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Report of the Secretary GENTLEMEN Herewith are transmitted reports from the Treasurer and of the principal standing committees of the Institute. To these special reports members are referred for details as to the year's work. Despite the unfavorable business conditions obtaining throughout the year, the Institute was able to carry on its various activities without curtailment and without drawing on the surplus accumulated through previous years. In fact, small additions were made to the Life Membership and various other funds. It is highly desirable that such additions should continue to be made, especially to the Life Membership fund, for reasons reported last year. At present, money must be used from current receipts in order to enable the Institute to fulfill its obligations to those who on joining the organization commuted their dues by a single payment. In addition, with the passage of years the number increases of those who have paid dues forty years or more and who, by reason of age or disability, are unable longer to practise their profession. These men have supported the Institute through their active professional life and it would be a pity to lose them as members through resignation or for failure to keep up their dues. In accordance with the By-laws the Board has authority to advance such members, on application, to the Honor Roll of Senior Members and to relieve them from further payment of dues. It has been the policy of the Board to do this liberally, but to keep up this, as well as to meet other obligations, it is necessary for money to be provided. It has been estimated by the Treasurer that nearly $50,000 additional should be placed in the Life Membership fund as soon as possible to meet these obligations without using current income and to that end it is necessary, not only to avoid running behind currently but to earn, if possible, some surplus each year. The small amount transferred to the Life Membership fund from surplus this year was, as a matter of fact, made possible by certain members paying personally bills that were properly chargeable to the Treasury. Such generosity is common among those active in Institute work and probably no year would have closed with a surplus except for it.

Jan 1, 1929

By Thomas Egleston

All industrial establishments whose operations depend upon chemical reactions use gases. In the simplest case the oxygen of the atmosphere, heated or not, as the case may be, is used, and in other cases, gases which are produced by a special apparatus of more or less complex composition. The manufacturer depends, for the success of his operations, entirely upon having these gases arrive at the right time, in the proper proportions, at the required temperature. It often requires but a slight variation in their composition to make a given process a success or a failure. In most cases the gas used is formed from fuel, and according as variations in its composition are produced by alterations in the manner of charging the grate, not only different, but often directly opposite, results are obtained. The great industrial question of the present time, and one upon which the prosperity of the world depends, is how to get the greatest amount of useful effect from fuel, whether the caloric is used directly or is transformed into horse-power. In almost all industrial pursuits this translates itself into the question of how to construct a fireplace and its adjuncts in such a way that the heat of the flame and of the products of combustion shall be made to produce a maximum effect. Unfortunately, until very recently, except by comparison, there was no means of ascertaining whether the loss of useful effect was 80, 40, or 20 per cent. of the total amount of fuel employed. It seems now strange that there should have been furnaces so constructed as to produce 20 per cent. of carbonic acid in the fireplace, but this has been proved by analysis to have been true. It does seem incredible that, notwithstanding the immense number and variety of furnaces used for different processes, and the great difference in kind, quality, and quantity of fuels consumed, there should formerly have been used for them all, the same stereotyped fireplace, varied only in its dimensions of height, length, and breadth. It is true that, with a good fireman, excellent effects may be, and have been, produced, but the manufacture is here, as in many other cases, dependent on the intelligence of the workman, a very uncertain reliance for capital to rest upon. The workman, unless he receives a prime for fuel saved, or is fined for excessive use of it, may be said

THE Institute of Metals Division opened its series of meetings by a session* on lead, R. S. Dean be-ing in the chair and G. 0. Hiers acting as vice-chairman. A large and representative audience listened to the papers in the abstract and contributed an inter-esting and fruitful discussion. The main points of these papers and discussion are given below: In the absence of Carl E. Swartz, the summary and conclusions of his paper, "A Study of the Lead-Tin-Cadmium System with Reference to Their Use as Solders," were read. Swartz investigated a number of alloys in the lead-tin-cadmium system and prepared a diagram representing the solidification ranges of these alloys. He also made tensile strength tests of joints made with these alloys, and compared these with joints made with ordinary lead-tin solder. The tests showed solders containing cadmium were equally strong as the lead-tin series and that the cadmium alloys were suit-able in other respects for use as solders. In general, solders of the composition near to the ternary lead-tin-cadmium eutectic appeared to be the best for most soldering work although compositions widely differing are desirable for special purposes. The lead-tin-cad-mium solders are finding a market particularly in the fields requiring lower solidification temperatures than common solders. Mr. Darby opened the discussion and asked whether it was a fact that the lead-tin-cadmium solders were more useful than ordinary solders on galvanized and tin-plated sheet. C. Smith said he thought it to be a fact that galvanized sheet was more easily soldered by the lead-tin-cadmium solders than common lead-tin-solder. Continuing, Mr. Smith showed lantern slides of his own investigation of the thermal diagram and recommended the 70 per cent lead, 20 per cent cadmium, and 10 per cent tin for general employment. He thought the author did not differentiate between wetting and alloying and pointed out that wetting was more a ques-tion of the flux than the metal. In some cases a definite alloy was formed by soldering and in some no evidences of alloying were found. Illustrating the former case he showed slides and demonstrated that failures always took place longitudinal with the brittle compound alloy and transversely across the solder itself.

