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By L. H. Dushak

DURING the war period of quicksilver activity there were a number of departures from what may be termed the classical quicksilver metallurgy. Attempts were made to beneficiate low-grade ores by gravity concentration and flotation; mechanical furnaces began to replace the Scott furnace and the vertical coarse-ore furnaces, and condensers of sewer tile and redwood tanks were used in place of the older brick and stone condensing chambers. Other developments that have occurred during the current period of quicksilver, activity are mainly in the nature of improvement and further refinement of those started during the war period. Each period of quicksilver activity has been accompanied by the proposal of various new processes, including wet methods for the treatment of quicksilver ores and innovations in furnaces, retorts and condenser equipment. As far as the author knows, nothing of economic significance in the way of "new processes" has been developed. There is in fact no real need for any essentially new process for the treatment of quicksilver ores; the direct furnace treatment is simple and inexpensive. Moreover, with fare exceptions, the quicksilver industry has no complex or refractory ore problems corresponding to those which are receiving more and more attention from metallurgists in other branches of the nonferrous field. Under these conditions improvements in quicksilver metallurgy must be looked for through the adaptation of current developments in engineering and metallurgy generally to the particular needs of quicksilver practice rather than through the invention of new processes.

Jan 1, 1930

By Nathaniel Arbiter, Chas. H. Behre

Two outstanding factors characterize most undertakings in the mineral industries: (1) mineral deposits are not equally distributed over the earth but are localized by natural processes, and (2) the mineral industries are largely based upon wasting assets. Neither of these factors is invariably true, for a few mineral materials, such as water, are essentially world-wide and others are replaced periodically by processes not unlike crop production. Indeed, with some, such as the salts in the sea, the supply is cyclic in short or long periods, whereas others, like water, though locally or periodically in short supply, are essentially inexhaustible. But to the extent that most minerals are limited to certain areas and are "permanently" consumed, any industry founded upon them, by implication, demands great care in planning for the most effective extraction-the essence of wise and conservative expenditure. Several less unusual yet also truly fundamental factors in the economics of the mineral industry are those involving (1) the various kinds and properties of mineral materials, which influence their use; (2) their geologic and geographic availability; and (3) the 'techniques unique to their discovery, exploration, and utilization. This chapter is designed primarily as a brief background for later ones and as a summary of the several unusual or at least special factors and of their effect upon the economics of the mineral industry. The social and political and especially the economic aspects of the industry are the main subjects of this volume and are dealt with in extended fashion in subsequent chapters. Fundamental Characteristics of Mineral Deposits DEFINITIONS Minerals are naturally occurring compounds of nonliving matter, each technically defined as having ( 1 ) a chemical composition that may vary

Jan 1, 1964

By E. G. De Coriolis

THE development of huge production facilities and of new or improved processes for manufacturing magnesium from its raw sources has been an outstanding achievement of this war. Furthermore, at least one new method has reached a stage of pilot production that offers promise. Its potentialities seem to indicate that a reduction in cost and simplification or elimination of problems incident to the use of at least one of the present processes are quite within the realm of possibility. Although magnesium of very high purity (99.9 per cent and higher) is obtained, and the rate of recovery reasonable (60 to 70 per cent), the ferrosilicon reduction process is open to a serious objection, which at the time its use was proposed was thought to be sufficient to raise some doubts as to its success, at least on a high production basis. The temperature range at which the reaction is carried out-namely, 2100° to 2150°F.-is very close to the failure temperature of the material of which the retort is made. It is so close that for a time it was assumed it might make commercial use of the process an impossibility. However, at the time under discussion, the demand for magnesium was so great that it was felt by those who had to go ahead and produce this essential metal that the emergency warranted their taking a chance on this process. Subsequent developments have fully justified the soundness of their decision. Fortunately for the war effort, when the plants were put into operation it was discovered that although the retorts did collapse in rather short periods of time, as predicted, they could be blown back into operable shape by application of high-pressure air. This practical method of operation so relieved the situation that the problem disappeared. Nevertheless, if the process had not been successful, or the production of magnesium by the electrolytic process had not been able to keep pace with demands, our war program would have been seriously impaired. "FIRELESS COOKER" PROCESS For this reason a program was set up and assigned for the development of a new method that had been suggested to the War Production Board in 1941. It is believed justifiable in terming the method "new" for several reasons: (1) while utilizing the same (ferrosilicon) process as the Pidgeon, hence involving similar reactions, the type of retort or furnace is essentially different, (2) the method of operation, reaction temperatures, etc., differ materially, and, most important of all, (3) the problems to be overcome in making the process successful were not and could not have been anticipated by anything previously known about the Pidgeon process. As will be shown later, the briquetting process, the condenser, the furnace lining

