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By G. J. Simandl

"Since the 1980s, China has become the predominant producer of REEs. Recently, it introduced REE export quotas and this started a world-scale REE exploration rush. REE resources are concentrated in carbonatite-related deposits, peralkaline igneous rocks, pegmatites, REE ± P veins, ion adsorption clays, placers, and some deep ocean sediments. REEs could also be derived as a by-product of phosphate fertilizer, U processing, Ti-Zr-bearing placers, and exploitation of Olympic Dam-type sub-type of IOCG deposits. The ideal REE development target would be located in a politically stable jurisdiction such as Canada. REE grade and tonnage, mineralogy, and permissive metallurgy are some of the key technical factors that could be used to screen projects. INTRODUCTIONAccording to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), the term “rare earth elements” (REEs) encompasses yttrium (Y), scandium (Sc), and the lanthanide series: lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and lutetium (Lu). This definition is used throughout this paper.REEs are subdivided into light (LREE) and heavy (HREE) categories. LREEs include, Sc, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, and Gd and HREE include Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, and Y. Promethium (Pm) does not occur in nature. Concentrations of individual LREEs in the upper crust of the Earth are comparable to those of base metals. Even the least abundant REE (Lu) is about 200 times more abundant than gold.The production of REEs, reported in the form of oxides (REOs), for 2011 is estimated at 140 000 t (Figure 1a). Although high technology industries can substitute several REEs with other materials, these substitutes are typically more expensive or less effective than the REEs they replace. A number of countries, including the United States, consider several REEs essential for national security, their economy, and a general reduction in green house gas emissions. The forecasted demand for individual LREOs is much higher than that of HREOs (Figure 2). Dy, Eu, Tb, Nd, and Y are essential for the US economy and subject to predicted supply disruptions (U.S. Department of Energy, 2010)."

Jan 1, 2012

By Manoj Khandelwal, Bright Akuinor Tsidi, Newton Amegbey, Daniel Mireku-Gyimah

This study emphasizes the importance of understanding the factors that influence the throwing of flyrock in mining operations, a significant hazard to both workers and nearby structures. Moreover, it highlights how blasting engineers, when estimating flyrock occurrences and their travel distance, typically rely on input parameters such as powder factor (PF), hole length (HL), subdrill (SD), spacing (S), hole diameter (D), burden (B) and stemming length (ST), while overlooking crucial factors like velocity of detonation (VOD) and charge per bank cubic meter (CPBCM). Through analysis using support vector machine (SVM) modeling in MATLAB, the study underscores the impact of including or excluding VOD and CPBCM on flyrock throw distance.

Jul 1, 2024

By F. T. Principe

In order for solvent extraction technology to be acceptable as an alternative to existing jarosite precipitation circuits, iron must be cleanly separated and concentrated into a feed stream suitable for downstream iron by-product recovery which meets market specifications and economics. Ten years ago, significant progress was made in a joint McCill University/CANMET project that involved iron extraction with mono(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid and stripping with HCI. Our iron solvent extraction research was reactivated recently by looking into this and other members of the organophosphorus extractant family. Our research focuses on the mechanisms and control of anion (SO42/CI) transport across the various phases (Rafinate/Organic/Strip), iron build-up in the strip liquor, and extractant stability/selectivity. In this paper, these issues along with some other performance parameters are discussed using data derived from an extensive search of the two commercially available and best known members of the organophosphorus family, di-2-ethylhexyl (D2EHPA) and mono-2-ethylhexyl (M2EHPA) phosphoric acid. Further in this discussion, the challenges lying ahead in the development of sx systems that overcome the deficiencies of D2EHPA and M2EHPA are outlined. In particular, the necessity of considering secondary separation technologies that can further concentrate iron values in the chloride strip liquor to levels economically attractive for the production of saleable iron oxide by pyrohydrolysis is addressed.