Jan 3, 1928

By R. Littlewood

The concepts of "redox potential" and "oxide-ion activity" are suggested as measures of the fundamental slag properties of interest to the extraction metallurgist. Thermodynamic data for single oxides are presented graphically in these terms and a method of expressing desulfurization of steel in electrochemical terms is indicated. The application of the theovy to mixtures of oxides (slags) is discussed and the redox potential is shown to provide a link between all the redox equilibria in a slag-metal system. In particular, the redox potential of the slag, its basicity, and the oxygen partial It is now generally recognized that slags are mixtures of polymeric anions of silicates, aluminates, phosphates, and so forth, neutralized by cations. However, conventional thermodynamic treatments of slags have almost always been in terms of activities of the pure component oxides (e.g., SiO,, CaO, A1203, and so forth), which are known not to exist as such in slags. While this type of empirical treatment is perfectly acceptable and provides a rigorous and self-consistent way of considering thermodynamic properties, it can give little guide to the structure of slags, since its very nature ig- pressure are closely connected. Direct deternzination of these by electrode-potential measurements is possible. Literature calculations of ion activities in the system Ca0 -Fe0-SiO,/molten iron are used to evaluate redox potentials, which are shown to correlate with data on sulfur partition in the system. In addition to its application to equilibrium conditions, an electrochenzical approach to slag-metal reactions might provide a basis for new methods of studying the kinetics of these reactions and for plant-control instruments in the pyrometallurgical industries. nores such complications. Recently, the thermodynamic properties of some slags have been successfully interpreted in terms of activities of anions of varying degrees of complexity. (While these have been successful curve-fitting exercises, there is no direct implication that the anions used in the models are necessarily the ones which actually exist in slags.) The success of these ionic thermodynamic treatments is encouraging but a complete picture of slag structure is still a long way off. What is needed is a complete knowledge of the values of stability constants for all reactions in slags of the type:

Jan 1, 1965

By J. R. Long, T. R. Graham, C. W. Matthews, R. S. Dean

In a previous paper! the authors reported on the mechanical properties of a 65 per cent copper, 10 per cent manganese, 25 per cent zinc alloy as compared with, similarly processed cartridge brass. Additional investigations by these laboratories, on higher copper alloys, have demonstrated that at lower zinc concentrations even larger amounts of pure manganese may be added to copper-zinc alloys without exceeding the single-phase solid solution limits, and that similar increases in tensile strength, yield strength, and hardness may be obtained without excessive decreases in ductility. Several compositions in this range showed also a decided color change with increasing manganese. The normal "brassy" color was considerably lightcncd and reduced to a faint yellow cast at 15 per cent manganese. With higher manganese contents the alloys were essentially white and similar in appearance to the nickel-silver alloys. From this work it appeared that it would be desirable to determine more completely the properties of the wrought and annealed white alloys. Accordingly, a more detailed study was planned of an alloy having the composition 70 per cent copper, 20 per cent manganese, and 10 per cent zinc. This alloy remained single-phase throughout the working and annealing cycles of the preliminary tests and appeared to be' about the strongest of the white single-phase alloys. The project included also an investigation of additional alloys, deviating from this composition by 5 per cent of each of the three components to evaluate the effects of variation in composition and a study of the propertics of the central alloy made with silicothermic manganese. Material Preparation Electrolytic manganese, wirebar copper, and electrolytic zinc were used for the preparation of the alloys. Representative analysis of the electrolytic manganese seldom exceeds 0.01 per cent iron, 0.02 per cent sulphur and 0.02 per cent lead, with no silicon or aluminum. A typical sample of the silicothermic manganese metal contained 2 per cent iron, 0.81 per cent silicon, 0.16 per cent carbon, and 0.36 per cent aluminum. Melting and alloying were performed in a high-frequency furnace with magnesia crucibles. Melts were deoxidized with small aluminum additions and cast into 25-lb. slab ingots. Care was exercised in deoxidation to avoid excessive amounts of residual aluminum, which has been found to have significant effects on alloys in this system. All ingots were hot-rolled at 1200' to I300°F. and then cold-rolled with intermediate anneal-

