Search Documents

First Session BRASS Wednesday, A.M., Nov. 29 Co-Chairmen: CARTER S. COLE, Staff Engineer, A.S.T.M. E. A. ANDERSON, Chief of Metals Section, Research Div., New Jersey Zinc Co. (of Pa.) Second Session BRASS Wednesday, P.M., Nov. 29 Co-Chairmen: D. K. CRAMPTON, Director of Research, Chase Brass and Copper Co., Inc. A. W. TRACY, Metallurgist, The American Brass Co. Dinner and Technical Session Wednesday Evening, Nov. 29 Toastmaster: N. L. MOCHEL, Manager Metallurgical Engineering, Westinghouse Electric Corp. Talk on "How Do Things Look Today and For the Future" RALPH KELLY, President, Baldwin Locomotive Works Technical Paper on Stress-Corrosion Cracking E. H. Dix, JR., Assistant Director of Research and Chief Metallurgist, Aluminum Company of America Third Session BRASS Thursday, A.M., Nov. 30 Co-Chairmen: W. B. PRICE, Director of Research, Scovill Manufacturing Co. A. L. JAMIESON, Associate Metallurgist, Frankford Arsenal First Session LIGHT METALS Thursday, P.M., Nov. 30 Co-Chairmen: L. L. WYMAN, Metallurgist, General Electric Co. M. A. HUNTER, Professor of Metallurgical Engineering and Head, Dept. of Metallurgical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Second Session LIGHT METALS Thursday Evening, Nov. 30 Co-Chairmen: R. T. WOOD, Chief Metallurgist, American Magnesium Corp. J. D. HANAWALT, Director, Metallurgical Dept., Dow Chemical Co. First Session STEEL Friday A.M., Dec. I Co-Chairmen: H. S. RAWDON, Chief, Division of Metallurgy, National Bureau of Standards A. L. FEILD, Director of Research, Rustless Iron and Steel Corp. First Session MISCELLANEOUS METALS Friday P.M., Dec. I Co-Chairmen: E. A. ANDERSON, Chief of Metals Section, Research Div., New Jersey Zinc Co. (of Pa.) CARTER S. COLE, Staff Engineer, A.S.T.M.

Jan 1, 1945

By Grimes, J. A.

EXTENSIVE discovery 'and rapid exploitation of orebodies within the past half century have attracted many able geologists to the mining industry and furnished them a wealth of data from which to develop theories concerning ore genesis. By tosting and elimillating theories which are not sufficiently sup- ported by fact, or which are based on inaccurate observation of field data, the trend of geological opinion has . moved strongly in certain directions until, at the present time, large numbers of geologists subscribe to a broad concept of .ore genesis that I would summarize as below:

Jan 1, 1928

By Walter C. Labys

INTRODUCTION Interest in multicommodity stabilization schemes has increased recently for several reasons, a most important one being the experienced wide swings in primary commodity prices. These prices rose sharply between mid - 1972 and end - 1974 giving commodity exporting countries an opportunity to gain sizeable increases in export earnings. But since then, prices have tumbled and these countries are searching for a means to stabilize if not to increase their earnings. While this problem is particularly serious for developing countries, the developed countries are concerned about the impending upward price swing, which would increase inflation before recovery from the world recession is assured. As a direct consequence of the emergency meeting of the U.N. General Assembly devoted to commodity problems in April of 1974, interest has been renewed in the Keynesian (4) plan for an international multicommodity buffer stock program. In particular, UNCTAD (8) is designing an integrated commodity scheme to be discussed within that body. In terms of approaches that have appeared in designing such a program, none exist which relate to the interpretation of the independence and interdependence of prices of the commodities of interest. Typical criteria for selecting commodities for the scheme have included their importance in world trade, their particular origin from developing countries, and their feasibility for storage. But the financial management of a multicommodity buffer stock requires a consideration of commodity prices, yields, and risks as does as any portfolio of assets. The approach which we take in this study is that of application

