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By Robert R. Walden, LeMont West

K ENTUCKY'S first acid-grade fluorspar flotation Kmill, shown in Fig. 1, was placed in operation Aug. 1, 1952, by the Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. at Mexico, Ky. During 1951 a critical shortage of acid-grade fluorspar developed and it became necessary for the company to produce part of its fluorspar requirements. In 1951 the company purchased the Crider and Lennen metallurgical fluorspar mill and an adjacent stockpile of tailing at Mexico, Ky. The tailing, assaying about 26 pct calcium fluoride, originated from log washer and jig mill concentrators in the area. As the mill did not have a fluorspar dryer or convenient rail facilities, the company leased the Burleson concentrator at Marion, Ky., where these facilities were available. At Marion, Ky., on the Illinois Central Railroad, dry acid-grade fluorspar is transported direct to the company's Calvert City, Ky., hydrofluoric acid plant. The Mexico flotation plant was reconditioned and designed to produce acid-grade fluorspar from the jig tailing stockpile. The new plant flowsheet is shown in Fig. 2. The ore feed, old tailing, which contains 10 pct of waste rock and coarse gravel assaying approximately 8 pct CaF,, is bound together by sticky clay

Jan 1, 1955

SHORTLY after Ambrose Swasey suggested the creation of the Engineering Foundation in 1914, the World War broke. upon the scene. Consequently all eyes were soon turned to national security problems. In 1916 the newly-organized Engineering Foundation and the four National Societies joined with the National Academy of Sciences in establishing the National Research Council. From then until 1923 the Engineering Foundation devoted the greater part of its resources to the support of the Research Council and the Council's division of engineering. Since 1923, how-ever, it has turned to the original intention for which it was created, of cooperating with the national societies in proj-ects affecting engineering at large, though it still retains a connection with the Research Council. Mere enumeration and tabulation of work undertaken can of course lend but a vague idea of actual accomplish-ments. The reports of the Foundation give information of its widespread activities.

Jan 2, 1928

By R. F. Stilwell

There are three things that all coal consumers look for when they burn coal: (1) suitability for their particular requirements and burning equipment, (2) uniformity of shipments, and (3) quality as expressed by heating value and other chemical and physical tests. Suitability, or proper application, is determined generally from previous buying experience. It is a function of (1) the reliability and integrity of the shipper and distributor, (2) of a certain coal field or seam and of (3) uniformity and quality. Quality is limited by the location and geology of the seam and mine, the mining and preparation methods and equipment and the knowledge and ability of the personnel. Uniformity of shipments is in many ways the most important factor in coal selection. Lack of uniformity in chemical quality, size consist and treatment cause most of the customer complaints that arise from faults of the coal shipper. Lack of uniformity destroys suitability and quality standards, causing a large customer turnover, and greatly increases sales expense and reduces the net return to the operator. Oil and gas fuels are more uniform in quality than solid fuels, and there will be more gas and oil competition for coal markets after this war than before, because the size of their market is a direct function of the dimensions of their pipe lines, which have been greatly increased during the war. Present mechanical coal-cleaning equipment based upon gravity concentration has gone a long way toward giving us a coal of uniform ash content. The chart in Fig. I, by Hebley,1 shows the greater uniformity of the ash content of washed coal as compared with that of raw coal. Wide variation in the nature and amount of ash in the coal feed to the washer leads to a coal of non-uniform ash content. Mechanica1 cleaning equipment does not understand such terms as ash-softening temperature, coking properties, size consist and sulphur content. Unless the feed to the washer is uniform, the washed coal probably will not be uniform. Table I shows the ash, sulphur and ash-softening temperature of two mines in the Pittsburgh bed, both raw and washed, loaded over the same tipple; also No. 3 and No. 4 Pocahontas seams, both raw and washed, loaded from the same preparation plant. It is obvious that they must be blended or loaded separately if a uniform product is to be obtained. Why Is Blending Necessary? It was natural for the operators of captive mines producing by-product coals to recognize the necessity for blending raw coals of different quality and coking characteristics. They have had many years of experience with blending high, low and medium volatile coals at their oven plants. They have found that careful blending gives a coke of more uniform quality and better structure. Coals that could not be

