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By F. C. Pittman, D. W. Harriman, J. C. St. John

This paper mentions briefly the history of hydraulic jetting as applied to perforating and fracture initiation. It points out the advantages of hydraulic perforation and undercutting as an aid for creating a fracture at the point desired rather than depending upon the weakest point in the formation for breakdown. It describes early experimental work with jet nozzles in search of better nozzle materials. The effect of splash-back damage and its subsequent influence on jet body and tool design during this work is discussed. A series of cutting-rate curves for jets cutting steel and steel-cement-formation combinations is presented to show the effect of hydrostatic head and the point of diminishing returns with respect to cutting time. There is a series of photographs showing various types of rock formation in which perforation and undercutting tests were made. These stones were drilled and the casing cemented in place as in an actual well. The casing was perforated and circularly cut as if preparing for a fracturing job. The conclusion reached in the paper is that hydraulic jetting with sand-laden fluid can be used for perforating and undercutting casing, cement and formation rock for the intended purpose of inducing the formation to fracture at a desired point. INTRODUCTION Hydraulic jetting as a means of cleaning a formation during acidizing has been used for many years. The acid-jet gun was used to clean formation and for drilling cement from casing with acid. This tool was dropped to a seating ring installed on the tubing and could be retrieved by reverse circulation or wire line. In this process, the fluids were directed against the formation to clean and penetrate beyond the mud-damaged area. After the development of the hydraulic fracturing process, interest in jetting the formation with abrasive-laden fluid was renewed. The cutting action of abrasive fluid on pumping equipment, which is a well known problem, has been utilized to perforate and undercut casing, tubing and formation. In this process, surface areas are provided in the formation on which the frac- turing pressures may work to produce a fracture at the location desired. EQUIPMENT The tools used consist of bodies containing two, three or four jets in a single horizontal plane equally spaced around the circumference. The body is threaded to the end of a string of tubing and run into the well. In addition, an expendable tool is available that may be left in the hole after perforating and produced through until necessary to remove the tubing. The bottom of each tool is equipped with a ball-type back-pressure valve. The ball can be reversed to the surface and recovered. This allows reverse circulation so that loose sand which accumulated below the tool while jetting may be removed before the fracturing job. The present jetting tools are of such length that, when screwed together, the jets fall on 12-in. spacing. ANALYSIS OF THE PROBLEM Early work with nozzles indicated that hardened steel was not a suitable material for jets and that more durable material would be required. Ceramics were tried and found to be superior to steel but still too shortlived for most applications. Tungsten carbide, which was tried and found to be the best material available, is now being used for jet nozzles. Analysis of the problems presented by this process indicated that the following information was needed. 1. The effect of submergence on a jet stream and the effect of submergence on the cutting rate of a jet stream. 2. The cutting rate and depth of a jet stream in steel. 3. The cutting rate in various formations and point of diminishing returns. 4. Size of hole or slot cut in a pipe by a given jet. 5. Fluids and sands used. 6. The flow of various weight fluids through the jet nozzle and the discharge coefficients. 7. The type cut formed in the formation by the jet stream. 8. The stretch and contraction of tubing due to temperature and pressure. The cutting effect of a jet stream on a target in the atmosphere is rapid and spectacular as most of the

By Russell Webster

In having maintained production for more than 40 years Arizona's Magma mine is unique in a mineral district that includes several major copper mines. Other past and present producers in this area are Miami and Inspiration at Miami, the Old Dominion in Globe, the Ray mine in Ray, and to the south the new San Manuel mine near Tucson. Magma's production of copper, silver, gold, and some zinc has come from nearly parallel east-west striking mineralized faults, one called the Main or Magma vein and the other the Koerner vein, about 1100 ft to the south. This vein system has been prospected and partially mined for some 9000 ft horizontally and 4800 ft vertically. In ascending order from the deepest exploration level, the Main vein cuts Pre-Cambrian schist, Pre-Cambrian Apache Group, Post-Devonian diabase, and Devonian, Mississippian, and Pennsylvania limestones. Until 1950 very little ore was obtained from replacement mineralization.

