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By W. W. Svendsen, J. F. Hoffmeister, W. C. Larson, R. E. Cozad

The paper presents the background, history, and current development of the retractable core bit for the wireline drilling system. Design criteria, concept development, and system design of the retractable bit system are discussed, including laboratory test results.

Jan 1, 1983

By D. Swan

Industrial research may be defined as a critical and exhaustive investigation to create new and better ways of doing things. The results of industrial research are new and improved products, processes, and techniques. This broad definition, of course, covers investigation of all subjects by either individuals or groups of people, and this chapter aims to examine the purpose (what research tries to do), and methods (or how research is done) as applied in the mineral industries. Concepts and History The idea or concept of organized research probably originated in the universities of Europe. There, groups of scholars banded together for discussion and application of their particular specialty to a common problem. Publication of the conclusions drawn from such investigations gave scholars in other areas the opportunity to review and criticize the work of their colleagues, and one of the hallmarks of scientific research work is the publication and criticism of the results of the investigation. It was not until the late nineteenth century that the concept of organized research for the profit of industry was recognized. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a large number of industrial enterprises sponsored organizations to study the application of the physical sciences with the aim of making discoveries that would result in profit to the sponsoring organization. The tangible benefits accruing from these activities were so great that they, in turn, fostered several other methods for the support of organized research activities. For the large problems involving public interest, United States Government scientific research laboratories were set up. As the demand of smaller enterprises for research activities increased, research institutes and consulting laboratories were organized. In Europe the idea of common industry sponsorship of research centers grew and many large research organizations there were sponsored by associations of manufacturers. Finally, in the United States

Jan 1, 1964

By Arthur B. Cummins

POWDERED nonmetallic minerals and rocks of many different types are used extensively in industry for incorporation in compositions and manufactured products The term "mineral filler" is commonly employed to designate a material that is used for a specific purpose but not as an essential or reactive component Such a definition is not without objections, and it is indeed difficult to define fillers in any fully satisfactory manner, since the term has come to have so many different meanings and to cover such a wide range of uses. A filler is defined, for the purposes of this chapter, as a substantially inert material not specifically employed as a reactive or essential component, the primary function of which is to modify the properties or processing of a composition of matter or fabricated article Emery1 has emphasized that fillers change the properties of the product but are themselves unchanged in compounding or use The term "filler" appears to be rather general when referring to usages m bituminous compositions, rubber, composition floorings, fertilizers, plastics, textile finishes, and some others. In paper manufacture, in the paint industry and with insecticides, other terms are frequently employed, as is indicated, herinafter By placing emphasis on the function of the material used in modifying the properties of the composition or article, it is believed that a more useful classification of filler products and their applications may be derived. FUNCTIONS OF MINERAL FILLERS All of the manifold functions of mineral fillers cannot be listed in a summary review. A survey of the uses for these materials, however, shows that in nearly all cases the powders are employed to modify the properties of a composition of matter or those of a fabricated article, or to perform some useful function In the manufacture of either. A generalized list of these useful functions may be given is follows 1 To Modify Optical Properties Color Surface texture Opacity Brightness and gloss (as in paper and plastics) Flatness (as in lacquers and paints)

Jan 1, 1949

By W. P. Sykes

SEVEN years ago, Dr. S. L. Hoyt1 presented a masterful discussion of the hard metal carbides and cemented tungsten carbide. His lecture summarized most of the data then available in the field; many of the details relating to the production, properties and structure of cemented tungsten carbide had never been previously published, for, in fact, this information was only then being acquired. During the intervening years, the cemented carbides have assumed a place of real importance in the commercial field, with an ever widening variety of applications due to constant improvement in the control of production technique and the unremitting search for new compositions that might better the performance of the alloys in one or another type of service. The most recent summary of production methods, properties and guides for the successful application of the cemented carbides appears in the 1936 edition of the Metals Handbook. Of necessity, much detailed information relating to structures and physical properties is not included in such a summary, and it is with such details that the present discussion is concerned. STEPS IN PREPARATION While the past 25 years have contributed a valuable store of working knowledge in the field of powder metallurgy, many of the process controls are derived entirely from experience and are not as yet finally explained by a specific physical or chemical phenomenon. For most of the cemented carbides such difficulties are aggravated by our lack of knowledge not only of the complex alloy systems involved, but also by the possible changes in structure and even in composition which may accompany variations in temperature, heating time, and furnace atmospheres. The principal steps in the preparation of these cemented carbide alloys are fairly well known, but to supply a foundation for discussion these steps are briefly outlined as follows: 1. Formation of the metal carbide in the form of powder by heating a mixture of carbon and the metal powder or oxide for several