Jan 1, 1947

By R. F. Stilwell

There are three things that all coal consumers look for when they burn coal: (1) suitability for their particular requirements and burning equipment, (2) uniformity of shipments, and (3) quality as expressed by heating value and other chemical and physical tests. Suitability, or proper application, is determined generally from previous buying experience. It is a function of (1) the reliability and integrity of the shipper and distributor, (2) of a certain coal field or seam and of (3) uniformity and quality. Quality is limited by the location and geology of the seam and mine, the mining and preparation methods and equipment and the knowledge and ability of the personnel. Uniformity of shipments is in many ways the most important factor in coal selection. Lack of uniformity in chemical quality, size consist and treatment cause most of the customer complaints that arise from faults of the coal shipper. Lack of uniformity destroys suitability and quality standards, causing a large customer turnover, and greatly increases sales expense and reduces the net return to the operator. Oil and gas fuels are more uniform in quality than solid fuels, and there will be more gas and oil competition for coal markets after this war than before, because the size of their market is a direct function of the dimensions of their pipe lines, which have been greatly increased during the war. Present mechanical coal-cleaning equipment based upon gravity concentration has gone a long way toward giving us a coal of uniform ash content. The chart in Fig. I, by Hebley,1 shows the greater uniformity of the ash content of washed coal as compared with that of raw coal. Wide variation in the nature and amount of ash in the coal feed to the washer leads to a coal of non-uniform ash content. Mechanica1 cleaning equipment does not understand such terms as ash-softening temperature, coking properties, size consist and sulphur content. Unless the feed to the washer is uniform, the washed coal probably will not be uniform. Table I shows the ash, sulphur and ash-softening temperature of two mines in the Pittsburgh bed, both raw and washed, loaded over the same tipple; also No. 3 and No. 4 Pocahontas seams, both raw and washed, loaded from the same preparation plant. It is obvious that they must be blended or loaded separately if a uniform product is to be obtained. Why Is Blending Necessary? It was natural for the operators of captive mines producing by-product coals to recognize the necessity for blending raw coals of different quality and coking characteristics. They have had many years of experience with blending high, low and medium volatile coals at their oven plants. They have found that careful blending gives a coke of more uniform quality and better structure. Coals that could not be

Jan 1, 1947

By K. F. G. Hosking

I read Professor Gaudin&apos;s paper with great interest and pleasure because for some time I have held that the chemical aspect of comminution is a subject of considerable importance to the mineral dresser and deserves to be thoroughly investigated. It does seem appropriate, however, to emphasize the fact that "fresh" edges and corners produced by the grinding of solids display enhanced reactivity has been recognized and utilized in the development of certain mineral identification techniques. Some of these techniques are worth noting, not only because they might facilitate research in the aspect of mineral dressing under discussion, but also because they emphasize the fact that many mineral species commonly regarded as being very inert can display a surprising reactivity when in the freshly ground state. In 1951 Isakov6 published a number of tests for the components of certain mineral species which depend essentially on grinding in a mortar a mixture of the material under investigation with a solid reagent. Thus when stibnite, 4(Sb2S3), is ground with sodium or potassium hydroxide. the antimony is revealed by a momentary development of a yellow color which changes in air to orange-red. Other antimony minerals need a preliminary treatment before the test can be carried out. This consists of grinding with aluminium sulfate, ferric sulfate or potassium bisulfate, and breathing upon the resultant mixture. I have employed a similar technique to determine the approximate magnesia content of certain limestones.&apos; The method depends essentially on the fact that when a sample of limestone is ground under controlled conditions with solutions of sodium hydroxide and Titan yellow the color of the final product is, within limits, a function of the amount of magnesia present. I have also shown that the components of a wide range of minerals can be identified by applying chemicals to their streaks on portions of vitrified, unglazed floor tiles, etc. Under such circumstances the diversity of the reactions which take place in the cold (because of the reactivity of fresh corners and edges) is surprising. Thus, for example, if a garnierite, (Ni,Mg)3Si2O5(OH)1, streak is treated first with a drop of 0.880 ammonia and then with a drop of a 1 pct alcoholic dimethyl-glyoxime it immediately becomes red, indicating the presence of nickel.&apos; Stevens and Carron9 have evolved a simple field test for distinguishing minerals by "abrasion pH." A soft nonabsorbent mineral is scratched in a drop of water on a streak plate until a milky suspension is formed. A piece of pH indicator paper is dipped into the suspension, after which it is removed and the maximum deviation from neutrality noted. When a hard mineral or one which absorbs water is being tested, fragments are first ground for 1 min with a few drops of water in a mortar to make a heavy suspension. The importance of the findings of such tests to mineral dressing may be judged by the abrasion pH values, Table 11, recorded by Stevens and Carron for certain species usually regarded as comparatively inert. The combined results Of the above researches clearly indicate that comminution is capable of altering the pH of a pulp and of causing the chemical nature of the surfaces of some of the components to be profoundly changed&apos; Depending On circumstances such surface alterations may have a beneficial or an adverse effect if these products are subsequently subjected to flotation. The tests also suggest that by grinding "inert" minerals with appropriate solid or liquid reagents "reactive" surfaces may be developed which might facilitate separations by flotation. It is an interesting and instructive problem to determine the reactions that are likely to take place when dry solid substances are subjected to comminution and to the unavoidable heat liberated during the process. To do this it is theoretically necessary to know the free energy values of the reactants and possible resultants, but unfortunately there is a dearth of such data! However, the heats of formation of many substances are known, and generally speaking, if in a reaction of the type AB + CD = AD + CB the sum of the heats of formation of AB and CD is less than that of AD and CB the reaction will probably proceed to the right. Thus, according to a note I have (the author of which I cannot name) if PbS (black) is warmed with CdSO, (white), PbSO., (white) and CdS (yellow) are formed, and that the reaction does, in fact, take place is indicated by the change in color of the mixture. The reaction is expected, as the sum of the heats of formation of PbS and CdSO, is less than that of PbSO, and CdS (as shown below). PbS + CdSO4 = PbSO4 + CdS 22.2 + 218.0 < 216.2 + 33.9 Finally, certain other aspects of the chemistry of comminution, which are neither mentioned by Professor Gaudin nor referred to by me are to be found in a paper by Welsh" and in the printed discussion thereof. A. M. Gaudin (author&apos;s reply)—The observations contributed by Dr. Hosking are indeed welcome, as they add to our experimental knowledge of a topic which is believed to be of the first importance. In connection with the experiments cited it should be kept in mind that oxidation, hydration, and carbonation at various rates should always be deemed to be possibilities when grinding is done in water or in air, even in "industrially dry" air. Special precautions might lead to sufficient minimizing of these reactions and to the assertion, instead, of deliberately-created reactions. The author wishes to thank Dr. Hosking for his contribution.

