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By C. H. Lieb

ONE astounding fact in the production of petroleum is the comparatively recent realization by producers that flowing production is the cheapest crude produced. About 1910 or even later, operators actually endeavored to get a producing well to pumping as quickly as possible after completion. A well was not really considered to be completed until it was operating on the pump. Remarkable progress has been made since then. It was not until about 1920 that producers began to take a serious interest in pressures and to think a little about proper methods of handling oil wells. Pressure gauges were installed, and records of pressures maintained, which was quite an innovation. Desultory experiments were made with tubing of different sizes, as well as experiments with placing the bottom of the tubing string at different levels in the well. Probably the first important departure from customary procedure was about 1926, during the Seminole development, when gas lift

Jan 1, 1936

A regular general meeting of the Canadian Mining Institute will be held in Vancouver, B. C., on Nov. 26-28. The Council extends a cordial invitation to all members of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers to attend.

Jan 11, 1919

By J. R. Cain

ROLE OF GASES IN FERROUS -METALLURGICAL PROCESSES IN every process for making steel there are one or more stages where the metal is exposed to gas of one kind or another. Thus, in the open-hearth furnace, the carbon dioxide and water vapor in the products of combustion are oxidizing toward the ferrous and manganous oxides in the slag, tending to convert these to higher oxides; the higher oxides then oxidize the steel, so that indirectly the products of combustion are oxidizing toward the steel. In the Bessemer process, there is direct contact of air and steel; also, the water vapor in the air blown into the converter is continually decomposed by the molten steel, yielding hydrogen and ferrous oxide, both of which are in part taken up by the metal. In the electric-furnace processes, there is always more or less air in contact with the slag covering the metal, and this air and the gaseous reaction products from it are dissolved in the slag to some extent and thus transmitted in part to the steel. In the crucible processes, there is always entrapped air in the charges and the crucibles are more or less permeable to the gaseous products of combustion from the furnace. In all the processes of manufacture, the molten metal is exposed to air while tapping into ladles and ingot molds and has an opportunity to saturate itself with air or with gaseous or solid products generated by chemical reactions between air and steel. Sieverts1 has shown that molten metals require but a few seconds to saturate themselves with a surrounding gas. No one familiar with the operations at a steel plant needs to be reminded of the important role that gases play at all stages. The familiar "boil" of open-hearth furnaces, due to evolution of carbon monoxide when iron ore is added to the molten steel; the spectacular operation of the Bessemer converter brought about entirely by a gaseous reagent; the almost magic effect of small quantities of silicon manganese or

Jan 8, 1919

By Jack M. Swales

Kermac Potash Co., the newest American entry in a rapidly expanding industry, has come on the scene with notable variations in conventional shaft-sinking and mining techniques. Located in the famed potash producing district east of Carlsbad, N. Mex., Kermac started up its mine in November, 1965, to supply ore to the company's 500,000-tpy potash crystallization refinery. In so doing, the company (1) drilled the first large diameter mine shaft in the potash industry and (2) has employed new continuous miners especially adapted for use in thin potash beds. REACHING THE ORE ZONE In its initial mine planning, Kermac, a partnership owned jointly by Kerr-McGee Corp. and the National Farmers Union Development Corp., considered it imperative that the shafts be sunk and equipped as soon as possible and that the mine be developed sufficiently to insure a constant ore feed to the mill when the unit was placed on stream. After examining the alternative sinking techniques available to it, the company decided to accept a proposal by Big Hole Drillers, Inc., to drill the shaft from the surface through various formations of sandstones, siltstone, shales, anhydrite, limestones, dolomite and salts to the potash ore zone.

