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By E. G. Leonardon, C. Schlumberger, M. Schlumberger

Last year the authors presented a paper that discussed the various electrical measurements they perform in drill holes, which they name "electrical coring."' The object of the present paper is to give a brief account of the points of scientific interest that have been elucidated by further field work and laboratory research, as well as the economic results that have been attained recently. The practical examples given in this paper are drawn, for the most part, from the field work performed in Russian oil fields during the years 1931 and 1932. This is due to the fact that, thanks to the comprehensive cooperation of the Russian geologists and scientists, the authors are allowed to make public a large amount of recant information. In other countries in which the authors are engaged in similar work, the competition between private companies makes it imperative, for a considerable lapse of time, to avoid publication of the results obtained. The following points will be discussed successively, under separate headings: 1. Electrochemical phenomena in drill holes. 2. Stratigraphic correlations and tectonic studies. 3. Relations' between the productivity of oil horizons and their electrical resistivity. 4. Location of coal seams. 5. Summary and conclusions. Electrochemical Phenomena in Drill Holes Technical Publication 462l described the author's discovery concerning the existence of important differences of potential spontaneously gener-

Jan 1, 1934

By Henry Fay

The erosion of guns is a complex problem which can be solved only by a detailed study of all the factors involved. In the present paper it is proposed to submit the results of observations and experiments which have extended over several years. Certain facts have been established and preliminary reports have been published.' Conclusions have been reached since then which, it is believed, are worth presenting for the purpose of promoting discussion, and with the hope that ultimately the whole truth will be known. The particular phase of the problem which will be presented here is the hardening of the inner surface of the gun tube. It has been known for a long time that after firing a large caliber gun for some time, the surface of the metal becomes hard and brittle, cracks, and wears away.2 The character of this phenomenon may be learned by an examination of some results which are typical, obtained from a detailed study of a 12-in. gun. The gun was trepanned and rings representing various sections of the gun were cut out for examination. The first ring represented the metal at the muzzle end, and the other rings were removed at approximately 120, 240, 325 and 337 in., respectively, toward the breech end. The appearance of the surface of the metal in the different sections is shown in Fig. 1. The greatest amount of wear and maximum amount of hard surface layer was found in section marked E, which is nearest the powder chamber and at the beginning of the rifing; the maximum amount of cracking in D; the maximum amount of copper deposition in C. Section B showed heat cracks on both lands and grooves, and section A showed heat cracks on the driving edge of the lands only. There was much flow of metal in both sections E and D, and there was progressively less effect noticeable toward the muzzle end. The polished cross-section of these same pieces is shown in Fig. 2. The extent of the erosion is greatest nearest the powder chamber, and diminishes toward the muzzle end.

Jan 1, 1917

By R. H. Harrington

THE definition of precipitation-hardening is well understood and its principles have been subjected to study for some time. However, the variation of properties with double aging, combined with strain-hardening, gives promise of new and useful phenomena. Properly to understand these distinctions, definitions of these terms are necessary. Precipitation-hardening. This reaction usually depends upon an alloy having such a composition that it consists only, or in major part, of but one phase, a solid solution, at a high temperature, so that, upon slow cooling, this solution breaks down into two phases, the solid solution and a compound. By heating the alloy to the temperature for maximum solution of the compound, quenching, and reheating to a suitable lower temperature for critical dispersion precipitation of the compound, useful properties of the alloy may be developed to a maximum. Double Aging.-Dougle aging in part is similar to the process for precipitation-hardening, consisting of heating a precipitation-hardening alloy to the solution temperature, quenching, reheating to the suitable dispersion precipitation temperature, strain-hardening, and again reheat-ing to a suitable temperature to develop certain useful properties to a maximum. The strain-hardening may be induced by two methods: (1) a rate of cooling from the first reheat may suffice to strain the solid solution lattice of the alloy; or (2) the alloy may be cold-worked to a suitable degree between the two reheats.

