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By John E. Greenawalt

In view of the increasing importance of sintering in the beneficiation of iron ores preparatory to their reduction in the blast furnace, the writer believes the time is opportune for an up-to-date, though brief, discussion of the general principles of sintering, as well as a discussion of some of the recent improvements and mechanical developments that have been achieved in this industry, its present trend and future possibilities. Sintering may be defined as the agglomeration of fine mineral particles into a porous mass by incipient fusion caused by heat produced by combustion within the mass itself. Its first successful application, in connection with the treatment of lead sulphide ores, was known as blast roasting. In this process the lead ore was given a preliminary roasting in a reverber-atory furnace, then the incandescent mass was placed in a pot with a grate and an updraft was applied. It was soon discovered that much better results were obtained by cooling the ore, moistening it, and placing it upon an incandescent layer of fuel previously placed upon a grate, and then applying the updraft blast of air until the charge was converted into a more or less agglomerated mass. The fuel was sulphur and the process one of desulphurization, which was the principal result desired. The application of downdraft to blast roasting brought about tremendous results; the principal one of which was that an air blast of high pressure could be passed through a layer of ore deposited on a grate, or on a grate covered by a layer of coarse porous material, without disturbing the particles of which the layer is composed. The air current is compelled to filter through the pores of the charge, whereas if the same pressure applied to the top surface of the charge with downdraft were applied to the bottom of the charge with updraft, the charge would be completely blow11 off the grate. Another result of reversing the draft was that a flame could readily be applied to the top surface of the charge for igniting purposes. Broadly speaking, sintering is an oxidizing or burning process, therefore the volume of air passing through the charge is the all-important factor. The air must pass through with sufficient rapidity to produce the necessary heat, and if sufficiently rapid the combustiorl will take place

Jan 1, 1938

By M. L. Holzworth, Philip R. Sperry, Paul A. Beck

INTRODUCTION THE basic work of Z. Jeffries1,2,3 has long ago established the main features of grain growth in the presence of a dispersed second phase. Working with sintered specimens of initially fine grained tungsten, to which various amounts of thoria have been added, Jeffries found that grain growth was inhabited, that is, practically prevented, up to a certain annealing temperature. When this temperature, which increased with the thoria content, was exceeded, extremely large grains developed abruptly from the fine grained matrix. Such a "coarsening temperature" was later found by Gross mann13,14 in certain types of steel, while Bain showed" that in other steels grain growth was gradual, without inhibition and abrupt coarsening. Later work16,17,18,19,21 demonstrated the connection between coarsening and aluminum additions. The viewpoint that the direct cause of inhibition and coarsening in aluminum killed steels is a fine dispersion of aluminum oxide21 appears to be held quite generally, although some doubts have been voiced even very recently.20 In steels with Ti additions the titanium carbide phase is considered responsible for the inhibition effects found.20 The coarsening temperature increases, with the titanium content. That coarsening may occur, as a result of certain heat treatments, even in low carbon rimmed sheet steel, was shown by Samuels,22 He also detected coarsening in a steel ingot of similar composition, after giving it the same heat treatment as that used by him for the sheet material, In this instance the identity of the inhibiting phase has not been determined, However, Tangerding found 23 that even the few small carbide particles, which occur in carbonyl iron, have a very marked inhibitive effect. As a result of an oxidizing anneal at 850°C, large grains begin to form at the surface of the carbonyl iron specimen, and gradually grow inward as the subsurface oxidation of the carbide particles progresses and eliminates the obstruction, The carbide particles can be removed also by annealing in hydrogen, with similar results. But if the oxidizing anneal of 10 hr at 850°C in air, is followed by annealing in hydrogen for 75 hr at the same temperature, grain growth is more spectacular; usually the whole specimen is transformed into a single crystal (approx. 1,5 cm X 5 cm). The reversed procedure, that is, hydrogen annealing followed by oxidizing annealing leads to smaller grains. Tangerding arrived at the logical conclusion that there must have been in his specimens some additional obstruction to grain growth resulting from a minor impurity, other than carbon. It seems likely that this obstruction was caused by an oxide formed during the oxidizing anneal and gradually reduced during the subsequent hydrogen-annealing. Other instances of grain growth inhibition of varying severity, associated with a dispersed second phase, have been described by several authors. Notable examples: lead with 0.06 pct Cu or Ni,24 cartridge brass with 0.12 pct Cr,25 or with up to 0.15

Jan 1, 1948

By W. S. Landis

IN brief, this is the story of an attempt to Americanize a process originally developed in Europe. The story will be recited in two sections, the first dealing with the process as developed by the European engineers; the second containing the improvements and modifications of American origin, together with some details of the operating results of the unit as finally assembled. Developments in other directions in this same field have not, up to the present, pointed out an economic future for the process, therefore our record here is largely a report of development progress. Whether some particularly favorable location will be found at some future time for a commercial installation cannot as yet be fore-told. The project is now at a standstill. The peculiar tools of the electrometallurgist should be of great interest to the zinc smelter. The low thermal efficiency of the zinc retort, its comparatively small-scale unit and its intermittent cycle as it stood in 1925, should make this art a particularly fertile field for the electric fur-nace. Yet in spite of years of work recorded in volumes of literature, and an expenditure of large sums of money, there is not a single electrothermic zinc smelter operating anywhere in the world. In this industry the electric furnace plays only a secondary part today.