Jan 12, 1966

[A Aalseth, Earl P. (M 51) Geol, Amerada Petr. Corp., Box 1498, Billings, Mont. Abadie, Henry G. (M 43) Asst to Supvr of Oper, Long Beach Oil Dev. Co., 255 S. Santa Clara, Long Beach 7, Calif. Abbe, T. Waldo (A 56) Ass't Dist Oper Supt, Sun Oil Co., Beaumont, Tex. Abbott, J. L. (M 56) Partner, Pritchard & Abbott, 501, Century Bldg, Fort Worth, Tex. Abbott, Richard H. (J 51) Owner, Abbott & Howard, 422 W. Hermosa, San Antonio, Tex. Abbott, Seth J., Jr. (M 51) Tekoil Corp., .2;A6 Mercantile Nat'l. Bank. Dallas, Tex. Abbott,. William G. (M 50) Div Mgr, Rice Eng. & Op. Inc., Box 1142, Hobbs, N. M. Abderhalden, R. R. (J,59) Box 100, Carmi, Ill. Abel, Malcolm D., Gen Mgr, Bakke Oil Co., Midland, Tex. Abel, Raymond L. (M 28) Prof of Chem Engr, Univ. of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh 13, Pa. Abel, Wayne K. (M 57) 1513 Patton Drive, Odessa, Tex.]

Jan 1, 1961

By JAMES GAYLE

(Presented at the Washington meeting, May 3, 1905, and simultaneously sent to the Iron and Steel Institute, for presentation at the meeting of that Society in London, May 11, 1905.) IT is to be regretted that the data respecting the use of dry-air blast, which was presented to the Iron and Steel Institute at its meeting in the United States, in October, 1904, should. have been restricted to the period from August 25th to September 9th inclusive, and from September 17th to 30th inclusive. In order to present the paper at all it was found necessary to limit the record of operations to the period above stated. In the discussion of the paper it would appear from the conclusions of some participating therein, that they have been placed at some disadvantage in considering the economies obtained through the use of dry-air blast, by reason of the data covering such a short period. It is the purpose of this communication to present in detail the record of operations of the Isabella Furnaces from November, 1904, to March, 1905, inclusive, as shown by the furnace-records. The month of October, 1904, is not included, as the furnace using dry-air blast was stopped several times for repairs, and while the record was a very good one considering these interruptions, yet it was not a continuous one. The record for Furnace No. 1 using dry-air blast, and the comparison with Furnace No. 3 using natural air for the month of November, 1904, is set forth in Table I. By a reference to my former paper it will be noted that the month of November is the beginning in this country of the winter period, when the atmosphere decreases rapidly in humidity. The month of October being the transition month in the autumn and April in the spring, and furnaces using natural air approach more closely, from November on, to the conditions obtained by the use of dry-air blast. The data given in

Jul 1, 1905

By Jos. Van Ackeren

Although the Siemens regenerator principle was introduced into byproduct coke-oven design about 40 years ago, many problems of construction, and particularly of heat distribution and pressure conditions, have not been fully solved. Heat should be applied to the walls of a coke oven in such a way that the coking of the charge of coal will be completed everywhere at the same time, and at approximately the same temperature. This means that the application of heat should be uniform from the top to the bottom of the coal mass (except for the thin layer at the top that is purposely kept at a somewhat lower temperature to reduce cracking of the byproducts); also that a little more heat must be applied to the coke end than to the pusher end, because the coal mass is a little thicker at that end. As a modern coke oven is about 40 ft. long and 12 ft. high, a real problem is involved in the proper application of heat to the oven walls so as to secure quick coking time (without endangering the walls through local overheating) and produce coke made at a uniform temperature. Design of Ovens In all regenerative ovens, the points of combustion are arranged in duplicate sets, one set operating in one-half the area of the heating wall and the other set alternately operating in the other half. Because of the reversal of the flow of gases, the points of maximum and minimum temperatures are alternately located at the same places, thus preventing dangerous local overheating. The practicability of the principle of reversal of flow seems to have been recognized at an early date, and has been applied with every conceivable flue arrangement, combustion chamber, and means of air and gas supply. To summarize the various principles that have proved useful for the control of oven-wall temperature, the best practice seems to have resulted from the acceptance of the use of vertical flues; the separate supply of air and gas to the base of these flues, with the resulting flame