Jan 1, 1936

By J. F. Smith, J. R. Ogren, N. J. Magnani

The uapor pressrcres of magnesium over binary alloys of magnesium with twelve of the yare-earth eletnetzts have been measured by the Knudsen effuion method in the temperature range 675° to 910°K. These vapor-pressure measurments were combined with data concerning the tevtrlitzul magnesium solubility and the vapor pressure of pure magnesinm to evaluale the standuvd free energies of pluase jormation. These free-etzergy values indicate that the CsCl structures of the heacy rave earths tend to be somewhat less stable than those of the light rare earths. This dif-]eying- behaviov covrelates with differences which have been obsevz~ed in other alloy systetns wherein a phuse appeurs, disappeavs, or changes crystal stvucture as the atomic number of the rare-earth com-ponent is changed. This behauior also appears to correlate with the struclurul rariations within the rare-earth elements themselves, and it is speculated that cariations in the spatial extent of the 4f orbitals are responsihle. STUDIES of the phase relationships and crystal structures in the binary systems between rare-earth metals (lanthanons) and magnesium are extensive but far from complete. However, the currently available information1-10 does produce a rather interesting pattern. This is illustrated in Table I. If one excludes europium and ytterbium from consideration because of their generally atypical behavior, it can be seen from the table that the phase relationships in the magnesium-rich regions show a distinctly different pattern for the lighter lanthanons as compared to the heavier lanthanons. For the lighter lanthanons, LnMg2 phases occur from lanthanum to gadolinium with the cubic MgCu2 structure, LnMg3 phases occur from lanthanum to terbium with the BiLi3 structure, and magnesium-rich phases occur from lanthanum to gadolinium with stoi-chiometries between Ln5Mg42 and LnMg12. In contrast, for the heavier lanthanons, those LnMg2 structures which have been examined have the hexagonal MgZn2 structure, LnMg3 phases have not been observed beyond terbium, and the magnesium-rich phases occur with the a manganese structure near a stoichiometry of Ln5MgZ4. The heavy lanthanon-magnesium systems thus appear to be analogous to the Y-Mg system""2 wherein YMg has the CsCl structure, YMg2 has the MgZn2 structure, and the region Y4Mgz5-Y5Mg24 has the a manganese structure, and no other intermediate phases are observed. Similarity in alloying behavior between yttrium and the heavy lanthanons occurs commonly, and on this basis it seems likely that LnMg2 phases will be found with the MgZn2 structure in the binary systems of dysprosium, thulium, and lutetium with magnesium when the appropriate investigations are made. In the case of the magnesium-rich phases of the lighter lanthanons, only the Ce-Mg phase relationships have been investigated thoroughly and in detail, and until similar investigations are made for the other systems there will remain questions as to which magnesium-rich stoichiometries represent equilibrium phases and what systematic variations occur in the sequence from lanthanum to gadolinium. Thus the data in Table I show that only the LnMg phases occur with the same crystallographic structure throughout the sequence from lanthanum to lutetium. It was speculated that the relative stability of these LnMg phases might vary from one lanthanon to the next in such a way as to presage the differences which occur among the more magnesium-rich lanthanon-magnesium phases. On this basis the present investigation of the thermodynamics of phase formation was Gndertaken for the LnMg phases. PROCEDURE AND RESULTS A generalized phase diagram for the lanthanon-rich portion of a lanthanon-magnesium alloy system is shown in Fig. 1 where ß represents a high-temperature bcc

Jan 1, 1968

Discussion of the paper of E. J. Hall and C. W. Drury, presented at the Butte meeting, August, 1913, and printed in Bulletin No. 78, June, 1913, pp. 1059 to 1066. A. M. SMOOT,* New York, N. Y. (communication to the Secretary +) :-The nails method is given in many text books on assaying as a standard method for gold or for gold and silver in ores. It appears to be taught in the laboratories of technical and scientific schools as a standard method, and to some extent it is used by assayers in actual practice, although the class of ores to which it may be applied is limited to those free from reducible metallic compounds, the metals of which would enter the lead button. The experiments of Messrs. Hall and Drury show the inaccuracy of this rnethod for silver, in heavy sulphides, but not so clearly the short-comings with regard to gold. It seems certain that low silver is caused by the solubility of silver in iron-alkali sulphide as compared with its solubility in molten lead; that is, silver is distributed between iron-alkali sulphide and metal in the charge in proportion to solubility at the particular temperature of the fusion. Lead is a fixed quantity in these assay charges, but iron-alkali sulphide increases with increased sulphur, so the more sulphur in the charge, the lower the silver results.