Jan 1, 1936

By E. S. Davenport, R. J. Hafsten, R. A. Grange

The influence of austenite grain size upon the hardenability of steel is now fairly well understood; for a given austenite, increasing the grain size increases the depth of hardening, and, since the latter is related to the fundamental transformation behavior of austenite, it follows that austenite decomposition must, in general, be retarded by increasing grain size. To date, very little quantitative information bearing directly on the effect of austenite grain size upon the progress and result of isothermal transformation has been published. Davenport and Bain,' and Zimmerman, Aborn and Bain2 have shown that the transformation is definitely relarded in hypereutectoid plain carbon steels at temperatures near and above the upper region of rapid transformation (Ar') when the austenite grains are increased in size. More recently, Griffiths. Pfeil and Allen3 investigated the effect of a series of different heating (austenitizing) temperatures upon the progress of isothermal transformation at 1245°F. (675°C.) and 745ºF. (395°C.) in a medium carbon, low-alloy steel; while they reported no measurements of the austenite grain size, their results suggest that increase in grain size retards austenite transformation at 1245ºF. (675°C), but has no appreciable effect at 745°F (395°C.). The present paper deals with the results of a study of the isothermal transformation of austenite in a single commercial alloy steel in which a fine-grained or a coarsegrained state was induced by appropriate selection of austenitizing temperature. The data are presented in the form of isothermal transformation diagrams, which clearly show that coarsening the grains lessens the rate of transformation of austenite to proeutectoid ferrite and pearlite—that is, at temperature levels above about 1000°F. (540°C.)—but is without significant effect at lower temperatures where the transformation product is bainite or martensite. It is to he presumed that the foregoing statement would be valid, at least in principle, for many other grades of steel; it confirms again that the mechanism of transformation to a pearlitic structure is fundamentally different from that to an acicular structure. A number of related observations were made, which seem to throw some light on the transformation process as it takes place in alloy steels, particularly at temperature levels in the vicinity of 1000ºF. (540°C.), where the transition from lamellar to acicular structures occurs. These data are discussed briefly in the belief that they may lead to a clearer understanding of this aspect of the subject. Material and Experimental Procedure The material investigated was a cornmercial grade of S.A.E. 4140 steel, the composition of which was as follows: 0.37 per cent C, 0.77 per cent Mn, 0.98 per cent Cr and 0.21 per cent Mo. It was hot-rolled to a 1 1/8-in. round bar and normalized by air-cooling from 1800°F. (980°C.).

Jan 1, 1941

By R. J. Hafsten, E. S. Davenport, R. A. Grange

The influence of austenite grain size upon the hardenability of steel is now fairly well understood; for a given austenite, increasing the grain size increases the depth of hardening, and, since the latter is related to the fundamental transformation behavior of austenite, it follows that austenite decomposition must, in general, be retarded by increasing grain size. To date, very little quantitative information bearing directly on the effect of austenite grain size upon the progress and result of isothermal transformation has been published. Davenport and Bain,' and Zimmerman, Aborn and Bain2 have shown that the transformation is definitely relarded in hypereutectoid plain carbon steels at temperatures near and above the upper region of rapid transformation (Ar') when the austenite grains are increased in size. More recently, Griffiths. Pfeil and Allen3 investigated the effect of a series of different heating (austenitizing) temperatures upon the progress of isothermal transformation at 1245°F. (675°C.) and 745ºF. (395°C.) in a medium carbon, low-alloy steel; while they reported no measurements of the austenite grain size, their results suggest that increase in grain size retards austenite transformation at 1245ºF. (675°C), but has no appreciable effect at 745°F (395°C.). The present paper deals with the results of a study of the isothermal transformation of austenite in a single commercial alloy steel in which a fine-grained or a coarsegrained state was induced by appropriate selection of austenitizing temperature. The data are presented in the form of isothermal transformation diagrams, which clearly show that coarsening the grains lessens the rate of transformation of austenite to proeutectoid ferrite and pearlite—that is, at temperature levels above about 1000°F. (540°C.)—but is without significant effect at lower temperatures where the transformation product is bainite or martensite. It is to he presumed that the foregoing statement would be valid, at least in principle, for many other grades of steel; it confirms again that the mechanism of transformation to a pearlitic structure is fundamentally different from that to an acicular structure. A number of related observations were made, which seem to throw some light on the transformation process as it takes place in alloy steels, particularly at temperature levels in the vicinity of 1000ºF. (540°C.), where the transition from lamellar to acicular structures occurs. These data are discussed briefly in the belief that they may lead to a clearer understanding of this aspect of the subject. Material and Experimental Procedure The material investigated was a cornmercial grade of S.A.E. 4140 steel, the composition of which was as follows: 0.37 per cent C, 0.77 per cent Mn, 0.98 per cent Cr and 0.21 per cent Mo. It was hot-rolled to a 1 1/8-in. round bar and normalized by air-cooling from 1800°F. (980°C.).

Jan 1, 1941

By E. T. Turkdogan, P. Grieveson

It is shown experimentally that, by making use of the coupled S-O reaction in ionic melts, it is possible to transfer slclJur or oxygen from a lozv to a high chemical potential through an ionic nzenzbrane. This uphill transfer of sulfur is accompanied by a counter downhill transfer of oxygen and vice versa. The Materials balance shows that the amoulits of sul -fur and oxygen lost or gained by one system are the same as those gained or lost by the other systenz — the two systejns being separated by an iofzic membmne. The systems used in these experi?nents were solid Mn-MnS-Mno and liquid Fe-S-0. Sufficient results were obtained Lo study the kinetics of the transfer and the indications are that the counter diffusion of sulfide and oxide iojzs in the membrane is the rate controlling process. WHEN an ionic oxide-melt reacts with an atmosphere containing sulfur and oxygen-bear ing gases the following reaction occurs: 1/2 S2 (gas) +O2- (melt) = S2- (melt) + 1/2 0, (gas) [1] Under the restrictions that i) electric conductance in the melt is purely ionic and ii) each constituent element in the melt does not change valence, the solution of an atom of sulfur in the melt will result in the evolution of an atom of oxygen, so that the electric neutrality is maintained. For a given temperature and melt composition, the equilibrium concentration of sulfur in the melt is determined by the ratio, po2 /ps2 , in the gas phase and not by the individual partial pressures of oxygen and sulfur. This has been demonstrated by a number of investigators, for example by Richardson and withers', Fincham and Richardson,la by St Pierre and Chipman,' and by Turkdogan and Darken.3 In his Howe Memorial Lecture for 1961, Darken discussed the possibility of uphill pumping of sulfur through an ionic membrane at the expense of oxygen. TO test the validity of this concept associated with coupled reactions, experiments were carried out in the following manner. A presintered mixture of Mn-MnS-MnO and prefused mixture of Fe-S-0, contained in platinum and iridium crucibles, respectively, and separated by a thin layer of soda-glass (to act as an ionic membrane), were placed side by side in an evacuated silica capsule and sealed. This was then kept at 1400°K for a required time to allow Reaction [11 to occur via the ionic membrane. When partial equilibrium is reached, the ratios Po2 /pS2, for systems on either side of the membrane, are equal and the flux of sulfur and oxygen through the membrane becomes zero, although the individual partial pressures po2 andp,, in these two systems may differ considerably.