Jan 1, 1977

By R. W. Raymond

PROF. HENRY Louis, of Armstrong College, Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, a distinguished member of this Institute and other technical societies, has recently sent to the Institution of Mining Engineers, and to the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, in Great Britain, a communication, the substance of which is as follows Prof. Louis calls attention to the absence of any recognized English term for the definite description of a frequent phenomenon-namely, the oblique position of an ore-body in the plane in which it. lies. In this connection, Prof. Louis says that in America the term " pitch " has been occasionally applied to this relation, and proposes that, in the literature of ore-deposits, it shall be hereafter restricted to this particular meaning, the angle of the pitch, like that of the dip, being always measured from the horizontal, and the dip being always taken at right angles to the strike, while the pitch is taken on the plane of the dip, in the direction of the strike. Thus, for example, in a vein or bed striking N-S., and dipping, say, 45° E., there might be an ore-body, the axis of which pitched northward, at an angle of 45° below the horizontal line, as measured on the plane of the inclosing vein or bed. If the term " pitch " had this universally recognized meaning, the situation could be simply and perfectly expressed by its use, in connection with the general data of strike and clip. As Prof. Louis says ?This suggestion has a certain practical value, and is not merely academic. Every mining engineer of practical experience in such types of ore-deposit will have met with cases, in which a vertical shaft has been sunk with the object of cutting the deposit, but has missed it, because the dip alone has been taken into account, while the pitch has been overlooked." He adds the acute observation that such an oversight is much likelier to occur with regard to a condition not definitely desig-

Mar 1, 1908

By Thomas T., Read

DESIRABLE as it is to summarize what has been set forth in preceding chapters, the task can only be approached with great hesitation. What follows represents the personal views of the author at the moment of writing, reserving the privilege to change them on more mature reflection or in the light of further evidence. With that reservation they may be stated somewhat as follows. Education for the mineral industries falls into two categories; general education and technical vocational, using the word vocational not in its usual sense but to signify preparation for specific activities, in which sense a law school is a vocational school. Even at the beginning, as indicated in the first chapter, mineral industry education was partly general and, partly technical and that relationship still persists, because technical education requires a firm basis of general education. Our general American system is to provide free public' general education through the twelfth grade, or completion of high-school work, though there are already many technical vocational high schools, and even in a community where nearly all the young people are preparing for entrance to college there will be some who wish to qualify for employment at the end of the high-school course, or even on completing junior high. Our educational system, therefore, has not only to provide education for those who intend to proceed beyond the twelfth grade but also for those who, for a variety of reasons, may wish or be forced to cease full-time education at any level between the first and twelfth grades. This study has been chiefly concerned with the problem of what kind and how much technical education to provide for those who have completed the twelfth grade and who wish to make their living in the mineral industries. The obvious fact that the mineral industries employ all sorts of trained persons,

Jan 1, 1941

By Phillip J. Maddex

The cost of transporting mineral raw materials and products will receive greater attention in the next 10-20 years because raw material sources and markets are changing. Today, shipping costs may equal 20%-80% of the landed or delivered cost of raw materials and products. Companies are learning that total costs are what count to the company and customers. Transportation has historically been priced at "What the traffic would bear" and little real effort has been made to analyze the shippers problem and provide them with effective and low cost transportation. This climate existed in both ocean and rail transport. The shiplines and railroads did not understand the shipper's problems and few shippers understood transportation and how to buy it. Recently more consideration has been given to the advantages between the American Merchant Marine- American Flag and Foreign flag vessels. The discussions held focused on what action is desirable to encourage American flag operations. Based on extensive studies made by both A. E. Gibson, Maritime Administrator and R. J. Blackwell, Deputy Maritime Administrator, the resulting statistics show that the potential for ocean transport is as follows: U. S. Foreign trade is estimated at 620 million long tons annually in the early 1980's. It was 418 million tons in 1968. In 1968 only 6.4% of the U.S. ocean borne trade was carried on American Flag vessels. About 50 million tons of early 1980's trade will go ill container ships. That leaves over 500 million tons to go as bulk or "neo-bulk" cargo.

Jan 1, 1970

By R. W. Raymond

Prof. Henry Lours, of Armstrong College, Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, a distinguished member of this Institute and other technical societies, has recently sent to the Institution of Mining Engineers, and to the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, in Great Britain, a communication, the substance of which is as follows : Professor Louis calls attention to the absence of any recognized English term for the definite description of a frequent phenomenon—namely,the oblique position of an ore-body in the plane in which it lies. In this connection, Professor Louis says that in America the term " pitch " has been occasionally applied to this relation, and proposes that, in the literature of ore-deposits, it shall be hereafter restricted to this particular meaning, the angle of the pitch, like that of the dip, being always measured from the horizontal, and the dip being always taken at right angles to the strike, while the pitch is taken on the plane of the dip, in the direction of the strike. Thus, for example, in a vein or bed striking N-S., and dipping, say, 45' E., there might be an ore-body, the axis of which pitched northward, at an angle of 45O below the horizontal line, as measured on the plane of the inclosing vein or bed. If' the term " pitch " had this universally recognized meaning, the situation could be simply and perfectly expressed by its use, in connection with the general data of strike and dip. As Professor Louis says: "This suggestion has a certain practical value, and is not merely academic. Every mining engineer of practical experience in such types of ore-deposit will have met with cases, in which a vertical shaft has been sunk with the object of cutting the deposit, but has missed it, because the dip alone has been taken into account, while the pitch has been overlooked." He adds the acute observation that such an oversight is much likelier to occur with regard to a condition not definitely desig-