Jan 1, 1998

By D Schwab, R M. Tosdal

The Quesnell-Stikine arcs, in the Canadian Cordillera, are host to Triassic and Early Jurassic alkalic porphyry Cu-Au and calc-alkalic porphyry Cu-(Mo-Au) deposits formed outboard of ancestralNorth America in island-arc tectonic settings (McMillan, 1991). The majority of the alkalic porphyry Cu-Au deposits are products of a discrete magmatic event at the end of the Triassic, with a second and smaller event in the Early Jurassic (Mortensen, Ghosh and Ferri, 1995). Of the Triassic complexes, the Galore Creek alkalic intrusive suite is one of the largest and most silica-undersaturated intrusive complexes, and host to the most significant undeveloped alkalic porphyry Cu-Au resource in North America (Lang, Stanley and Thompson, 1995). Because of the common presence of feldspathoidal-bearing rocks in the complex (Enns et al, 1995), Galore Creek likely represents an end member example of the alkalic porphyry Cu-Au class. The Galore Creek alkalic Cu-Au-Ag porphyry district, located in NW British Columbia (Canada), contains 12 mineralised prospects (Enns et al, 1995; Micko et al, 2007; Schwab et al, in press) with a total measured and indicated resources of 785.7 Mt at 0.52 per cent Cu, 0.29 g/t Au and 4.87 g/t Ag (NovaGold Resources Inc, February, 2008). The Central Zone is the largest and best delineated. Other economically important mineralised centres include the South-West, Bountiful, West Fork and Junction deposits. The South-West Zone, the focus of this contribution, is a Cu-Au-Ag breccia-centred deposit with a measured and indicated resource of 69 Mt grading 0.42 per cent Cu, 0.69 g/t Au, 2.67 g/t Ag. Hosted in brecciated intrusive rocks, the South-West Zone is distinctly younger than the Central Zone and most of the other mineralised centres (Enns et al, 1995; Schwab et al, in press). The South-West Zone therefore preserves the late stages of hydrothermal evolution at Galore Creek. An EXTENDED ABSTRACT is available for download. A full-length paper was not prepared for this presentation.

Jan 1, 2008

By Butt C. R M

Resurgence in Au exploration during the past decade has been characterised by a considerable emphasis and dependence on geochemical procedures. This has been made possible, firstly, by marked improvements in analytical sensitivity over those previously available and secondly, of particular importance to exploration in Australia, by a better understanding of the distribution of Au in the regolith, which has led to the optimisation of sample media. These developments have given exploration companies the ability to seek and detect subtle and widespread geochemical signatures of concealed Au mineralisation and provided an enhanced capability to interpret the data. As a consequence, several new discoveries have been made, even in areas that have been intensively explored in the past. In the deeply weathered Yilgarn Craton (WA), and in equivalent areas elsewhere in Australia and overseas, Au has accumulated in the upper lateritic gravels and duricrusts of the regolith, probably during humid climatic periods in the Tertiary. The laterites may not only be Au ores in themselves, but research by CSIRO and CRC LEME has shown them to be very important sample media, (eg Anand and Smith, 1992). In many areas, however, the laterite has been eroded and hence is unavailable as a sample medium and chemical modification under more and conditions since the Tertiary has leached Au from the upper saprolite. This has greatly increased the difficulties of exploration, particularly where reliance was placed on sampling between 2 and 15 m of the surface. Further research, however, has demonstrated that, despite this leaching, recent remobilisation of An has caused it to concentrate in a specific soil component, pedogenic carbonate, usually in the top I - 2 m, thereby giving surface expression even to mineralisation that is concealed by over 20 in of leached overburden. Secondary carbonates, commonly referred to as calcrete, may precipitate as calcite and/or dolomite in regoliths where the average annual rainfall is less than about 600 mm. Pedogenic carbonates are those that form in unsaturated (vadose) soil horizons. They are widely distributed in the Gawler and Yilgarn Cratons. In the Yilgarn Craton south of about 30¦S ('the Menzies Line'), they are seemingly more abundant over more basic rocks and towards the south east (Figure 1). In contrast, groundwater calcretes form in saturated (phreatic) environments, typically in the axes of major drainages north of the Menzies Line. These are known to accumulate economically-significant grades of U but not, apparently, An.