Jan 1, 1957

THE first session was held in the rooms of the American Philosophical Society, on Tuesday evening, February 26th. The President, Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, called the meeting to order, and after a few introductory remarks concerning the importance of theoretical and speculative science, which often involves principles of the highest economic value, and, more than all that, serves to enlarge our conceptions of the universe, and ennoble us, by the cultivation which it affords to our most exalted faculties, proceeded to discuss some points in the chemistry of the atmosphere. It is known that there is in the crust of the earth a great amount of oxidized carbon, not only in the shape of coal, but also in the graphite or plumbago of the crystalline rocks, in the various bituminous shales or pyroschists, which are found in all succeeding rock-formations, and also in the forms of bitumen and petroleum. All the analogies of nature lead us to conclude that these various carbonaceous substances have had an organic origin, and have been generated by the deoxidation of carbonic acid, a process effected by the growing plant, and attended with the liberation of oxygen. He showed that the carbon of a layer of coal covering the whole earth&apos;s surface to the thickness of one meter, would, in its production from carbonic dioxide, liberate an amount of oxygen equal to that now present in our atmosphere. But bituminous coal contains also a large amount of hydrogen, derived from the deoxidation of water, which implies the liberation of a farther portion of oxygen. The amount from this latter source would equal, for the various coals and asphalts, from one-eighth to one-fourth, and, for the petroleums, one-half of that set free in the deoxidation of the carbon which these hydrocarbonaceous bodies contain. From what we know of the composition of the stratified rocks, it is probable that they include an amount of deoxidized carbon and hydrogen many times greater than that contained in a layer of coal one meter in thickness, and, consequently, that the disengaged oxygen in past ages must have far exceeded that now present in our atmosphere. To this must be added

Jan 1, 1878

The first session was held in the rooms of the American Philosophical Society, on Tuesday evening, February 26th. The President, Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, called the meeting to order, and after a few introductory remarks concerning the importance of theoretical and speculative science, which often involves principles of the highest economic value, and, more than all that, serves to enlarge our conceptions of the universe, and ennoble us, by the cultivation which it affords to our most exalted faculties, proceeded to discuss some points in the chemistry of the atmosphere. It is known that there is in the crust of the earth a great amount of oxidized carbon, not only in the shape of coal, but also in the graphite or plunlbago of the crystalline rocks, in the various bituminous shales or pyroschists, which are found in all succeeding rock-formations, and also in the forms of bitumen and petroleum. All the analogies of nature lead us to conclude that these various carbonaceous substances have had an organic origin, and have been generated by the deoxidation of carbonic acid, a process effected by the growing plant, and attended with the liberation of oxygen. He showed that the carbon of a layer of coal covering the whole earth&apos;s surface to the thickness of one meter, would, in its production from carbonic dioxide, liberate an amount of oxygen equal to that now present in our atmosphere. But bituminous coal contains also a large amount of hydrogen, derived from the deoxidation of water, which implies the liberation of a farther portion of oxygen. The amount from this latter source would equal, for the various coals and asphalts, from one-eighth to one-fourth, and, for the petroleums, onehalf of that set free in the deoxidation of the carbon which these hydrocarbonaceous bodies contain. From what we know of the composition of the stratified rocks, it is probable that they include an amount of deoxidized carbon and hydrogen many times greater than that contained in a layer of coal one meter in thickness, and, consequently, that the disengaged oxygen in past ages must have far exceeded that now present in our atmosphere. To this must be added