Jan 1, 1938

By Harry H. Power

While the attention of all engineering branches is focused today on changes and improvements in the several curricula, we are concerned here with the many questions arising in industry and college concerning the preparation for the petroleum engineering profession. The succession of problems confronting the petroleum engineer demands a degree of versatility not ordinarily encountered in other professions. As a consequence, the student cannot acquire mastery of all the several engineering branches represented in field practice, and as an alternative, he has learned to appreciate the value of thorough training in the basic or fundamental sciences as a Preliminary foundation for professional work. While our attention is directed primarily to the training of engineers in educational institutions, it is necessary that the ultimate education of the professional engineer be kept in mind. It is apparent that his success as an engineer is limited not only by his educational and job experience, but by his native endowments: mentality, Personality and health. The engineer's lack of job experiences often proves as much a handicap as the lack of adequate college training. If the final product proves to be satisfactory, both industry and technical institutions are to be congratulated. However, if the Product is found wanting, the one most responsible should For the most part, students of engineering colleges have had their interests in applied science awakened at a relatively early age. Manyof them entered college as a convenient means of acquiring a technical education, but undoubtedly would have had better prospects in a shorter program offered by institutions of non-college grade. The activating motive of practical interest is also strong in students suitable for college training, but in many cases an intellectual interest must be awakened in order that it may survive graduation. Numerous engineers believe that this progressive process of selection and determination of career aims is one of the essential services rendered by the engineering colleges. Industrialists, who are more inter. ested in quality than quantity of petroleum engineering graduates, have pointed out the good that should result if more emphasis were given to the work of eliminating the misfits. They also point out the protective measures that have been taken by other professions for the betterment of professional standards. Mention has been ,de of the beneficial results to be obtdned by collective determination of the market for the products of engineering schools, particularly in that the students unsuited to the profession would have an opportunity to prepare themselves for employment more suited to their personalities and other qualifications. In the event that such a system of coordinated personnel direction is developed by the

Jan 1, 1941

By Harry H. Power

While the attention of all engineering branches is focused today on changes and improvements in the several curricula, we are concerned here with the many questions arising in industry and college concerning the preparation for the petroleum engineering profession. The succession of problems confronting the petroleum engineer demands a degree of versatility not ordinarily encountered in other professions. As a consequence, the student cannot acquire mastery of all the several engineering branches represented in field practice, and as an alternative, he has learned to appreciate the value of thorough training in the basic or fundamental sciences as a Preliminary foundation for professional work. While our attention is directed primarily to the training of engineers in educational institutions, it is necessary that the ultimate education of the professional engineer be kept in mind. It is apparent that his success as an engineer is limited not only by his educational and job experience, but by his native endowments: mentality, Personality and health. The engineer's lack of job experiences often proves as much a handicap as the lack of adequate college training. If the final product proves to be satisfactory, both industry and technical institutions are to be congratulated. However, if the Product is found wanting, the one most responsible should For the most part, students of engineering colleges have had their interests in applied science awakened at a relatively early age. Manyof them entered college as a convenient means of acquiring a technical education, but undoubtedly would have had better prospects in a shorter program offered by institutions of non-college grade. The activating motive of practical interest is also strong in students suitable for college training, but in many cases an intellectual interest must be awakened in order that it may survive graduation. Numerous engineers believe that this progressive process of selection and determination of career aims is one of the essential services rendered by the engineering colleges. Industrialists, who are more inter. ested in quality than quantity of petroleum engineering graduates, have pointed out the good that should result if more emphasis were given to the work of eliminating the misfits. They also point out the protective measures that have been taken by other professions for the betterment of professional standards. Mention has been ,de of the beneficial results to be obtdned by collective determination of the market for the products of engineering schools, particularly in that the students unsuited to the profession would have an opportunity to prepare themselves for employment more suited to their personalities and other qualifications. In the event that such a system of coordinated personnel direction is developed by the