Jan 1, 1997

By Pertti Pekkala

Outokumpu has 25 years of experience in the SX area. The development of the solvent extraction plants responds to an ever increasing demand for lower operational costs wd for adaptability to process disturbances with minimized risks. In this paper the features of the VSF ("Vertical Smooth Flow") SX technology are described, such as the separated pumping and mixing, the homogenous gentle mixing, the droplet coalescence and the ultra pure settling. A major advantage of the mixing technology is the high stage efficiency of above 99 per cent. The connection between this and some features of the settler front section is clarified. The present design of VSF plants is based on experience of existing operations at, for example, Zaldivar, Radomiro, Morenci, Kokkola and Harjavalta. These production plants cover a unit capacity range of 60 to 3,600 m3/h expressed as a total flow. It is evident that there are no restrictive factors to increase the total flow up to 5,000-6,000 m3/h by introducing the VSF technology. The copper SX technology has a long history reflecting many individual features of the separate copper SX plants. Still it is necessary to verify all actual running parameters by pilot tests taking into account impurities, chemicals used etc. The design of SX plants is not only about the delivery of equipment but also a process concept, and it is best tailor-made and adapted to specific local requirements.

Jan 1, 1999

By K. Yoo

Cuprous oxide is one of the oldest antifouling agents and also acts as red pigment in these paints. In printed circuit board manufacturing industries, waste etchant contains a substantial amount of copper ion. In the present study, a process was suggested for recovering cuprous oxides from the waste etchant and optimum conditions were investigated to recover the cuprous oxides. The process consists of two steps: in first step, Cu powder is added into wastewater solution, and cupric ions re-duce into cuprous ions (Cu+Cu2+?2Cu+), where cuprous ions precipitate as cuprous chloride; In second step, cuprous oxide is synthesized by adding NaOH into cuprous chloride solution (2CuCl+2NaOH?Cu2O+NaCl+H2O). Optimum conditions were investigated to recover cuprous oxide in the processes. When copper powder was added into wastewater with copper ions, Cu concentration decreased from 15.6% to 2.6% and ORP decreased from 620 mV to -59.9 mV. This result shows that cupric ions reduced into cuprous ions. XRD data indicated that the precipitate was cuprous chloride powder. Using the cuprous chloride recovered and NaOH solution, cuprous oxide was synthesized. To investigate the optimum condition, various NaOH solutions were added into water with CuCl, and then pH, ORP, Cu concentration, Cu contents in precipitates were analysed. XRD data showed that main component of precipitates was cuprous oxide.

Jan 1, 2014

By Robinson BW, Walker RK

Using a new highly stable automated electron microprobe analyser, detection limits for gold in arsenopyrite have been improved. Using the AuLA emission tine at 40kV and 500nA, a limit of approximately 10gpt is attained in 10- lSmins. Some unusual features of the background need to be taken into account. Several ores containing different levels of gold in arsenopyrite have been examined, and it has been shown that gold is not evenly distributed between grains (some may contain more than 1%, invisible optically), and that the grains containing gold are often zoned. Gold may be released from the arsenopy rite by weathering or by heating in an inert or slightly oxidising atmosphere.

Jan 1, 1989

By A Minchinton

With blasting, all far-field phenomena including, but not limited to, stress wave propagation, fracture, vibration and muck pile formation are intrinsically and irrevocably dependent upon near-field phenomena or mechanisms that we describe using physics-based mathematics typically transcribed into computer codes. The energetics involved in such near- to far-field transitions are not fundamentally relevant as they are simply progenitors of these processes.The notion of explosive energy as a descriptor for explosive or blasting performance is a case in point. These energies, which are generally used in blasting tables, are almost exclusively based on ideal detonation theory alone and do not include the influence of the rock, charge diameter, blasthole length and the late-time dynamic expansion that can be predicted using codes based on non-ideal detonation theory.With decoupled charges in presplits for example, the pressure drop between the charge and the blasthole wall can be simply described to first order using the energy relationship associated with adiabatic expansion. However, a more realistic mechanistic solution involves interacting fluids and turbulence leading to dynamic processes such as the channel effect.CITATION:Minchinton, A, 2015. On the influence of fundamental detonics on blasting practice, in Proceedings 11th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, pp 41–54 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 24, 2015