Jan 1, 1879

By D. R. Cook, W. M. Shepard, H. T. Morris

The East Tintic district in central Utah has produced ores of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc valued at more than $120,000,000. All of this ore has been produced from blind ore bodies in Paleozoic sedimentary rocks that are concealed beneath hydrothermally altered volcanic rocks and cut by intrusive bodies of Eocene age. The Paleozoic rocks, which range in age from Early Cambrian to Mississippian form the core and limbs of a large, northtrending asymmetric anticline that is cut by low-angle thrust faults, high-angle transcurrent faults, mineralized fissures and faults, and normal faults that are both older and younger than the mineralized fissures. The ore bodies generally may be grouped into two classes: ( 1) massive replacement bodies that are rich in silver, lead, zinc and manganese and (2) fissure veins that are valuable primarily for their content of gold, copper, and silver. The replacement ore bodies are localized chiefly in the Middle Limestone Member of the Ophir Formation of Middle Cambrian age where it has been thrust-faulted against older or younger rocks and cut by northeast-trending mineralized fissure zones. The fissure veins primarily are productive only in the Lower Cambrian Tintic Quartzite. Extensive lowgrade deposits of lead-zinc-silver ore recently have been discovered in Devonian carbonate rocks in the Lower plate of the East Tintic thrust fault but as yet are unevaluated. The principal guides to ore include: ( 1) intersections of northeast-trending fissures and crossbreaking faults that brecciate the carbonate rocks; (2) zones of late-stage pyritic, calcitic, and sericitic alteration in the lavas; ( 3) primary geochemical anomalies in the altered rocks; and ( 4) mineral zoning patterns of the known ore bodies. The present development of the Burgin mine would seem to assure the continued productivity of the district for at least a decade.

Jan 1, 1968

By T. K. Perkins, R. N. Hoffman, O. C. Johnston

A simplified theory of viscous fingering in miscible systems has been developed. It predicts the correct functional relationship between pertinent variables and permits the calculation of the order of magnitude of fingering behavior for simple systems, such as linear or radial. The theory is based on the following four observations: (1) cross-flow takes place only near the ends of fingers; (2) the relative finger width is about 0.5; (3) fingers can be suppressed by transverse dispersion, the suppression being quantitatively described by a critical ratio of dispersion times; and (4) the widths of extending fingers are close to the minimum size finger that can grow at any stage of displacement. Fingering is studied in two-dimensional linear and diverging radial systems, both theoretically and experimentally. For linear systems, the length of the fingered region is proportional to mean displacement; the finger width is proportional to square root of mean displacement; and there is a small initial region void of fingers because of suppression by longitudinal dispersion. For the radial system, two limiting conditions are recognized. If the mean displacement is small compared with the wellbore radius, the length of the fingered region is proportional to the mean displacement. The width is proportional to the square root of mean displacement. If the mean displacement is large compared with wellbore radius, length of the fingered region is proportional to mean displacement, but the number of fingers approaches a constant value. Also, in the radial case there is a small initial region void of fingers because of longitudinal dispersion. INTRODUCTION The behavior of viscous fingers in miscible systems has been of interest to the oil industry for many years. Previous studies have clearly shown the existence and nature of fingers in small models.1,2,3,4 Engineering techniques for extrapolating to reservoir situations have been proposed. 5,6 Still, because of the lack of a real understanding of the mechanics of fingering, there remains uncertainty and disagreement as to the best way to scale or calculate fingering behavior in the reservoir. In this paper we discuss a study of the mechanics of fingering in miscible systems (i.e., why do fingers behave as they do?). A simplified theory is developed which we believe will (1) predict the correct functional relationship between pertinent variables, (2) permit us to calculate the order of magnitude of fingering behavior for simple systems such as linear and radial, and (3) give further insight into the problem of scaling or otherwise extending the results to more complicated reservoir conditions. The paper includes the following sections: (1) brief summary of the mixing behavior of miscible fluids in linear and radial systems; (2) four fundamental observations of fluid flow (under fingering conditions); (3) based on these four observations, a simplified theory of fingering in linear and radial systems is developed; and (4) the theoretical equations are compared with experimental fingering data measured in laboratory models. A REVIEW OF DIFFUSION AND DISPERSION As will be shown later, the behavior of viscous fingers in miscible systems is controlled in large degree by the mixing between the two fluids. A quantitative description of fingers will first require a quantitative description of mixing. Fortunately, much work has been done to clarify this subject; a fairly comprehensive review has been presented in a previous paper. 7 For present purposes let us (1) briefly summarize the quantitative description of diffusion and dispersion (both longitudinal and transverse) within a differential element; (2) present a simplification of the "width of mixed zone"; and (3) describe the effect of geometry on width of mixed zone. If one fluid is displaced from a porous medium by another miscible fluid (in the absence of fingers)