Jan 1, 1923

By Jos. Van Ackeren

Although the Siemens regenerator principle was introduced into byproduct coke-oven design about 40 years ago, many problems of construction, and particularly of heat distribution and pressure conditions, have not been fully solved. Heat should be applied to the walls of a coke oven in such a way that the coking of the charge of coal will be completed everywhere at the same time, and at approximately the same temperature. This means that the application of heat should be uniform from the top to the bottom of the coal mass (except for the thin layer at the top that is purposely kept at a somewhat lower temperature to reduce cracking of the byproducts); also that a little more heat must be applied to the coke end than to the pusher end, because the coal mass is a little thicker at that end. As a modern coke oven is about 40 ft. long and 12 ft. high, a real problem is involved in the proper application of heat to the oven walls so as to secure quick coking time (without endangering the walls through local overheating) and produce coke made at a uniform temperature. Design of Ovens In all regenerative ovens, the points of combustion are arranged in duplicate sets, one set operating in one-half the area of the heating wall and the other set alternately operating in the other half. Because of the reversal of the flow of gases, the points of maximum and minimum temperatures are alternately located at the same places, thus preventing dangerous local overheating. The practicability of the principle of reversal of flow seems to have been recognized at an early date, and has been applied with every conceivable flue arrangement, combustion chamber, and means of air and gas supply. To summarize the various principles that have proved useful for the control of oven-wall temperature, the best practice seems to have resulted from the acceptance of the use of vertical flues; the separate supply of air and gas to the base of these flues, with the resulting flame

Jan 1, 1923

By Layson, W. C.

ACCORDING to the records, Phelps Dodge made its original entry into the production of copper in the oldest copper mines of Arizona at Morenci in 1881. The ore body now being mined as the Morenci open-pit, as outlined by churn-drill holes, diamond-drill holes, and underground workings, is estimated to yield 230,000,000 tons of ore averaging 1.06 per cent copper. This development will add 2,500,000 tons of copper to the 900,000 tons already produced in the district. Some five years ago preliminary development of the ore body began, with big-scale production planned including the erection of a new treatment plant to be built near the mine. Inasmuch as the Morenci open-pit was an entirely new project this required the grading of roads, establishment of mining benches, construction of railroad grades, building of railroad tracks, erection of shops, as well as the purchase of the necessary equipment to satisfactorily and economically maintain the schedules of production forecast. Along with the preparation of the main ore body it was also desirable to mine and deliver to an experimental mill a relatively small daily tonnage of typical ore.

Jan 1, 1942

Industrial minerals enjoyed a fairly successful year in 1978, despite the sluggish economy, inflation, and environmental restrictions. A glance at US Bureau of Mines statistics shows that, in general, production of industrial minerals increased from + 1% (salt) to as much as 26% (sulfur, other than Frasch or recovered). A few industrial minerals showed a decline; fluorspar production, for example, registered a 23% decrease in 1978 from 1977 due to the closing of three domestic mines. Bromine, natural sodium sulfate, Frasch sulfur, and vermiculite also had production decreases of 2-6% in 1978.

Jan 5, 1979

By Axel Hultgren

In ingots of silicon-killed carbon steel-made without addition of aluminum, transparent spherical or nearly spherical inclusions, up to about 0.15-mm diameter, are generally present. They may be glassy or crystallized, wholly or partially In steels of high carbon contents they consist of silica,4,12 in steels of lower carbon contents and, in consequence, higher oxygen contents, of iron-manganese-silicate with higher iron and manganese contents the lower the carbon content. Small silicate inclusions, about 0.01 mm or smaller, may occur, just as sulphide inclusions do, in portions that have been the last or nearly the last to freeze,l0,12,17 this location being verified by primary etching.10 Hence, it may be concluded that they have separated from liquid steel that has become enriched in oxygen through segregation during freezing. Silicate inclusions with a diameter larger than about 0.02 mm appear, at least in ingots of moderate size, to be distributed at random in relation to the primary structure and therefore may be assumed to have existed as droplets in the liquid steel before freezing started at the point in question. The average size of such large inclusions has been found to increase toward the axis1' and their amount to increase from the top downward in the axial region.2,10 It has been assumed that this accumulation is a result of the droplets being brought down by the slowly settling metal crystals.2 It has been suggested that large silicate inclusions generally form,6 or may form,'' by coagulation of smaller ones, or by small drops being caught by larger ones during the rising of the latter.9 The occasional occurrence of a large inclusion surrounded by a swarm of small ones has been taken as a proof of this mechanism but, as suggested later, may be explained in another way. It has been pointed out that an inclusion droplet in the liquid steel may grow at the expense of an adjacent one, which implies diffusion of soluble inclusion-forming elements in the liquid steel.'= Further, it has been pointed out that, on cooling in ladle or mold, the metal-silicate equilibrium is displaced in the direction of separation of silicate. Thus inclusions may grow in size and amount.2,3,8,12,13,17,19,20 The exposure of the liquid steel to the oxygen of the air during tapping and pouring, and the consequent reaction, has been mentioned as a source of the formation of inclusions19.20 but this possibility has not received particular attention. Further, the admixture of furnace slag during tapping1 or of refractory material from various sourcesl,20 has been considered. The inclusions due to the latter may be recognized, however, through their resistamce to hydrofluoric acid, imparted by the alumina content. Silicate inclusions are often referred to as the natural and inevitable product of reaction on adding silicon or silicon