Jan 10, 1958

By Martin Mayers

FIVE-SIXTHS of all the coal that is mined in the United States is burned, without previous treatment other than screening, for the produc-tion of heat and power, so that its value is fixed by its suitability for this purpose. Nevertheless, the characteristics of individual coals that determine their fitness for use in particular pieces of combustion equip-ment are not yet well known. This condition is due not only to the small extent of our knowledge concerning coal itself, but also to our compara-tive ignorance of the nature of the combustion process. The following paper is an analysis of the combustion process as it occurs in industrial furnaces, based largely on the results of laboratory research on combus-tion rates. From this analysis it is possible to determine the characteris-tics of the fuel that limit the capacity of a given piece of combustion equipment. Limitations imposed by other factors than the attainable speed of combustion will not be considered, since they are subject to a different type of analysis involving the balancing of maintenance costs against fixed charges. In order to observe the relations among the various factors that affect the speed of combustion, representative particles of fuel will be followed through two types of furnaces. A pulverized-coal furnace will be con-sidered first, because the independence of the individual particles facili-tates the analysis of the effect of furnace conditions. The second example will be a grate-fired furnace in which ignition of the fuel takes place on the underfeed principle. This includes both underfeed and chain grate stokers,(8)? but does not include hand-fired furnaces and some overfeed stokers. The furnace will be considered to be large enough, the tempera-ture high enough, and enough air provided, to burn the fuel completely, without, for the moment, specifying these quantities more completely.

Jan 1, 1934

By K. Leutwyler

The authors present an interesting review of various applications of rather well known theories. Their rearrangement of the original working equations is strictly computer oriented and serves well to that effect; however, the new appearance will be confusing to the slide rule-wielding members of the profession. In reviewing discrepancies existing between calculations made by Baker Oil Tools, Inc. field engineering staff members and computer output submitted based on the authors' program, the following error in concept was discovered in Eq. 4. The authors quote the length change due to helical buckling in the following form We appreciate Kurt Leutwyler's awareness of Archimedes' principle, and concur that the final term in the denominator of Eq. 4 results in a small error. Examples checked revealed less than I ft error, and corrective expressions for the four possibilities of displacement follow. The portion of the denominator within extra large brackets represents the original term W,, = weight of outside fluid displaced per unit length. The authors interpreted the expression "displaced" in general oilfield terminology as a fluid displacement, such as "mud displaced with water, etc." A review of the theory forming the basis for these helical buckling calculations discloses that this displacement is meant to be interpreted in the Archimedean sense, i.e., fluid displaced by the solid body. here the tubing and the seal nipple. Lubinski* illustrated the point by summing moments due to mechanical and hydraulic forces acting on a free body immersed in fluid. This moment summation, always in the Archi,medean sense, yields effects of the real forces, including W,, and the fictitious force on the bending mechanism. I would be interested to hear the authors' comments regarding this theoretical point, which nevertheless is not mute since its lack of recognition seems to result in erroneous calculations. We must not remain mute to Leutwyler's suggestion that these equations, although computer oriented, are confusing to the slide rule engineers. Such input information as density in pounds per gallon, pipe diameters in inches, pumping rate in barrels per minute and pipe length in feet is not confusing to most of us. Yet there may be some rugged individuals in field positions who carry tables of conversion constants and have committed to memory such items as coefficients of thermal expansion and Poisson's ratio; however, even this type of individual would welcome a simplified equation occasionally. M

