more basic than calcium oxide, should cause an increase in dephosphorizing capacity when added to steelmaking slags, or when used as a substitute for calcium oxide. Derge5 has also proposed that in the future conventional slags might be replaced by BaO-Al2O3 slags. There is, however, no experimental evidence confirming the effect of barium oxide on the dephosphorizing capacity of slags. The effect of calcium fluoride on the dephosphorization of steel is not clearly understood. It is generally recognized that additions of calcium fluoride are beneficial. It is not clear, however, whether calcium fluoride affects the equilibrium of the dephosphorization reaction, or whether it simply causes an increase in the fluidity of the slag and, consequently, faster approach to equilibrium. The experimental procedure consisted in equilibrating synthetic molten slags with liquid copper at 1550°C under a gas stream containing argon, hydrogen, and water vapor. In all experiments the argon to hydrogen ratio was approximately 4:1, and the hydrogen to water ratio was 5.42:l. Molybdenum crucibles were used as containers for the slag and metal. Under the above-described conditions of temperature and composition of atmosphere, there was no observable attack of the crucibles by the metal, slag, or atmosphere. Copper was used instead of iron, because iron attacks molybdenum. The equilibration was made in a tubular furnace consisting of a recrystallized alumina tube. The alumina tube was heated by electrical resistance. A Pt-40 pct Rh wire winding was used for most runs. A silicon carbide tubular resistor was also used for some runs. Temperatures were measured with a Pt-Pt-Rh (10 pct Rh) thermocouple and kept constant within ±5°C. Equilibrium was approached from both sides, i.e., by adding the phosphorus either as oxide in the slag or as a phosphorus-rich alloy of phosphorus and copper. The holding time at the equilibrium temperature was 6 hr. At the end of each run the crucibles were rapidly cooled and removed from the furnace. The slag and metal were separated and analyzed. The experimental results are shown in Table I. The phosphorus content of the slag is expressed both as percent phosphorus pentoxide and as percent phosphorus. The basicity ratio is computed by dividing the number of moles of basic oxides-oxides of barium, calcium, magnesium, and sodium—by the number of moles of acidic oxides- oxides of aluminum, phosphorus, and silicon. Calcium fluoride is not included in the computation of the basicity ratio; i.e., calcium fluoride is assumed to be neither basic nor acidic. The distribution ratio of phosphorus—percentage of phosphorus in the slag divided by the percentage of phosphorus in the metal- is plotted in Fig. 1 against the basicity ratio. The results indicate that slags containing barium oxide have greater dephosphorizing capacity than slags containing calcium oxide. The high dephosphorizing capacity of slags containing sodium oxide and the low dephosphorizing capacity of magnesia-containing slags which already have been reported in the literature2 are confirmed by the results of this investigation. It appears that calcium fluoride has a beneficial effect on the distribution of phosphorus between slag and metal in acid slags only. Although the obtained distribution ratios between the phosphorus contents of slag and copper are not directly applicable to the dephosphorization of steel, they are sufficient for evaluating the effect of slag additions on the dephosphorizing capacity of slags in general. An increase in the ratio of distribution of phosphorus between slag and metal indicates lowering

Jan 1, 1968

By Michael F. Dunn, Francis S. Kendorski

The fall of rock from strip coal mine highwalls continues to be the largest single source of fatal accidents, so methods to improve highwall stability through improved blasting practices were investigated in the field. This paper covers the results of a project to improve, using existing and proven technology, unstable highwall conditions through better blasting practices in Appalachian strip coal mines. Better borehole blasting agent distribution and optimization of burden, spacing, and delay periods allowing satisfactory breakage with minimal backbreak were the objectives. At a selected field site, geologic conditions were closely examined with regard to joint orientation and spacing, and resulting slope stability considerations. Utilizing surface blasting concepts of trying to achieve flexural failure of the rock mass both horizontally and longitudinally by appropriate relationships between burden, spacing, and hole length, as well as delay time sequence to achieve optimal confinement and breakage, successful results were achieved. A test series of eight blasts was completed and the resultant highwall monitored by repetitive photography. Actual blockfalls could be measured and the stability for each blast design thus quantified. The study of drilling and blasting economics along with equipment performance led to an economic model of blast parameters and the identification of blast design cost benefits. The work demonstrated that small strip mining companies are able to achieve a more stable highwall excavation utilizing presently available technology, equipment, and explosive products at improved operational cost and safety.