Jan 1, 1945

By D. Beregekoff

In the routine examination of a wide variety of metal specimens it is sometimes necessary to have special methods of polishing in order to retain and reveal certain details in each specimen. Among such special cases is the retention of graphite in malleable and gray cast irons, the preservation of all types of nonmetallic inclusions in both hard and soft steels, obtaining a scratch-free surface with soft metals, and avoiding the usual relief effects with very hard specimens such as tool metals con-taining various carbide and nitride phases. It is the purpose of this paper to give an account of some of these special polishing methods in use at the Union Carbide and Carbon Research Laboratories. The polishing procedures outlined have been found to give uniform results. It is obvious that only general rules and the most important working details can be given here. Following these rules, the polisher can obtain satisfactory results if he possesses the necessary patience and has a sincere desire to give as nearly perfect a finish as possible to his work.

Jan 1, 1939

By Michael B. Bever, Barton Roessler

The effects of deformation by wire drawing at 78OK on initially ordered and initially disordered specimens of the alloy Cu3Au were investigated. The resistivity, stored energy, drawing force, and microhardness were measured as functions of strain; microstructural changes were observed. The results are interpreted in terms of the structural imperfections and the changes in atomic configuration resulting from deformation. A few experiments on the effects of room-temperature annealing after deformation at 78°K were made; they suggest vacancy-promoted ordering in disordered alloys. BARTON ROESSLER, Junior Member AIME, formerly Graduate Student and Alcoa Fellow, Department of Metallurgy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass., is with Westinghouse Research Laboratories, Pittsburgh, Penn. MICHAEL B. BEVER, Member AIME, is Professor of Metallurgy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Based in part on o thesis by B. ROESSLER submitted in October, 1959 to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Science. Manuscript submitted April 6, 1961. IMD AN investigation of the effects of deformation at room temperature on the alloy Cu3 Au was reported in a recent paper,' which included a review of the literature on the deformation of order-disorder alloys. In general, plastic deformation of ordered alloys reduces the degree of long-range order and causes corresponding changes in their properties. Deformation of disordered alloys changes their properties in a manner characteristic of solid solution alloys; these changes can in part be attributed to the destruction of short-range order. The effects of deformation on solid solution alloys are of two kinds: 1) generation of structural imperfections, which occurs as a result of deformation in any metallic system including pure metals, and 2) changes of atomic configuration, which are characteristic of solid solutions and particularly of order -disorder systems. These two types of effect are not independent of each other and the state of a deformed solid solution alloy is determined in a complex manner by the way in which the structural imperfections cause changes in atomic configuration both during and after deformation.

Jan 1, 1962

By Floyd C. Kelley

The literature of the last decade is rich with information relating to the cause and means of control of grain growth in pure metals, but is deficient concerning the role diffusion plays in grain growth, although during this period many new products that depend on diffusion for their properties and success have been developed. Among these are cementation products, produced by calorizing, chromizing, and carbonizing, or by mixing, pressing, and sintering powdered metals such as Syke's iron-molybdenum die material, Genelite, and Elcon Metal (copper, tungsten) etc. This is a fertile field for new developments, but before it can be utilized to the fullest extent there must be a thorough invest,igation of the processes by which diffusion and grain growth take place. Grain growth plays no small part in the process and certainly the physical properties of these products depend largely on the grain size and state of equilibtiuni produced. The field of investigation does not end here, but may be extended to the effect of diffusion on impurities, segregations and dendrites in the broad field of ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy. A number of years ago the author investigated several of these cases and noted, with striking regularity, the pronounced effect of diffusion in promoting recrystallization and grain growth. An example of this phenomenon is given in his paper on chromizingl which contained photomicrographs of large radial or columnar crystals produced by diffusion of chromium in the solid state. Another manifestation of this effect was discussed by Austen,2 who showed the part hydrogen plays in the decarburization of steel and the effect of diffusion upon the grain structure. Diffusion of Metals in Iron It seems to be a general law, whenever two metals are brought into intimate contact at a temperature at which diffusion takes place, that a comparatively rapid, or abnormal, grain growth results. The grains