Jan 1, 1962

By E. T. Turkdogan, M. T. Hepworth, R. P. Smith

The permeability of oxygen in 0 iron in the tempera-ture range 700" to 900 C and in 6 iron at 1450°C was determined by the rate of internal oxidation of iron, containing -0.1 pct Al. The solubility of oxygen in zone-refined iron was determined by equilibration with hydrogen-water vapor gas mixtures at 1450" and 1510°C; oxygen solubilities , for iron in equi1ibriu.rn with molten oxide, are found to be 66 and 83 ppm for these two temperatures, respectively. The diffusivity of oxygen in iron at 14500C3 as calculated from the permeability and solubility data, is (4.1 * 0.6) x 10 "B sq cm per sec. OXYGEN is one of the most common impurities present in iron or steel, mainly in the form of oxide inclusions. In the study of many metallurgical problems concerning solid iron, it is often desirable to know with a reasonable accuracy the solubility and diffusivity of oxygen over a wide temperature range. The solubility of oxygen in solid iron has been the subject of numerous studies yielding highly discordant results as seen for example from the literature surveys made by Meijering &apos; and Schenck et a1.&apos; As shown by Kitchener et aL3 and by Sifferlen, the high oxygen solubilities reported by many investigators are the result of oxidizable impurities which are often present in iron. In addition, there have been experimental problems associated with icaccuracy of oxygen analysis of iron containing less than 100 ppm 0. A number of studies have been made on the permeability of oxygen in a and y iron using Fe-Si, Fe-Mn, and Fe-A1 alloys in the internal-oxidation experiments.1&apos;2&apos;5&apos;6 However, no direct measurements have been made of the diffusivity of oxygen in iron. In the present work two sets of experimental measurements were made: permeability and solubility studies at 1450" and 1510°C and permeability studies only in the range 700 to 900°C. In both sets of permeability measurements slab-shaped specimens containing small predetermined amounts of aluminum in solution were exposed at constant temperature to gas mixtures of hydrogen, water vapor, and argon for varying times. These specimens were quenched, sectioned, and examined for oxygen penetration by metallographic observation of aluminum oxide particles which formed. From these data, it is possible to calculate the ratio of the diffusivity of oxygen in iron, D, to the equilibrium constant K for the reaction Hz(g) * O (dissolved in iron) = H,O(g). EXPERIMENTAL Permeability Measurements at 1450°C. An ingot of vacuum-carbon deoxidized iron containing 0.086 pct A1 was prepared, using commercial "Type lO4A Plas-tiron"; after hot rolling, specimens were machined into slabs a by 2 by 2 in. The impurity contents were: S, P < 0.002 pct; C, Mn < 0.01 pct; each of all other Usual impurities < 0.004 pet. The amount of oxide inclusions in this material, determined by a bromine-methyl acetate extraction, corresponded to about 20 ppm 0 in the iron which agreed well with the results of vacuum-fusion analysis. Each specimen was annealed at 1450°C for 1 hr in purified hydrogen, polished to a smooth surface, and then introduced into a controlled oxidizing atmosphere in a recrystallized alumina tube at 1450°C. The constant temperature zone (*3"C) was about 3 in. in length. The gas composition was controlled by mixing argon with hydrogen (using calibrated constant-head flow meters) and passing the mixture through a column of a mixture of oxalic acid dihydrate and 10 pct anhydrous oxalic acid, to establish a required water-vapor content in the gas mixture. The temperature of the oxalic acid dihydrate column was controlled by a thermostat. The total gas flow was in the range 800 to 1000 cu cm per min. The exit gas from the reaction tube was passed through a weighing bottle containing a desiccant, to cross-check the degree of water-vapor saturation, which for all experiments was about 97 pct of those derived from the data of Baxter and Lansing.1 For a typical experiment, a specimen was introduced into the furnace in a stream of dry argon and hydrogen. The specimen was then rapidly raised by a Pt-Rh alloy wire into the hot zone and allowed to reach the reaction temperature, at which time the oxidizing gas mixture was introduced. The oxygen potentials employed were sufficient to oxidize aluminum but not to cause liquid iron oxide to form. After a specified time, the experiment was ended by dropping the specimen onto a water-cooled copper block at the bottom of the reaction tube. The depth of the internally oxidized zone, hereafter called the "case", was determined by sectioning the specimen at right angles to the long direction. The section was then examined under a microscope equipped with a micrometer stage. In general, the oxide particles were fairly uniform in size and distribution, forming a reasonably well-defined interface between the oxidized and unoxidized region. A typical cross section as observed at X30 is shown in Fig. 1. A thermal macroetch was used in one selected specimen to delineate the case. A cross section of a previously oxidized slab was polished and reheated at 1450°C in a hydrogen atmosphere for about 10 min. Upon quenching, the surface relief shown in Fig. 2 was produced; causes of this effect are unknown. Permeability Measurements Below 900°C. A slightly

Jan 1, 1967

By C. F. Smart

SINCE their comparatively recent development, the alloys of cadmium with silver and copper or nickel, and of cadmium with nickel alone, have been used somewhat extensively as liners for connecting rod bearings and main bearings of internal-combustion engines. In applications where, owing to high hearing loads and elevated operating temperatures, the life of hearings made from tin-hale or lead-base alloys has been undesirably short, cadmium alloys have demonstrated considerable advantage. In applications where, because of deflection of the crankshaft or bearing supports, copper-lead bearing metals have resulted in scored shafts, cadmium alloys have been operated successfully. The somewhat serious drawback to these alloys in hearing service has been that they, in common with copper-lead and certain lead alloys, are susceptible to corrosion in the presence of lubricants containing organic acids. These acids may be fatty acids (such as oleic acid) derived from animal or vegetable oils that sometimes have been compounded with engine lubricants, or they may be compounds of an acid nature developed by the oxidation of some petroleum oils under operating conditions. The result of such acid attack on hearings is illustrated by the photograph, Fig. 1. The petroleum oils that are most readily oxidized to a corrosive condition, and the operating conditions under which such oxidation most readily occurs, are now rather well known among the technical organizations of both the petroleum and automotive industries. While means have been developed for inhibiting petroleum oils against such acid formation, the knowledge that this condition may be encountered has been a factor in restricting the wider use of cadmium alloys as engine bearings. It has appeared, therefore, that their value and use would be enhanced if they could be made corrosion-resistant to a degree compatible with the most severe operating requirements. Investigation, undertaken with this in view, indicated that the addition of fractional percentages of the metal indium to the cadmium bearing