Jan 1, 1983

By E. W. Hough, B. B. Wood, M. J. Rzasa

An apparatus for the determination of fluid-fluid interfacial tension by the pendant drop method has been constructed. The apparatus is refined beyond those previously described in that the samples are introduced into an evacuated windowed cell without contacting air or mercury. Interfacial tension data are reported for the water-methane system between 74 and 280°F and 15 and 15,000 psi. The variation of wettability of the stainless-steel dropper tip with pressure and temperature was observed incidentally to the measurements. INTRODUCTION The most refined previous apparatus --for the determination of fluid-fluid interfacial tension at reservoir conditions was built by Hauser and Michaels.' These authors used the pendant drop method, previously investigated by Andreas, Hauser, and Tucker.' Recently, Fordham3 has made the pendant drop method an absolute one by numerical integration of the differential equation of drop shape. It is necessary to know the difference in density of the two fluids and the acceleration due to gravity in order to evaluate the interfacial tension from measurements of drop dimensions. Contact angle is not involved in the measurements by this method. Some precise tests of the method have been made at atmospheric pressure and 77°F by Douglas," who found agreement with established values to within about 0.1 per cent for water and air, cyclohexane and air, benzene and air, and benzene and water. No values of interfacial tension from the recent pendant drop apparatusJ have been published by Hauser and Michaels. However, values for the water-benzene and water-decane systems are given in Michaels' thesis5 or Dressures from 15 .to 10,000 psi and temperatures from 73 to 268ºF. Some determinations on gas-oil and gas-water systems in the range of 15 to 4,000 psi and 78 to 178°F have been made by Hozott,' by the drop-volume method. The capillary rise method has been used to investigate the interfacial tension in gas-oil systems at 88°F to several thousand psi by Swartz.7 Other determinations in gas-oil systems at pressures under 1,000 psia have been made by Jones: and Beecher and Parkhurst.9 The scarcity of data for pressures above 5.000 psi is apparent. APPARATUS An assembly drawing of the working section of the interfacial tenqion apparatus is given in Fig. 2. 'The endanant drop (A) is housed in a pressure chamber having glass windows (B). An agitator (6) is provided. The metal parts of the apparatus coming into contact with the sample are made of AISI: Type 316 steel. Drain grooves are provided around the whdows so that the sample in contact with the O-rings is not returned to the working section when the pressure is reduced. A schematic arrangement of the apparatus is given in Fig. 3. The working section containing the pendant drop (A) is filled by samples from bombs (B) with the aid of the vacuum system (C). The O-ring sealed pistons (D) used to separate the sample from the hydraulic fluid are shown together with the pressure production and measurement system (E). A front view of the apparatus is shown in Fig. 1. Most of the hydraulic system is at the top of the panel. The pump and displacement piston are at the lower right. The Variacs for the air bath heaters. the camera. and the vacuum gauge are a1so visible on the panel. The working section together with a window closure and a drop-forming tip closure are shown in Fig. 9. The carbon arc light source with filter is visible in the upper part of the picture. Two sides of the air bath with the impeller and a part of the convection shield can also be seen. The assembled air bath is shown in Fig. 10.

Jan 1, 1951

By L. E. Mannion

Sodium carbonate or soda ash is one of the two principal alkalis of commerce, the other being sodium hydroxide. The use of sodium carbonate is recorded in ancient Egypt, where naturally occurring brines or solid salts were the source of impure soda for glass manufacture. In early modern times until the 19th century, soda ash, as well as potash, was recovered mainly by leaching the ashes of plants. In Europe, during the 18th century, a brown lye for laundering was produced by pouring hot water over burned seaweed. One of the better grades of this kind of material was a product from Spain termed "barilla," which analyzed 24 to 30% Na2CO3 (Hou, 1942). The birth of the modern chemical industry may be said to start with the LeBlanc process for making sodium carbonate from salt, sulfuric acid, and lime. Although invented in France in 1691, England made the most extensive use of it. In 1863 Ernst Solvay devised the ammonia-soda or Solvay process, and by 1874 the first of many Solvay plants was built. These were to supplant the LeBlanc method and dominate soda-ash production until the present time. Although of lesser importance, natural sodium carbonate deposits continued to support operations in various parts of the world. Shortages during World War II stimulated production of "natural" soda ash, particularly at Searles Lake, Calif., and at Lake Magadi, Kenya. Within the last ten years in the United States, a notable surge in production has occurred based on the vast trona deposits in Wyoming. Table 1 lists some principal producers of natural soda ash and the character of the source deposits. Uses and Specifications Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) is a white, crystalline hygroscopic powder, an aqueous solution of which is strongly alkaline. Most commercial soda ash is a product that must meet high standards of purity and uniformity. Two forms are commonly sold: a fine, powdery material called light ash, and a more coarsely crystalline dense ash; these weigh 32 to 39 and 60 to 66 lb per cu ft, respectively. Dense ash may be produced by adding a little calcium chloride to the sodium carbonate solution to control crystal size and prevent agglomeration. Specifications and typical analyses of light and dense ash in the United States are shown in [Table 2]. Sizing generally achieves about 75% of light ash and 90% of dense ash between +30 and -100 U.S. screen mesh. World use of sodium carbonate now exceeds 24 million tpy, of which the United States produces more than 7 million tons. The market for soda ash is dominated by the glass industry, which uses almost half the supply. Inorganic chemicals, including phosphates and silicates, consume about 30%. Other principal uses include the manufacture of soaps and detergents, petroleum, caustic soda, organic chemicals, and paper; and nonferrous and ferrous metallurgy. [Fig. 1] shows the percent consumption by use of soda ash in Europe, Japan, and the United States. The price of soda ash in the United States remained relatively stable during the 1960s at about $33 per ton; in 1972 it reached $35 per ton. The price in 1975 was $42 per ton. Geology Mineralogy [Table 3] is a list of the more common sodium carbonate-bearing minerals. Anhydrous sodium carbonate is almost never found in nature; only natron, thermonatrite, and trona have been used directly as sources of sodium carbonate. At Searles Lake, burkeite and hanksite are important in the reconstitution of