Jan 1, 1949

By Axel Hultgren

In ingots of silicon-killed carbon steel-made without addition of aluminum, transparent spherical or nearly spherical inclusions, up to about 0.15-mm diameter, are generally present. They may be glassy or crystallized, wholly or partially In steels of high carbon contents they consist of silica,4,12 in steels of lower carbon contents and, in consequence, higher oxygen contents, of iron-manganese-silicate with higher iron and manganese contents the lower the carbon content. Small silicate inclusions, about 0.01 mm or smaller, may occur, just as sulphide inclusions do, in portions that have been the last or nearly the last to freeze,l0,12,17 this location being verified by primary etching.10 Hence, it may be concluded that they have separated from liquid steel that has become enriched in oxygen through segregation during freezing. Silicate inclusions with a diameter larger than about 0.02 mm appear, at least in ingots of moderate size, to be distributed at random in relation to the primary structure and therefore may be assumed to have existed as droplets in the liquid steel before freezing started at the point in question. The average size of such large inclusions has been found to increase toward the axis1' and their amount to increase from the top downward in the axial region.2,10 It has been assumed that this accumulation is a result of the droplets being brought down by the slowly settling metal crystals.2 It has been suggested that large silicate inclusions generally form,6 or may form,'' by coagulation of smaller ones, or by small drops being caught by larger ones during the rising of the latter.9 The occasional occurrence of a large inclusion surrounded by a swarm of small ones has been taken as a proof of this mechanism but, as suggested later, may be explained in another way. It has been pointed out that an inclusion droplet in the liquid steel may grow at the expense of an adjacent one, which implies diffusion of soluble inclusion-forming elements in the liquid steel.'= Further, it has been pointed out that, on cooling in ladle or mold, the metal-silicate equilibrium is displaced in the direction of separation of silicate. Thus inclusions may grow in size and amount.2,3,8,12,13,17,19,20 The exposure of the liquid steel to the oxygen of the air during tapping and pouring, and the consequent reaction, has been mentioned as a source of the formation of inclusions19.20 but this possibility has not received particular attention. Further, the admixture of furnace slag during tapping1 or of refractory material from various sourcesl,20 has been considered. The inclusions due to the latter may be recognized, however, through their resistamce to hydrofluoric acid, imparted by the alumina content. Silicate inclusions are often referred to as the natural and inevitable product of reaction on adding silicon or silicon