Jan 1, 1938

By Oliver C. Ralston, Foster Fraas

INTRODUCTION ELECTROSTATIC methods of separation are used only when some peculiar advantage is gained. Such cases are minerals that are not separable by differences in specific gravity or magnetic response and that are desired in particles as large as 10-mesh, a size on which flotation separation is inefficient. This paper covers several separations of this type and others. It includes studies in the electrostatic behavior of kyanite, sillimanite, and zircon, simple silicates that cannot be called either acid or basic but are more nearly neutral. Kyanite and sillimanite are both desired in 10-mesh size and are difficult to beneficiate from low-grade ores to give that type of concentrate. A separation of garnet from diopside was studied because this mixture had been removed from a wollastonite product by drying and magnetic separation, and no special or extra-preparation for electrostatic separation was necessary. THE SEPARATOR The separator used in these tests is of the nonhomogeneous field type shown in Fig I[a]. It consists of a 11.4-cm-diam rotating metal roll 2 at ground potential over which the dry mixture of minerals is fed. The roll serves as one electrode of the separating field, and the other electrode is that of 3, a smaller 5-cm-diam rotating metal cylinder which is held at a high direct-current potential. In this paper the term "electrode" will be confined to the electrode at 3, roll 2 being designated only as "roll." [ ]

Jan 1, 1947

By A. Hansson, G. E. Tardiff

WHILE it is generally known that cold-worked low-and medium-carbon steels exhibit substantial increases in tensile rupture ductility with increased deformation velocity172 (up to the von Karman limit), the observations for annealed or normalized steel do not permit simple generalization. Various investigators, for example, have reported both small increases1,3 and small decreases4,5&apos; in rupture ductility with increased rates of deformation of normalized low-carbon steel. The purpose of the present note is to report on the dependence observed for strain-aged steel since preliminary work here indicates that strain aging results in the development of a consistent type of behavior that is understandable in the light of current knowledge of the lower yield dynamics for steels which deform inhomogeneously.6 This realization throws additional light on the influences responsible for the behavior of normalized steel. The results presented here were obtained for a 0.21 pct C, 0.012 pct N sheet (0.012 in. thick) steel which was received in a temper-rolled condition (approximately 3 pct reduction in thickness after process annealing); the as-received material had a spherodized structure with a ferritic grain size of ASTM 8. The material was selected for testing after 6 months room temperature aging, at which time the static lower yield and ultimate tensile strength measured 79 and 82 kpsi, respectively. ASTM 2-in. reduced section, 1/2-in.-wide specimens were used in smooth bar tests and 3/4-in.-wide specimens containing two 60-deg opposed edge notches (root radii = 0.002 in.) were used in notched bar tests. To facilitate strain measurement, the smooth bars were blued with ink and marked at 0.1-in. intervals along the gage length; the notched

Jan 1, 1968

By Welton J. Crook

Unless present, in considerable praportion, metals of the precious-metal group—other than gold and silver—are not readily detected by the methods of fire assaying usually applied to ores and metallurgical products. Platinum, when present in small quantity, will ordinarily be reported as silver unless special methods of parting are used. Other elements occurring in the gold itself are all fluxed and slagged in the assay operation and if analyses are made on bullions the melting and slagging operations to which the bullion has been subjected may eliminate most of the associated elements. On the other hand, the analysis of precipitate from the cyanide treatment of gold ores may reveal the presence of many unexpected elements, such as tungsten and molybdenum. It is uncertain, however, whether many of the elements present in the precipitate are derived from the ore gangue or from the gold itself. No very general survey of the distribution of metallic elements in gold seems to have been made. Rose and Newman,l in connection with the composition of native gold, say in part as follows: Gold is occasionally found alloyed with copper and sometimes also with iron, bismuth, lead, mercury, tin, antimony, palladium or rhodium. Rhodium gold from Mexico was found to be of the specific gravity 15.5 to 16.8 and contained 34 to 43 per cent of rhodium. The native alloy of palladium, gold, and silver from Porpez contains 85.98 per cent of gold, 9.85 per cent palladium and 4.17 per cent silver. Mal-donitk, from Victoria, contains gold 64.5 per cent, bismuth 35.5 per cent (Louis). Dana2 says that native gold is usually alloyed with silver in varying amounts, and that sometimes it also contains traces of copper and iron. Rare varieties contain palladium, rhodium and bismuth. Other authors, for instance Zeigler3 and Clark,4 give similar information. Most references on the subject agree that ordinary native golds contain, in common, the elements silver, copper and iron. After completion of the work of which this paper is a record, the conclusion is reached that all ordinary native gold probably does contain these elements and, although in certain cases other elements may be found to be present, that it is difficult to

Jan 1, 1943

By Welton J. Crook

Unless present, in considerable praportion, metals of the precious-metal group—other than gold and silver—are not readily detected by the methods of fire assaying usually applied to ores and metallurgical products. Platinum, when present in small quantity, will ordinarily be reported as silver unless special methods of parting are used. Other elements occurring in the gold itself are all fluxed and slagged in the assay operation and if analyses are made on bullions the melting and slagging operations to which the bullion has been subjected may eliminate most of the associated elements. On the other hand, the analysis of precipitate from the cyanide treatment of gold ores may reveal the presence of many unexpected elements, such as tungsten and molybdenum. It is uncertain, however, whether many of the elements present in the precipitate are derived from the ore gangue or from the gold itself. No very general survey of the distribution of metallic elements in gold seems to have been made. Rose and Newman,l in connection with the composition of native gold, say in part as follows: Gold is occasionally found alloyed with copper and sometimes also with iron, bismuth, lead, mercury, tin, antimony, palladium or rhodium. Rhodium gold from Mexico was found to be of the specific gravity 15.5 to 16.8 and contained 34 to 43 per cent of rhodium. The native alloy of palladium, gold, and silver from Porpez contains 85.98 per cent of gold, 9.85 per cent palladium and 4.17 per cent silver. Mal-donitk, from Victoria, contains gold 64.5 per cent, bismuth 35.5 per cent (Louis). Dana2 says that native gold is usually alloyed with silver in varying amounts, and that sometimes it also contains traces of copper and iron. Rare varieties contain palladium, rhodium and bismuth. Other authors, for instance Zeigler3 and Clark,4 give similar information. Most references on the subject agree that ordinary native golds contain, in common, the elements silver, copper and iron. After completion of the work of which this paper is a record, the conclusion is reached that all ordinary native gold probably does contain these elements and, although in certain cases other elements may be found to be present, that it is difficult to