Jan 1, 1941

By H. N. Mills

The glass industry is a major user of many industrial minerals in the manufacture of its product. It is the intent of this chapter to: (1) acquaint the reader with the glass industry by including a few production statistics, and (2) cover the various aspects of the major raw materials used to make glass. The matter of glass compositions, properties, and batches is considered beyond the scope of this chapter which deals only with raw materials. For more details on the particular minerals and rocks used in glassmaking, the reader is referred to chapters in the commodity section of this book. Glass Industry Statistics Glass manufacture in the United States can be divided into three major product classifications as follows: 1) Glass containers 2) Pressed and blown glass 3) Flat glass Glass containers include bottles and jars for the packaging of food and beverages, as well as drugs, chemicals, and cosmetics. Pressed and blown glass includes table, kitchen, art and novelty ware, lighting and electronic glassware, and fiber glass. Flat glass covers sheet or window glass, plate, laminated, and safety glass. The US Department of Commerce statistics, as recorded in the 1977 Census of Manufacturers, compares the dollar value of glass shipments for each product category. These statistics are shown in Table 1 (Anon., 1980) and are self-explanatory. A comparison of the tonnage output in each product classification is difficult, as production data is reported in "gross" for glass containers, "pounds" for fiber glass, "pieces" for glassware, [ ] and "square feet" for flat glass. In the case of glass containers, an average "pounds per gross" factor can be applied to the total production figures reported in thousands of gross in Bureau of Census industrial reports. Table 2 presents the calculated annual production tonnage for glass containers for the years 1974-1979. Except for 1979, there was a yearly increase in production. The tonnage figures of Table 2 are further influenced by decreasing weight per gross which has occurred in the glass container industry since 1975. This reflects the gradual shift to lighter weight containers for beverages. Other segments of the glass industry have experienced growth, but the figures in tons are not published information. Fiber glass growth has been influenced by the heavy demand for insulation as part of energy conservation efforts on a national basis. The production of flat glass by the float process has continued to grow with several new plants entering production. All portions of the glass industry experienced the effects of the general economic decline of 1979-1980, but the outlook for the future is bright. Batch Materials For Glass Use Materials and Function Soda-lime-silica glass represents the largest proportion of glass manufactured for commercial use. It is produced by the fluxing and

Jan 1, 1983

By John W. Gabelman

Uranium exploration technology historically has followed the economic cycle of demand, exploration spurt, and trailing supply; but with a greater lag. Greatest progress was made during the wane of demand as geological investigation caught up with the flood of new discoveries made during relatively short periods of peak demand. Updating brought technology to a new level based on the deposits which were discovered and not on the total range of deposit types which might exist. The technology was seldom able to predict new deposit types or new districts, which have consistently been surprises. Yet each new cycle of increased demand was at a new higher level, occasioned by a new use, which required the discovery of previously unrecognized larger types of deposits. Hindsight shows that data sufficient to have predicted most discoveries were available. The predicted growth of uranium demand far in excess of estimated resources is an incentive to examine current technology for data or promising techniques that might foster discovery by technical prediction rather than by systematic drilling. The world could well be reexamined systematically with new geophysical techniques including gamma spectrometry, radon emanometry, and magnetometry. Known occurrences could well be reevaluated in the light of new data on mineralization process and supergene leaching. Less-leachable extrinsic elements associated with uranium might he sought as clues to unleached uranium at depth. Uranium is increasingly being noted in environments containing coal and petroleum which might become targets. High-temperature replacement disseminations are increasingly reported and particularly attractive as exemplified by the Rossing district. The number of formations containing uranium occurrences is growing so that new, not necessarily fluvial, formations might be productive. Enough drilling has been done to indicate that uranium is selectively distributed regionally under some control yet to be determined. Exploration should address those environments and areas where uranium could occur rather than only those where it is already known.

Jan 1, 1976

By A. E. Lehman

A RECENT demand for some form of panoramic display of an important railway line, showing its branches, connections, and terri tory controlled by it, revealed to the writer the advantages of' a topographical model or relief map fix this purpose. Hitherto, maps of this nature have been used chiefly for scientific and geographical purposes, and confined to a comparatively narrow field of service. They deserve to become more popular and to have their advantages better understood. Much has been written and accomplished in this direction by Prof. Lesley, Messrs. Harden, Moulten, de Mendonca Cortez, and others; but I believe their pub lished descriptions of the methods employed in the construction of these models are confined to those used by themselves. It is the writer's aim to present in condensed form these various methods, and some suggestions of practical value as to the most economical course of procedure, as well as to mention some of the uses that may be made of the results obtained Methods of Construction.—Many different materials have been prepared and used in the preparation of relief maps, such as metal, clay, plaster, gypsum, wax, putty, Card-board, papier-mache, wood, and compositions of varions kinds, with results more or less success ful : wood, however, in the writer's experience, has been found to be by far the most satisfactory, combining the advantages of stability, accuracy and ease of handling. The following is a brief description of several of the methods used in constructing topographical models : When clay, wax, putty, compositions or materials of a plastic nature are used, the operator carries his work up from its base by means of measurements or by the eye, manipulating and shaping the material as best he can, ac cording to such features of his subject as he wishes to delineate. This process requires remarkable skill, and given this, will probably fall short even then of an approximation to accuracy; lacking essential elements of detail nil over the work and exactness, particularly in position and elevation of the most important points in the territory mapped. When either of the above mentioned materials or compositions are used, metal or wooden pins are sometimes driven into the base or level datum plane of wood, the top of these pins giving the eleva-

Jan 1, 1886

By G. B. SOUTHWARD

MECHANIZATION is being developed to some extent in every coal field in the United States and it is rather difficult to say which State or section of the country has made the greatest advancement. Statistics now being compiled for 1928 will show the tonnage mined, the amount of equipment used in each of the coal-producing States, and the comparative tonnages and percentages of total tonnage mined in each of these States, and will reveal which field is making the greatest advancement as far as quantity of production is concerned. However, while the tonnage figures are of great importance there-are other phases of coal-mine mechanization, such as the types of equipment, the mining methods and coal bed conditions, which are of equal interest. The change from hand-mining practices in all of the various operations from the face to the railroad cars is, perhaps, more indicative than any other one thing of the real progress being made.