Your committee's secretary submits the following report, or summary, to the- members of the committee, in an endeavor to lay before them a general review of the information so far received and also his own knowledge .of the work as carried on at a number of plants, this being done in part to secure further information and suggestions from members and lead to a more effective means of furthering the work of the committee. It is suggested that more detailed data be compiled regarding engineering features involved, and that papers be contributed which will deal with the safeguarding of underground electrical installations. There are few operating companies which have not started a more or less systematic campaign to safeguard their employees from accidental injuries and unhealthful surroundings, but a great deal is to be gained by experience. All may welcome the advice and cooperation of those who have been actively engaged in the work and have demonstrated the results obtainable by organized effort, and it is, therefore, exceedingly gratifying to note the ready assistance and hearty cooperation rendered by the companies that may be truly termed pioneers in the movement. No solution of the safety problem is to be found in a strict standardization of methods, rules or devices, as' the various mining, milling and metallurgical practices present too' many conditions differing broadly in general principles, but some standard system embodying principles, already proven to be efficient should be created, which may be modified or elaborated to meet specific requirements of each individual. company, or to fit working conditions as they exist in the various mining camps throughout the country. An industrial plant is -primarily a business undertaking, therefore the economic side-of a safety or welfare campaign is of importance. Many small operators have been deterred from undertaking the work by their belief that it involved an expense beyond their means, and one that could not be counterbalanced by greater efficiency or saving along other lines. This idea is generally clue to a lack of knowledge of the actual costs of such work, and of the results secured by judicious selection of a method commensurate with the. size and nature of the opera-

Jan 1, 1917

By A. D. Hodges

In May, 1850, the first gold from the Comstock lode was discovered in the sands near the Carson river. It had been washed down by natural agencies, through Gold Caflon, from the decomposed rock of the ledge above. Within a few weeks, the precious metal was traced more than three miles in shallow deposits along the bed of the canon, from the river to the Devil's Gate-—a narrow, rocky cleft, notable to the teamsters of a later day chiefly as the place where " Uncle Jimmy Fair" collected high tolls, and could not reduce the rates, because " this was all he had for the education of his poor children." From 1850 to 1857, a fluctuating band of miners, whose number varied from twenty to two hundred, washed the Gold Canon placers with rockers and long-toms, making four to five dollars a day each until the last-named year, when the deposits were in great measure exhausted. The chief settlement of these miners was at Johntown. During only a third of the year was the water-supply sufficient for their work. The remainder of the time they utilized in desultory prospecting of the hills and in occasional forays for supplies among the Mormons in Carson valley. In 1857, the Grosch brothers discovered the Comstock lode at some point, now unknown, in Gold Hill, but their discovery perished with them. Early in 1858, the " Pioneer Quartz Company," having located several of the small surface-veins around Silver City (whose connection with the main lode has never been definitely shown), built an arrastra, and worked some of their ore; but the returns were so small that they soon abandoned this business. The following winter, James Finney and his partners found gold in place in

Jan 1, 1891

By F. E. Smith, David R. Mitchell, B. M. Bird

DENSE-MEDIA processes utilize the familiar laboratory float-and¬-sink procedure on a commercial scale. Just as wood chips float on water and sand sinks, so coal floats and refuse sinks when placed in a medium intermediate in specific gravity between the coal and refuse. Liquids intermediate in specific gravity between coal and refuse used in commercial plants are of four types: (1) Organic liquids of high specific gravity-halogenated hydrocarbons; (2) dissolved salts in water; (3) pseudo liquids obtained by suspending solids, such as sand, in water, and (4) fluidizing a mass of sand or other solids by air currents. Those most widely used for cleaning coal are solutions of calcium chloride in water and a suspended-sand pseudo liquid. Laboratory float-and-sink testing is an intermittent operation during which every opportunity is given for particles lighter than the medium to float and particles heavier to sink. Commercial processes are con¬tinuous, vertical and horizontal currents of the separating medium occur as either part of the process or unavoidedly produced by the intro¬duction of feed and withdrawal of products, so that the exact separation of the laboratory technique is not duplicated by commercial processes. However, separations close to the theoretical are obtained in commercial machines by careful technical control of the process. Most machines in commercial installations are crowded to get as much out of the equipment as possible, so that careful technical control is necessary to get the recoveries and grade of product desired. Sizes usually cleaned are plus %6-in. or plus 3-in. in the United States and plus 36-in. in Great Britain. Coal as small as 1 mm. has been cleaned in some experimental installations. The separation of coal from refuse in sizes finer than about % in. is made difficult by viscosity effects and hence at the present time cleaning is confined to the coarser . sizes. Technical advances in the art of cleaning coal by dense-media