Jan 1, 1943

By E. J. Rapperport, M. F. Smith

A presentation of the W-Ru constitution diagram is given. Techniques utilized in the determination of phase boundary values include electron micro-probe analysis of two-phased alloys and diffusion couples, as well as normal metallographic and X-ray methods. The primary features of the diagram are: 1) a terminal solid solution of ruthenium in tungsten with a maximum solubility of 23 at. pct Ru at 2300°C; 2) a terminal solid solution of tungsten in ruthenium with a maximum solubility of 48 at. pct W at 2205°C; 3) a o phase of maximum breadth about 6 at. pct based on the composition W3Ru2 which forms peritectically from the melt at 2300°C, and which decomposes eutectoidally at 1667 °C to form a twigs ten and 0 ruthenium; 4) a eutectic at 45 at. pct Ru and 2205°C with the products being o plus ß ruthenium. THE W-Ru diagram has previously been studied only in a cursory fashion. Raub and alter&apos; obtained a 1400°C isotherm in which they observed no intermediate phases, and on which they established the limits of solubility as 36.5 at. pct W in ruthenium and about 1.5 at. pct Ru in tungsten. In addition, Obrowski2 found a o phase forming peritectically from the melt and existing only above 1650°C. Below this temperature the phase was presumed to decompose eutectoidally. The present work finds the diagram as given in Fig. 1. I) EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The materials used for alloy preparation in determining the W-Ru constitution diagram were 99.9 pct pure ruthenium powder supplied by Baker Chemical Co., and 99.9 pct pure tungsten powder from General Electric Co. Typical analyses of these elements are given in Table I. Initial alloys at 10 at. pct intervals were prepared from the metal powders by the following method. Powders sufficient for 25 g of the alloys were weighed out with an accuracy of 0.1 mg and blended mechanically. After blending, the powders were compacted, in a steel die, at approximately 30,000 psi. The compacts were sintered in an electric vacuum furnace in order to remove adsorbed gases and to achieve partial densification prior to arc-melting. Vacua of 10-4 mm Hg or less were maintained in sintering as the furnace temperature was raised to approximately 2000°C. Sintering times ranged from 10 to 20 hr. The sintered compacts were arc-melted under a protective atmosphere of purified helium. Melting was conducted on a water-cooled copper hearth, utilizing a nonconsumable tungsten electrode. In the melting process, each alloy was turned over and re-melted on opposite sides from four to six times to ensure complete melting and to eliminate gross in-homogeneities. The arc-melter used had a vacuum capability of 5 X 10-6 mm Hg, and a leak rate of about 20 -liters per hr. Chemical analysis techniques for refractory metal-platinum group metal combinations are not well-established; therefore, composition control and determination depended principally upon weight-loss observations and calculations. This consisted in weighing each alloy after sintering and after arc-melting, and calculating the maximum and minimum composition values, assuming the total weight losses to be first all tungsten, and then all ruthenium. Since composition uncertainty was directly related to weight loss, care was taken to minimize losses in handling, compacting, and melting. Prior to homogenization and equilibration the as-arc-melted alloys were analyzed in several

Jan 1, 1964

By N. J. Grant, E. Gregory

The creep rupture properties of wrought aluminum powder products made from five grades of sintered aluminum powder were investigated at temperatures from 400° to 900°F for rupture times up to 1000 hr. The effect of stress concentrations on materials of this type was investigated by means of notched creep rupture tests. A tentative correlation was obtained between the creep rupture properties and the structure as revealed by electron micrographs. SEVERAL papers have been published recently concerning the production and properties of wrought aluminum powder products and their possible high temperature applications. Most of the published work in this field has come from abroad, notably Switzerland, and articles by Irmann and his colleagues were summarized in English recently.&apos;.&apos; Most of the papers published by Dr. Irmann are principally concerned with the retention of properties (by a product which is produced from extremely fine flake powder and is subsequently hot extruded) after heating to high temperature for prolonged times. The powder may be in atomized or flake form, and during hot working the applied pressure is reported to plastically deform the aluminum powder, thus breaking the oxide skin and welding the particles together. Irmann attributes the remarkable properties to the dispersion of oxide inclusions. Specifically, the product described by Irmann is one labeled SAP (Sintered Aluminum Powder) in which the initial flake powder is so fine that at least 50 pct of the flakes have one dimension of 2 microns or less. The composition of the starting aluminum shows in percent, Fe, 0.18; Si, 0.19; Zn, 0.06; Ti, 0.03; Cu, Mn, Mg, all nil; balance Al, approximately 99.5 pct. Aluminum is not the only material that has been found to have increased resistance to deformation at elevated temperatures when produced by powder metallurgy. It has been reported by Middleton, Pf eil, and Rhodes- hat platinum has a higher recrys-tallization temperature when produced by powder metallurgy and exhibits peculiar properties, many of which are similar to those of the aluminum powder products. Difficulties were encountered in explaining the reason for the strengthening in the case of platinum since the existence of the oxide is doubtful. The authors attributed the special properties to "a small amount of suitably dispersed porosity." This theory was supported by von -~eer-leder4 in the discussion to the paper, and the similarity between this method of hardening and that suggested by Rohner in his theory of age hardening was pointed out. R. de Fleury5 attempted to explain some of the properties in terms of the modulus of elasticity and elastic limit of alumina and aluminum while von Zeerleder examined the relationship between the yield strength and the reciprocal of the powder particle size. Boenisch and WiderholtQ dealt mainly with the corrosion resistance of the powder aluminum material and compared it with other aluminum alloys. The diffusion rates of other metals in SAP and pure aluminum have been compared by Seith and Lop-mann.&apos; They showed that the alloying metals diffuse particularly quickly in SAP possibly due to the very fine grain size. The properties of the Alcoa products were given by Lyle.&apos; The creep rupture properties of SAP and two of the Alcoa experimental powder products were compared by Gregory and Grant hnd it was shown that these products are vastly stronger at 900°F than are the best cast and wrought alloys at 600°F. Since the publication of these data, the authors have investigated two further aluminum powder products and it is the object of this paper to show how the high temperature creep rupture properties of the five materials vary with oxide content and with the structure as revealed by electron microscopy. Materials One of the five products, SAP, a sintered aluminum product, was supplied by the Societe Anonyme pourl Industrie de l,Aluminium, Neuhausen a/RHF, Switzerland, through Dr. R. Irmann, while the others, M276, M257, M293, and M255 were supplied by the Aluminum Company of America as experimental powder metallurgical products. M255- and M293 were made from coarse and fine atomized powders, respectively. The other materials were made from flake powders with significant differences in oxide content, the details of the type of powders used in the manufacture of these materials