Jan 11, 1913

By J. M. Steininger

The mechanism of flotation of sphalerite with sulthydryl compounds of different acidities has been interpreted in terms of chemisorption of unionized collector molecules on hydroxylated zinc surface sites. At a constant collector concentration of 1.5 x 10 -4 M, the upper pH limit of flotation has been found to be directly and closely related to the negative logarithm of the collector acidity constant, pKa The experimental results indicate that flotation is prevented when about 95% of the collector is ionized. At low pH, collector adsorption decreases because of the reduction in number of hydroxylated zinc surface sites. These two effects explain why sphalerite does not float with the more acidic sulfhydryl compounds. Typical anionic collectors for sulfide minerals are short chain xanthates or dithiophosphates which are nearly completely ionized in the generally alka- line flotation circuits.1,2 Flotation mechanisms have therefore been usually interpreted in terms of ionic collector adsorption and competition with ionic depressants of the same sign as the collector. A few attempts have been made, however, to consider adsorption of neutral collector molecules. Contact angle measurements obtained by Wark and cox3 have been interpreted by Cook and Nixon4 as representing adsorption of the free acid molecules on sulfide minerals such as pyrite, galena, chalcopyrite, and sphalerite. Cook and Nixon tried to show that the free acid concentration of the collector was substantially constant along the curves relating collector addition and minimum pH for bubble adherence. However, in a review of the subject,5 Sutherland presented new data on the flotation of pyrite with mercaptobenzothiazole which did not support the hypothesis of constant concentration of either collector ions or collector free molecules. He further showed that, with the assumption of constant occupation of surface sites, both theories lead to relations between pH and collector addition having similar mathematical expressions. In fact, with the more likely assumption of variable occupation of surface sites which results in more complex relationships, it appears impossible to

Jan 1, 1968

By J. E. Johnson

The general construction of blast-furnaces has undergone no radical change in more than a generation. When the old style of masonry construction was replaced by the steel shell, the masonry piers were simultaneously replaced by columns, never lese than 6 and frequently 12 or 16 in number, set under the mantle-ring. These columns were at first unvaryingly made of cast-iron, but in more recent years have frequently been made of structural steel. The furnace itself has recently been the subject of radical changes; in some cases the thin-lined construction has been adopted for the whole furnace, and in other cases it has been adopted for a zone immediately above the bosh, raising the mantle several feet to make this possible, but still the style of construction with columns set immediately under the mantle has been universally followed. In spite of the apparent fixity of this type of construction it is open to grave disadvantages from the operating point of view, which may be briefly outlined as follows: The slope of the bosh and size of the crucible are such as to leave scant room inside the columns for the necessary water-piping, etc. The bustle-pipe must necessarily be outside the columns and the penstocks have to pass between them, with the result that the columns are frequently much in the way when changing the tuyeres or otherwise handling the penstocks. Moreover, the hearth-jacket requires a diameter but little smaller than the circle of the inside of the columns, and as a result the cooling-water ditch for protection against breakouts is exceedingly limited in width. As a consequence of these conditions, when any work requires to be done around the furnace, such as changing a tuyere or working on the cooling-water pipes, the amount of room left between the columns, pen-

Jan 1, 1913

By H. G. Moulton

The increasing scale of mining operations over the past decade, particularly in connection with the exploitation of large bodies of comparatively low-grade copper ores, has made necessary the study of the behavior of rock under failure. When extractions of as high as 40,000 tons a day are reached in steam-shovel operations and as high as 20,000 tons per day in underground mining operations, it is evident that excavations soon become of such size that the behavior of the rock will often be dependent on fundamental principles applicable to more or less homogeneous materials under stress, rather than on weathering or local planes of weakness. In the ordinary rock excavations encountered in civil-engineering practice, such as excavations for subways, highways, railroads, etc., rock faces are not carried to depths sufficient to develop any pressures, or consequently any failures, except those due to loose masses resulting from local planes of weakness. When, however, orebodies whose tonnage is measured by hundreds of thousands are to be extracted by steam-shovel operations in open pits, it is necessary to determine if possible in advance the slopes that the sides of the pits will assume, for these slopes influence the shape of the excavations and thereby the amount of ore that may be extracted by the open-pit method. When large orebodies are mined underground at depths of 300 to 500 ft. (91 to 152 m.) by caving methods, the surface subsiding as the ore is withdrawn, it is necessary to determine in advance the outermost limits of fracture in the subsiding surface, for on the delineation of these limits depends the location of surface improvements, mills, smelters, etc. and also the location of development work, such as hoisting shafts, main haulage levels, and all other underground openings that must remain undisturbed during the period of ore extraction. Heretofore, in civil-engineering practice, it has been assumed that earth and rock behave differently in failure. For the calculation of earth pressures, formulas are used in which the assumption is made that earth banks fail by sliding along the slope determined by the frictional resistance of the material. The line of failure and the resulting pressure is held to be dependent on the angle of repose, which is different for varying