By T. B. Counselman

An iron blast furnace of 1000 tons daily capacity will produce a 100,000 cu. ft. per minute of blast-furnace gas. This contains a 25 per cent of carbon monoxide, and has a B.t.u. value of about 95. gas is used primarily for heating the stoves of the blast furnace, secondarily, under boilers, for steam production. Occasionally it is used in gas engines. The raw gas coming out of the furnace carries about 10 grains of dust per cubic foot of gas, under best operating conditions. With furnace "rolling" or slipping, this quantity may temporarily be gre increased. This dust would, of course, deposit on the checkers o: stoves, or plug the burners under the boilers; therefore the gas : be cleaned. Flow Sheet The first step in the cleaning operation, as shown by the flow s Fig. 1, is a dry dust catcher, of which there are several forms, partially cleaned gas next goes to a primary wet washer, where v sprays knock down most of the solid particles. If further cleani desired, the gas may then go to electrical precipitation. Again, the removed is collected in water. Dry dust catchers reduce the dust col from 10 grains to between 4 and 6 grains per cubic foot, and rec roughly half of the total flue dust in the gas. The wet washers rea most of the remaining dust, reducing the dust content to about 1/4 per cubic foot. Electrical precipitators, if used, further reduce the content to about 0.01 grain per cubic foot of gas. The flow sheet s the dust content of the gas at various steps in the treatment and als content of solids in the water. It should be noted that some plant less water on the primary wet washer than indicated, and that ofte solids content of the scrubber water will be 300 grains per gallon, or much higher. Reasons for Recovering Flue Dust.—There are two main incentive recovering flue dust from the scrubber water: (1) the value of the (2) stream or lake pollution, where such a reason applies.

Jan 1, 1937

By E. Daniel Baker

"The term ""oxide disseminated gold deposits"" refers to near surface, gold-bearing veins, faults, and shear zones that typically contain appreciable amounts of oxidized ore or gossanous material, resulting from oxidation of sulphides.The concept of oxide gold deposits underwent a dramatic change after the discovery of the Carlin gold mine in north-central Nevada in the early 1960's. Now the term implies large tonnage, low-grade bulk minable deposits that are processed by milling and/or heap leach methods.Oxide gold deposits may now be classified into two types: (1) primacy ores derived directly from the effects of hydrothermal alteration on host rocks, and (2) secondary oxide ores derived from the supergene oxidizing effects of circulating post-mineral meteoric waters on gold-bearing sulphides. Each type of deposit has unique diagnostic mineralogic and metallurgical characteristics that must be addressed to achieve successful exploration strategies and viable metallurgical exploitation.The author would like to thank the management of Newmont Metallurgical Services and Newmont Mining Company for allowing presentation of this paper. Thanks are due Sevkett Acar, Donald M. Hausen, Jerry R. Odekirk, and D. Erik Spiller for their critical review of the manuscript. Also, thanks are extended to all those cited and uncited whose hard work and dedication have led to the discovery and exploitation of near-surface oxide gold deposits. Our knowledge would be greatly limited without the dedication and research of many others."

Jan 1, 1997

By K. D. Plants, J. H. Holden, L. F. Willmott

Pulverized high- volatile A bituminous coal was gasified with oxygen and superheated steam in a pressure - gasification pilot plant equipped for steampickup feeding . The pilot plant operated satisfactorily at relatively high steam- to - coal ratios , but steam- to - coal ratios could not be reduced much below 0.5 lb / lb without condensation of steam or softening of the coal . Carbon gasified , gas composition , and coal and oxygen requirements were essentially the same as for a pilot plant equipped with a fluidized coal feeder . Average results from the pilot plant equipped for steam- pickup feeding were coal requirement , 37.3 lb/M ( 1,000 ) scf of CO + H₂ produced ; oxygen requirement , 358 scf /M scf CO + H₂ produced ; and carbon gasified , 87.7 percent .