Jan 1, 1955

By R. J. Piros, Brusenback, D. A. Dahlstrom

DEWATERING fine coal has been a serious problem to many operators who desired to wet-wash finer sizes and maintain high recovery. Centrifugal driers have become popular for this purpose for sizes between 3/8 in. and 14 mesh. Below 14 mesh the perforated screen centrifuges lose a large per- cent in the effluent solid bowl types that do retain -14 mesh coal, produce excessive degradation, tend to retain the highest ash fraction in any size fraction, and are subject to abrasion, which results in higher maintenance. In 1949 Truax-Traer Coal Co. planned a cyclone installation at their Ceredo preparation plant to recover coal down to 150 mesh with approximately a 14-mesh top size. Since available centrifugal equipment was not considered satisfactory, an investigation of rotary vacuum filters was begun in cooperation with the Peterson Filters and Engineering Co. to determine the suitability of the Peterson Top Feed Reservoir (TFR) filter. This investigation, which is described below, has resulted in a highly satisfactory installation of two 6x10-in. Peterson TFR filters that have been in operation over a year. After some preliminary laboratory batch vacuum filter tests, a pilot plant double-drum Peterson TFR filter was installed at Ceredo to prove the feasibility of vacuum filtration and determine optimum conditions. The full scale units were then installed on the basis of the pilot plant results. This was followed by an extensive research program on vacuum filtration in the laboratory at Northwestern University to investigate basic design and operating variables and their influence on final moisture con- tent of the filter cake. A method of scale-up from laboratory batch tests to the full-size unit was also proposed and proved. Because of the importance of dewatering fine coal today, it was felt that the results of the three steps should be made available for the use of others facing this problem. The work at Northwestern is given in a theoretical section following the discussion of the pilot plant and full- scale operation. Fig. 1 is a flow diagram of the cyclone and filter installation. The feed is drawn from below the

Jan 1, 1952

By Robert J. De Angelis, James H. Barker

An improved method for solving dynawzical dislocation problems using a digital computer is described in this paper. Interactions between two distinct types of dislocations were studied: attractive screw dislocations; and Lomer lock forming dislocations. One dislocation is positioned in the lattice and is initially at rest, while the other dislocation is moved through the lattice on an intersecting slip plane at a constant velocity in the range 0.5 to 0.999C. (C is the transverse velocity of sound.) The results obtained from these computations indicate that screw dislocations account for a small fraction of the total strain over a wide portion of the range of velocities studied. They further indicate that mixed dislocations mainly repel other dislocations in the neighborhood of the active glide plane. From this a possible explanation for cell formation is put forth. The density of Lomer locks expected to exist after a strain of 0.2 was found to be 1.4 x 106 cm-2 which is in good agreement with indirect experimental estimates. IN the past, predictions of favorable or nonfavorable dislocation reactions were based on the associated changes in elastic strain energy. Such considerations take no account of the probability of the two dislocations coming into contact to react. Venables1 was the first to approach these probabilities by considering the interactions between two moving screw dislocations on perpendicular glide planes. Because of the restrictive types of dislocations and glide plane geometry employed, his results have limited application to metallic crystals. The work to be presented here develops a general approach to solving dynamical dislocation problems; either dislocation-dislocation interactions, presented here in detail, or dislocation interactions with any other suitably defined stress field. Two types of dislocation-dislocation interactions common to face centered cubic (fee) materials are considered: those between pure screw dislocations of opposite sign on intersecting slip planes and those between mixed dislocations on intersecting slip planes, that can react to form a perfect dislocation. This latter reaction, referred to as the Lomer reaction, produces a locked product dislocation that finds it energitical favorable to disassociate into two Shockley partials and a stair-rod dislocation. This partial configuration known as a Lomer-Cottrell (L-C) lock plays a major role in work hardening of fee crystals. seeger2 names the L-C lock as the prime contributor to Stage II hardening while Kuhlmann-wilsdorf3 and Meakin and Wils- dorf4 also state that it is a significant contributor to work hardening. However, with a few notable exceptions,5-7 direct observations of the Lomer lock and the L-C lock by electron transmission microscopy are scanty, and even these are subject to other interpretations.5,6 In a study of partial dislocations present in austenitic stainless steel, whelan8 did not observe any L-C locks at the head of pile-up groups. This result contradicted existing work hardening theories and led him to postulate an alternate theory based on the stress required to break away dislocations intersecting a pile-up group, from their stacking fault nodes. Due to the importance of the Lomer reaction in producing L-C locks which are an essential feature in current work hardening theories and because there exist no data giving direct quantitative values for the density of locks, and because there has even been some doubt expressed as to whether this important reaction occurs at all, a study of the dynamic behavior of the mixed dislocations which form the Lomer lock was undertaken. Due to their ability to cross-slip with relative ease, screw dislocations play an important role in the deformation of fee crystals. For this reason, the second type of reaction considered here is between screw dislocations of opposite sign. In addition, computations in volving screw dislocation interactions are relatively simple, thus providing a convenient check on the cornputational scheme employed. DEFINITION OF PROBLEM The force exerted on a dislocation due to a generalized stress field is given by the Peach and Koehler9 equation: Here t2 and b2 are respectively the tangent and Burgers vectors of the dislocation, and T1 is the stress dyadic defining the local stress field. The stress field may be externally applied or generated internally by the presence of a lattice defect, such as a second dislocation, as is the case in this work. Frank10 has shown that an equivalent momentum, P, of a screw dislocation can be defined by: Here, EST is the total energy of a screw dislocation and ESo is its rest energy. The left side of Eq. [2] is the time derivative of momentum and the right side is the position derivative of the energy due to the dynamical nature of the dislocation. The total energy of a dislocation is the sum of the potential and kinetic energies. Weertman11 has developed the expressions which were used here; these give the potential and kinetic energies of uniformly moving edge and screw dislocations in an isotropic medium.