Jan 1, 1943

By C. A. Heiland

Geophysical methods are playing an ever increasing part in various engineering fields. About ten years ago, geophysical exploration was first applied in civil engineering to the study of foundations and the location of construction materials and water. Its usefulness is now being extended into the field of structural engineering. Almost every structure has to be so designed that it will withstand any force to which it may be subjected. Such forces may result from its own weight, applied loads, pressures of various kinds, including those due to wind and water, ground subsidence and vibrations. The last two, problems involving the nature and dynamic behavior of surface and subsurface formations, are within the scope of geophysical investigations. In the design of any structure, the disposition and dimensions of its members as well as their materials must be so selected that they will withstand any or all of the forces enumerated above. In other words, its "resistance" to such forces must be sufficient, allowing for a definite margin of safety. Often a static treatment of the problem leads to satisfactory results, but the static method entails serious errors when vibrations are involved, as in resonance with an impressed vibration the displacements of a structure or parts thereof may dangerously exceed the allowable values. The principle of "dynamic design"† is, therefore, avoiding or reducing resonance by suitable selection of the natural frequency of a structure, or by the provision of damping. Methods of Investigation Dynamic design of structures is required where ground vibrations occur naturally or are produced artificially. Earthquake regions fall in the first group; areas of industrial activity where vibrations are produced by machinery, blasting, etc., fall in the second. In either case, dynamic

Jan 1, 1940

By F. V. Lenel

Two years ago in Chicago a seminar was held on the theory of sintering of pure metal powders. As an introduction to this seminar D,.. Rhines1 gave an excellent survey of the literature on this subject, His method of presentatioll was to summarize the experimental observations on sintering and from them to develop a composite theory of sintering in which he combined all the important contributions to the theory into one organic whole. In contrast to the mechanism of sintering of pure metal powders, which, of course, al\vays takes place in the solid phase, sintering j,, the presence of a liquid phase, cannot be treated as one unified mechanism, such as the sintering mechanism of pure metals. The reason is that there are really several mechanisms depending upon the type of alloy system which is sintered and the field of its con. stitutional diagram ill which the sintering takes place, Two mechanisms have heen investigated and will be reviewed in this paper. Ill the first lnechanism the liquid is presellt during the entire time while the compacts are at the sintering temperature, In other words they are sintered between the liquidus and the solidus of the alloy system and are ~e~erogelleous during the entire sintering cycle. The second mechallism applies to alloys in which the liquid phase is formed during the sintering process, but disappears before the sintering process is completed through diffusion and formation of a solid solution. These alloys are therefore homogeneous at the end of the sintering cycle. This second mechanism is more complicated because of the two stages of sintering, the liquid and the solid, as they may be called. It is therefore not surprising that the few detailed investigations of sintering in the presence of a liquid phase have been concerned with heterogeneous sintered alloys, namely the tungsten-nickel-sinter ing which is the so-called "heavy alloy," and the cemented carbides. The mechanism of sintering of these systems is characterized by the fact that theoretical or near theoretical density is attained during sintering, while simultaneously a distinct grain growth takes place through solution of the smallest grains of the solid phase in the liquid phase and reprecipitation on the larger grains. In the first part of the survey this sintering mechanism which is called for short the heavy alloy mechanism is treated in detail. In the second part Of the survey experimental observations for the sintering of homogeneous sintered alloys where the liquid phase disappears before the completion of sintering are discussed. Much less systematic work has been done on these alloys to which the conlmercially important Porous bronzes and the iron-nickel-aluminum permanent magnet alloys belong. Emphasis will be laid throughout this survey upon the microstructural and density changes during sintcring because the Sintering mechanism can usually be described directly by these changes. Other