Jan 1, 1920

By H. G. Schneider

The Smackover oil and gas field lies in Ouachita and Union Counties, Ark., in the south-central part of the state, in T.15 and 16S., R.15, 16, and 17W. It is 10 miles north of El Dorado, the principal business and railroad center in the south-central part of the state, and extends from the town of Smackover in all directions. Productive territory having an aggregate area of nearly 55 sq. mi. has been developed. It extends 6 miles from north to south and 12 miles from east to west. The field may be divided into two parts: the east district, which includes the area east of the town of Smackover, and the west district, which includes the area west of the town of Smackover. In relation to the neighboring productive fields of Arkansas, the Smackover field is 9 miles north of the El Dorado oil and gas field, 8 miles slightly west of north of the East El Dorado oil and gas field, and 16 miles east of the Stephens oil field. Smackover was discovered in May, 1922, when the Oil Operators Tnist drilled well No. 1 on the J. T. Murphy farm, in the southeast quarter of sec. 8, T.16S., R.15W. This well is located almost on the top of the Norphlet dome and was drilled to the Nacatoch sand. It had an initial open flow volume of 30,000,000 cu. ft. of dry gas per day, and a rock pressure of 950 lb. per sq. in. In July, 1922, the V. K. F. Co. completed the first oil well in sec. 29, T.l5S., R.l5W., on the north side of the Norphlet dome, and 3 miles north of the first gas well. This well started the active development of the north and northwest sides of the dome.] The field was extended westwards, when oil was discovered in the Nacatoch sand, during October, 1922, in sec. 4, T.l6S., R.l6W., 51/2 miles west of the original gas well. This opened up the so-called "light oil district," which is located on a structural terrace, for which the name

Jan 1, 1924

By W. S. Owen, T. Bell

The variation ox the M, temperature with nitrogen concentration has been determined experinzentally. The free-energy difference between martensite and the parent y Phase at the M, temperature,is computed for Fe-C and Fe-N alloys using recent solubility data fm the Fe-N system and new data for the variatim of the activity of the interstitial solute in the y phase with concentration. The "geometric model" is considered also, and the importance of Zener ordering is noted. It is shown that, although at any chosen concentration the M, temperature and the activity are significantly different in the two alloy systems, the free-energy duference is the same within the limits of experimental error, thus Providing further evidence of the very close similarity between the martensite transformations in Fe-C and Fe-N alloys. TO estimate the free-energy change accompanying the martensite transformation in binary interstitial alloys it is necessary to know the variation of the Ms temperature with interstitial solute concentration and some thermodynamic data. To date, only the Fe-C system has been discussed because this was the only system for which relevant experimental measurements had been made, but even in this case the data available are insufficient to permit the free-energy change to be calculated without the assumption of a thermodynamic model for the y and a solid solutions. The last comprehensive discussion of the topic was by Kaufman, Radcliffe, and Cohen in 1.960.' Since that time Ellis, Davidson, and Bodsworth2 have redeter mined the activity of carbon in y iron as a function of carbon content and Atkinson3 has measured the activity of nitrogen in Fe-N austenite. The M, temperature of Fe-N is reported in the present paper. Thus, it is now possible to assess the free-energy change accompanying the martensite transformation in Fe-N alloys on the same basis as that used to assess the change in Fe-C alloys. This comparison is of interest because it has been shown recently4 that the structure of the martensite formed in Fe-N alloys changes with nitrogen content in a manner exactly parallel to the changes in structure in the Fe-C series and that the strain associated with the distortion of the iron lattice in either the y or the a phase by a nitrogen atom is the same as that produced by a carbon atom. The work to be described tests whether or not this close similarity between the two systems extends to the thermodynamics of the martensitic transformations. THE Ms TEMPERATURES FOR Fe-N MARTENSITE Bose and Hawkes5 found the M, temperature of a eutectoid Fe-N alloy (2.35 wt pct N) to be 35°C. This single determination appears to be the only reported measurement of the M, temperature of an Fe-N alloy. In the present work a series of more than fifteen different specimens containing between 0 and 2.7 wt pct N were prepared by controlled nitriding of pure iron wire 0.010 in. diam. The iron was supplied by B.I.S.R.A. and was designated ACN2. The nitriding procedure, all aspects of which are critical, has been described in detail elsewhere.' Each specimen was quenched from the austenitizing temperature into brine at 20°C without removing the specimen from the ammonia-hydrogen atmosphere in which it was ni-trided. Alloys containing up to 0.7 wt pct N were fully martensitic. More concentrated alloys contained progressively more retained austenite. At 2.34 wt pct N the specimen was completely austenitic after quenching to 20°C. The M, temperature of specimens with M, temperature above 20°C (those containing less than 2.35 wt pct N) was determined by a thermal arrest technique. For the more concentrated alloys (2.35 to 2.70 wt pct N) the variation of electrical resistance with temperature down to -196°C was used. Unlike Fe-C alloys, Fe-N alloys cannot be reaus-tenitized in vacuum or in an inert atmosphere because excessive loss of nitrogen occurs, even in short times, at high temperatures. Consequently, the alloys were reaustenitized in the ammonia-hydrogen mixture corresponding to nitrogen equilibrium at the temperatures used. The specimens were quenched in a blast of cold hydrogen gas and the temperature, measured by a thermocouple welded to the 2.5-in.-long specimen, was recorded on a high-speed recorder. In the first experiments 0.002-in.-diam chromel-alumel wire thermocouples were used but it was found that these gave erroneous readings due to contamination by nitrogen pickup. Pt-Pt 13 pct Rh wires of 0.002 in. diam were found to be satisfactory. Further details of the experiments are available in the original thesis.7 The cooling rate was controlled between 400° and 4000°C per sec by adjusting the hydrogen pressure. At least three cooling curves were obtained for each composition. Each specimen was analyzed for nitrogen after quenching. To aid in the accurate location of the martensite arrest points a series of cooling curves of 0.010-in.-diam platinum wire were recorded and these, which did not contain an arrest, were used as comparison standards. Four specimens, each in the form of a 3-in. loop, were prepared from each of the four alloys containing more than 2.35 wt pct N. One specimen was used for nitrogen analysis, one for X-ray diffraction, and two for resistance measurements below 20°C. The latter specimens were quenched from 20°C into constant-temperature baths at selected lower temperatures.