Jan 1, 1969

By D. L. Harris

Chemical upgrading testwork on Stillwater chomite concentrate shows that reduction roasting and leaching (sulfuric acid and/or ferric sulfate) can provide upgraded feed to ferrochromium furnaces for making upgraded ferrochromium. Two-stage reduction smelting in electric arc furnaces can make upgraded ferrochromium also. Sulfating roasts and leaching (acid and/or water) results using gaseous SO2—SO3 or solid ammonium sulfate were not satisfactory for upgrading chromite. Chemical upgrading of domestic Stillwater (Montana) chromite has been considered at various times1&apos;2&apos; to provide a material with higher chromium to iron ratio, more like foreign high grade ore, for the production of standard grade ferrochromium. Physical bene-ficiation of Stillwater chromite ore can provide a ratio, Cr/Fe, no higher than the ratio in the chromite mineral, which is approximately 1.7. For comparison the analyses of a foreign metallurgical grade chromite ore, a high grade electrostatic process Stillwater concentrate and a stockpile concentrate from the Stillwater ore are noted in Table I. Single stage smelting of the high grade foreign ore with a ratio, Cr/Fe, of 3.37 can provide a ferrochromium of over 65 pct chromium content. Similar smelting of the Stillwater concentrate with a ratio of 1.7 can provide a ferrochromium of 50 to 55 pct chromium content.&apos; It has been demonstrated on a pilot plant scale that chemically upgraded Stillwater chromite having a ratio, Cr/Fe, of 3.0 also can be smelted to provide a ferrochromium containing over 65 pct chromium.5 Two major considerations for an upgrading process are the ratio, Cr/Fe, in the product and the chromium recovery. A minimum ratio, Cr/Fe, of 3.0 is required in the product but for economic reasons a higher ratio is desirable for blending purposes as long as the recovery is satisfactory. Data from different kinds of chemical upgrading testwork are presented in this report. Some of the testwork was conducted to make a product which was not intended to be feed for ferrochrome smelting, but the data are considered pertinent to chemical upgrading. Results reported by others are noted also for comparison. WORK REPORTED BY OTHERS The U. S. Bureau of Mines has contributed much to the literature on chemical upgrading of chromite and a summary is given in Table 11. Reduction roasting and acid leaching were reported by Boericke and Bangert,1 by Lloyd and Gorst, et a1,2 and by Boericke3 to demonstrate very good success on a laboratory scale and only fair success in pilot plant tests for Stillwater (Benbow) concentrates. This work included basic studies on thermodynamic properties to explain the reduction and leaching results. Canadian workers, Downes and Morgan,9 have reported experimental success in upgrading a low grade Bird River chromite, similar to Stillwater material by the same process. Russian workers1&apos; have noted results on reduction tests of high grade chromite which may apply to low grade ores and which help in understanding the reduction process. The use of flux additives in the reduction process was an innovation of their work. The Canadian workers9 also reported other kinds of experiments, including autoclave leaching of the chromite in a limited amount of sulfuric acid. An insoluble basic chromium sulfate was formed and separated from soluble iron, magnesium, and aluminum sulfates to provide an upgraded material. U.S. Bureau of Mines workers, Lloyd, Rosenbzum, Home and Davis,&apos; reported on autoclave leaching of Benbow concentrates as a means of obtaining chromium alum for electrolysis. This last work required selective crystallization of alum to separate iron from chromium. Chloridizing roasting of Benbow and Mouat concentrates has been reported by Hunter and Banning6 and others8 to show that the iron chloride could be volatilized from the chromite to provide upgraded residues.

Jan 1, 1964

By Wilbur T. Stuart

TO assist the mining industry in attacking problems of water control, the U. S. Geological Survey has begun a program of research in mining hydrology. In certain fundamental respects water control is similar to development of water supplies from wells or to the drainage of agricultural lands, as many of the tools developed in recent years for quantitative ground-water problems are applicable, with modification, to mine-water problems. In 1952 a 30-day pumping test conducted jointly by the Eureka Corp. Ltd. and the Defense Minerals Exploration Agency provided an opportunity to gain knowledge concerning water movements around a flooded mine shaft. The methods of analyzing the data may be used as a guide for the evaluation of similar problems elsewhere. The Fad shaft of the Eureka Corp. is on Ruby Hill, 1 1/2 miles west of Eureka, Nev. The shaft was completed at a depth of 2465 ft in November 1947 at a site adjacent to the downfaulted block in which the ore was found. As the drift on the 2250 level progressed toward the ore zone, a large flow of water was encountered after the Martin fault was intersected. This flow exceeded the installed pump capacity, and an unsuccessful attempt to recover the shaft and the 2250 level was made in 1948.1, 2 Geology and Hydrology: The complex structure of Ruby Hill is that of an anticline broken first by thrust faulting and later by normal faults. The present orebody comprises several mineralized zones within a block of the Eldorado limestone of middle Cambrian age which was downfaulted 1400 to 1600 ft, and it may be related to a similar body mined at a higher level south of the Ruby Hill fault. At the depth of the largest zone of ore the block is roughly rectangular in shape, about 1000 ft wide and 1500 ft long, and dips about 30" NE, see Fig. 1. It is apparently bounded on the south by the Ruby Hill fault, on the east by the Jackson fault, on the north by the Martin fault, and the west by the Bowman fault. Within the block, but between the Ruby Hill and the Martin faults, are the Office and Adams Hills faults; west of the block and the Bowman fault are the Albion and Spring Valley faults. There are many conflicting reports concerning the water-yielding characteristics of the Eldorado limestone and the condition of the fault zones, that is, whether they are open or tight. However, the diamond-drill records indicate that open spaces as much as 2 or 3 ft across were encountered, and considerable cementing and lining of holes was necessary to maintain circulation of drilling fluid. There is also evidence that the Eldorado limestone was cavernous where it was mined in the early days south of the Ruby Hill fault. At the site of the Fad shaft the formations encountered from the surface down included the Pogonip limestone, Dunderberg shale, Hamburg limestone, and Secret Canyon shale. These formations did not yield large quantities of water to the shaft. The Pogonip limestone, which appears to be permeable and might yield water elsewhere, is above the water table in the vicinity of the shaft. The Secret Canyon shale, immediately overlying the Eldorado in some places but in most places separated from it by the Geddes limestone,3 is apparently tight and does not transmit water. During the 30-day test period the shale briefly confined the water in the underlying formations so that artesian conditions were observed in drillholes E and F, which are cased into the Eldorado limestone, whereas unconfined conditions were observed in drillholes B, C, and D, which were open to the shale. The Geddes limestone, which normally lies between the Secret Canyon shale and the Eldorado limestone, was not encountered in the Fad shaft. The Geddes, a flaggy, fractured limestone, is reported capable of yielding large volumes of water. Water stored in the interstices of this thin-bedded limestone within the Ruby Hill fault zone on the 1200 level of the Locan shaft drowned the pumps in 1923 when the Richmond-Eureka Mining Co. attempted to explore the area along the fault. Eldorado limestone was not encountered in the Fad shaft. In the ore-block area the Eldorado limestone was not entirely offset from other water-yielding formations by movement along the Bowman fault; therefore it may be hydraulically connected with the other formations. Adjacent to the Ruby Hill, Jackson, and Martin faults, the Eldorado lies in contact with other possible water-yielding formations. One of these, the Prospect Mountain quartzite, is separated from the Eldorado by thin, sheared, and broken beds of the Geddes within the Ruby Hill fault zone. A limited examination by the author of the Prospect Mountain quartzite in the Richmond mine at a higher level and south of the Ruby Hill fault indicates that the quartzite is poorly permeable. The monzonite mass south of the quartzite would be a further barrier to the flow of water. The poor permeability of this area is substantiated by records of levels at which water was encountered south of the Ruby Hill fault. In view of the normally low rate of ground-water recharge, if this desert area had been permeable, water levels could not have been maintained at altitudes of many hundred feet above the present water table west and north of Ruby Hill. Thus the ore-bearing block of Eldorado limestone is in contact with possible water-yielding rocks on at least two sides, and if the fault zones are possible conduits for water circulation the geologic and hydrologic conditions are suitable for the infinite-aquifer type of analysis as used and modified here. History of Pumping: During sinking of the Fad shaft a maximum pumping rate of 1500 gpm kept the shaft dewatered sufficiently, but in March 1948, after the 2250 level drift passed through the Martin fault into the Eldorado limestone, the pumps and shaft were flooded. Subsequently additional pump-