Jan 1, 1949

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

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

Jan 1, 1935

By Frank Schrader

INTRODUCTION THE present sketch is submitted by request in the hope that it may serve as a basis for geologic discussion of the mining camps in Mohave County, which is experiencing a marked revival of activities. The region, commonly known as the Mohave district and Kingman district, lies in western Arizona in the southern part of Mohave County, bordering California and Nevada on the west (Fig. 1). Kingman, the principal-town; is situated near the center of the area. on. the Atchison, Topeka & Sante Fe Transcontinental Railway. This region is composed of naked desert ranges of mountains and broad detritus-filled valleys, the southern extension of the characteristic topography of the Great Basin. In altitude it varies from 500 ft. in the southwest to 8,300 ft. on Hualpai Peak southeast of Kingman. The mountains trend north-northwest. They rise about 3,000 ft. above the valleys, are generally rugged and were formed mainly by erosion. They are composed in the main of a, complex of pre-Cambrian granitoid rocks which underlies the area as a whole. Like the valleys, they average about 10 miles in width. Beginning on the east, they are the Grand Wash Cliffs, the Cerbat Range, the Black Mountains or River Range, and the Eldorado Range. The upper or dominantly cliff half of the Grand Wash Cliffs, marking the edge of the Colorado Plateau, is composed of nearly horizontal sedimentary Paleozoic strata of the Grand Canyon section, and the lower half of the underlying pre-Cambrian complex. The Cerbat Mountains situated in the central part of the area, and the Black Mountains situated between Detrital-Sacramento Valley on the east and Mohave Valley, the great trough of the Colorado River, on the west, are locally flanked or overlain by Tertiary volcanics (Fig. 2). The latter consist of five groups of mountains of which the most important is the Black Mesa group on the south. The Eldorado Range, rising from the great trough of the Colorado on the west and containing Searchlight, Eldorado Canyon, and other camps, is topographically and geologically similar to the Black Mountains.

Jan 10, 1916

By John L. Ham, Robert M. Parke

The melting point of molybdenum is 2625° + 50°C. Heretofore the metal has been considered too refractory to be melted in commercial quantities; hence, it has been formed into rod, wire, and sheet by the methods of powder metallurgy, wherein the temperatures do not exceed 90 per cent of the melting temperature. The manipulation of liquid metals at temperatures of about 2000°C. and above presents some difficult problems in heat transfer, in purification, and in container materials. For metals melting at such high temperatures, it is generally regarded as expedient to circumvent the more common melting and casting process by resorting to powder metallurgy. This circumvention is not accomplished without some penalties, the more notable of which are the relatively high cost of the powder metallurgy method and particularly the size limitations of its product. In an effort to overcome the inherent disadvantages of the powder metallurgy method, especially in respect to the limit of size, a project was begun in 1943 at the Climax Molybdenum Co. laboratory to develop a method of melting and casting molybdenum capable of producing larger bodies of molybdenum than were then obtainable. Later, from Feb. I, 1944, to Aug. 31, 1945, the project was under the supervision of the National Research Committee, Division One. In peacetime, too, there are needs for molybdenurn, which make consideration of another process desirable; for example, large parts for heat engines generally, the omnipresent demand for metal of higher quality and lower cost, and the development of molybdenum-base alloys. This paper describes methods for melting and casting molybdenum, with details of the special process needed to make molybdenum castings ductile, and reports some of the properties of what may be regarded as a new, or at least modified, form of the metal. First Process for Melting and Casting Molybdenum The maintenance of a temperature greater than 2625°C. in a 'pace large enough to melt several pounds of molybdenum may involve the loss of heat at a Very considerable rate. For melting molybdenum, therefore, the source of heat must be of high potential and of fairly high power. Evidently, also, the source of heat must not impair the purity of the product. The electric arc operating in vacuum appeared to meet these requirements and was accordingly the first choice as a source of energy. A number of arc devices for melting molybdenum were examined, and several were tried. In the first experiment, a 20-kw., 60-cycle-per-second alternating-current arc was operated between two horizontal and opposed electrodes of molybdenum- In this arrangement the falling droplets of molybdenum solidified below the arc in an irregular mass. This experiment did not produce a useful casting, but the data obtained indicated that