By R. W. Heckel, R. L. DeGregorio

The DeHoff method of determining the size distribution of ellipsoid-shaped, second-phase particles has been applied to the spheroidization of cementite in a eutectoid steel. The surface area of Precipitates determined from the various size fractions in the distribution was correlated with surface-area measurements based on the number of intersected interfaces on a random lest line. The precipitate particles were found to be oblate ellipsoids with an axial ratio of about 0.90. The size distributions were found to be log-normal. A method is proposed whereby the shrinkage of small particles and growth of large ones can be determined from the experimental data. The experimental data are compared to previously proposed mathematical models describing diffusion-controlled kinetics and various types of interface-controlled kinetics. The experimental growth and shrinkage rates are considerably slower than those predicted by diffusion-controlled kinetics. The best fit is obtained for a model describing interface-controlled kinetics limited by the rate of formation of cementite at the growing interfaces where the interfacial reaction rate is proportional to the solute thermodynamic activity gradient across the surface. THE subject of spheroidization of second-phase particles has been considered previously by other investigators. Livingston1 has studied the precipitation of the cobalt-rich phase from copper alloys containing 0.7 to 3.2 wt pet Co. His results indicate that the average particle size increases as the cube root of the heat treatment time in accord with diffusion-controlled kinetics.'-' Komatsu and rant' in their studies of the growth of SiO2 in a dispersion-strengthened copper-silica alloy found that the initial growth of SiO2 proceeded by diffusion-controlled growth and later stages were limited by interface-controlled growth. The values of the activation energy obtained for the interface- controlled process led them to the conclusion that the process was limited by the dissociation of SiO2 at the shrinking interface. The transition from diffusion-controlled growth to interface-controlled growth was characterized by a particle size which varied with the heat-treatment temperature. It is also interesting to note that the particle-size distribution as found by Komatsu and Grant exhibits log-normal behavior when replotted on log-probability coordinates. Dromsky, Lenel, and Ansell9 have observed the growth of Al2O3 particles having a mean free path of about 1.5 to 13 µ. Their photomicrographs indicate that the Al2O3 particle sizes were larger than those observed by Komatsu and Grant. Dromsky, Lenel, and Ansell concluded that the Al2O3 coarsened by an interface-controlled growth mechanism limited by the solution of A12O3 at the shrinking interfaces. Bannyh, Modin, and Modin10 have studied the spheroidization of a eutectoid steel (0.83 wt pet C). Their spheroidization (tempering) treatments were carried out in the range from 210o to 700°C for times between 1.5 sec and 20 hr. Measurements of mean particle size as a function of time indicated a cube root of time dependence of size at 700°C, in agreement with previous analyses of diffusion-controlled kinetics.2°7 At lower temperatures, the time dependence was less than the one-third power. It is important to note that, although mathematical models of growth* considering particle-size distribution have been available, measurements of only mean particle size have been carried out. DeHoff11 has presented a quantitative metallography technique which is applicable to the determination of the size distribution of ellipsoids of constant shape. This method is applicable to both oblate and prolate ellipsoids of all ratios of minor to major axis and is based upon an extension of Saltykov's analysis12 of the distribution of spheres of varying size. DeHoff's analysis is based upon measurements of the minor axis of the particles on a random plane of polish in a unit area. This method provides a measure of the number of ellipsoids in various size ranges per unit area. As pointed out by DeHoff, such measurements may be used to obtain surface area and total precipitate volume data. Thus, the accuracy of the distribution analysis may be checked by comparison of the surface and volume

Jan 1, 1965

By George W. Healy, Ko Yamaguchi

In typical calorimetry the energy given off by a material under study is transferred to a water bath, whose temperature is sensed by a thermometer; for correct measurement the water bath must attain a uniform temperature to which the thermometer must respond. This introduces two sources of error, non-uniformity of the heat sink and a time lag until its temperature is registered. These errors may become important where a rapid process such as solidification of metals and alloys is being studied by means of Oelsen'sl quantitative thermal analysis. To overcome this difficulty, a calorimeter sink was conceived in which the water bath is replaced by a copper coil, which serves simultaneously as heat

Jan 1, 1967

By A. L. Moore

KAISER Bauxite Co., a subsidiary of Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp., has been mining and shipping Jamaican bauxite for over a year. On Feb. 10, 1953 the first boat load of bauxite left Port Kaiser, Jamaica, for the company's alumina plant at Baton Rouge, La. To provide its own source of the aluminum ore, a Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. exploration party started initial reconnaissance in 1947. This work, and subsequent exploration, led to the acquisition of reserves sufficient to warrant a full-scale mining operation for several decades.

Jan 3, 1954

By Michael J. Abrams

The large amount of data available from Landsat has made digital processing necessary to extract and display that subset of data relevant to the problem being considered. Computer image processing techniques developed and used at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory can be divided into four categories: rectification, cosmetics, display, and analysis. These techniques have been applied to various geologic problems, including mineral exploration, lithologic mapping, hydrology, and tectonics.