Jan 1, 1956

INTRODUCTION IT is 10. years this summer since the first of the contributions which it has been my privilege to make to the working tools of the hydrometallurgist was set at work, but a full description of what has come to be known as "Dorr Machinery" has never been published in the Transactions of the Institute, and it has been suggested to me that an account of the same would prove of interest to members, although most of those engaged in cyaniding and concentration are probably familiar with it. The account which I shall give of the development of the machines must be recognized as being written from the viewpoint mainly of my own local experience and not from that of one who was familiar with the general metallurgical practice throughout the world. Most advances in any art are conceived before the time is ripe for their development and any .invention which comes into general use will usually be found to have been tried out in a crude way and abandoned more than once. If the early experimenter went as far as the Patent Office, his work may serve no other purpose than to prevent the issuance of the broadest patent to those who later may develop a commercial process. The cyanide process in the United States early in 1904 was mainly confined to the leaching of dry crushed ores, both coarse and fine, and sand treatment of tailings from concentration and amalgamation. In the Black&apos; hills some plants were crushing in cyanide solution, leaching sands and handling the slime by the well-known decantation process. Filter pressing, in use for some years in Australia,had been tried in several places in this country and the Moors process had been abandoned at Mercur after&apos; a short run, but was doing good work at the mill of Lindbergh, Dorr & Wilson, at Terry, and being installed at Bodie and the Liberty Bell. A general feeling, however, still existed that, slimes were to be avoided when possible, on account of the losses in treatment and the difficulty of making a good leaching product when they were present in large amounts, especially when the crushing was done in cyanide solution.

Jan 8, 1914

By C. H. Li, R. J. Stokes, T. L. Johnson

The effect of alumina particles on the nucleation and growth of cracks through a silver- chloride matrzx has been investigated. It has been found possible to promote fibrous cracking in dispersion-strengthened silver, chloride under notch-impact conditions at temperatures at which silver chloride alone cleaves brittlely The modification) of fracture beIzavzor is thought to be due to the relaxation of hydrostatrc stress beneath a notch by the nucleation of cavities near alumina particles. In recent years, composite or dispersion-strengthened materials have been studied primarily to understand their high resistance to plastic flow particularly at elevated temperatures. Dislocation models have been developed with which it is possible to deduce with fair success the effects of interparticle distance, particle size, temperature, upon yielding and creep behavior.l-4 Much less attention has been paid to the fracture behavior of these materials (with the notable exception of common structural steels) and little is known experimentally about the manner in which inclusions affect the nucleation and growth of cracks through a matrix. Nevertheless a beginning has been made in connection with fibrous cracking in ductile matrices where inclusions appear to play an essential ro1e.5-7 During the severe localized plastic deformation which accompanies necking in a tensile test, cavities are believed to develop at inclusions; these cavities subsequently grow and coalesce by plastic flow until separation is complete. It is of interest to consider whether inclusions can affect fracture behavior under loading conditions which restrict the plasticity of the matrix itself (for example, cleavage under conditions of a high imposed strain rate at low temperatures). It is particularly interesting to study these effects in a solid which shows a spectrum of behavior ranging from fully ductile to semi-brittle behavior. Such a solid is silver chloride whose mechanical behavior depends sensitively upon temperature and strain rate.&apos;," The present paper is concerned with a study of the influence of inclusions (in the form of alumina particles) on the fracture behavior of silver chloride loaded uniaxially at low strain rates at room temper- ature and also under notch impact conditions over a wide range of temperature. In particular, it will be shown that the alumina particles can exert a startling effect on the ductile-brittle transition temperature of notched silver chloride and that the magnitude and nature of the effect depends upon both the quantity of alumina and the shape of the alumina particles. 1. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE 1.1 Materials Used. Silver chloride powder of analytical reagent (AR) quality having an average particle size 6 was supplied by the Mallinckrodt Chemical Works (st. Louis, MO.). Acid washed 900 mesh alumina powder, designated A38-900, was supplied by the Norton Co. (Cambridge, Mass.). This powder was added to silver chloride in two forms: a) the as-received condition in which the individual particles were of random irregular shape; their statistical average size was 7; b) in a condition in which each particle was spherically shaped by a fusion technique. In this case, the statistical average particle size determined with the optical microscope was approximately the same (about 5p) but electron micrographic evidence indicated that many ultra fine particles were present in the spheroidized powder. 1.2 Preparation of Composite Materials. Silver chloride-alumina composites containing 2.5, 5, and 15 pct by volume of alumina were produced by the extrusion of mechanically mixed powders blended in a ball mill for 24 hr at room temperature. The mixtures were compacted at 50,000 psi at room temperature in the form of billets 3/4 in. in diameter and 1 in. long which were then extruded with a 16:l reduction ratio at 370°C through a radius-type steel die having a 5 deg lead-in angle. An extrusion temperature of 370°C was selected to ensure that all composites had sufficient plasticity to be extruded. Apart from this general requirement, the choice was arbitrary. 1.3 Microstructure of Composites. Attempts were made to check the distribution of alumina metallo-graphically by polishing transverse and longitudinal sections of the extruded rod. Specimens were wet-ground to 600 emery paper and lapped successively with 5 and 0.25-p grades of diamond paste. They were etched for 10 sec in 10 pct sodium thiosulfate solution and lightly polished in concentrated ammonium hydroxide. The most effective way to render the alumina particles and grain boundaries visible was to radiate the surface with intense white light to decorate the grain boundaries and the particle-matrix interfaces photolytically.

Jan 1, 1962