Jan 1, 1964

By St. E. Deák

There is a large preoccupation concerning the development of expert tools (ET) in the mining industry, in order to minimize the impact from waste dumps and processing residues on the environment. In this paper, the authors present a new approach for the development of an expert tool for each area under study, in order to minimize production and disposal of mining wastes on the environment, by taking into account the DKRControl method as well as the Ecomining principles, regarding among others hazard identification, impacts and monitoring. Due to the complexity of this topic a reliable ET requires input from a number of interested stakeholders. The design and management of a mining waste disposal site over its entire life cycle is also considered very important.

Jan 1, 2008

By L. Guttman

THE equilibrium diagram of the indium-thallium system was of interest to us in connection with a study of the superconducting properties of metallic solid solutions in progress at this Institute. For this purpose, a series of alloys was prepared covering the range from pure indium to 75 atomic pet TI, and X-ray diffraction patterns were obtained. Roughly speaking, the results indicated a region of continuous decrease in the axial ratio of the face-centered tetragonal structure from the value ca. 1.08 in pure indium to unity at about 23 atomic pct TI. From this concentration to the solubility limit, the structure was face-centered cubic, a form not reported by Hansen.1 At this point we became aware of the work of Valentiner,2 who had found the same structures at room temperature but had not investigated further the relationship between them. To study the transformation f.c.c.??f.c.t., and to clarify the phase diagram, we undertook the work reported in this paper and that which follows." Preparation of Alloys Pure indium and thallium* (both about 99.9 pct, as estimated from spectroscopic analyses) were weighed out in quantities sufficient to prepare 10 to 25 g of alloy of the desired concentration. (Occasionally indium was mixed with a previously pre- pared solution.) The metals were melted over a flame, in an open graphite crucible, stirred with a graphite rod, and poured into a graphite trough. The rough slug was hammered and swaged into a rod of 2 to 3 mm diam, and annealed in a drying oven at about 125°C for 1 to 2 days. Samples were taken from the rod for analysis, as well as for diffraction and other measurements. The thallium was determined by electrometric titration, using a modification of the method of Beale and co-workers.' The precision of analysis was generally about 2 0.2 pct of the thallium content. The rods were sometimes found to vary in thallium content as much as 1.5 pct from end to end, but since analyses were also made close to the segments used in the various studies, the composition was usually known as accurately as the analyses could be made. Where one less significant figure is given, the error is estimated to be ±0.4 pct of the thallium content. X-Ray Diffraction Measurements Three different cameras were used: (1) A 7 cm Debye camera, with oscillating specimen (manufactured by the Picker X-ray Corp., Cleveland, Ohio); (2) a 9 cm diam Debye camera of the type designed by Bradley;" (3) a 10 cm diam symmetrical focusing back-reflection camera (manufactured by Geo. C. Wyland, Ramsay, N. J.). Samples were prepared from the homogenized rods, either by filing under liquid nitrogen, or more often, in the form of wires or foils made by working at room temperature or liquid nitrogen temperature. Sharp patterns were obtained from specimens annealed at room temperature, although higher annealing temperatures were also used (cf. below). Generally, copper radiation was used; a few patterns were obtained with

Jan 1, 1951

The Annual General Meeting of The South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy was held in Kelvin House on Wednesday, 18th August, 1982. Mr G. Y. Nisbet (President) was in the chair and declared the meeting open at 16h05. Obituaries President: It is my sad duty to announce the deaths of the following members of the Institute: Honorary Life Fellow J. A. Taylor ; Life Fellows J. Watt and J. J. Cairns ; Fellows J. H. Mortimer, R. R. M. Cousens, H. Clark, S. W. Hill, Dr A. Whillier, and Dr C. M. van H. van Staden; Members F. W. McElroy, V. J. Irsigler, B. J. R. Botha, and E. J. Jackson; and Associate B. V. Robertson. As a mark of respect to the memory of the deceased and in sympathy with the bereaved, please rise and ob¬serve a few minutes of silence.