Jan 1, 1909

By Leonard B. Gulbransen, John R. Lewis, W. Martin Fassell, J. Hugh Hamilton

T. E. Leontis (The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich.)—This paper is of particular interest to me because of my own work with F. N. Rhines on the oxidation of magnesium and magnesium alloys a few years ago. The authors are to be complimented on their development of an accurate and reproducible technique for measuring ignition temperatures and on their comprehensive study of the many variables that affect the ignition temperature of magnesium. It is indeed gratifying to see that they have obtained a good correlation between ignition temperatures and the oxidation rates reported by us. The correlation is valid not only with composition within one alloy system but also between alloy systems; that is, alloying elements which effect the greatest increase in oxidation rate also produce the greatest decrease in ignition temperature. There are a few points upon which I would like to comment. In attempting to correlate ignition-temperature data, one must be sure that the same definition of this quantity is used by all investigators. It does not appear to me that such is the case in the authors' comparison of their data with the theoretically calculated values of Eyring and Zwolinski. The equation derived by these investigators defines the ignition temperature, To, as the temperature at the gadoxide interface, whereas the present authors use the metal temperature as the criterion for ignition. The contradiction in the effect of oxide-scale thickness on ignition temperature between the predictions of the Eyring-Zwolinski equation and the observations reported in this paper indicate that some variable has not been taken into consideration. Could that be the geometry and size of the specimen? There is a marked difference in the type of specimen used in this investigation and that used in our work which formed the basis of Eyring and Zwol-inski's theoretical treatment. Another factor which plays an important role in ignition is the vapor pressure or the rate of vaporization. Combustion can safely be assumed to take place in the vapor phase by the reaction between vaporized magnesium and oxygen. Thus, a more accurate theoretical analysis may be made on the basis of the rate of vaporization which may be the controlling rate of the process. The effect of a large number of alloying elements on the ignition temperature has been reported in this paper, but beryllium was not included. Practical experience dictates that beryllium markedly decreases the burning tendency of magnesium. I was wondering if the authors plan to study the effect of beryllium in their future work. The authors predict that concentrations of sulphur dioxide in the furnace atmosphere greater than 5.8 pct would be expected to increase the ignition temperature to values still higher than those they measured. I would like to mention that large concentrations of sulphur dioxide markedly increase the rate of combustion of magnesium once ignition has started. Although it has been shown in the paper that the ignition temperature of magnesium in oxygen increases with increasing sulphur dioxide content up to about 1 to 2 pct, in practice relatively low-melting commercial cast alloys (AZ63A and AZ92A) are being continuously heat treated at temperatures just below the melting point in air containing 0.5 to 0.75 pct SO*. In regard to the change in color of the oxide scale observed on magnesium and magnesium alloys just prior to ignition, I would like to mention that in our work alloying elements were found to color the usually white magnesium oxide even though ignition did not occur. For example, the oxide formed on Mg-A1 alloys was gray, increasing in intensity with aluminum content in the alloy. Finally, I might suggest that the authors indicate their source of the value of 0.8 g per cc for the density of MgO as it is formed on magnesium upon oxidation at elevated temperatures. W. M. Fassell, Jr. (authors' reply)—The comments by Dr. Leontis are very excellent ones and I will attempt to answer them in order. First, the problem of ignition of magnesium is a rather difficult one since many factors are involved. Concerning the comparison of the To in the Eyring-Zwolinski equation, eq 4, with the experimentally determined values, it will be noted that the calculated and experimental values of the ignition temperature in Table I are not self-consistent. In the case of the 1.78 pct A1-Mg alloy the calculated value is 49°C below the experimental value; for the 3.81 pct A1-Mg alloy, 122°C below the experimental value; for Mg with 5x10-' cm film, 19°C above the experimental value; for Mg with 2x10-I cm film, 28 °C below the experimental value. Thus, if it were merely a matter of difference of location of temperature measurement the calculated ignition temperature would always be below the experimental value, the difference being due to the thermal gradient through the oxide film. The possibility of a thermal gradient in the magnesium metal must be considered. From Carslaw and Jaeger,'Y t can be shown that the maximum temperature gradient that could exist between the oxide-metal interface and the center of the sample is of the order of O.Ol°C. The geometry and size of the specimen could certainly have some effect on the ignition temperature. The equation for ignition that has been proposed in reference 14 is of the following type containing terms to account for this and other factors: M dT AHv(T) =Cp--------------\-J(.T—TB) + ZAHl-M A dx where AH is the heat of reaction, v(T) is the velocity of the reaction at temperature, Cp is the heat capacity of sample, M is the mass of sample, A is the area of sample, t is time, J is the total coefficient of heat transfer outward from the reaction zone, TR is the temperature of the bath or furnace, and AH,, is the heat associated with any phase change involved. Prior to the instant of ignition, the vapor pressure of magnesium is of no special significance. After ignition, neither eq 4 nor the above equation is applicable. The actual combination of magnesium cannot safely be assumed to take place in the vapor phase. While experimental data is lacking to support a hypothesis that ignition does or does not occur in the vapor phase, some observation on the pressure ignition experiments may be of interest. At high oxygen pressures, once ignition has occurred, the reaction of magnesium with oxygen approaches near explosive violence, the entire sample being consumed in probably less than 1 sec. At atmospheric pressure it usually requires 15 to 20 sec. Thus it appears that the oxygen concentration becomes the rate determining factor. Further, if burning magnesium is observed through darkened glass (Lincoln Super-visibility Shade No. 12) the magnesium sample is very much hotter than the "smoke" and the outline of the sample is retained perfectly. No "flame" is visible above the metal. No work was done on Mg-Be alloys. We do, however, intend to study this problem in the near future.