Jan 1, 1966

By R. A. Stauffer

THE chief ore of lithium is spodumene, a lithium-aluminum silicate containing up to 3 pct lithium. The preparation of lithium salts from spodumene is costly because of the low concentration of the metal and the difficulty of separating it from the other alkali metals present. Dr. Kroll&apos;s and Dr. Schlecten&apos;s recent paper&apos; has reviewed various methods proposed for preparation of lithium. It will be seen from this paper that the methods proposed to date have required one or another of the lithium salts as a raw material. The high cost of these salts has been the chief item of expense in the lithium metal produced. This situation has made it interesting to investigate the possibility of producing the metal directly from spodumene. When spodumene is calcined at 1000°C in the presence of lime, lithium oxide is replaced in the ore as is evidenced by the fact that it may be leached from the reaction mixture with water.2 Free energy calculations suggested that lithium oxide might be reduced with aluminum or silicon and the lithium produced distilled from the reaction mixture by heating to about 1000°C in a vacuum. These facts taken together suggested that it might be possible to prepare lithium metal directly from spodumene by heating a mixture of the ore, lime, and a suitable reducing agent in vacuum and distilling off the lithium metal as formed. THE REPLACEMENT OF Li20 IN SPODUMENE A series of experiments were undertaken to determine the ratio of lime to spodumene necessary to free substantially all the lithium oxide present in the ore. The spodumene used in these experiments was supplied by Foote Mineral Co. in the form of powder of about 200 mesh. Analysis of the spodumene was as follows: [ ] Lime (cp -200 mesh) was added in various ratios to spodumene and thoroughly mixed in a ball mill. Two hundred gram samples of spodumene-lime mixtures were charged loosely in fireclay crucibles and held at 1000°C in a gas-fired furnace for 5 hrs. The product in each case was ground to pass 140 mesh and then placed in a thimble in a soxhlet extractor. Extraction with water was carried on for 6 hrs. After this period the extract was reduced in volume by evaporation in order to precipitate dissolved lime and was then filtered and titrated with 1/4 normal hydrochloric acid. After correcting for residual calcium oxide in solution, the alkali present was calculated as lithium oxide. The results of these experiments are shown in Table I and Fig I. At lime-spodumene ratios less than 1.5, the products were invariably fused. At the ratio of 1.5 and above, the product was loosely sintered with little evidence of fusion. When the ratio of lime to spodumene was three, replacement of alkali oxides in the

Jan 1, 1947

By T. H. Alden

T. H. Alden (General Electric Research Laboratory)—This paper as well as earlier ones of Dr. Wood represent an important contribution to the experimental description of fatigue fracture. The mechanism of fracture proposed by the authors, however, is not established by this data nor supported by other data existing in the literature. Although taper section metallography provides a rather detailed picture of fatigue crack geometry, photographs so obtained must be interpreted with care. The narrow bands revealed by etching, frequently associated with surface notches, are labeled by the authors "fissures". Measurement shows, taking into account the 20 to 1 taper magnification, that the depth of these structures is at most 2 to 3 times the width. This distinction is important in the conception of a mechanism of crack formation. It is difficult, for example, to imagine a deep, narrow fissure arising from a "ratchet slip" model. A surface notch, on the other hand, may form easily by this mechanism. The notches observed in the present work are the subsurface evidence of the surface slip bands or striations in which fatigue cracks are known to originate.4-6 It is clear that an understanding of the structure of these slip bands is of key importance in understanding the mechanism of fracture. The evidence presented shows that these regions etch preferentially, possibly because they contain a high density of lattice defects, or as the authors state equivalently, because they are "abnormally distorted." However, it is not possible to conclude that the distortion consists of a high density of vacant lattice sites. The fact of a high total shear strain in itself does not assure a predominance of point defects as opposed to other defects, for example, dislocations. Other evidence in the literature which suggests unusual densities of point defects formed by fatigue7-&apos; refers not to the striations or fissures, but to the material between fissures (the "matrix"). If a choice must be made, the preferential etching would seem to be evidence for a high dislocation density, since dislocations are known to encourage chemical attack in copper;g no such effect is known for the case of point defects. A third alternative is that the slip bands are actually cracked, but that near its tip the crack is too narrow to be detected by the authors&apos; metal-lographic technique. In this case the rapid etching can be readily understood in terms of the increased chemical activity of surface atoms. Unless a vacancy mechanism is operative, the motion of dislocations to-and-fro on single slip planes will not lead to crack growth. Point defect or dislocation loop generation are the principal non-reversible effects predicted by this model. In any case, the nonuniform roughening of the surface in a slip band6 requires a flexibility of dislocation motion which is not a part of the to-and-fro fine slip idea. The same is probably true of crack growth by a shear mechanism. Either some dislocations must change their slip planes near the end of the band and return on different planes,&apos;0 or dislocations of opposite sign annihilate." The mechanism by which these processes occur in copper at room temperature or below is that of cross slip. Thus cross slip appears to be essential to fatigue crack growth.6&apos;10"12 The fact that a tensile stress opens the slip bands into broad cracks does not indicate the structure of the bands or the mechanism by which cracks form. The charactersitic concentration of slip into bands during fatigue shows a low resistance to shear strain in these regions. (This fact in itself may be inconsistent with a high concentration of vacancies.) The authors contend also that continuing shear produces an additional mechanical weakening so that the bands fracture easily (are pulled apart) under the influence of the superimposed tensile stress. It is equally possible that the only weakness is a weakness in shear, that the crack propagates by a shear mechanism, and that subsequently the tensile stress pulls the crack apart. Even the direct observation of bands opened by a tensile stress would not be conclusive since, as argued above, they may be fine cracks. The same argument applies to internal cracks, their existence in the presence of a tensile stress not indicating the mechanism of formation. Internal cracks originating in regions of heavy shear have also been seen following tensile deformation of OFHC copper,13 so that this mode of fracture is not unique to combined tensile and fatigue straining. The authors point out in their companion report14 that 90 pct of the cracks formed during pure tor-sional strain were within 8 deg of the normal to the specimen axis. If the tensile stress were an important factor in crack propagation, it is surprising that the cracks cluster about the plane in which the normal stress vanishes. Similarly, a study of zinc single crystals showed that for various orientations the life correlated well with the resolved shear stress on the basal plane,&apos;= and was not dependent on the normal stress across this plane. W. A. Wood and H. M. Bendler (Authors&apos; reply) -Dr. Alden&apos;s discussion emphasizes the essential point in the relation of slip band structure to