Jan 1, 1929

By Ben Gumpertz

THE important factors in any study of the screening of sand with a gravel enve-lope, as applied to use in oil wells, are: (r) sand size and shape, (2) gravel size and shape, (3) ratio of gravel size to sand size, (4) flow velocity, (5) viscosity of the fluid. Perhaps the first extensive investigation of the function of gravel in screening sand was performed by Coberly and Wagner,1 from which the following conclusion was drawn: "The diameter of the largest grains in a single classified sand suitable for gravel packing is approximately 23 times the grain size at the ten-percentile analysis of the formation sample." This applies to sands classified by Tyler screens and is for gravel grains of the maximum size that could be used to form a stable bridge. Field practice has shown that the screening effect of a given gravel for a given sand apparently varies with the flow velocity.2 Also, it has been assumed by some opera-tors that the thickness of the walls of the gravel envelope surrounding the well has little effect upon the screening process. It is thought by others that a narrow envelope of gravel might form an ineffec-tive screen. Thus the purposes of this work are: I. To investigate the effect of gravel-sand size ratio upon screening action under the condition of varying flow velocities. 2. To investigate the effect upon screen-ing action of varying the thickness of the gravel screen.

Jan 1, 1940

A school grows big only as its usefulness increases and it will shrink rapidly if inefficient. Usefulness must be recorded in terms of service within the economic structure of the Commonwealth. Under this premise, modern mineral industries colleges must recognize and give equal significance to three interrelated, interdependent functions of service: namely, (1) resident instruction, on both the undergraduate and graduate levels; (2) research under an experiment station plan; and (3) extension training under three classifications, class instruction, correspondence instruction, and informal instruction. To train potential leaders for the mineral kingdom, to discover and teach new truths is only half of the job. Through extension training, equal attention must be given to the on-job, vocational-technical, upgrading of skilled workers on the production line. Similar to the School of Agriculture, the School of Mineral Industries is the only one in the Commonwealth offering the three functions of service in each of the subject-matter fields in mineral arts and sciences. The functions of service must be based on the modern conception of mineral conservation (Fig. 12). Conservation of minerals differs from conservation of natural resources in general because man must find new mineral deposits and excel the geologic forces of nature in processes of concentration. True mineral conservation, therefore, may be defined as energetic discovery,

Jan 1, 1950

By T. Reed Scollon

Coal reserves of the Rocky Mountain area are vast and are more than adequate to meet significantly increasing demands in the immediate future. Practically all of the increase in coal demand for the next decade or so will be in the electric power utility sector. All ranks of coal are available in the area, and from a technological viewpoint, all are suitable for electric power generation. Location of economically recoverable coal deposits, location of generating plants with respect to power demand areas and sources of cooling water, and availability and price of other fuels are the major factors which, individually or in combination, will determine the ultimate selection of Western coal deposits to be developed for electric power generation. The low sulfur content of most western coals and the non-urban location of many power plants should tend to minimize problems of air pollution. If projections for nuclear power prove correct, increases in demand for Rocky Mountain area coals beyond about 1980 will depend primarily on the extent of commercial development of synthetic fuel processes. Current research activities on the conversion of coal to liquid and gaseous fuels are promising. Most western coals range in rank from lignite through high-volatile bituminous coals and are particularly amenable to conversion. Vast reserves of Rocky Mountain coals have long lain dormant primarily because of their remoteness from major market areas. Recently, however, innovations in coal transportation and electric power transmission methods, combined with unprecedented demands for electric power in the West, have resulted in large-scale development of some of these coals. In the past few years, announcements of coal mine openings and transportation plans in the Southwest have been filled with superlatives: The Navajo mine in northwest New Mexico is expected to be the largest mine in the country in the near future. The largest single coal agreement ever made provides for coal shipment from northeast Arizona to Nevada via the largest and longest coal-slurry pipeline ever used. An 1100-mile haul of coking coal from northern New Mexico to California by unit train began last year. It is the purpose of this report to evaluate the coal resources of the Rocky Mountain area, and to project their potential utilization. In projecting energy demand levels on a national basis, the Bureau of Mines has developed some rather complex techniques to cope with uncertainties. Using these same techniques, an estimate has been made of consumption of Mountain area coal in 1980. No attempt was made to estimate coal consumption beyond 1980, but new market potentials are discussed briefly. The present and potential coal-producing fields of the Rocky Mountain area are in six states comprising the Mountain Region - Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Since approximately 19% of the coal produced in these fields is shipped to the Pacific Region (Washington, Oregon, Cali-