Jan 1, 1945

By Sidney A. Swensrud

Much has been said and written about uneconomic and evil marketing practices in the oil industry, including such factors as loaning of equipment, price cutting and secret prices, commercial discounts, abuses of credit cards and coupon books, and so forth. It is not my purpose here to add to the discussion of those problems, but rather to attempt a discussion of some of the more basic factors in the general distribution economies of the industry. The economics of distribution in the oil industry cannot be regarded apart from the general economics of the industry as a whole. The attempt to regard them as separate has led many people into the fallacy of believing that the responsibility for the apparent evils in the marketing end of the business lay entirely at the door of the marketing end. Such a view fails to take cognizance of many underlying factors; we can only expect to understand the distribution economics of the industry if we understand its general economics. We must realize also that the oil industry today is essentially the gasoline industry. The oil industry may be said to have begun about 60 years ago. At the outset it was concerned chiefly with the manufacture and sale of kerosene, lubricating oils and greases. Gasoline was then a most obnoxious by-product. The early oil-marketing company was engaged almost exclusively in refining and marketing—it did not concern itself with production but bore the relation to it merely of a purchaser. It may be said that the urge of marketing development in those days, therefore, came from the refining and marketing end of the business. The raw material had not yet begun to exert its enormous pressure, nor had the producer of crude oil acquired a direct interest in the sale of the ultimate finished products. Since then great changes have taken place. With the development of the automobile came a vast new demand for the raw material from which gasoline could be made. No longer could the refining and marketing companies be indifferent to the source of that raw material, particularly in view of the pessimistic outlook then presented as to the probable quantity of oil in existence. And despite the complete overturning of those early estimates, made before the bounty of nature and the skill of

Jan 1, 1931

By T. E. Godson

As this is the age of reform, a uniform mining law for North America is a moot subject for discussion at this meeting of the Institute. The question is one of peculiarly technical and, in many respects, local character. We all appreciate the value of the metal-producing industries and recognize the necessity and importance of a well-considered and evenly balanced mining law as a branch of our jurisprudence either for the Provinces or the Dominion as a whole. Mining has taken its place as a foremost industry and legislation that seeks to control and govern it is the concern of not only the active miner but the citizens of the state. A law that, through its charitable measures brings into being the prospector, the pathfinder and superstructure of all mining activity and industry, protects his interests, safeguards invested capital, and encourages and enforces development, possesses at least the salient requirements of a businesslike Act. The manner of doing so is, I think, one of local and internal concern. May I be permitted to say without presumption that of the five mining codes, or Acts, that we have in the Dominion of Canada born and bred within the Provinces of British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, some of them could be materially improved. In many respects they do not measure up to the times; they were no doubt creations of merit at the date of their birth but they have not been clothed in seasonable raiment as the years passed by. It is a stern fundamental principle that all natural resources are the inalienable property of the crown. If it is mineral land, then it follows for the protection of the state and the direct advancement of the occupant that the land should be developed as such. The method or machinery by which this must be accomplished is a matter of detail, not of principle. If the right to possession as a licensee depends on discovery, it is not inconsistent with the duty the crown owes to, the state that a grant in fee should pass to the discoverer if there is imposed, after patent issues, a requirement of continuous work or the alternative of an acreage tax sufficiently burdensome to make it unprofitable that the land should be held in an undeveloped state. If, this requirement is recognized, the mental distinction between a grant and lease ceases to exist. A

Jan 4, 1919

THE great subject of interest in American affairs during February was the consideration of the proposed soldier bonus. This proposal was based upon the idea that, because most of the workers of the United States had enjoyed high wages during war, the soldiers were entitled to "adjusted compensa-tion" in order to equalize things. It overlooked the fact that the soldiers, themselves, had the opportunity to enjoy high wages in 1919 and 1920, when rates were highest. Apart from this, the whole project was founded on fallacies and involved what would be nothing less than economic crime. Although it looked as if the measure were destined to be railroaded through Congress, so great a storm of protest was pelted upon Congress that the present outlook is that the whole project will be abandoned. There was probably some increase in the physical volume of business during February. A rise in prices for agricultural products assisted the farmers mate-rially. These developments, however, are not to be construed as presaging any general upward movement. On the contrary, the current year is to be contem-plated as one of serious labor troubles, following inevit-able reductions of wages. These began in February in the form of an extensive strike in the cotton textile industry of New England, accompanied by some rioting in Rhode Island. The coal miners have had numerous conferences, without coming to any encouraging results, and the stage appears to be fully set for a general strike beginning Apr. 1. About the only question now is whether this will comprise both the bituminous and anthracite miners. If the latter refuse to go out, no serious shortage of coal is anticipated, the belief being that the existing stocks together with the output of the non-union mines will supply the demand, which is sub-normal even now. In the metal industries, lead and zinc were dull but stable. The weakening tendency in iron and steel that was manifest during January appeared to be checked, at least temporarily. Copper was charac-terized by a distinct weakness and a considerable decline in the market. This downward movement was inspired by the news during January that several of the important mining companies were taking steps to resume production. During February the demand for copper, both foreign and domestic, was poor.