Jan 1, 1975

By William H. Case

The Bertha zinc-mines of the Bertha Zinc and Mineral Company are in that part of the State of Virginia popularly known as Southwest Virginia, and are included in that division of the " Great Valley " named in recent years the " New River-Cripple Creek Mineral-Region of Virginia." The mines lie wholly in the southeast part of Wythe county, two miles from Pulaski county on the east, and three miles from Carroll county on the south. The only other zinc-mines that are opened in the region are those of Manning & Squier, which adjoin the Bertha zinc-mines on the northeast, and the mines of the Wythe Lend and Zinc Company, at Austinville, eight miles to the southwest. A little farther southwest of Austinville, near Ivanhoe, a new company is preparing to mine zinc-ores. The mining properties named are included within a distance of ten miles along a direct line, bearing north 55' east, on the south side of New river, which here flows northeastward in a tortuous course. The greatest distance of any of the mine-openings from the river is a little less than two miles. It is not the magnitude of the operations in zinc-mining in this particular region, as compared with that of other well-known districts, that merits especial notice. Aside from the exceptional purity of the spelter made directly from the Bertha ores, some peculiar features of the zinc-ore deposih, as shown at the Bertha mines, and

Jan 1, 1894

By F. N. Rhines

DESPITE the large amount of study which has been devoted to the subject our present knowledge of the copper-oxygen system remains incomplete and unsatisfactory in many respects. This applies particu-larly to those regions in which solid metallic copper exists. The primary object of the present paper is the contribution of new information relative to the solid solubility of oxygen (or cuprous oxide) in copper at atmospheric pressure, together with certain observations in the low-pressure regions of the system. It seems appropriate also to present a brief summary of the outstanding previous work on the constitution of mixtures of copper with its lowest oxide in order to show the relation between the new facts and the system as a whole. The earliest recorded investigations of the copper-oxygen system are those of M. S. Lucas (1) § and of M. Chevillot(2) in 1819 and 1820. Lucas believed that liquid copper is capable of dissolving its oxide, but neither he nor Chevillot was able to furnish convincing proof of this property. It was not until 1866 that T. Graham° definitely established the existence of such a solubility. Nine years later W. Hampe(4) measured its extent and roughly outlined the copper-rich portion of the system. The first really precise examination of the constitutional relationship between copper and cuprous oxide, however, was that of E. Heyn(5) who in 1900 published a temperature-concentration diagram covering the range from 0 to 10 per cent of cuprous oxide at atmospheric pressure. Within these limits of composition cuprous oxide was found to dissolve in liquid copper, forming at 3.4 to 3.5 per cent a eutectic which melted at 1065° C. R. E. Slade and F. D. Farrow(6) extended these studies to mixtures of higher

Jan 1, 1934

By AIME AIME

THE 1944 Chairman of the Institute of Metals Division might be classed as metallurgically ambidextrous ; he is teacher of theory and practice of both nonferrous and ferrous metallurgy, and he is consultant on brass and on highspred steel. Arthur Phillips was born in Troy N.Y. and attended the New Haven Connecticut high school. Upon graduation he entered Yale, receiving a degree in metallurgy in 1913. At that time Professor Mathewson was starting his plan of '"co-operation with the metal industries in metallographic work at the Hammond Laboratory of the Sheffield Scientific School, Yale University, and Arthur Phillip, became the first co-operative graduate student, working in the laboratory of the Bridgeport Brass Co., and receiving his Masters of Science degree in 1915. A little later, when the department of metallurgy at Yale was expanded. Me. Phillips was appointed assistant professor. In 1928 he was made associate professor, and in 1934 he was promoted to full professor.

Jan 1, 1944

By George H. Deike

DURING the past year a survey was conducted by the Committee on the Promotion of Student Interest in Coal Mining to determine whether the program as laid down in past years was operating effectively. It is a source of satisfaction and pleasure to be able to report considerable headway among operating companies in putting cooperative scholarship plans into operation. In previous committee reports the pioneer work along this line by Eugene McAuliffe, president of the Union Pacific Coal Co., has been cited. That Company now has in its employ, in responsible positions, three men who received their education under such scholarship plans. One student under a similar plan is now studying at the Colorado School of Mines.

Jan 1, 1942

By F. S., Mc Nicholas

A practical discussion of the theory of A block caving is presented which applies particularly to the physical conditions of the Climax orebody although the conditions are sufficiently characteristic of caving ore-bodies to provide valuable information applicable elsewhere.

Jan 1, 1950