Jan 1, 1968

By H. M. Varner

Under sponsorship of the US Bureau of Mines and the Department of Energy, a new type of rotary rock drill was developed by The Bendix Corp. Originally developed for the production of holes for the installation of longer than seam height roof bolts, the flexible drill is a useful tool for many drilling applications. It allows hands-off or remote production of holes for increased drilling speed and greater operator safety in any strata suitable for rotary drilling. This paper discusses various applications and experience for the flexible drill system in coal, metal/nonmetal mining, and for civil engineering uses. Manual, remote control, and automatic roof bolter modules are also discussed.

Jan 1, 1984

By B. Habermann

Artificially consolidated sand models, representing one-quarter of a five-spot, have been developed and used to study factors aflecting misciblt. displacrmenr. Sweep efficiency at breakthrough, size of the mixing zone between two miscible liquids and per cent area contacted by drive after breakthrough were determined tor the high mobility ratios encountered in actual resvrvoirs. Quantitative relationships between the degree of viscous fingering and mobility ratio were obtained by measuring the length of the fluid interface. Scaled miscible-slug experiments, supported by field evidence reported in the literature, have shown that when the slug is followed by dry gas the process is less efficient than expected. In addition to low areal sweep efficiencies encountered for high mobility ratio displacements, the effectiveness of a miscible slug is greatly reduced. This is caused by an accelerated growth of the mixing zone between the driving and the displacing fluids. INTRODUCTION Considerable interest in miscible displacement as a secondary recovery process has been shown by the oil industry in recent years. In addition to extensive laboratory investigations, numerous field operations have been initiated so that 39 miscible displacement projects had been reported' in the United States by early 1959. By far the most popular approach in these projects is the use of an LPG slug followed by dry gas. Laboratory tests have indicated that with a small miscible slug, amounting to several per cent of the hydrocarbon pore volume, practically 100 per cent recovery of the oil in place can be achieved and that all of the slug material can be recovered by a subsequellt gas drive. However, these experiments were conducted on small-diameter long cores that can be considered as essentially uni-dimensional reservoirs that do not represent actual field conditions. It soon became apparent that the inherently adverse mobility ratios existing in the reservoir cannot be ignored in any miscible displacement field project. When a less viscous fiuid such as an LPG slug drives a more viscous reservoir oil, fingers develop that reduce the areal sweep efficiency. The slze of the miscible slug to be used is a subject of some controversy. It has been proposed that the size of siug needed be calculated by setting lengths of the mixing zone proportional to the square root of the distance traveled. This proposal is based on experimental evidence' and theoretical considerations"' in which fingering was not a factor. A prerequisite for successful application of the miscible displacement process to field operations is a better understanding of the following factors. L What is the effect of mobility ratio on the rate of deterioration of a miscible slug? 2. How large a slug should be used for given reservoir conditions? 3. What is the sweep efficiency? The purpose of this investigation was to provide some additional laboratory data that should help to answer these questions. More specifically, it was intended to study more quantitatively the effect of viscous fiinger-ing, mobility ratio and slug size on the efficiency of this relatively new secondary recovery process by means of experiments on thin, horizontal, porous medium models.