Jan 3, 1922

By Martin T. Broome

INTRODUCTION The Luanshya Mine is situated in the southern part of the Zambian Copperbelt. The copper ore deposit is stratiform, and is preserved in a synclinorium known as the Roan/ Muliashi basin. Roan shaft (formally called No.14 shaft) is located at the eastern end of the syncline and is theoldest of the presently operating hoisting shafts, being sunk during the 1930's. It presently hoists some 45 per- cent of the total Luanshya Mine production. A cross-section through the shaft is shown in figure 1. The ore formation on the south limb is unmined on this section because until recently it was believed that such mining might cause damage to the shaft. This paper examines the influences of adjacent mining on this so-called 'shaft pillar', and describes the mechanics of subsidence of the pillar itself. GEOLOGY AND STRUCTURE Figure 1 shows the general form of folding in the vicinity of Roan shaft. The north and south limbs of the main syncline approach parallelism, with the bottom of the trough fairly smoothly rounded. The axis of the - trough plunges to the west-north-west at 6° - l0°. A brief summary of the major lithologies present in the Roan basin is given in table 1, however, the performance of the overall structure during progressive mining of the ore horizon is controlled by the following features in addition to the mining method. Intraformational Contacts These are characteristically weak in most geological environments. The BC/RL7 contact is an unconformity between moderately weak quartz-biotite schists below (unconfined compressive strength 40 - 80 MN/M 2), and strong quartzites above (U .C .S. 170-200 MN/M2) Subsequent formations are conformable, and planes of weakness are generally the result of contrasting lithology (see below). Weak Interbeds The Rt7, RL6, RL5, RL3 and RU2 horizons consist predominantly of quartzitic rocks, i.e. conglomerates, quartzites and argillites, and as such are generally strong and considered suitable for the positioning of development. Between these however, lie two much weaker dolomitic horizons, the RL4 and RU1. The Rt4 is the main hangingwall aquifer, and must be drained prior to mining. Drainage results in an extremely weak, blocky cavernous horizon which usually requires support if exposed by development. Similarly, the RU1 formation is comprised mainly of dolomites and dolomitic arqillites which are weak and cavernous. In the eastern part of the Roan/

Jan 1, 1981

By F. G. Miller

The washabilities of typical bituminous coals are discussed in an effort to illustrate the importance of determining, by a complete washability study, the sulfur forms and their distribution in a coal. This study will then show the extent to which the sulfur can be removed. It should be emphasized that each potential application requires a thorough study because of the varying amounts of sulfur in different coals. It is not the intent of this paper to show the best results that flotation can produce, but rather to illustrate the potential of this process and point out the importance of improved flotation techniques where sulfur reduction is involved. It is generally accepted that sulfur exists in coal in three forms: (1) pyritic, (2) organic, and (3) sulfate sulfur. Sulfate sulfur usually makes up less than 1% of the total sulfur content. Pyritic and organic sulfur make up almost all of the total sulfur content, occur in varying amounts in different coals, and can vary greatly in coal of the same seam. Pyritic sulfurs of 20% to 80% of the total sulfur have been reported. Other authors have shown that it is not possible to remove the organic sulfur without chemically altering the coal. Chapman and ones' state: "Organic sulfur, unlike pyritic sulfur does not exist as discrete particles, but is intimately associated with the coal structure, and as such it is not possible to remove it or reduce its concentration by physical means." Any success in removing sulfur has come about by removing pyritic sulfur by physical means; therefore, removal of sulfur in the pyritic form is the subject of this investigation. The extent to which any impurities can be removed from a particular coal can be determined by a washability study. Outside of crushing coal to finer sizes or chemically altering the coal, there are no known methods of changing this inherent washability characteristic. The efficiency of various methods used to remove impurities can be determined by comparison of results produced at a yield to the results as shown by a washability study. In recent years heavy media processes have proven their ability to wash plus 28 mesh coal and nearly produce results shown to be theoretically possible by the washability study. Therefore, it is the objective of this paper to show various methods of treating the finer fractions of the coal, in the hope of developing