Jan 1, 1977

By Robert Laurich

Chuquicamata pit was opened in 1915 with steam shovels and steam locomotives brought down from the Panama Canal excavation project. With expansions in the early years, more steam locomo¬tives were brought into the mine. IMPROVED LOCOMOTIVES During the period 1927 to 1937, electric locomo¬tives were purchased and main line and bench tracks were electrified. Third rail was installed up to the working areas. At first, the locomotives were equipped with batteries for service at the shovels, but charge life was too short and they were con¬verted to use the third rail and a reel with 3000 ft of trailing cable for service in the loading area.

Jan 11, 1959

By W. M. Bertholf

To establish the minimum or break-even efficiency of a preparation plant it is necessary to determine the ratio of production costs per ton of run-of-mine coal to sale price per ton of clean coal. This ratio is then divided by the percentage of plant recovery. Assume, for example, that washability data indicate that 80 pct of the run-of-mine coal may be recovered as clean coal selling for $5.50 per ton. If the same plant incurs $4.00 per ton mining costs and $0.25 per ton preparation costs, the cost to sale price ratio would be 4.25/5.50, or 77.3 pct. Since the plant is capable of recovering 80 pct of the run-of-mine coal the minimum plant efficiency would be 77.3/80, or 96.6 pct. If the plant efficiency were increased to 100 pct the limit on preparation costs would be increased to $0.40. Therefore, the washing operation must be accomplished at a cost of $0.25 to $0.40 per ton and the efficiency must be 96.6 pct or higher. By plotting a curve of efficiency vs preparation costs and taking into consideration the plant cost, feed rate, operating costs, and yields of the various flowsheets it is possible to select a financially sound process. Table I classifies preparation processes according to their nature of separation. It must be remembered that what is thought to be ideal does not always prove practical under actual operation. An outstanding example is the work done on the plunger-type jig. It was determined by the law of equivalence that this unit could treat satisfactorily only sizes differing by no more than a ratio of 2. Yet these same plunger-type jigs are successfully treating sizes considerably greater than this ratio.

Jan 12, 1957

By Colin G. Wilson

This paper considers the heavy liquid laboratory tests used to determine the amenability of a potential ore to the heavy media process. The results of the laboratory testing are correlated to actual plant performance and establish design parameters for the heavy media process. These parameters are used in the development of the metallurgical flow sheet and in the sizing of equipment in the metallurgical plant design.

Jan 1, 1978

By T. H. Alden

In several recent studies of fatigue fracture in single-phase metals, tests have been made using the condition of essentially constant plastic strain amplitude.1-4 This procedure departs from the more common practice of holding the amplitude of stress constant. From these studies have emerged two important generalizations about the behavior of metals during cyclic straining. First, measurements of the stress amplitude, required to impose the fixed plastic strain amplitude, have shown that the rate of cyclic strain hardening in annealed metals is rapid in the early cycles but decays quickly to a very low value.1"5 This behavior is displayed particularly for a range of strain amplitudes below about 2 pct and at low and high temperature. Frequently, the hardening rate becomes so low that one can determine a "saturation" stress. This stress increases with strain amplitude. In addition, an experimental relation between fracture life and plastic strain amplitude was obtained by Coffin and Taternelli,' namely N 1/2 ep = constant. For several metal:;, this equation has been shown to hold down to a strain amplitude of 0.1 pct. Whether it also holds in the "low amplitude" range (lives of more than about 105 cycles) has not been established. The importance of the saturation stress level (a value derived from strain hardening measurements) to the question of fracture life (the usual quantity of interest of fatigue testing) lies in the observation that cracks start to form when the cyclic hardening rate is essentially zero, and not before.4"5 This point suggests immediately a means of relating tests at constant stress and constant strain amplitudes. When making comparison, the stress in a constant stress test is to be identified with the saturation stress in a constant strain test. If these ideas are correct, then it should be possible, using the relation between fracture life and strain amplitude and experimental curves of saturation stress versus strain amplitude, to predict the fracture life as a function of stress, i.e. predict the S -N curve, for low stress fatigue. Saturation stress amplitude-plastic strain amplitude data, obtained in tension-compression, exist only for a few metals and for relatively high amplitudes of strain. Comparable S -N curves (push-pull loading) were known by the author only for OFHC copper. Values for this metal taken from Ref. 2 are shown in Fig. 1. The strain amplitudes, the lowest