Jan 1, 1982

By Stephen L. Bolivar

The Prairie Creek intrusion, near Murfreesboro, Arkansas, is the site of the only commercial diamond mine in North America. Three major lithologies are associated with the intrusion, a hypabyssal peridotite, a volcanic breccia in .which the majority of diamonds occur, and associated tuff. Previous studies, including mining history, geological, geophysical, petrological and whole-rock and mineral chemistry are reviewed. The recent suggestion, by other workers, that this intrusion may be more correctly called a lamproite is examined and supported. This has serious implications for diamond exploration in Arkansas and elsewhere in the U.S.

Jan 1, 1984

By Edward J. Felten

Binary Cr-A1 alloys containing from 2.5 to 30 wt pct Al and 0.7 wt pct Y were heated in oxygen, air, and nitrogen between 1000" and 1200°C. The reacLivity of the alloys was found to be dependent both on the alloy composition nnd the nature of t he atmosphere. In oxygen, nllojs containing up to 15 to 20 wt pct A1 reacted to produce an external scale of Crz03 and a subscale consisting Predominently of Al203. Alloys contazning 20 to 30 wt pct A1 react in oxygen to produce an A1203 external scale and little m no subscale. The latter alloys were markedly more oxidation resistant than those of low alurninum content. In air, the alloys on which an external Crz03 scale was formed were found to be permeable to nitrogen ns evidenced by the copious amomts of chromium and aluminum nilrides observed ns part of the subscale. The reactizities in nir (or nitrogen) of these alloys increase <m their aluminurn contents increase. However, alloys on which Al,O, us an external scale is formed were nol culnerable to nccelerated attack in air, and no eltldence of nitvide subscnles were observed. For all alloys, yttrium serwed pYimarily to improve oxide adhrence. THE role of chromium in the oxidation resistance of Fe-Cr alloys &apos;-&apos; and that of aluminum in Fe-Cr-A1 al10s&apos; has received considerable attention in recent years. This is understandable since many of these alloys have excellent oxidation resistance due to the formation of either a Cr203 or a-Ala03 film between the metal and the oxidizing atmosphere. Small additions of yttrium or other rare earth metals are effective in preventing spalling of the protective oxide from the metal substrate."" In contrast, little is known regarding the oxidation resistance of Cr-A1 alloys, although some work has been done by Tumarov et a1.&apos; The poor niechanical properties exhibited by Cr-A1 alloys make them undesirable for use as structural components, but their use as coatings cannot be disregarded. The use of chromium-rich aluminide coatings for refractory metal alloys is an example of the potential use of this type of sytem. The purpose of this work is to examine the oxidation behavior of Cr-A1 alloys containing 2.5 to 30 wt pct A1 and 0.7 wt pct Y. The effects of temperature, atmosphere, and thermal cycling have been determined. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The alloys used in this investigation can be divided into two groups. Those containing 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 wt pct A1 and 0.7 wt pct Y were extensively evaluated in the temperature range from 1000" to 1200°C. Alloys containing 15, 20, 25, and 30 wt pct A1 and 0.7 wt pct Y were tested only at 1200°C. All of the alloys were prepared by standard arc-melting techniques in the form of cylinders approximately 4 in. long and 19 in. in diam. Wafers were cut from the cylinders and subsequently subdivided into rectangular coupons. The alloys were brittle and therefore some cracks were found in almost all specimens. The coupons were prepared for oxidation by mechanically polishing through 600 grit Sic paper, and were thoroughly degreased just prior to testing. Two types of oxidation experiments were conducted, namely; cyclic tests in which the specimens were examined and weighed after each 2 hr exposure, and continuous thermal balance tests run in a controlled atmosphere (oxygen, air, or nitrogen) for 20 hr. In the former test the spalled oxide was not included when the specimens were weighed. The physical condition of a specimen was noted visually after each cycle and testing was continued either to failure or until the performance of the specimen was well characterized. Both Micro and Semi-Micro Thermal Balances (Ains-worth) were used in the continuous tests. The oxidized specimens were sectioned and prepared for metal log raphic examination. The specimens were polished through 600 grit Sic paper. After polishing through 6 and l p diamond, a final mechanical polish with Linde B-Alz03 was used. Specimens containing 2.5 pct A1 were etched electrolytically using a 10 pct oxalic acid solution at 4 v for about 2 sec. Selected specimens were examined in the electron microprobe analyzer. Oxide specimens were examined by standard X-ray diffraction techniques. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS For convenience, the test results have been broken down according to the exposure temperature, and further subdivided according to the type of test and atmosphere employed. Because of the poor quality of the specimens a larger than normal amount of scatter was observed in the measured rate constants. Also, the evaluation of the weight gain data was done on a somewhat arbitrary basis and may not be truly representative. However, the results obtained do show a significant trend in behavior regarding both alloy composition and the nature of the oxidizing atmosphere. I) Oxidation Behavior at 1000°C. A) Continuous Oxidation estsin Oxygen. This series of experiments was run in the Ainsworth Micro-Thermal Balance using pure oxygen at a pressure of 76 mm Hg. Under these conditions all specimens oxidized in accordance with the parabolic rate law over a major portion of the exposure time; the rate constants appear in Table I. The oxide formed externally on all specimens was predominantly Cr,O,, which was generally adherent. In some cases a slight amount of spalling in the form of a fine powder was noted. a-A1203 was observed as a subscale, along with Yz03 in all alloys. Alloys containing up to 7.5 wt pct A1 oxidize more rapidly than the Cr-0.7Y alloy.