Jan 1, 1949

By Frank W. Harris

The strength of hard drawn copper wire is a question of considerable importance to both manufacturer and consumer. Unlike steel and alloy wires, in which strength is governed by both chcniical and physical considerations, t,he high conductivity required for copper wire in the clcc-trical industry generally precludes the possibility of obt,aining tensile strength through the use of alloys. Consequently, this strenglh is largely a rnatter of the ~hysical structure, and all factors known to affect this structure, such as rolling temperature, die contours, lubricants, drawing speeds, etc., arc matters of prime importance. The experiments described here have becn carried out dl~ring the past year at the Baltimore plant of the American Smelting & Refining Co., in connection with a general investigat,ion of sorne of the questions mentioned above, with the object of studying thc physical ~t~ructure of hard drawn copper wire and the influence of ccrtain factors on t,hat st'ruct.ure. The work has been of an exploratory nature, rather than con~prehensivc., but it was thought that the result,s might prove of sr~fficient general interest tjo warrant their publicatlion. The bulk of the hard drawn coppcr wire used in places where strength is an important factor is rnanufacturcd to strict specification, based USU-ally in the United States on thab of t,he Arrlerican Society for Tcst'ing Materials (B-1-23). This specification calls for almost as high a, valuc of t,ensilc strength, consistent with elongation, as it is possible pract'icnlly to obtain, and only physically perfect mlaterial can be relied on to lliect such a specification. Obvious defects, such as laminat'ions protluc:etl through fins in bhe original rods or brittleness duo lo ovt~rdrawing, arc. usually recognized and need only passing refercncc. Laminatlions can be detected by twisting and untwisting the wircx several times; they will show up on the surface in the form of fins. Pig. 1 shows a very bad example of this defect. Thc wire may bc perfectly smooth before twisting hut, when such larrlinations arc3 prcstmt they will readily show up under this treatrncnt. This trouble is caliscd by sirriilar defects in the original rod produced by overfills in rolling. Fig. 2 shows the cross-section of the rod from which thc wire in Fig. 1 was drawn.

By Meissner, C. A.

THE tendency all over Europe, just as it is with us, is to go to the use of turbines for new construction or replacement of old steam or even gas engines. 'The lower construction cost and the lower operating cost, when they can have high steam temperatures and pressures, together with their efficiency, is the cause of this change to turbines, both high and low pressure. The present trend is to equip plants with modern, efficient steam boilers, turbines, etc., and gradually work into high-pressure superheated steam equipment to accomplish a saving. One company has just completed a 375 to 400 lb., 700 deg. superheated steam installation and turbo-blowers with this end in view. Some of our new steam plants are using 350 lb. working pressure.

Jan 1, 1928

By James A. Clem

Approximately 2000 years ago, the Lord admonished the scribes (lawyers) and pharisees (religious leaders of that time) that they had paid the tithe but had omitted the weightier matters of law, judgment, mercy, and faith. (Matt. 23:23) I want to talk about "The Weightier Matters of Law." In a situation where big government is trying to have an effect on even small details of a work activity, otherwise simple situations become complex. Regulations are written to such detail that constant compliance with strict interpretations can be a nightmare-not to mention off the target of the intended purpose for the regulation. One soon recognizes the onerous characteristics of federal statutes. Another admonition the Lord gave those lawyers and pharisees back then was that they tended to strain at a gnat and swallow a camel! He meant that the pharisees were given to devoting themselves to the strict interpretation of law by writing hundreds of subrules or interpretation to law. In doing so they eventually lost sight of the original purpose of the law. I think they were being told, keep the law-but don't neglect to humanize it Keep it simple Recognize the purpose of why the law. "Mix in" a common sense approach. Someone once said, "Common sense is instinct -enough of it is genius." Today, as 2000 years ago, we need more "genius" displayed by legislators in considering the weightier matters of law. First of all true legislature genius calls for a declarative statement about the purpose of the statute and a fair, objective analysis of the ground rules by which it will be implemented. In the Health & Safety Act of 1969, the "findings and purpose" as set forth in Section 2 do define its purpose. I believe most of us affected can be in accord with the reasons advanced for the legislation. However, beyond those well-intentioned few paragraphs, we very quickly run into trouble. Congress complicated the simplicity of the statement of purpose by mandating government intervention into areas that cannot be effectively legislated, nor even should be legislated. The Act provided for broad gaged regulation which is unnecessary, inappropriate, and tremendously costly. Frankly, it detracts from a constructive, cooperative effort by the parties involved. These are strong negatives which characterize inappropriate legislation. Appropriate legislation and subsequent regulation, which is realistically conceived and practically enforced must be born of an honest desire for improvement, based on a working knowledge of common problems which are thoughtfully analyzed. Then the legislation must be written in clear concise language so that there can be little or no doubt as to its literal meaning and intent. To be practically enforced, it must be understood by all who will enforce it and by all who are subject to it. That is to say, an effective law or standard cannot be fixed or inflexible so that it cannot be tempered in human judgment. There must be an elasticity in the statute to provide for consideration of all of the relevant facts of a given situation. Such elasticity makes the compliance effort as meaningful as it can be for the time and dollars invested. Meaningful compliance requires room for common sense. Today, we in business along with our associates in government and labor, urgently need to pause, and assess our current situation. The problems arising from the 1969 Act have been intensified through the Mine Safety & Health Act of 1977. After reading the "findings and purpose" of this legislation, and by process of elimination, we should all clearly see what is and is not the purpose of the Act. 1) It is not to turn the management of private industry over to government. 2) It is not to impair the efficient operation of business. 3) It is not to reduce productivity and profits. 4) It is not to reduce national unemployment. 5) It is not to perpetuate the bureaucracy. 6) It is not to increase the tax burden on an already overburdened people. 7) It is not to increase our balance of payments deficit. 9) It is not to replace management/labor relations in working together to solve problems.