Jan 1, 1964

By Henry Louis

The work performed by the Royal Commission on Mining Subsidence is likely to prove of permancnt value, less perhaps for the conclusions it has reached and for the recommendations it has based upon these than for the admirable exposition which it affords of the law concerning mining subsidence and of the legal status of the person who has suffered damage by reason of such subsidence, as also of him whose working has caused the damage. The Commission was appointed by Royal Warrant in the middle of 1925 and delivered its final report in the middle of 1927. The terms of reference to the Commission were as follows: "To consider the operation of the law relating to the support of the surface of the land, and of buildings or works on or under the surface, by underlying or adjacent minerals; to enquire into the extent and gravity of the damage caused by subsidence owing to the extraction of minerals and the incidence of the resulting liability; and to report what steps should be taken, by legislation or otherwise, to remedy, equitably to all persons concerned, any defects or hardships that may be found to arise in existing conditions." Report on the Doncaster Area The Commission submitted an interim report at the end of 1925, which referred solely to one area, usually spoken of as the Doncaster area, and recommended that a Commission of a more technical character be appointed to investigate this particular case. This recommendation was acted upon, and the Commission thus appointed reported early in 1928. Here it is necessary only to indicate the nature of the special problem that had to be solved, the proposed solution being mainly of local interest. The Doncaster area consists of about 330 sq. miles of low-lying land in the southeasterly portion of Yorkshire and adjoining parts of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. No less than 78 per cent, of this land lies below the 25-ft. contour line, and a good deal is even below high-water level. It includes a large tract of land known as Hatfield Chase, swampy ground which has always been a source of trouble on that account, so much so that in 1626 a Dutchman, Cornelius Vermuyden, was called in by King Charles I to devise and execute schemes of drainage for its reclamation. The entire Doncaster area is

Jan 1, 1930

By Henry S. Munroe

THE plan of organizing a summer class of students of the School of Mines, for the practical study of mining and miner's work, received at the outset the following cordial indorsement : I have thought over the plan proposed by you of taking the students to the mines during the summer, and of having them actually take part, under the direction of skilled workmen, in all the various kinds of mining work; and of using them as a carps of engineers to make Inside and outside surveys, particularly with a view to the detailed study of the geology of the mine. I have no hesitation in saying, that if the students have been previously instructed in the theoretical part of their studies, by lectures and practice during the winter, the plan would be an admirable one. Of course experience will suggest modifications of detail. From the work you have done at our mines this spring, I feel sure that you would be perfectly competent to carry out your plan, and I shall gladly aid you in any way I can. "Yours, sincerely, T. B. Coxe." The plan of the proposed summer school thus indorsed by Mr. Coxe was adopted by the trustees of Columbia College, and an appropriation of one thousand dollars, or so much thereof as might be necessary, was voted for the experiment. A volunteer class of thirteen students was formed, and the first summer school was held at Drifton, in July and August of that. year (1877). The following extract, from an editorial notice in the Engineering and Mining Journal, of August 11, 1877, will give an idea of the 'organization of the school and the work required of the students. "The students, on reporting to Professor Munroe, were divided into squads of two or three men each, and on Monday, July 2d, were assigned to the Care of skilled miners, selected for the purpose by the mine boss, for instruction in gangway work. Half of the students worked in the morning and the other half in the afternoon, one squad at a time with each miner. The times of going and coming to and from work were so arranged that each student spent four to four and a half hours in the mine each day. While in the mine they assisted the miner to load his car, thereby learning readily to distinguish 'slate ' and

Jan 1, 1881

General discussion on the above subject, presented at the Pittsburgh meeting, October, 1914. GEORGE S. Rice, Pittsburgh,. Pa.-Undoubtedly there is a serious problem through the juxtaposition of gas and oil wells and coal mines, not only at the present time, but possibly of far more serious import for the future. If one examines a map of the coal fields on which is superposed the oil and gas fields of the country, one finds that they overlap to a very great extent. I may say at the beginning that we have not, so far as I know, had any very large number, of accidents growing out of this situation causing loss of life. Such accidents, or rather incidents, that have occurred have all been rather potential possibilities for disasters due to the leakage of gas from wells into the adjacent coal mines. The condition has been most acute in the Fairmont district of West Virginia, and in the general coal fields southwest of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. The accidents which have actually occurred were summarized in Bulletin No. 65 (Oil and Gas Wells through Workable Coal Beds) issued by the U. S. Bureau of Mines, reporting the transactions of several meetings in Pittsburgh, February, 1913, of oil and gas well representives, State geologists, State mine inspectors, coal-mine operators, and representatives of the U. S. Bureau of Mines. This conference was partly brought about through a case in which the Pennsylvania State inspection department had brought suit to restrain a gas company from completing a well through a certain mine. The office of the Attorney General of Pennsylvania asked the opinion of the Bureau of Mines upon the matter; about the same time the Association of State Geologists, at its New Haven meeting, asked the Bureau to take up the problem. Accordingly, it was thought advisable to bring together the several, interests. For the most part the danger is, I think, greater in the future, than at the present time Many parts of the coal fields of Pennsylvania, in Greene County particularly, have been penetrated by numerous wells very close together, and with the present practice of having a large coal pillar around each well, has made or will make the mining of many areas difficult or pro-