Jan 1, 1970

By Oxenford R. J

An important rutile-ilmenite-zircon bearing sand deposit was discovered by local farmers at Eneabba, 300 km by road north of Perth in 1970. These heavy minerals occur in a series of ancient strandlines and associated dunal deposits at elevations from 85 m to 170 m above the present sea level and are situated,30 km inland. The strandlines were deposited on wave- cut platforms in an ancient bay bounded by Mesozoic sediments during a series of regress- ions from a high sea level, probably during late Tertiary or early Pleistocene times. The immediate source of the heavy minerals in the Eneabba deposit is a widespread low content of those minerals in the nearby Mesozoic sedi- ments. The high-grade southern portion of the Eneabba deposit has been closely drilled and is now being prepared for production by Allied Eneabba.Pty. Ltd., a subsidiary of Allied Minerals N.L. This part of the deposit is 11 km long and up to 2.5 km wide. It is characterised by little or no overburden and the average depth of mineralisation, bounded by a 2.5 per cent heavy mineral cut-off, is 12 m. The water-laid strandline deposits at the base of the mineralisation are generally high grade, ranging from 20 to 60 per cent

Jan 1, 1973

By R. A. Wolfe, H. W. Paxton

Self-diffilsion coefficients for cr51 and Fe55 in 12 pct Cr-Fe and 17 pct Cr-Fe for Fe55 in chromium, and for Cr51 in vanadium have been measured. The results are compared with other values for the Fe-Cr system, and with the various theories of diffusion in hcc metals. Some empirical correlations are discussed between Do and Q in hcc systems, or, expressed differently, the constancy of ?G*/T solidus for seveval bcc metals and alloys is noted. It appears very probable that a vacancy mechanism is operative in bcc metals, hut this cannot he stated with certainty. THE great bulk of work on diffusion in metals, both experimental and theoretical, was for many years concentrated on those with close-packed and, in particular, fcc lattices.1,2 There appears to be little doubt that the mechanism of diffusion in these solids is vacancy migration, leading to mass transfer and in substitutional solid solutions to a Kirken-dall effect.3,4 For bcc metals, the picture is much less clear. The Kirkendall effect certainly occurs in several alloys.5-10 However, attempts to understand the factors contributing to the pre-exponential in the usual expression for the diffusion coefficient D =D, exp {-Q/RT) by extension of ideas useful in close-packed lattices have not always been successful. Zener,11 Leclaire,12 and Pound, Paxton, and Bitlerl3 have suggested that various forms of ring diffusion may be important in some bcc metals. For close-packed metals, Do is usually about 1 sq cm per sec and Q - 35Tm kcal per mole (Tm = melting temperature in OK). The theory of Pound et al. suggests for ring diffusion that Do may be about 10-4 and Q, although difficult to calculate with any precision, would be significantly less than 35 T,. The experimental results on self and solute diffusion in ? uranium14,15 and ß zirconium,10 and for solutes in 0 titanium,17 and possibly for self-diffu- sion in chromium below about 0.75 T,," gave some credence to this theory. However, not all bcc materials display low values of DO and