Jan 1, 1981

By C. A. Zapffe

BOTH the foundryman and the theoretical metallurgist are now generally agreed that the anomalous "rising" or "bleeding" of certain ferrous castings of killed metal is primarily attributable to hydrogen. How and why the phenomenon occurs, however, have not been made clear. The following discussion is intended to harmonize foundry experience with metallurgical theory so that the foundryman may possibly improve his ability to prognosticate whether a certain casting may bleed or not. BLEEDING, RISING, AND PIPING The "rising" to be discussed here is not to be confused with the action in rimming ingots as a result of the carbon-oxygen reaction, although a conclusion will be drawn that may apply to the art of controlling the rimming action. Only killed metal is considered, which includes both steels and irons. In Fig. I, three killed, chill-cast ingots are shown: a porous ingot whose evolution of gas during late stages of solidification has ejected metal through the top; an ingot in which moderate gas evolution during solidification has lifted the mushy central metal, i.e., it has "risen"; and, third, a sound ingot with good piping characteristics. The first type is referred to as "bleeding," and generally infers that a solid skin had first formed through which the liquid metal later erupted. There is no fundamental distinction between bleeding and rising in reference to killed metal.* POROSITY Hydrogen appears as a cause of bleeding because the gas evolution simultaneously leaves a porosity of a type traceable to hydrogen. Twenty years ago, Melmoth1 noted that killed steel that rose unexpectedly in the mold, if returned while liquid to the furnace and heated further under a reducing lime slag, would again rise in the mold; but that if the ingot were allowed to solidify and was then remelted no rising occurred. A critical quantity of the responsible gas is therefore removed by the rising action. Melmoth associated rising with high silicon (0.7 to 0.9 per cent) and concluded that silicon increased gas absorption. Because silicon is a strong deoxidizer, oxygen must, therefore, be eliminated from consideration of the three common gases in steel-oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen. Butterworth2 later decided that pinhole porosity was caused by gases dissolved in the metal and that hydrogen was obtained from steam in the mold. Allen's classical work on copper castings,3 soon followed by