Jan 1, 1947

By William Rawles

THIS report is the first of a series planned by The Mineral Inquiry, organized by the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers to make factual studies of the world's mineral resources in their political and international relations. The efforts of The Inquiry are directed toward filling certain notable gaps in available information, without duplication of many other investigations touching this field which are being conducted by other organizations, public and private. Much of its work is indirect-suggesting topics for study by other individuals and organizations and aiding in their planning and correlation. The present report is designed to show the nationality of the commercial control of mineral resources, in addition to the geographic distribution of production by nation-in other words, the overlapping of political and commercial control. Detailed accuracy cannot be claimed for the figures presented. For some companies division of ownership by nationality has been very difficult to ascertain, as many companies are reluctant to dis-close the extent of their holdings in other corporations, and the impossi-bility of tracing all stock ownership is obvious. Also there are frequent changes in the distribution of stock control. The percentages given rep resent only the participation that has been identified definitely, even though it is known in some cases with fair certainty that larger interests exist, as, for instance, American participation in foreign chromite companies. In bringing together these figures we have had the cordial co-operation of the United States Bureau of Mines, the United States Geologi-cal, Survey, the Mineral Division of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, the Brookings Institution, and of many specialists connected with the mineral industries covered. The report does not cover the entire list of minerals: Coal, although it is one of the most important minerals, was omitted because not more than one or two per cent of the world's production comes from mines that are owned by companies foreign to the countries where the coal is produced. Others, such as gold, are omitted because sufficient data have not yet been accumulated. It is hoped that some of these may be covered in subsequent reports. It is not our purpose here to discuss the significance of the figures sub-mitted, but only to point out the general nature of the problems on which they have a bearing.

Jan 1, 1933

By William E. Harris

Time and experience have demonstrated that by means of the Waelz process zinc, lead, cadmium, arsenic, antimony, bismuth and tin can be volatilized satisfactorily. In this way difficult gold ores are being treated to allow for the recovery of the precious metal. Iron ore containing zinc is being treated to remove the zinc and recover the iron. In Germany, thallium is being recovered in commercial quantities from the zinc oxide fume; indium, germanium and gallium are also concentrated to a degree warranting recovery, even though these rare metals are only recognizable in the ore by means of the spectroscope. The physical, chemical or mineralogical condition of the raw material affects very little the applicability of the process. The name Waelz is derived from the German word Waelzen, meaning a "trundling motion," which very aptly describes the movement of the charge through the slowly rotating kiln. The recovery of zinc and lead by volatilization in a rotary kiln has its origin in a process patented in 1910 by Edward Dedolph, of British Columbia. The Dedolph patent was taken over by the Metallgesell-schaft of Frankfurt-on-Main, Germany, which in cooperation with the Griesheim-Elektron, now a part of a large industrial combine, introduced certain improvements (Ohlmer, Specketer patents), but without bringing the process to a state suitable for large-scale operations. The war temporarily stopped all work on the process, and it was not until after the war that the Krupp Grusonwerk, of Magdeburg-Buckau, Germany, quite independently of the Metallgesellschaft, instituted research work in this field of metallurgy, which in 1923 led to the Waelz process proper. The Krupp Grusonwerk and the Metallgesellschaft A.G. later on collaborated, and by their joint efforts further developed and perfected the Waelz process, which they are marketing together as "Waelz-Gemeinschaft." The process is capable of treating a varied type of material; for instance, oxidized and sulphide zinc ores, calamine (zinc carbonate ore) waste dumps, jig tailings, jig slimes, table concentrate slimes, brass ashes, zinc-bearing iron ores (where the iron sinter is the real objective and the zinc oxide a by-product), electrolytic-zinc leach residues, zinc muffle residues and works sweepings, lead-furnace slags, tin ores and slags, anti-