By BARONJUPTNER VON JONSTORFF, Andrew A. Blair, GUNNAR DILLNER

IT is a well-known fact that the results of different analysts, when operating on the same identical sample of steel or iron, are far from concordant, and it not infrequently happens that great annoyance and trouble in the commercial community are occasioned by these discrepancies. Attempts have been made at various times to investigate the causes of such differences and to obtain more reliable methods of analysis. The most important of these was made by the British Association in 1889: The following gentlemen, with Sir W. Roberts-Austen as Chairman, and Professor T. Turner as Secretary, were constituted as a committee to investigate the question, viz.: Sir F. A. Abel, Mr. Edward Riley, Mr. G. J. Snelus, Mr. John Spiller, Professor J. W. Langley, and Professor Tilden. Average .samples of steel were prepared in America under the superintendence of Professor J. W. Langley. The steels, in the form of turnings, were divided and distributed to sub-committees in Great Britain, America, France, Germany, and Sweden. In Sweden Professor Åkerman acted as Secretary to the Swedish committee. The Government Department of Tests was appointed in Germany; Mr. Ferd. Gautier in France; the British Association Committee in England; Messrs. William

Mar 1, 1905

By E. A. Gulbransen, K. F. Andrew

THIS paper. will present the results of our studies on the kinetics of the gas phase reactions of co-lumbium and tantalum with O2, N2 and H2. Studies on zirconium and titanium have been previously reported.9,11 Due to their high melting points and their many excellent physical and chemical properties, colurn-bium and tantalum have been finding their places as useful metals in science and industry. Chemically the metals are very inert to gas and liquid phase corrosion at room temperature. However, at moderate temperatures of 250°C and higher the metals react readily with oxygen and hydrogen. It is of interest to study the gas phase reactions of these metals for the following reasons: (1) to compare the rates of the several reactions with those of other metals and to correlate the rate data with theory and structure predictions, (2) to add basic information on the practical difficulties of the reduction, refining and working of columbium and tantalum, (3) to anticipate new uses for the metals and (4) to understand the role that the metals play as components in high temperature alloys. Literature Survey A number of papers exist in the literature on the gas phase reactions of columbium and tantalum with O2, N2 and H2; however, only fragmentary data have been reported on the kinetics of these reactions. Although the free energy of formation of the oxide Ta2O520at 25°C has been determined and some thermodynamic work has been reported on columbium and its oxides, the data are not sufficient to make equilibria calculations at elevated temperatures. Oxidation: 1. Kinetics: The rate of oxidation of columbium and tantalum has been studied by McAdam and Geil23 using the interference color method. Tantalum is reported to oxidize more slowly than columbium, zirconium and iron. The amounts of oxidation of columbium after 20 hr in air for several temperatures are reported by the Fansteel Metallurgical Corporation.36 Columbium starts to oxidize in air at about 200°C. The oxide is said to be adherent and prevents further oxidation until the temperature is raised. Columbium is reported not to become brittle on heating in air for short periods like tantalum because the oxide film prevents further reaction. The columbium oxides dissolve into the metal when heated in a vacuum at temperatures between red heat and 1200°C. Above 1200°C the oxides are reported to evaporate. Columbium, in the oxide free state, is an active getter in vacuum tubes. 2. Preparation and Structure: G. Grube, O. Kuba-schewski and K. Zwiauer15 have studied the decomposition of Cb2O5 in argon. They find that CbO2 is formed slowly at 1150° and rapidly at 1300°C. Cb2O5 can be reduced to CbO2 by moist H2. The reduction of this dioxide to the lower oxides is rapid. By varying conditions CbO2, Cb2O3, CbO and Cb2O can be formed. CbO2, CbO and Cb2O have independent lattices while Cb2O3 is a stoichiometric mixture of CbO and CbO2. In a later paper O. Kuba-schewski" has shown that CbO is cubic and that CbO2 has a rutile type of lattice. The most exhaustive work on the oxides of columbium is that of G. Brauer.8 The number and constitution of the solid phases in the binary system Cb-O were investigated by the preparative, analytical and X ray methods. He indicates that only the oxides Cb2O5, CbO2 and CbO exist with limited regions of homogeneity. The solid oxide Cb,O, exists