Jan 1, 1942

By R. J. Reynik, F. R. Meeks

IN the classical paper1 of Mehl and Rhines entitled "The Rates of Diffusion in the Alpha Solid Solutions of Copper", the authors state: "It has been mathematically demonstrated that the treatment of the data as though the diffusion were taking place between two flat plates instead of radially in a cylinder has no appreciable effect upon the results. Were the bars of a much smaller diameter, a modification of the analytical treatment would have been required." Unfortunately, the errors in the reported concentrations are much too large to neglect, as shown in the results below. A planar treatment of diffusion data assumes that the reference planes separated by a nominal distance (AX) have identical areas. An adjustment must be made on the concentration data should the successive diffusion planes differ in area. The Mehl-Rhines' diffusion samples were cylindrical with copper electroplated onto copper-based alloys. Successive surface areas through which diffusion occurs are in the ratio ri/r1, where ri is the radial distance between the center of the sample and the center of the i th shell to which the host (alloy) atoms diffuse, and r1 is the radial distance between the center of the sample and the center of the innermost (i = 1) experimentally reported shell from which the alloy atoms diffuse. Hence, ri/r1 (i = 1, ..., n layers) is a dimensionless correction factor to be multiplied by the reported concentration data before planar-data analysis is attempted. In the forty-seven samples reported, the original interface between the copper alloys and the electroplated copper was located at a mean distance of 8.255 mm from the center of the samples. The successive layers, machined off the samples, were approximately 0.0762 mm thick. The distance (xi) at which concentration (ci) was reported was always a distance measured with respect to the original interface, that is, with respect to the fixed distance of 8.255 mm. Hence, the as yet undiscovered Kirkendall Effect was precompensated. The values of ri and r1 are therefore given by ri = 8.255 + xi and Y, = 8.255 + x,. The illustrative table below lists the position xi (mm), ri (mm), the value of ri/r1, the reported concentration (ci) in weight percent (only valid for radial analysis of data), and the corrected concentration [c'i = (ri/r1)ci] in weight percent (only valid for planar analysis of data). Similar tables can be constructed for the remaining forty-six samples. The corrected data can be used to re-evaluate the diffusion coefficients for the reported systems.

Jan 1, 1965

By W. C. Hayes

The site selected for the United States prototype pumped storage project of Union Electric CO. was Proffit Mountain, five miles from Taum Sauk, the highest point in Missouri. Factors influencing final location were: high local relief; satisfactory rock type and structure; and an economic location in respect to existing transmission systems. The upper reservoir was constructed by excavating rhyolite porphyry from the crest of Proffit Mountain and constructing a rock fill dike encircling the area to form a 4350-acre foot reservoir. A 6564-ft tunnel connects the upper reservoir with the generating and pumping facilities. A concrete gravity dam on the East Fork of the Black River forms the 6350-acre foot lower reservoir. Precambrian rhyolite porphyry forms the crest of Proffit Mountain and the floor of the upper reservoir. The tunnel was excavated in rhyolite prophpy, granite porphyry, dolomite, shales and conglomerate. Abutments and the foundation of the gravity dam are in rhyolite porphyry, and much of the valley floor of the lower reservoir is underlain by dolomite and shale. Core drilling provided data on soundness of rock type, structure, depth of weathered zone and potential water loss in the fractured igneous rocks. After a six-year study of pumped storage and cost comparison with alternate stream generating units, the Taum Sauk pumped storage project was authorized by Union Electric Co. on Dec. 11, 1959.' The site selected is located in the St. Francois Mountains of southeast Missouri approximately 90 miles south of St. Louis (Fig. 1). The lower reservoir was provided by damming the East Fork of the Black River, a small tributary of the Black River with a minimum flow of about 1 sec ft. Construction of the upper reservoir was effected by quarrying the crest of Proffit Mountain - five miles from Taum Sauk Mountain, the highest point in Missouri — to provide material for a rock fill dike surrounding the quarried area. This provided a 55-acre mountain top lake with a water depth of 92 ft (Fig. 2). A vertical shaft and tunnel connect the upper and lower reservoirs through the two reversible pump-turbine motor-generator units operating under 800 ft of hydraulic head (Fig. 3). The output rating of the plant is 350,000 kw with daytime generation of about 2.2 million kw-hr under normal use. Night pumping will replenish water to the upper reservoir in about 91/2 hours3. The automatic operation is remotely controlled from the Osage plant and from the dispatchers office in St. Louis. GENERAL GEOLOGY Mountains of the St. Francois area consist of Precambrian granites, granite porphyries, extrusive fel-sites and basic dikes. Basal conglomerates overlain by Upper Cambrian Bonneterre dolomites and shales onlap the exhumed Precambrian knobs and hills and are exposed in the narrow valleys. Cambrian and Ordovician residuum as much as 200 ft thick is present on the slopes of many hills. Proffit Mountain consists of rhyolite porphyry and granite porphyry. All excavation for the upper reservoir was in rhyolite porphyry, and the same rock is present under the Bonneterre at the plant site and under alluvium at the lower reservoir dam site. The region has been dissected to the stage of early maturity with only small upland flats remaining. Considerable local relief (a requisite for the project) approaches 1000 ft. Streams flowing across the Precambrian ridges have formed restricted narrows, termed shut-ins. A shut-in approximately two miles downstream from the plant site provides an excellent site for the lower reservoir dam. TEST BORINGS Preliminary to final approval of the project, 12 test borings were made to determine subsurface geologic conditions (Fig. 2). Drill hole No. 12 at the lower reservoir dam site showed 20 ft of alluvium over solid rhyolite porphyry. Drill holes No. 1, 2 and 3 were drilled in the tail race area to depths of 66 ft, 75 ft and 95 ft respectively, and all bottomed in Bonneterre. Drill hole No. 4 at the plant site provided NX core to a total depth of 98 ft in Bonneterre. Drill