Jan 1, 1969

By W. O. Philbrook, L. D. Kirkbride

IN the normal operation of the iron blast furnace, reduction of the iron oxides is accomplished almost entirely above the tuyeres.' Blast furnace slags usually contain less than 0.5 pct FeO, although higher values may occur with abnormal operation. There is reason to conjecture, however, that incompletely reduced ore may sometimes reach the hearth and enter the slag as a result of heavy slips or, perhaps, even from cores of excessively large lumps of a charge material of poor reducibility. The possibility of reoxidation of iron droplets falling in front of the tuyeres has been considered by several writers. It would be of interest, to know how rapidly iron oxides reaching the slag for any of these reasons could be reduced by reaction with coke or with the high carbon liquid iron in the hearth. In comparison with the hundreds of papers that have appeared on various aspects of the reduction of solid iron oxides by gases and in the presence of several forms of carbon, little work has been published on the reductioin of liquid oxides or slags. Dancey measured rates of reaction of the pure liquid oxides, both FeO and Fe,O,, with molten iron containing about 4.3 pct C. The oxide was dropped into the cup formed in the upper surface of the iron by rotating the crucible and melt. Under these conditions, reduction of either FeO or Fe,O., was completed in less than 10 sec. The present study was concerned with the reduction of FeO from blast furnace-type slags containing less than 5 pct FeO and melted over carbon-saturated iron in stationary graphite crucibles. The results were considerably different from those found by Dancey, as will be discussed later. Although this work is of interest in relation to hearth reactions in the blast furnace, interpretations must be made with caution because the experimental conditions do not duplicate those within a furnace and may not even lead to the same reaction mechanism. The authors were motivated in undertaking this work by an additional interest—the part played by FeO reduction in the mechanism of de-sulphurization of iron by slags under similar experimental conditions. Derge, Philbrook, and Goldman eveloped detailed experimental evidence to support a three-step mechanism for desulphurization like that originally proposed by Holbrook and Joseph' (These reactions are written in molecular form for convenience, but this is not intended to imply the existence of molecules of FeS in the bulk metal phase nor to deny the likelihood of ionic reactions in the slag.) Earlier work by Chang and Goldman" had shown that the overall reaction follows first-order kinetics with respect to sulphur and that the rate of reaction is proportional to the slag-metal interface area, which observations have been confirmed by subsequent work. Later studiese,' have established the influence of al.loying elements on the first and last steps of the reaction. This paper reports a study of step 3 alone, uncomplicated by the simultaneous process of sulphur transfer. Apparatus and Procedure The experiments were made in a conventional high frequency induction furnace powered by a 35 kva Hg spark gap converter. The graphite crucibles used for most of the runs were 14 cm (5.5 in.) deep and 4.8 cm (1.9 in.) ID with 0.75 cm (0.3 in.) wall. An insulating cover with a small opening for withdrawing samples was used to minimize heat loss and infiltration of air into the furnace. The crucible was charged with 300 g of carbon-saturated iron and either 65 or 100 g of prefused slag analyzing 38.0 pct SiO,, 15.4 pct A10 and 47.1 pct CaO. To obtain the cleanest possible interface at the start of the reaction, the metal and slag were brought to temperature together to prevent the rejection of kish graphite that would have been caused by the chilling effect of a large addition of cold slag to carbon-saturated iron. After temperature control had been established, the desired amount of iron oxide was added in the form of a prefused slag of composition 73.6 pct FeO, 7.7 pct AWX and 19.0 pct SiOl. This slag addition was observed to be molten in somewhat less than 1 min, and a very vigorous reaction proceeded for 1 to 2 min after its introduction. Zero time was taken as 2 min after the ferrous silicate slag addition. Slag samples weighing about 0.5 g each were taken periodically by a copper chill sampler." The weight of the initial slag was large relative to the weight of samples removed, so that the slag weight never varied by more than 5 pct during any run. Temperature was measured by a calibrated W/Mo thermocouple immersed in the metal, with a graphite tip cemented over the fused silica protection tube to prevent attack by slag and metal. After some difficulties with uncertain temperatures during the first two runs, the practice adopted to position the thermocouple for reproducible results was to lower the protection tube to touch the bottom of the crucible and then raise it 0.5 cm. The apparent temperature gradient between the bottom of the crucible and the top of the slag was found to be 15°C (27°F). but much of this spread was probably the result of inadequate immersion of the protection tube to off-set conduction losses along the graphite tip when the thermocouple was inserted only into the slag. The temperature of the bath was controlled within 25°C (9°F) during a run.