Jan 1, 1951

By J. J. Arps

This paper is a study of the effect of temperature on the electrical resistivity of sodium chloride solutions based on the published resistivity and density data in the International Critical Tables. This temperature effect is of considerable importance in quantitative interpretation of electric logs, where it is frequently necessary to correct mud resistivities measured under surface conditions to temperatures existing at the bottom of the bore hole. An empirical approximation formula was developed for this conversion which has proved to be very useful and seems to provide results well within the range of accuracy of the data involved. This approximation formula states: sistivities of sodium chloride solutions at temperatures of t and t degrees Fahrenheit, respectively. INTRODUCTION Research by various investigators during the past 20 years has clarified the physical principles of the phenomena which cause the natural or spontaneous electric potential in rotary drilled bore holes. The basic relationship which is most commonly used reads: in which the SP deflection, as measured from the shale base line, is expressed in millivolts. K is a constant, which appears to vary between 50 and 110; the low value applying to shaly sands, whereas the higher values are more common in carbonate rocks. A good average value for K = 70. for which value there is considerable theoretical justification." In order to calculate the resistivity of the connate water R and to estimate its "equivalent salinity" (as NaCl) from an electric log by means of this SP relationship from a knowledge of the static self potential and of the resistiv- ity of the mud filtrate R it is necessary to first correct the resistivity of the mud filtrate measured under surface conditions to the resistivity of this same mud filtrate in the well bore at a different temperature. In order to make this temperature conversion for the mud filtrate the variation of the electrical resistivity of sodium chloride solutions with temperature is commonly used. Since some discrepancies were found in the charts ordinarily used for this purpose, it was felt desirable to make a new study of this relationship based on the published measurement data. Because of the fundamental nature of these relationships and as an aid to other workers in this field, an attempt has been made in this study to show every step in the calculations. CONDUCTIVITY VS MOL CONCENTRATION The most complete published reference on the temperature relationship of sodium chloride solutions of different concentrations is provided in the International Critical Tables.' The basic measurement data on the electrical conductivity of aqueous sodium chloride solutions, at different temperatures, as given in these tables, are reproduced in Table 1. The electrical conductivity values in this Table 1 are expressed as 10' times the specific conductivity k in ohm-'cm'l per unit of concentration in milligram mols per liter of solution C, or: RESISTIVITY VS MOL CONCENTRATION These conductivity values from Table 1 were first converted to the corresponding electrical resistivity values (R) , expressed in ohm-meters, as is conven-

Jan 1, 1953

By R. M. Daelen

Mechanical science is severely tested by the demands of the iron manufacture for the varied apparatus needed to transport and to treat raw materials and products. Water has long been a favorite means of transmitting pressure for such purposes, because of its own incompressibility. Further advances in its use are the more to be expected, since mechanical improvements have steadily tended to overcome the difficulties formerly encountered in the employment of great hydraulic pressures. So long as the pressure is not higher than that which requires for plungers, etc., only ordinary stuffing-boxes, with hemp or other similar packing, the necessary arrangements for the production and transmission of the water-pressure without leakage are very simple. But when this limit (which is, for most purposes, 50 kilos to the square centimeter) is exceeded, new conditions of construction arise, which are met in various ways, and which justify a primary division of hydraulic presses into low-pressure and high-pressure respectively. The former are used in lifting and moving weights, and employ pressures as high (in extreme cases) as 100 kilos per square centimeter; but at this point the friction between piston and hemp-packing is so great that the use of cup-leathers is already preferable. Beyond 100 kilos it becomes a necessity. The range of practicable tight packing which follows is considerable, extending to about 1000 kilos; but "high pressure" in practice is from 100 to 600 kilos, and it is to this that the present paper applies. General Classes and Types. Hydraulic transmission at high pressure usually claims consideration in case the solid mechanism, such as levers, cams, screws, and gear-wheels, would have to be too large, would involve too much friction, or could not be suitably adapted to the speed-requirements of the working-tools. Since steam is mostly the primary carrier of

Jan 1, 1893

By Richard P. Rothwell

Fires in mines are so serious in their consequences and of such frequent occurrence, that their causes and the means of extinguishing them are certainly questions of the greatest interest to a large part of the engineering profession. We have already, in this country, many mines which have been burning for years, and though our hard anthracite is so difficult to ignite that for a quarter of a century after it was first discovered it mas not known how to burn it except with the aid of an artificial blast, yet most of the fires which have occurred underground have been in anthracite mines, and in the coal itself. The injury which these fires have caused to properties in various parts of the anthracite regions, and the cost of extinguishing them, would amount to many millions of dollars, and they have also occasioned the loss of many valuable lives. It is not surprising, therefore, that the subject has already attracted much attention, and the exercise of great ingenuity; and the present communication is made less with the expectation of announcing anything new, than with the object of putting upon record the present state of our knowledge on this subject, or, in other words, of indicating how defective are the present means of combating underground conflagrations. Causes of Mine Fires.—Even upon the surface, fire is a terrible foe to contend with, and there is probably no other which inspires such thorough and well-founded alarm. With what feelings, then, must we look upon this destructive element, when its field is in the narrow galleries of a mine, where the poisonous products of combustion, spreading in every direction, protect, in the most effectual manner, the fire itself from the attacks of extinguishers, while, if the face of attack be ventilated so as to enable then] to approach the seat of the fire, the air current simply increases the extent and violence of the conflagration. Fires underground originate in as various ways as those on the surface, and it is scarcely necessary to say that, except in the rare cases where they are the result of design, they are invariably classed as " accidents," and most generally as " unavoidable accidents." In reality, by an intelligent understanding of their causes and with due precautions, they can almost always be prevented. Ignorance and