Jan 1, 1962

By T. K. Matthews

Minerals are mined as a one-time crop, and the processing of one ton of ore results in there being one ton less to be recovered from the deposit. Although some minerals occur in greater abundance than others, they are to a greater or lesser degree exhaustible. Depletion Allowances One of the distinctive features of the mineral industries is the allowance for depletion. The depletion allowance is a much maligned and misunderstood principal of our tax structure. Although imperfect in design, it has nevertheless served as a constructive incentive for the development and expansion of the minerals industry.

Jan 1, 1969

By Joseph W. Leonard, T. S. Spicer

INTRODUCTION Reasons for Thermal Drying The continuing increase in the percentage of minus %-inch coal produced as a result of the increased use of mechanical mining methods has, over the years, tended to shift considerable portions of the work of producing saleable coal to the fine coal cleaning section of the preparation plant. Because a given weight of fine coal will contain substantially greater surface area than an equivalent weight of coarse coal, it follows that, when subjected to wet cleaning processes, the fines will absorb and retain consider- ably more moisture than coarser fractions. Increased moisture pickup in the finer sizes complicates fine coal cleaning since beneficiation may not be limited to the removal of ash and sulfur but often must be expanded to include the additional step of thermal drying to remove excessive moisture. Thus, water which provides the medium for cleaning fine coal is in itself detrimental and, like ash and sulfur, reduces coal quality. Removal of surface moisture by drying is done for one or more of the following 1 reasons: (1) To avoid freezing difficulties and to facilitate handling during shipment, storage and transfer to the points of use; (2) to maintain high pulverizer capacity; (3) to reduce heat loss due to evaporation of surface moisture from the coal in the burning process, thus increasing heating efficiency; (4) to improve the quality of coal used for special purposes, such as in the production of coke, briquettes, and chemicals; (5) to decrease transportation costs; and (6) to facilitate dry coal-cleaning processes. Because benefits to coal transportation and utilization are the most common reasons for thermal drying, the following sections will examine these areas in greater detail. Benefits to Transportation Initial benefits from drying are the reduction of shipping costs from the mine to the point of utilization since more coal can be concentrated into a given weight of product when worthless moisture is removed. Non- combustible~ such as water and mineral matter in railroad shipments of coal are billed the same as coal at $3.32 per ton, according to the recent average costs. Savings of 10 to 20 dollars from drying on the shipment cost of each 50 to 60 tons of coal contained in a typical railroad car is common. Savings on coal shipments from individual mines which result from coal drying can be expressed in terms of hundreds of thousands of dollars and more each year. For example, a reduction of shipping charges of only 5 percent on one million tons per year would mean a savings of 166,000

Jan 1, 1968

By Archer Wheeler

THE copper industry in the Province of Katanga, in the Belgian Congo, which is now controlled and operated by the Union Minere du Haut Katanga, had its inception many years ago in the vision of a Scotsman, Robert Williams, now Sir Robert Williams, Baronet. He it was who personally negotiated the mineral concession with King Leopold of Belgium, sent in the prospecting parties who located most of the present mines of the company, later arranged for the Belgian participation from which the present company was formed, and has been its active mentor ever since. The idea back of his efforts was the establishment of an industry on the Congo-Zambezi divide, of sufficient importance to draw up to it the head of the Cape to Cairo Railroad, the dream of Sir Cecil Rhodes, and the consummation of which he had left as a legacy to Mr. Williams, his successor. The reports of the prospecting expeditions showed that copper in profitable quantity was there, but many difficulties lay in the way of the establishment of the infant industry. The isolated location of the mines, various tribal wars, the Boer War, and many other factors contributed to making progress very slow. However, in spite of these difficulties the railroad was finally built and a blast-furnace plant erected at Lubumbashi, near Elisabethville, the capital of the Province. Operations of this plant were started in 1911, treating high-grade oxidized ores and producing pig copper by a reducing smelting. Production has been continuous since that time and the company has grown so that at present it ranks as the largest individual copper producer in the industry. It is a fitting monument to the foresight, optimism and driving force of its founder, and the progressive policies of his Belgian colleagues. In January, 1914, the Union Miniere du Haut Katanga engaged as its consulting engineer, Archer E. Wheeler, metallurgical engineer, at that time general superintendent of the Great Falls plant of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. Mr. Wheeler was commissioned by the Board of Directors to proceed into Katanga, and make all necessary investigations to enable him to report on a comprehensive development program, and to recommend a scheme of treatment particularly for their low grade