Jan 1, 1957

By C. E. Lundin, M. Hansen, D. J. McPherson

PRIOR work on the Zr-Cu phase diagram by Alli-bone and Sykes,' Pogodin, Shumova, and KUGU cheva,' and Raub and EngeL3 as confined largely to copper-rich alloys. The investigations of Raub and Engel were the most recent and seemingly the most complete of these. Alloys from 0 to 68.3 pct Zr were studied principally by thermal analysis and microscopic examination. These authors reported an inter metallic compound ZrCu, (1116°C melting point) and two eutectics, one at 86.3 pct Cu (977°C mp) and the other at 49 pct Cu (877°C mp). The solubility of zirconium in copper was reported to be less than 0.1 pct at 940°C. The zirconium melting stock consisted of Westing-house "Grade 3" iodide crystal bar (nominally 99.8 pct pure). It was treated by sand blasting and pickling (HF-HNO, solution) to remove the surface film of corrosion product, resulting from grade designation tests. The crystal bar was cold rolled to strip, lightly pickled again, and cut into pieces approximately 1/32 in. thick and 1/4 in. square. These were cleaned in acetone, dried, and stored for charging. The high-purity copper (spectrographic grade) was supplied by the American Smelting and Refining Co. with a nominal purity of 99.99 pct. These copper rods were rolled to strip, cut into squares the same size as the zirconium platelets, cleaned in acetone, dried, and stored. Equipment and Procedures The equipment used for melting and annealing the zirconium binary alloys and for the determination of solidus curves has been described in connection with previous work on the Ti-Si system' and in recent papers in this series describing the studies on eight binary zirconium systems.5-' Techniques employed for preparing and processing the alloys were also similar to those used in the above references. Ingots of 20 g were melted under a protective atmosphere of helium on water-cooled copper blocks in a nonconsumable electrode (tungsten) arc furnace. The ingots were homogenized and cold-worked prior to isothermal annealing to aid in the attainment of equilibrium. The specimens were heat-treated in Vycor bulbs sealed in vacuo or under argon, depending on the temperature of the anneal. Quenching was accomplished by breaking the Vycor bulbs under cold water. Temperature control was within ±3OC of reported temperatures. Thermal analysis was primarily relied on to determine eutectic levels, peritectic levels, and compound melting points. The induction furnace incipient melting technique was also used but did not provide the accuracy obtained by thermal analysis in this system, which involves much lower solidus temperatures than the other zirconium systems. A special technique for the determination of characteristic temperatures was employed in the case of several intermediate phases and their eutectics which displayed very small differences in melting temperatures. Specimens were sealed in Vycor bulbs and annealed at a series of very accurately controlled temperatures. Metallographic examination was then employed to reveal incipient melting. Furnaces and techniques in general were described previously.' The echant used was 20 pct HF plus 20 pct HNO3 in glycerine unless otherwise stated. Results and Discussion The chemical analyses of the majority of alloys prepared for the determination of phase relationships in this system are given in Table I and a brief summary of the equilibrium anneals employed is given in Table 11. In a preliminary program, alloys containing 1, 4, and 7 pct Cu were annealed for three different times at each of the temperatures 700°, 800°, and 900°C. No change in the relative amounts of phases present was detected after 350, 150, and 75 hr at the above temperatures, respectively. The times listed in Table II were accordingly chosen as a result of these preliminary tests. Zirconium-rich alloys containing from 0.1 to 10 pct CU were reduced by cold pressing from 58 to 8 pct, depending upon thk alloy content, homogenized for 7 hr at 900°C, and then reduced 80 to 13 pct by cold rolling, again depending upon copper content. Other alloys were studied in the cast, or cast and annealed conditions. The contracted scope of investigation for this system included the range 0 to 50 atomic pct Cu. This approximate region is shown in Fig. 1. Due to evidence of phase relationships departing considerably from those proposed by Raub and Engel" in the 50 to 100 atomic pct range, the investigation was extended to cover this composition area rather thoroughly also. Fig. 2 is a drawing of the entire diagram. The labeling of some phase fields was omitted in Fig. 2 for the sake of clarity. An expanded view of the zirconium-rich region, with the experimental points necessary for its construction, is given in Fig. 3. The generally accepted value of Vogel and Tonn8 or the allotropic transformation a + 862' ±5OC, was employed in the construction of these diagrams. A careful study revealed that the "Grade 3" crystal bar used in this investigation actually transforms over the approximate range 850" to 870°C, due to impurities. It must be expected that this two-phase field in unalloyed zirconium will cause some departures from binary ideality in the very dilute alloys. Zirconium-rich Alloys: The a + ß transformation temperature is decreased from 862" to about 822°C by increasing amounts of copper. Thus, a eutectoid reaction, fi ß a+ Zr,Cu, occurs at a composition of about 1.6 pct Cu. The eutectoid level was determined to lie between the alloy series annealed at 815" and 830°C. The placement of this eutectoid temperature