Jan 1, 1952

By AIME AIME

AT the meeting on Engineering Education on Mon- A day afternoon E. A. Holbrook, of the University of Pittsburgh and chairman of the Committee, presided as chairman with W. B. Plank acting as vice- chairman. About sixty members of the educational fraternity were present. Dean Holbrook, after a few introductory remarks, introduced the first speaker of the afternoon, Charles Y. Clayton, who then presented his paper, "Why Do So Few Elect Metallurgy?" in which he stressed the fact that ,one of the things the study of metallurgy ,now needs is publicity and public education on what metallurgy is and 'does. Another thing he brought out is that the study of metallurgy has been looked on for many years merely as a branch of other departments. He gave tables showing past and present enrollment in the course of metallurgy in various schools.

Jan 1, 1930

By Neil H. Cole

Cost and price inflation and financial gearing through loans are characteristic of modern resources projects. Conventional discounted cash flow and 1P.R analyses, in real terms, and without financing, have inadequacies which can yield misleading results. The degree of improvement in value for project equity owners is limited to the value of the additional tax benefit accorded through the financing instrument used. Debt financing may be low in price and value, but its priority means that the equity owners assume a higher risk, thereby increasing the cost, or price, of their capital. The cost of equity capital, or investment hurdle rate, is related to the Capital Asset Pricing Model. Distortions do occur, with inflation, due to depreciation effects, which can cause the adoption of misleading project rate of return or hurdle rate criteria. For investment decisions, the greatest accuracy possible in forecasting is essential, especially for inflation rates,

Jan 1, 1985

By E. Ray Webb

A interest to geologists and to mining and petroleum engineers is a laboratory method for determining the dip and strike of sub- surface structures, as well as the direction of fault planes traversing them. The information is derived by making use of the magnetic properties of borehole cores which must show visible representations of bedding or fault planes. Complete knowledge of these factors aids greatly in the successful exploitation of both ore and petroleum deposits.