Q, and the exceptions were not predicted by any theory. Furthermore, it has recently become apparent that, in bcc materials, log D is not always linear with T-l if a sufficiently wide range of temperature is studied.16,18 This variation may be such that Q may increase18,19 or decrease20 with increasing temperature. The present work was undertaken in an attempt to provide further diffusion data on bcc metals, and to try to understand the factors which contribute to differences in behavior between the various elements. For part of this work, the Fe-Cr system was chosen since it is of considerable technological importance, and data on 12 pct Cr and 17 pct Cr alloys appeared well worthwhile to supplement that existing for the remainder of the stern.18,22 The diffusion of Fe55 in chromium was studied as an example of a more or less "normal" tracer element in a possibly abnormal host lattice. Finally, no data were available for vanadium, the neighbor of chromium in the periodic table, because of lack of a suitable isotope so cr55 was used as a tracer in a few preliminary experiments. For convenience, we shall refer to elements whose Do and Q are low compared to those predicted by Zener&apos;s theory as "anomalous". PROCEDURE This investigation determined self-diffusion rates by means of radioactive tracers and the integral-activity method first utilized by Gruzin.23 In this method a thin layer of radioisotope of the diffusing element is plated or coated onto a planar surface of the diffusion sample, which is then given an isothermal-diffusion annealing treatment. The determination of an activity-penetration curve involves measuring the residual activity of the specimen after each successive layer or section has been removed parallel to the original planar surface. The method used here is essentially the same as that used by Gondolf18 and Kunitake.21 Two radioactive tracers, cr51 and Fe55, were used in this investigation. Diffusion coefficients were determined for the diffusion of one or both of these tracers in four different materials, viz., Fe-12 wt pct Cr alloy, Fe-17 wt pct Cr alloy, chromium, and vanadium. The diffusion samples had nominal dimensions of 1.5 cm diameter and 0.5 cm thickness. The grain size was several millimeters for the Fe-Cr alloys and at least 1 mm for the chromium and vanadium samples. Accurately planar surfaces

Jan 1, 1964

By Wei-Tong Du, Xiao-Ping Liang, Yu Wang

The structural properties for ternary molten CaO–SiO2–B2O3 system with varying B2O3/SiO2 ratios at a fixed CaO content were calculated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The simulation results revealed that with the increasing of B2O3/SiO2 mol ratio, the bond length of B-O was approximately constant at 1.35 Å, and the coordination number for B (CNB-O) was observed to vary from 3.40 to 3.51, and the average angle of O-B-O increases from 105° to nearly 120°, implying that the geometric stability of structure is reducing sharply. AlsoQ3 andQ4 tetrahedral species (tetrahedron with three and four bridging oxygens respectively) decrease with the increasing of B2O3/SiO2 mol ratio, and the proportion of (Q3 + Q4) decrease linearly from 0.6 to nearly 0, suggesting that B2O3 may behave as a network-breaking basic oxide in the CaO–SiO2–B2O3 system.

Mar 1, 2017