Jan 4, 1915

By T. Prof. Egleston

ALL industrial establishments whose operations depend upon chemical reactions use gases. In the simplest case the oxygen of the atmosphere, heated or not, as the case may be, is used, and in other cases, gases which are produced by a special apparatus of more or less complex composition. The manufacturer depends, for the success of his operations, entirely upon having these gases arrive at the right time, in the proper proportions, at the required temperature. It often requires but a slight variation in their composition to make a given process a success or a failure. In most cases the gas used is formed from fuel, and according as variations in its composition are produced by alterations in the manner of charging the grate, not only different, but often directly opposite, results are obtained. The great industrial question of the present time, and one upon which the prosperity of the world depends, is how to get the greatest amount of useful effect from fuel, whether the caloric is used directly or is transformed into horse-power. In almost all industrial pursuits this translates itself into the question of how to construct a fireplace and its adjuncts in such a way that the heat of the flame and of the products of combustion shall be made to produce a maximum effect. Unfortunately, until very recently, except by comparison, there was no means of ascertaining whether the loss of useful effect was 80, 40, or 20 per cent. of the total amount of fuel employed. It seems now strange that there should have been furnaces so constructed as to produce 20 per cent. of carbonic acid in the fireplace, but this has been proved by analysis to have been true. It does seem incredible that, notwithstanding the immense number and variety of furnaces used for different processes, and the great difference in kind, quality, and quantity of fuels consumed, there should formerly have been used for them all, the same stereotyped fireplace, varied only in its dimensions of height, length, and breadth. It is true that, with a good fireman, excellent effects may be, and have been, produced, but the manufacture is here, as in many other cases, dependent on the intelligence of the workman, a very uncertain reliance for capital to rest upon. The workman, unless he receives a prime for fuel saved, or is fined for excessive use of it, may be said

Jan 1, 1874

By K. R. Garr, D. Kramer, A. G. Pard

EXPOSURE of steels to a fast-neutron flux results in helium generation by (n,a) reactions. The elements Fe, Ni, Cr, and N are major participants in the (n,a) reaction and helium concentrations of up to 5 x 10"5 atom fraction could accrue in fuel clads after a year of service in proposed fast reactors.' Such concentrations of helium can severely reduce the ductility of alloys at temperatures of reactor service. The phenomenon of helium embrittlement has been studied in austenitic alloys which were irradiated with particles as a rapid means of producing significant helium concentrations.2-5 The pres-ent work is a continuation of those studies and is concerned with helium effects in a ferritic stainless steel. I) EXPERIMENT Small sheet tensile samples with a gage length of 0.50 in. and a cross-section of 0.009 by 0.040 in. in the gage length were punched from cold-rolled type 405 stainless steel. The composition of the steel used in this work is given in Table I. Prior to helium injection, the samples were annealed 24 hr at 760°C which caused complete recrys-tallization with a resulting grain size of 40 u. This treatment rendered the alloy completely ferritic and carbide particles, 0.5 to 2 uin size, were present at a density of 1 x 1011 cm-3, Fig. 1. These carbide particles were probably a mixture of the M7C3 and M4C types.6 Helium was injected into the samples by irradiation with a particles from a cyclotron, which produced uniform concentrations through the center two-thirds of the sample thickness. Details of this procedure were previously described.' The average helium concentration, as measured on a gas-source mass spec- 11) RESULTS A) Tensile Tests. The results of the tensile tests are given in Table I1 where the values shown are averages of two samples. There was no significant effect of helium on either the yield strength or tensile strength at 550" or 650°C but an increase in both is apparent at 750°C. Samples with helium showed a 20 pct loss in total elongation at 650°C which increased to a 55 pct loss at 750°C. The uniform elongation is not affected by helium at 550" or 650°C but shows an increase at 750°C.