Jan 1, 1954

By Henry Howe

THE data which are collected in Table 1 show that the ferrite of low-carbon steel and of electrolytic iron, like the network of hypo- and hyper-eutectoid carbon steel, inherits, either absolutely or relatively, the, grain size of the mother austenite from which it is born in cooling through the transformation range. This evidence is so abundant and concordant as to cast doubt on Prof. Jeffries' 1 hypothesis of what might be called reversed inheritance, by which he explains Mr. Ruder's observation2 that the grains of a "slug of pressed pure electrolytic iron powder"were coarser, perhaps 12,000,000µ2, after a 3-hr. exposure to 1000° C. than after a 3-hr. exposure to 1250-1300°, when they were about 35,000µs. His explanation implies a natural tendency of coarser austenite grains to yield finer ferrite ones than spring from finer austenite grains, so that the inheritance is reversed. What seems to me a simpler explanation is that the enormous grains which followed the 1000° heating were not inherited from the mother austenite, but were formed by the process of natal coarsening, by means of which Stead and Carpenter developed grains of this same order of magnitude in this same kind of material, on heating to 950° or to 1000°, the temperature used by Mr. Ruder, provided the exposure was not unduly prolonged, and it does not seem to have been in Mr. Ruder's case. That their coarsening was natal and not through inheritance is shown first by the fact that their grain coarseness was out of all proportion to their relatively low temperatures and short periods, and hence was very far in excess of the grain size which the mother austenite must have had, and second and more cogently by the fact that the shape of these coarsened grains was evidently determined by the temperature distribution which existed during and immediately after the Ar3 transformation, that during the passage from the gamma to the non-gamma state.

Jan 9, 1917

By S. P. Kinney, C. E. Wood, T. L. Joseph

In connection with its investigations of the blast-furnace process, the Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with the Minnesota School of Mines Experiment Station, developed a 6-ton experimental furnace. Such a furnace was needed to determine the feasibility of producing ferroman-ganese from Minnesota manganiferous iron ores, a problem of national importance because of the present need for manganese in the steel industry and our small reserves of ferro-grade ores. Furnace operators are reluctant to use new or untried raw materials or to make decided innovations in practice on account of the financial hazard of experimenting with full-scale equipment. A small furnace which can be operated at a relatively low cost is particularly adapted for testing new raw materials and for determining the feasibility of decided innovations in practice. Laboratory experiments, plus whatever information may be available, are valuable but often do not indicate the net result of changes in an operation involving a large number of interrelated variables. From time to time the cooperation of the Bureau of Mines is solicited in connection with problems involving departures from normal procedure. Under these circumstances some sort of a practical demonstration is a desirable forerunner to full-scale operations which appear feasible after small-scale tests. The Aluminum Co. of America was interested in knowing the practicability of smelting a charge of bauxite, iron ore, and limestone, of proportions that would produce slag of the following composition: A1203, 47 to 48 per cent.; CaO, 41 to 42 per cent.; SiO2,4 to 5 per cent.; TiO2, 2 to 3 per cent.; FeO, 1 percent., and MgO, 1.8 percent. In addition to determining whether it was feasible to operate a blast furnace on slag approaching the composition given above, a quantity of slag was needed for a series of experiments that would show the relative ease and cost of extracting alumina from slag which could be made in the blast furnace, as compared to extracting it from raw bauxite. The value of the slag as a raw material

By J. G. Thompson

OXYGEN, nitrogen and hydrogen are present in practically all metals in one or more of the following forms: (1) molecular gas in blowholes or blisters, (2) combined in nonmetallic inclusions such as nitrides, oxides or silicates, and (3) in solid solution in the metal. Gaseous elements, in some of these forms, are encountered in practically all metals and alloys but possibly have received most publicity in connection with iron and steel. In fact, the entire steel industry depends upon the control of the oxygen content during the refining process, as well as in the finished material, and it was only after the adoption of the use of efficient deoxidizers such as manganese that the production of good steel with a low carbon content became possible. In normally clean, sound steel the amount of hydrogen is negligible and the amounts of oxygen and nitrogen vary from a few thousandths to a few hundredths per cent. However, many of the effects attributed(27,31,40.41,53,54,55,56,62) ? to the presence of these elements are important and at first glance appear to be out of proportion to the amounts of impurities involved. The presence of oxygen is believed to affect the solubility of carbon in austenite and ferrite and thereby to affect the structure of the iron or steel. Such properties as strength, hardness, ductility, elastic limit, impact resistance, magnetic permeability, tendency toward caustic embrittlement, irregularity in carburization, the cutting life of tools, certain corrosion phenomena, the presence of flakes, seams, bands, ghost lines and hair cracks, and the tendency to age-harden, all have been attributed to the presence of oxygen.