Discussion of the paper of, RICHARD H. RICE, presented at the Pittsburgh meeting, October, 1914, and printed in Bulletin No. 89, May, 1914, pp. 721 to 743. S. G. VALENTINE, Oxford, N. J.-In a paper read at the New York meeting of the Institute last February I presented some notes taken from our experience with the turbo blower operating on a blast furnace. In connection with Mr. Rice's very interesting paper there are a few items that might be of further practical interest. The question of the reliability of this type of blower will naturally be presented. In this connection we would say that our turbo blower has been in practically continuous use during the present blast, which was begun June 7, 1912, with only three interruptions for repairs of any consequence. Soon after blowing in there was developed a tendency of the blower to surge or pulsate. This occurred on operating at a point considerably below the normal capacity of the machine, and was checked with comparatively little trouble by throttling the intake slightly and taking up a small lost motion on the governor connections, a legacy of the previous blast that had not been attended to. All this required only a few hours' time. In. March, 1914, the furnace being banked on account of a blizzard that cut off our freight deliveries for five days, the opportunity was used to replace the carbon packing on the steam-turbine shaft and to repack the steam inlet valves. In June, 1914, the blower was off 8 hr. to replace an oil ring and scrape a bearing. With these exceptions we have made continuous use of the machine and find we can depend upon it with entire safety as a piece of machinery.

Jan 4, 1915

By H. F. Beeghly

UNTIL recently the only criteria by which steels were judged were their cost and their mechanical, chemical, and physical properties. The user was concerned with such properties as corrosion resistance, tensile strength, response to thermal treatment, hardness, ductility, and, to a growing extent in recent years, with behavior at high temperature. As plans were made to build power reactors, a new set of properties became important—the nuclear characteristics, which had to be considered by the designer and engineer in building his plant. The nuclear engineer developed methods for the rare and new metals and produced them in high purity, often at great expense. The pure metals then provided the raw materials for tailor-made alloys. For more common structural metals, such as steel, the nuclear industry depended on commercially available materials. Generally, the quantities required were small and specifications were rigid. It is not surprising, therefore, that difficulty was frequently encountered in procuring structural mate-

Jan 1, 1957

By Benjamin Tillson

To MOST mine operators, it seems evident that there is a drill-steel problem, although under certain conditions the amount f drill-steel breakage does not appear serious. What is at fault? It may be one or a combination of circumstances. The development of rock drills to the hammer-drill type in place of the old reciprocating piston drill, probably is one important cause for the greater steel breakage. Perhaps the manufacturers of drill steel have failed to realize what alloys are needed for this new service or have overlooked the changes in the art of rock drilling. Although suitable alloys are provided, they may not be so handled in the manufacturing process as to be in the best condition to withstand the demands of rock drilling. The mine operator may be at fault in desiring to use the smallest possible drill-steel section in order that the gage of the drill bits may be correspondingly small and the amount of footage drilled per unit of labor may be greater; or the black-smithshop practice at the mines may need improvement. The miner who uses the drill steel may also require more intensive supervision and education. Again, the manufacturer of rock drills may have failed to study the types of blows the steel alloys will withstand satisfactorily and which their tools are delivering and so he may not know whether or not a different design of rock drill would equal or excel their present drilling speeds without treating the drill steel so severely. All of these hypotheses probably have their supporters. On the other hand, perhaps we are seeking too much service from drill steel and we need a fuller realization of the fatigue strains developed and should prepare to relieve these by a periodic heat treatment of the steels. However, we do not find any proof that any of these suppositions may be held responsible for the drill-steel breakage attendant to mining. The proposed investigation of this matter by the U. S. Bureau f Mines is fully warranted in the promotion of the conservation of labor and material, and the safety of the workmen. The great range of field conditions, as well as the scope of the research, requires the energetic cooperative support of many interests. Various manufacturers of steel,

Jan 5, 1921