Jan 1, 1932

By J. J. Frawley, W. J. Childs

Experiments were carried out to induce grain refinement during solidification by applying vibrational energy (freq 20 kc) to small specimens of bismuth, tin, and bismuth-tin alloys. The results show that if the intensity of the applied sound -field is not great enough to fragment the growing dendrites of a pure metal, no grain refinement is observed and the pain size of the dynamically nucleated specimens is the same as the grain size of a specimen statically supercooled the same amount. Bismuth specimens did not show any grain refinement; whereas, the tin specimens did show grain refinement. This phenomenon is the result of the difference in growth habit between the bismuth and tin dendrites. The bismuth-tin alloys showed grain refinement and, in addition, the segregation pattern was changed. THE solidification process is a change in phase requiring the nucleation of the solid phase from the liquid and the growth of this solid phase at the expense of the liquid phase. Since many physical properties and also the integrity of a casting are dependent on the solidification process, understanding and controlling this process are very important.' A good example in the controlling of a cast structure using heterogeneous nucleation theory is the reduction of grain size in aluminum castings by nucleation catalysis.2 This mechanism of nucleation catalysis has been explained by Turnbull.3 Another technique for grain refinement, which has received much attention but the mechanism has not been fully understood, is to vibrate the solidifying melt. Vibrations can be applied to the melt either by vibrating the mold directly or by introducing a vibrating rod into the melt.4-13 Three mechanisms have been proposed to explain this phenomenon: 1) The mechanical fragmentation of the original dendrites that grew into the melt. These crystals or fragmented dendrites act as new growth sites. 2) The nucleation of new grains in the liquid by the generation of very high pressure pulses caused by cavitation in the liquid. 3) The remelting of the dendrite arms during the solidification process. This mechanism is operative only in alloy systems and would be enhanced by stirring or mechanical vibration. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the mechanism that will increase the number of grains when mechanical energy is introduced into a solidifying melt. APPARATUS The unit used to generate the ultrasonic vibrations was manufactured by the Redford Co., and is similar to the one used in ultrasonic soldering. Fig. 1 is a sketch of the major components used for generating ultrasonic vibrations. The crystal transducer assembly consisted of four lead zirconate ti-tanate piezoelectric crystals in an aluminum holder. An acoustical horn, which was fabricated from stainless steel, was attached to the holder by a set screw. The resonant frequency of this unit was 20,000 cycles per sec. A Pyrex crucible, 4 in. in diam and 4 in. high, was contained in a hole in the top of the horn. The piezoelectric crystals changed volume when excited by an electric signal, thereby generating a sound signal which passed through the horn. The crucible was coupled to the horn by a liquid silicone oil. The purpose of the couplant was to transmit the soundwaves from the horn to the crucible. Without the couplant, much of the sound energy would be lost. The energy transmitted was sufficient at the resonant frequency used, so that acoustical cavitation always occurred in the molten metal. The presence of acoustical cavitation was detected by the characteristic hissing sound emitted from the liquid. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The influence of ultrasonic vibration on the grain refinement of bismuth, tin, and bismuth-tin alloys was studied. These metals were chosen because of their low melting temperature and the relative ease with which they can be thermally supercooled. The following procedure was used for obtaining large amounts of supercooling. Pure bismuth (99.999+), which was received in bar form, was mechanically broken into pieces small enough to be accommodated in a 50 ml beaker. About 200 to 300 g of bismuth and a few grams of SnCl2 as a flux were placed in the 50 ml beaker and melted by induction heating. The melt was held for 20 min at

Jan 1, 1970

By Ralbern H. Murray

The decline in deliverability of conventional natural gas supplies and the general energy crisis have resulted in national programs directed toward the commercialization of energy conversion technologies. Foremost among these efforts is the gasification of coal. Coal reserves represent our most abundant fossil fuel resource. Its utilization is hampered both by its form value and its pollution qualities. Coal gasification is commercially feasible today and projects requiring hundreds of millions of dollars and years of construction time are underway. This paper provides a perspective for the scope, time, and cost of these venture projects. Resource requirements, plant products, and coal gasification processes are discussed. Emphasis is placed on the effects of coal feedstock and prices on plant economics.