Jan 1, 1963

By A. E. Gorum, J. Washburn, E. R. Parker

Experimental evidence was obtained in support of the idea that cleavage fracture can be initiated by dislocation pile-up. The high ductility of MgO crystals when tested in bending comPared to their relative brittleness in tension was explained on the basis that large pile-ups are more likely in a tension specimen. CLEAVAGE fractures have been a problem of major concern for many years. A number of large steel structures have failed in a brittle manner, usually suddenly and without warning; often the failures occurred for no obvious reason and at nominal stress levels well within the generally accepted range. A great deal of data have been collected about factors that contribute to failures,1 but the physics of the fracture process has never been revealed. cottrel12 has recently developed a theory of brittle fracture in ductile materials which was based upon the concept that dislocations moving on two intersecting planes can unite to form a crack nucleus. This theory accounts for the known effect of grain size and for the effect of testing temperature. There has, as yet, been no experimental evidence published that would substantiate this or the earlier theories based on stress concentrations due to piled-up dislocations. The study reported herein was conducted to obtain information that would either substantiate or disprove the

Jan 1, 1960

By Gordon E. Frantti

Under the auspices of the Geophysical Committee of Michigan College of Mining and Technology, an investigation was made in Michigan&apos;s Upper Peninsula to obtain geophysical data related to the regional subsurface geology in the area covered by Paleozoic sediments. The area surveyed includes that portion of the Upper Peninsula which lies between R18W to R26W and T41N and T49N, covering approximately 1300 square miles. On the index map, Fig. 1, it is represented by the cross-hatched zone west of Munising. Four of the five sites of detailed investigation are indicated by the letters A, B, C, and D. A detailed gravity and magnetic survey had previously been conducted by J. G. Wilson near Perkins, 8 miles north of Rapid River, on a local anomalous area. Results of his work, which showed a large positive magnetic anomaly associated with a gravity anomaly, aroused interest in the possible economic significance of the formations underlying the Paleozoic sediments in this part of the Upper Peninsula.

Jan 1, 1956

By Charles O. Thompson

WHEN a wire rod of iron or of steel is immersed in a hot. solution of common salt, allowed to remain long enough to bring the metal to the temperature of the brine, and withdrawn, the surface of the rod is irregularly covered with a deposit of crystals of salt. These crystals adhere to the cod with great firmness, in consequence, doubtless, of a thin film of ferric hydrate, which is formed between them and the rod as the water dries tiff. The rod can now be re¬duced, by successive passes through a dic or draw-plate, without any