Jan 1, 1932

By Mark Alling

INTRODUCTION A FEW years ago, gravel mining in the ancient river beds of Sierra county was the principal industry of the county. Operating drift mines were very numerous and many large hydraulic mines were in action. Eventually the State laws put an end to hydraulic mining, it being claimed that the silt carried down the streams to the valleys filled the rivers and caused winter floods, which were damaging to the surrounding farms. The ancient river deposits which could easily be found were, in the course of 40 years, worked out or practically so. The prohibition of hydraulic mining was a severe blow to the industry in general. The deposits were not developed and the gravel-mining industry practically stood still for many years. In Sierra county, nearly all the hydraulic mines were at the points where the ancient channels were exposed to view by reason of the modern stream erosion, or, in the miner's language, where the channels "enter" or "break out of" the ridges. The claims covering them also covered large areas in which were long segments of lava-capped channels, suitable for drift mines, and the points being hydraulicked were usually the controlling points of attack. Men who have followed hydraulic mining for any length of time seldom are content to work a drift mine. Knowing the great value of their deposits and feeling that they had been robbed by the State, these men have stubbornly held to their claims. The gold that is carried in these gravel channel deposits is more or less scattered throughout the depth and width of the deposit; the percentage that can be recovered by the process of drifting ranges from 50 to 75 per cent. of the total. In hydraulicking, practically all of the deposit is put through the sluices, and as the cost per cubic yard is only about 10 per cent. of the cost of drifting, the deposits, if classed as hydraulic mines, are much more valuable than if classed as drift mines; hence the old timers have held their claims (now worthless as hydraulic mines) at prices which the drift-mining industry could not stand; and such mines

Jan 7, 1914

By N. V. Peterson, R. S. Mason

The violent explosion of Mount St. Helens in the state of Washington on May 18, 1980 showered volcanic ash over vast areas of the Northwest. It was another eruptive episode in a long history of similar occurrences in the region, which extends from Canada to California and reaches several hundred miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. Pumice, pumicite, and cinders are products of explosive volcanic eruptions. Pumice and pumicite are produced by the violent expansion of dissolved gases in a viscous silicic lava such as rhyolite or dacite. Scoria is the mafic counterpart of pumice. Pumice is a light-colored, cellular, almost frothy rock made up of glass-walled bubble casts. It may occur as coherent, massive blocks composed of highly vesicular glassy lava in either a flow or vent filling, or it may be more or less fragmented by violent eruption. Pumicite, the diminutive of pumice, has the same origin, chemical composition, and glassy structure, differing only in particle size. Particles less than 0.16 in. in diam are designated pumicite. Pumice usually is found relatively close to the vent from which it was expelled, while pumicite may be carried by winds for great distances before settling as an accumulation of fine-grained ash or tuffaceous sediment. Mount St. Helens lofted an estimated 5 billion cu yd of ash and pumicite. The volcano, unlike most of the High Cascade peaks, is composed largely of dacitic material with only minor amounts of andesite and basalt. Volcanic cinders are the reddish to black vesicular fragments which pile up during explosive eruptions of volcanoes of basaltic composition. Most cinder deposits occur as cones or mounds of stratified fragments ranging from a fraction of an inch to several inches in diameter. Individual cones or mounds may be several hundred feet in diameter and up to 500 ft high. Properties and Uses Low bulk density, good heat and sound insulating properties, and excellent abrasive capabilities make pumice and pumicite useful in industrial applications. Cinders, though less cellular and somewhat heavier, also have a variety of industrial uses. The main use of pumice and cinders continues to be in the construction industry as road-surfacing material, railroad ballast, and building block aggregate. Pumicite is used in sizable quantities as a pozzolanic additive to monolithic concrete where it increases workability, strength, and durability of the concrete and reduces the heat of hydration. Volcanic cinders generally are denser and more coarsely cellular than most pumice. Markets for cinders include aggregate for road construction and surfacing and use in lightweight concretes, particularly blocks. Some producers having access to both pumice and cinders offer a variety of blends of the two materials to block manufacturers. Table I lists the principal applications of industrial pumice. Tables 2 and 3 show US sales and uses of volcanic products. Most pumice deposits are unconsolidated and usually have a minimum of overburden. Mining is by open pit and can be easily carried out with conventional loading equipment. Sometimes air drying precedes hauling to a crushing and screening plant which yields the size product desired. Multiple bins at railroad hauling facilities permit blending if desired. Pumice for abrasive use may require more sophisticated processing by fine grinding and air classification before being bagged for market.

Jan 1, 1983