Jan 1, 1937

By Donald Barton

THE theory of gravitation is based on Newton's law that any two bodies exert a mutual attraction which is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them; i. e., A = K MM/R2 (1) where K is a constant, M and m are the respective masses of the two bodies, and R the distance between them. In the earth's gravitational system, the earth is one of the bodies; the other may be any body within or without the earth. In theoretical discussions and calculations in regard to gravity, that other body usually is taken as a unit of mass: in the C. G. S. system, a body of one gram in mass. GRAVITY AND LEVEL SURFACES Gravity is defined in geophysics as the force of attraction exerted by the earth, towards itself, on a body of unit mass. The intensity of gravity is usually expressed in dynes of force or in centimeters of acceleration. In geophysical work in America, most commonly it is expressed in dynes (per gram) with the "per gram" understood and not directly expressed. In geophysical work in Europe, most commonly it is expressed in centimeters per second per second (cm./sec 2) and less commonly merely as centimeter-gram-second units (C. G. S.). At sea level, the intensity of gravity amounts very nearly to 980 dynes. The vertical is the direction along which the attraction of gravity is exerted at any point. In most cases, it is very nearly, but not quite, perpendicular to the earth's surface. The path that would be taken by a body falling freely through space toward the earth is vertical at each point and may be spoken of also as "the vertical," or as the line of the vertical, or as a line of force of gravity. At the earth's surface it commonly is very nearly, but not quite, a straight line.

Jan 1, 1928

By I. J. Polmear

Earlier work revealed that small amounts of silver (< 0,l at. pct) may exert a marked effect on the structure and aging characteristics of certain a1loys based on the Al-Zn-Mg system. Silver additions have now been made to other age-hardening aluminum alloys, and significant effects have been observed in the Al-Mg system and in several Al-Cu-Mg and Al-Mg-Si alloys. Similarities exist between the behavior of alloys from all four systems, notably that in each case silver stimulates nucleation of an intermediate precipitate which forms when the alloys are aged in the medium temperature range (-120" to 220°C). The mechanism for this effect is uncer- IT has been shown that small additions of silver (<0.1 at. pct) may have a marked effect on the structure and age-hardening characteristics of tain although it is suggested it originates in a preferred affinity between magnesium and silver atoms. There is evidence to indicate that the effects of silver are unique to that element. It is suggested that silver atoms interact with vacancies during low-temperature aging of Al-4 pct Cu and certain Al-Cu-Mg alloys. Silver had little effect on Al-8 pct Zn aged at any temperature. Preliminary observations indicate that silver may have interesting effects on the strength properties of Al-Mg alloys, md a the commercial Al-Cu-Mg alloys designated as 2024 and 2618. many alloys based on the Al-Zn-Mg* system.1"&apos;*

Jan 1, 1964

By Percy A. Robbins

The central power-station of the De Beers Consolidated Mines, Ltd., was designed and built under my supervision about five years ago. Since no detailed description of this plant has ever appeared, it may possess sufficient interest to arrant its publication, even at this late date. Although some additions may have been made to the plant, the following account, prepared from my notes, and accurate up to May, 1905 (at which time I severed my connection with the De Beers Company), will, I think, be found substantially correct. Certain local conditions governing the design of this plant should be stated first. IT. General Considerations. The climate is hot and dry. The region around Kimberley is arid and water is very scarce. The supply obtained from the mines contains so much material in solution that it is unfit for use in boilers or condensers (although tests recently made with a water-softening plant, built by Hans Reisert, of Germany, would indicate that water thus treated is suitable for boilers). And the amount of water required for concentrating about 30,000 tons of ore per day is so large that the question of adequate water-supply for this power-station had to be carefully considered. The rainy season extends from December to April, and the rainfall averages about 15 in. per year. Droughts are frequent; and in some years there is scarcely any rain at all.

Jan 1, 1909

By J. M. Lommel, B. Chalmers

The transfer of material from the solid to the liquid states can be accomplished in several ways. It occurs by the application of heat in the more familiar metallurgical operations of melting but it can also be accomplished by solution in a liquid, as can occur in systems using liquid metals for heat-transfer media. The kinetics of this reaction were studied to learn more of the separate steps in the process. In the case of a pure material at its melting temperature, Te,A,, thermal energy must be supplied to the solid in an amount equal to the latent heat of fusion in order for the solid-to-liquid transfer to occur. The rate at which heat is supplied, and hence the rate of melting, is a function of the temperature gradients in the system. This phase transfer can also occur in the absence of temperature gradients in the system illustrated in Fig. 1, which is a partial phase diagram between the components A and B. A solid of composition CI will

Jan 1, 1960