Jan 1, 1940

By Alfred E. Hunt

By the death of Joseph Dame Weeks, past-President of this Institute, which occurred December 26, 1896, the world has lost an earnest and unwearied philanthropist; the Christian church, a zealous, active and consistent representative; the United States and the State of Penusylvania, a patriotic, pub-

Jan 1, 1898

By Leroy U. Gardner

EVERY reader of this paper is well aware of the fact that the prolonged inhalation of large amounts of free silica dust results in fibrosis of the lungs, and that other inorganic dusts, except those of asbestos and the mineral poisons, are thought to be relatively harmless. But probably few have had opportunity to visualize the effects of silica, asbestos and other minerals upon living tissues. The ideal demonstration would be based upon sections of lungs from human beings that had inhaled com- parable concentrations of different dusts for a unit period of time. Such material is generally difficult to obtain and in some instances is of questionable value because the subject has been exposed to more than one kind of dust. A demonstration could be prepared from the lungs of animals. However, so many months or even years are required to complete the exposure to each kind of dust that enough material has not been accumulated. For a general survey of the action of different types of dust, I am therefore compelled to use the tissues of animals that have been injected with suspensions of dust particles. The injection method offers certain advantages. The quantity, the particle size and the state of dispersion can be controlled with sufficient accuracy so that the tissue responses to different minerals can be accurately compared. The method insures contact between the tissues and the mineral particles; protective mechanisms, which may prevent the inhalation of certain types of foreign body, never come into play. If the pathway of injection be one that minimizes nonspecific injury, the tissue responses may simulate those produced by inhalation but they develop somewhat more rapidly. It should always be remembered that injection methods merely demonstrate the capacity of various kinds of minerals to provoke reaction in the tissues; whether the same substances are inhaled from atmospheric suspension and accumulate in the lungs in dangerous quantities can be demonstrated only by inhalation. The reactions that I shall discuss first took place not in the lungs but in the liver. For the purpose in hand this is quite immaterial for we are merely seeking to discover whether these minerals are capable of produc-

Jan 1, 1938

By AIME AIME

AMONG the industrial motion pic¬tures released in the last year of possible interest to people in the mining industry are the following: "A New World Through Chemistry," made by the public relations department of E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Wilmington, Del. This film, which is in sound and color, interprets in twenty minutes of narration and ingenious photography many of chemistry's newest developments. It may be borrowed either in 16-mm. size on an 800-ft. reel, or 35-mm. size on a 2000¬ft. reel, the only charge being the cost of returning the film. Douglas D. Rothacker, 729 Seventh Ave., New York City, is prepared to loan free of charge except for transportation each way several films prepared in the plants of the International Nickel Co., 16 mm. with sound. These include: "Nickel High Lights," 35 minutes; "Nickel Mining," 18 minutes; "Nickel Smelting," 18 minutes; "Nickel Refining," 9 minutes; and "Copper Refining," 6 minutes.

Jan 1, 1941

By W. Mostowitsh

I. Introductory LEAD sulphate occurs as anglesite, and is formed in every roasting of lead sulphides or sulpho-salts containing lead. In smelting in the blast furnace an ore containing natural or artificial lead sulphate, a large part of the sulphur present goes to the formation of the intermediary product matte which requires further treatment for the recovery of the values it contains. It is therefore of importance to study the behavior of lead sulphate at elevated temperatures, both without and with reducing agents, especially as the information available gives data which are more or less conflicting. II. Decomposition of Lead Sulphate by Heat The dissociation of PbSO4 into PbO and S03 or S02 and 0 has been discussed by many metallurgists. The following data are considered to be representative. Doeltz and Graumann1 found that PbSO4 was not affected by heat at 800° C.; that dissociation began at 900° C., and was rapid at 1,000° when the salt lost in 1 ½ hr. 14.3 per cent. of its weight, the dry salt containing 26.43 per cent. SO3. Hofman and Wanjukow2 summarize their work upon the dissociation of metallic sulphates with the statement that the decomposition of PbSO4 begins at 195° C., but progresses very slowly, with the formation of the basic salt 6PbO.5S03 at 705°; that this salt undergoes a transformation at 847°, begins to be decomposed at 888°, to sinter at 896°, and to fuse at 910°; rapid dissociation begins at 952°, and is accompanied by volatilization of PbO; retardations at 958° and 962° indicate an acceleration of decomposition which, however, is not complete. Proske3 found that PbSO4 gave off at 900° C. in 30 min. only 0.63 per cent. of its SO3, and that the loss increased with