Jan 1, 1881

By F. A. Forward, J. Halpern

A new process is described for extracting uranium from ores containing sulphidic minerals, which comprises treating an aqueous pulp of the ore with air or oxygen at elevated temperatures and pressures. The acid required to dissolve the uranium is generated during the leach through oxidation of the sulphides. The chemistry of the process is discussed and laboratory results are presented to illustrate the operation of the method and the variables which control it. With most ores, leaching at a temperature of 130°C and an oxygen partial pressure of 10 psi provides uranium extractions of 90 to 95 pct in 4 to 6 hr. The acidity and level of dissolved impurities in the leach liquor can be kept fairly low. The method is characterized by a number of advantageous features including low reagent cost, short retention times, and high recoveries. RECENTLY there have been developed several processes for extracting metal values from ores by pressure leaching techniques;&apos; -&apos; an example is the carbonate leaching process for uranium ores which has been studied in this laboratory.&apos; Leaching is carried out under oxygen pressure to ensure oxidation of the uranium to hexavalent compounds which are soluble in carbonate solutions. During the course of investigations relating to this process, it was observed that sulphide minerals, such as pyrite, usually were oxidized under the conditions of the leach treatment resulting in the formation of iron hydroxides and sodium sulphate, i.e. 2 FeS= + 7Vz O2 + 8 Na,CO3 + 7 H,,O -* 2 Fe(OH)3 + 4 Na2SO4 + 8 NaHCO.,. [1]

Jan 1, 1956

By F. W. Jr. Sperr

THE byproduct coke oven is the most important artificial source of fuels for metals melting. Its products are solid, liquid, and gaseous in form. The amount of coke and primary byproducts obtained per ton of coal varies with the nature of the coal. The following represents the results obtained in many plants: Metallurgical coke (over 3/4 in.) 69 per cent. of coal Domestic coke (1/2 to 3/4 in.) 2 per cent. of coal Breeze (under 1/2 in.) 4 per cent. of coal Surplus gas, cubic feet per net ton 6600 Gas for heating ovens, cubic feet per net ton 4400 Tar, gallons per net ton 9 Ammonium sulfate, pounds per net ton 25 Benzols, gallons per net ton 4 All of these products, except ammonium sulfate, have important fuel value. Part or all of the metallurgical coke may be crushed or screened to furnish additional domestic coke. If producer gas is used, there will be a surplus of 11,000 cu. ft. of coke-oven gas per net ton of coal. The use of coke in the metallurgical industries has been retarded by the mental attitude of writers who disregard the dependence of coke quality on the conditions of its manufacture. Terms like "byproduct coke,"&apos; "beehive coke," "48-hour coke," and "72-hour coke" are only generally descriptive and tell nothing of the coke quality. For example, one writer1 stated that in brass-foundry practice, Connellsville coke is considered much superior to byproduct coke on account of the high sulfur content of the latter. Another2 says, "At equal prices for hard Connellsville coke and for byproduct coke at the foundry door, the hard coke is unquestionably cheaper. It will melt more metal per ton than the byproduct coke and requires less labor, as the byproduct coke is less dense and burns faster, thus requiring more frequent firing." A little study of the conditions under which coke is manufactured will show the error in mak-

Jan 10, 1920

By John W. Cahn

The spinodal has long been regarded as a limit beyond which a homogeneous phase could no longer be metastable. But only recently has it become apparent that a phase beyond the spinodal would decompose by simple diffusional clustering mechanism quite different from the nucleation and growth mechanisms encountered for metastable phases. The theory of spinodal decomposition, which is based on the diffusion equation modified by thermodynamic requirements , is phenomenological, and each parameter can be measured by independent thermodynamic or diffusion experiments. The details of the theory have been carefully verified in a number of simple systems. It appears that the spinodal mechanism is commonly encountered in clustering reactions in solids and glasses. HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION The understanding of the earliest stages of precipitation in alloys has been the subject of three prior Institute of Metals Lectures. In 1932 Paul ~erica&apos; reviewed the puzzling evidence that hardening of duralumin is completed before precipitation of CuAlz takes place and suggested that hardening occurs when the copper atoms "assemble in random groups on lattice positions of the duralumin, not of the CuAlz lattice". He called these random groups knots. This modification of his dispersion hardening theory seemed to fit all the facts, but Merica worried that the required diffusion "is just the reverse of what we deem normal; although quite spontaneous, it proceeds uphill, if you please". The reality of Merica&apos;s knots was quickly confirmed by Guinier&apos;s&apos; and preston&apos;s3 X-ray work and these knots are today known as G.P. zones in their honor. Theoretical justification for uphill diffusion was also quickly provided by Becker and Dehlinger~ who noted that the diffusion coefficient could be negative in certain regions of phase diagrams. The boundaries of such regions could be described by a 90-year-old thermodynamic concept first described by ~ibbs&apos; in 1877 as a limit of metastability for fluid phases, which by 1890 had received the name spinodal (see Appendix A). Spinodal in fluids is as old as nucleation theory. Both appear for the first time in the same paper by Gibbs who called the spinodal the limit of metastability. For the first 50 years, nucleation theory was forgotten and the spinodal was extensively treated in every good thermodynamics textbook.81Q The idea was simple and logical and it was accepted as part of a rigorous thermodynamic development of metastable phases, and for a while it was extensively investigated theoretically.