Jan 1, 1976

Jan 1, 1967

By R. L. Rickett, N. C. Fick

Despite the large volume of literature on alloys of iron and silicon,' there is little published information dealing specifically with the constitution, at various temperatures, of the alloys containing less than 0.10 per cent carl~on and from 0.5 to 4.5 per cent silicon that are used extensively in the electrical industry. Because such information was needed by those engaged in the production of these alloys in sheet and strip form, the constitution nas determined of a series of commercial silicon steels containing 0.05 to 0.08 per cent carbon and 0.20 to 4.1 per cent silicon, over the temperature range 1300° to 1500°F. These alloys were all from regular production heats and of commercial quality. The results of the tests are given in Fig. I and for comparison the constitution diagram of iron-silicon alloys with 0.01 to 0.02 per cent carbon, taken from the literature, is also presented Material and Procedure All steels were hot-rolled to a thickness of 0.060 to 0.080 in. and used in this condition. Their chemical compositions, including over-all check analysis, and "center" analysis for carbon and silicon, are given in Table I. The so-called center analysis was determined on samples pickled to remove the outer surface and leave only the center third of the gauge thickness—the portion of the sample on which metallographic ratings were based. In most, but not all, of the alloys, slightly higher carbon was found at the center than when the whole strip was sampled; the two methods of sampling show relatively little difference in silicon. Two of the steels, A and E, contain relatively high phosphorus, while I and K are somewhat higher in manganese than the others. The procedure consisted essentially of heating specimens (about 1/16 by 3/8 by 3/4 in.), protected from oxidation or change in carbon content, at a temperature in the desired range and for a selected period, after which they were quenched in iced brine; the degree of transformation that had then occurred was determined by metallographic examination. The soaking periods were selected after preliminary investigation had shown that a con-

Jan 1, 1947

By N. C. Fick, R. L. Rickett

Despite the large volume of literature on alloys of iron and silicon,' there is little published information dealing specifically with the constitution, at various temperatures, of the alloys containing less than 0.10 per cent carl~on and from 0.5 to 4.5 per cent silicon that are used extensively in the electrical industry. Because such information was needed by those engaged in the production of these alloys in sheet and strip form, the constitution nas determined of a series of commercial silicon steels containing 0.05 to 0.08 per cent carbon and 0.20 to 4.1 per cent silicon, over the temperature range 1300° to 1500°F. These alloys were all from regular production heats and of commercial quality. The results of the tests are given in Fig. I and for comparison the constitution diagram of iron-silicon alloys with 0.01 to 0.02 per cent carbon, taken from the literature, is also presented Material and Procedure All steels were hot-rolled to a thickness of 0.060 to 0.080 in. and used in this condition. Their chemical compositions, including over-all check analysis, and "center" analysis for carbon and silicon, are given in Table I. The so-called center analysis was determined on samples pickled to remove the outer surface and leave only the center third of the gauge thickness—the portion of the sample on which metallographic ratings were based. In most, but not all, of the alloys, slightly higher carbon was found at the center than when the whole strip was sampled; the two methods of sampling show relatively little difference in silicon. Two of the steels, A and E, contain relatively high phosphorus, while I and K are somewhat higher in manganese than the others. The procedure consisted essentially of heating specimens (about 1/16 by 3/8 by 3/4 in.), protected from oxidation or change in carbon content, at a temperature in the desired range and for a selected period, after which they were quenched in iced brine; the degree of transformation that had then occurred was determined by metallographic examination. The soaking periods were selected after preliminary investigation had shown that a con-

Jan 1, 1947