Jan 1, 1970

By V. H. Wilhelm

Developments in California during 1942 were marked by many difficulties in operation, of which the lack of labor and material were the main factors in slowing down work. During the many years of curtailment, which has been effective since 1928, a number of estimates of the state's capacity to produce have been built up, but during the year 44 fields were 'eliminated from curtailment and valuable data were obtained as to the normal capacity of these fields to produce. Because of new discoveries and the normal decline of old fields, which is more than 15 per cent per year, it is estimated that the sustained capacity of the state for a 5-year period is not more than 500,000 bbl. per day. Decline in the rate of production was greatest in the fields in the Los Angeles Basin district. These fields have been produced nearly at capacity for many years and had no reserve of shut-in production. The San Joaquin Valley and Coastal districts have responded well to the increased allotments assigned to them by the Petroleum Administrator for War. All heavy oil fields in the state are on full production, except in the Coastal district, where transportation is the limiting factor. Although approximately 2500 more wells are on production in the state than there were in 1941, the supply of heavy crude has not yet reached the demand. A summary of statistics for 1941 and 1942 is given in the following table. Production in California for 1942 was 680,000 bbl. a day as against 631,000 bbl. a day for 1941, an increase of 7.8 per cent. The present maximum efficient rate has been estimated at 808,000 bbl. per day. This indicates that in the 15 restricted fields of the state there is only an additional 83,000 bbl. per day of light oil available. Drilling Activity Drilling activity during the year was equivalent to but 70 per cent of normal. Although shortages of equipment and labor were in part responsible for the reduced drilling activity, the main reasons were the lack of proved locations due to a cycle of very few new discoveries and the restrictions of Conservation Order M-68. For the first six months of the year, 300 new oil wells were completed, which were equally divided as to the number of light and heavy oil producers. But, for the last six months of the year, it is

Jan 1, 1943

By J. F. Myers, F. M. Lewis

The crushing of ore, as defined by Taggart, is "usually a stage process, utilizing . . . machines especially suitable for the reduction of particular sizes. . . . down to a final stage, employed for the reduction of the finest sizes. ... In contradistinction, comminution to 20-mesh or finer is called grinding. There is a twilight zone in which the product is 6, 10, or 14-mesh limiting size which is either crushing or grinding. ..." Since the data in this paper pertain to a rod-mill operation, comminuting a particular ore size of ¾ in. to a final stage, coarser than 20-mesh, the rod mill is designated as a "fine crusher machine" in this paper. The published literature discloses a wealth of data regarding a rod mill as a fine-grinding machine but relatively little as a fine-crushing operation. Typical of the latter operation is: (I) a description by F. J. Tuck2 in which a fine-crushing rod mill replaced crushing rolls and (2) a description by the present authors3 in which a fine-crushing rod mill was installed instead of a collventional fine-crushing machine. The experience of the authors is that a definite distinction must he made between the rod mill functioning as a fine crusher and as a fine-grinding machine. As a fine crushing machine it prepares relatively large amounts of ore for a subsequent fine grinding operation; as a grinding machine, it grinds relatively small amounts of ore to some predetermined finished product. Pulp Movement and Action in Mill In considering the work performed by a fine-crushing rod mill, it seems important to understand just what takes place within the mill. We were inspired to study this matter by a paper by E. W. Davis,4 which indicated that definite water classification of ore particles took place in a ball mill. However, in thinking of the rod-mill action from this point of view, we were confronted with the fact that our rod-mill discharge product showed no evidence of action by water classification. The Tennessee Copper Co. ore is relatively high in sulphides, and the gangue rock and the sulphides are of about the same hardness. In the presence of any action by classification, the coarser sizes are definitely very lean in sulphide minerals.

Jan 1, 1947

By L. Sturkey

Quantitative X-ray diffraction studies of the precipitation of thorium in a Mg + 3.3 Th + 0.51 Zr alloy (HK31A) in both the as-cast and cold-worked states show that the precipitation may be described by f = 1 - e(t/T)1/2 over most of the aging period. The effects of cold work and temperature changes are determined. The precipitation of tile equilibrium Mg-Th compotund is Preceded by the formation of a transition phase of higher thorium content, with the cowposition Mg2Th and with a Laves-phase structure. Thorium-containing alloys of magnesium have assumed considerable commercial importance, especially for applications requiring exposures to temperatures greater than 500°F for appreciable lengths of time. The principal commercial wrought alloys in this system are HK31A, containing nominally 3 pet by weight thorium and about 0.7 pet by weight zirconium: and HM21A. containing 2 pet by weight thorium and 1 pet by weight manganese. These two alloys retain a high level of properties even after exposures of 100 hr at 600°F, while the more common alloys containing aluminum and zinc are badly overaged by these conditions. Therefore, in order to obtain some insight into the mechanism by which thorium produces high temperature stability in these wrought alloys, it seems desirable to investi- gate the effect of temperature and mechanical working on the precipitation processes involving thorium. Since the scattering power of a thorium atom for CuKa X-ray radiation is about ten times that for a magnesium atom, the magnesium alloys containing about 3 pet by weight thorium are ideal for quantitative measurements by X-ray diffraction of the amount of Mg-Th compound present at any time. Such quantitative measurements should be of theoretical importance in the study of the effects of time, temperature, and deformation on precipitation and precipitation hardening. Of the two commercial alloys, HM21A and HK31A, the latter is certainly the most suitable for study: In the Mg-Th-Zr2 system, only Mg-Th compounds need be considered, since no ternary compounds or binary Th-Zr3 and Mg-Zr4 compounds exist. The Zr is added to this alloy as a grain refining agent and probably plays a secondary role in precipitation. On the other hand. thorium and manganese form many