Jan 1, 1969

By D. J. Carney, E. C. Rudolphy

IT has been demonstrated that inclusion size, distribution, and composition affect the machin-ability of resulphurized steels. Merchant and Zlatinl concluded that large sulphide inclusions aided machining by forming a (lubricating) coating on the tool face. Boulger et al.² and Van Vlack³ noted that the size, distribution, and composition of the inclusions in the steel affected the machinability. Steel specimens containing large globular sulphide inclusions usually exhibited excellent cutting properties, while machinability was adversely affected by the presence of numbers of oxide-type inclusions. Consequently a thorough knowledge of all the factors which affect the inclusions in the final product is desirable. Since almost all the inclusions have their origin in liquid steel, it was necessary to begin a study of inclusions in free-machining steels by studying the inclusions and chemical segregation in the as-cast ingot. Very little information is available on the size, distribution, shape, and composition of inclusions in large, capped, free-machining steel ingots, particularly the B1113 grade. Gregory and Whiteley4 made a general study of the inclusions in a small, high sulphur, free-machining steel ingot. Also, numerous authors have described the solidification and segregation characteristics of the four basic types of steel ingots, namely, rimmed, capped,7 semikilled,7,8 and killed7,9,10 ingots. Most of these studies were made with plain carbon or low alloy, low sulphur steel. It was desirable to study not only the ingot but also the change in size, shape, and number of inclusions on rolling an ingot to a bloom and thence to a billet. This procedure was followed and it is hoped that this study may serve the dual purpose of adding to the general knowledge of ingot solidification as well as contributing to the knowledge of the size, shape, distribution, and composition of inclusions from the ingot to the billet in a high sulphur, free-machining steel. Procedure A 12.000-lb 23x35x75 in. slab ingot of the B1113 grade was cast, sectioned, and studied both macro-scopically and microscopically. An adjacent ingot from the same heat and of the same size was rolled to a 77/8x77/8 in. bloom and thence to a 21/2x21/2 in. billet. These various bloom and billet sections were also sectioned and studied macroscopically and microscopically. Sectioning the Ingot: The ingot herein described was obtained from the United States Steel Corp.&apos;s South Works Bessemer Blow No. 0193, a B1113 mechanically capped heat. The 23x35 in. ingot (No. 2) was teemed according to normal procedures and after stripping and transportation to the rolling mill was not placed in the soaking pit but allowed to air cool in an upright position. When completely solidified, the ingot was cut into sections by means of a powder scarfing torch and further sectioned by saw cutting as indicated in Fig. 1. Cut No. 2 (1x10x12 in.) from sections A through H was cleaned thoroughly, macroetched in a solution of 50-50 water and hot muriatic acid and used to obtain a macrograph of a horizontal section from the surface to slightly beyond the center of the 23-in. ingot dimension. Cuts No. 5 and 3 (lx81/2xl0 in. each) from sections A through H were treated in a similar manner to obtain a macrograph of a horizontal section from the surface to slightly beyond the center of the 35-in. ingot dimension. The composite macrograph of these horizontal ingot sections, which shows a vertical section of the ingot from top to bottom, is shown in Fig. 2. It should be noted that sections No. 2 are normal to sections 5 and 3 in the composite. Drillings for chemical analyses were obtained from selected positions within the above-mentioned ingot sections as noted in Fig. 3. The oxygen content was determined by the vacuum-fusion method. Samples for microscopic examination were cut from

Jan 1, 1954

While the production of this state has not realized the early hopes that this coal would replace eastern coal on the Pacific Coast, it has been steady though small. Nearly all of the tonnages given are from Goodyear&apos;s, The Coal Mines of the Western Coast of the U. s., a carefully com- piled and accurate account of the development of the industry along the Pacific. [ ]

Jan 1, 1942

By Charles W. Henderson

THE influence of mineral production on the development of the western United States has been profound. From 1848 to 1860, there was only gold production, the effect of silver began in 1860, and from then on both had a powerful influence. Lead production started in 1863, copper in 1863, and zinc in 1885, but was small until 1898. Gold alone was therefore the stimulus of the early settlement and exploration of the Western States.. But mineral deposits caused neither acquisition of territory nor determination of boundary lines. Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and parts of Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado were formally acquired from Mexico fourteen days after the actual date of the discovery (January 19, 1848)1.2 of gold at Sutters Mill, near the present town of Coloma, California (a discovery which, with the immediate new discoveries, aroused the world several months later) ; but the acquisition was by treaty (under negotiation for some time but signed February 2, 1848)3 in settlement of a war involving the boundaries of the grassy plains of Texas, an area at that time not known to contain any metals, and to date found to have but few metal deposits.4 The international boundary at 49º latitude for the far northwest states was determined by causes other than mineral deposits.

Jan 1, 1933