Jan 1, 1965

By A. N. Mitinsky

Discussion of the paper of A. N. MITINSKY, presented at the San Francisco meeting, September, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 104, August, 1915, pp. 1697 to 1705. LAWFORD H. FRY, Burnham, Pa. (communication to the Secretary*). -The author assumes that the proportional limit and the elastic limit are coincident or very nearly so, and then further assumes that the stress corresponding to these two points is the least stress which if repeated will cause failure. The point is extremely interesting and it is to be regretted that the author did not quote experimental data to show the relation between the limit of repeated stress and the other properties of the material. The author's suggestion that a steel of poor quality may have a normal value for the yield point and tensile strength (see Fig. 2) and an abnormally low elastic limit, and that this will correspond to a low resistance to repeated stress, may account for a number of failures of axles in which the tensile tests show normal physical properties. If so and if a determination of the proportional limit would have eliminated the material before it was put into service, this determination will merit most earnest attention. It appears, however, that considerable further research is necessary before any definite conclusion as to the quality of a steel can be drawn from its proportional limit. Mr. Mitinsky's paper is extremely interesting and if it stimulates thought and work along the lines indicated, it may prove of considerable practical benefit. H. V. WILLE, Philadelphia, Pa.-The paper discusses the difference between the proportional limit, or elastic limit, and the yield point, and refers to the fact that much harm results from confusion of the terms yield point and elastic limit. Similar confusion has arisen in this country; the American-Society for Testing Materials does not even consider the elastic limit and proportional limit to be identical and recently adopted the following definitions:

Jan 12, 1915

By J. T. Berling, J. B. Conway

MANY studies have been devoted to the correlation of low-cycle fatigue behavior. Several of these have also been concerned with the identification of an effective approach to the prediction of low-cycle fatigue behavior from short-term tensile data. Perhaps the first such approach was that reported by coffin1 in the form: where is the plastic strain range, Nf is the number of cycles to failure, and c is a constant characteristic of a material. In this analysis by Coffin it was reasoned that in a short-term tensile test the value of Nf could be considered as equal to a , in which case the value of c is interpreted as the tensile ductility, f, measured in such a test. If, therefore, the Coffin equation is assumed to be applicable to a given material, it is a simple matter to predict the low-cycle fatigue behavior. Once the tensile ductility is known, this point is located at Nf = 1/4 on a log-log plot of vs Nf and a line is drawn through this point with a slope of to yield a prediction for the fatigue life. Actually, while this equation is quite useful it is not generally applicable, for experiment has shown that the value of —$ does not reflect the relationship between and Nf for all materials or even for a given material over all temperature ranges. An equation similar to the Coffin equation was prepared almost simultaneously by Manson.2 This expression had the form: In this case the exponent on Nf was not assigned any particular numerical value in accord with the various values of this exponent which had been observed for different materials and at different test conditions. Because of this characteristic it will be recognized that little use can be made of this expression in predicting low-cycle fatigue results. A fairly effective expression for use in predicting fatigue behavior was proposed by Manson3 based on a study of numerous sets of experimental results. This relation (Method of Universal Slopes) makes use of modulus of elasticity, ultimate strength, and tensile ductility, and assumes an exponent on Nf equal to 0.6 in representing the plastic strain range contribution to total strain range. While this equation of Man-Son does not yield completely accurate results it must be recognized as being the best means available at

Jan 1, 1970