Jan 1, 1961

By J. P. Witherow

MR. BIRKINBINE'S description of the bad working and sudden chilling of the Warwick Furnace last summer, seems to me quite phenomenal in blast-furnace practice. During my connection with the management of blast furnaces for many years, in the anthracite, coke, and raw-bituminous coal districts, such a case has never come under my notice. It seems to me that the scaffold in the zone of fusion could not have established itself (so that the whole power of the engines, with a blast pressure ranging from 12 to 18 pounds per square inch, could not penetrate), unless the furnace was previously badly scaffolded and bridged in some of its upper sections, from 15 to 30 feet above the hearth level, either in the zone of chemical action or the beginning of the zone of fusion. Such a "barrier to the upward gaseous currents would cause a suspension of combustion which may have superinducedd the scaffold that is assumed to have existed in the zone of fusion. It is Difficult to conceive' that an agglomerated mass almost across the section of the lower bosh should have formed all at once, if the furnace was free and porous for the reaction of the gaseous currents above. Therefore, I think, the Warwick furnace was by no means in as free, open, and fine internal condition at the time the trouble commenced as the description of its regular working would lead us to suppose. I do not question the accuracy of the statements relative to the output of iron, etc. I merely claim that the phenomena., as described, could not have been almost instantaneously developed, unless there had been an incipient seaffold and lodgment above the zone of fusion. I would state my hypothesis to be that the stock lodged or collected in some of its upper sections during the process of blowing-in, on which, as a basis, more or less accumulations may .have lodged, and thus, indirectly, caused the formation of the suc- * This paper was not presented to the Institute in its present form, but is based on remarks, in discussion, by the author on Mr. Birkinbine's paper on, a Short Blast at the Warwick Furnace, and Mr. Witherbee's paper on Two Scaffolds at the Cedar Point Furnace.

Jan 1, 1881

By E. R. Palowitch, P. H. Broussard

The United States aims to achieve some modicum of energy self-sufficiency through means such as conservation, increased domestic oil and gas production, substitution by the electric utilities of coal or coaloil mixtures for oil and gas, and development of a viable synthetic liquid fuels industry. Coal's role in attaining this goal will necessitate doubling coal production by the end of the 1980's. And if the United States does in fact become the World's Saudi Arabia of coal, the total annual production to meet these domestic needs and export markets could double again by the year 2,000. As only a small portion of our Nation's reserves are recoverable by state-of-the-art surface mining methods, most of the coal produced in the future will have to be mined underground (Averitt, 1975). But this projected increase in coal demand is occurring in the face of a decade of radically decreasing productivity. Specifically, average worker productivity in underground coal mines has decreased from 14.2 tonnes (metric tons) per workershift in 1969 to 7.2 tonnes per worker-shift in 1979; and 95 percent of coal produced underground during this period was produced by room-and-pillar methods (U.S. Dept. of Energy, 1980). Although there is no complete agreement on the impact of recent Federal legislation, there is strong correlation between the dramatic decrease in productivity in underground coal mining and the implementation of the recent Federal mine health and safety regulations (U.S. Congress, 1969). A review of the wide range of coal mining research, development, and demonstration projects currently being funded by the federal government and by industry gives little encouragement for increasing worker productivity on room-and-pillar sections underground in the immediate future (Palowitch, 1978). Conversely, the opportunities for increasing production/productivity underground with longwall methods appear somewhat more encouraging. Although at least one longwall face in the U.S. did produce more than one million tonnes of coal in a single year, the national two-shift average production from one hundred or so longwall faces is about 1,000 tonnes per day (Huwood-Irwin Co., 1978 and Consolidation Coal Company, 1976). Clearly, there exists some real opportunities for improvement. One of these opportunities is to automate the cutter-loader.

Jan 1, 1981