Jan 5, 1916

By W. Mostowitsch

Lead sulphate occurs as anglesite, and is formed in every roasting of lead sulphides or sulpho-salts containing lead. In smelting in the blast furnace an ore containing natural or artificial lead sulphate, a large part of the sulphur present goes to the formation of the intermediary product matte which requires further treatment for the recovery of the values it contains. It is therefore of importance to study the behavior of lead sulphate at elevated temperatures, both without and with reducing agents, especially as the information available gives data which are more or less conflicting. 11. Decomposition of PbS04 by Heat The dissociation of PbSO4 into PbO and SO3 or SO2 and 0 has been discussed by many metallurgists. The following data are considered to be representative. Doeltz and Graumannl found that PbS04 was not affected-by heat at 800" C.; that dissociation began at 900" C., and was rapid at 1,000° when the salt lost in 1 1/2 hr. 14.3 per cent. of its weight, the dry salt containing 26.43 per cent. SO3. Hofman and Wanjukow2 summarize their work upon the dissociation of metallic sulphates with the statement that the decomposition of PbS04 begins at 195' C., but progresses very slowly, with the formation of the basic salt 6PbO.5SO3 at 705"; that this salt undergoes a transformation at 847") begins to be decomposed at 888") to sinter at 896", and to fuse at 910"; rapid dissociation begins at 952") and is accompanied by volatilization of PbO; retardations at 958" and 962" indicate an acceleration of decomposition which, however, is not complete. Proske3 found that PbSO4 gave off at 900" C. in 30 min. only 0.63 per cent. of its 803, and that the loss increased with

Jan 1, 1917

By Wm. I. Weisman, C. W. Tandy

Consumption of fluorspar in the United States in the last ten years has doubled to 1.34 million tons. One main, reason for the increase has been the use of the basic oxygen furnace to produce steel which requires considerably more fluorspar than the open hearth. The increasing consumption of aluminum and fluorocarbon chemicals will require more fluorspar, Since 1964 domestic fluorspar prices have advanced over 70%. Maximum prices were attained in 1971 and remain stable. These higher prices have brought about the expansion of production capacity at many of the present mines and mills. Exploration has been intensified, resulting in new discoveries, which are being brought into production. Many deposits, heretofore considered uneconomical, are being reappraised for possible development. Companies who have not previously mined fluorspar are actively seeking and acquiring new properties. The outlook for the continued health of the domestic fluorspar industries is favorable at present prices; however, it is doubtful that production will be greatly increased. New production will have to come from presently inaccessible areas of much greater distance from consuming centers. Prices will have to be higher to support this production. Domestic fluorspar production meets only 20% of domestic consumption. Thus, reliance on imports on fluorspar in the future will become increasingly more critical.

Jan 1, 1975

By L. C. Uren

Field studies and laboratory research have established the fact that the expulsive force which drives petroleum into wells, from the reservoir sands in which it is stored by nature, is primarly an expression of the energy latent within compressed natural gas dissolved or occluded in, or otherwise associated with the oil. Each barrel of oil produced is forced into the recovery well by the expansive energy of a certain volume of compressed gas, originally stored with the oil in the pores of the reservoir rock; and each cubic foot of gas so produced with the oil and expanded to atmospheric pressure reduces by so much the total natural energy available for oil expulsion. This relationship between the volumes of gas and oil produced has seemed so important that petroleum production technolo-gists have come to regard the "gas-oil ratio," or the "gas factor" as it has been more conveniently termed, as a measure of oil-production efficiency. Different methods of oil recovery and production devices are now Com pared on this basis and estimates of ultimate recovery obtainable through their use are considered by many to be inversely proportional to the values of their respective gas factors. The writer has been among those who have given support to a widcspread movement toward a proper recognition of the significance of the gas factor as a guide in the control of producing oil wells, and does not wish to oppose its more extended application. It seems necessary, how-cvcr, in view of the almost elemental faith with which the principle of the gas factor has been received in many quarters, to point out that it is a most complex factor, and one which cannot be regarded as an absolute index of production efficiency without due regard to other contributing factors by which it is influenced to an important degree. Variables Influencing Gas Factor The mere recording of a low gas factor, obtained through the use of some method or device, does not necessarily imply efficient oil production; and conversely, a high gas factor does not always signify inefficient recov-

Jan 1, 1928

By A. M. Gaudin

CHANGES in industrial practice, in plant design, and in research methods which are so clearly to be seen on every hand, have affected the mineral industry as well as others. In particular, ore dressing has passed through a revolution in practice brought about by the introduction of flotation and other quasi-chemical methods, until it has ceased to be solely the mechanical preparation of ores. In fact, the term "ore dressing" itself is obsolescent, and "mineral dressing" has been growing in popularity. This assures adequate recognition of the fact that mineral substances other than ores, e.g. coals, clays, and cement rock, are treated by the same general methods. As a result of these industrial changes it was felt that a complete rearrangement of the curriculum and laboratories at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology would be ad-vantageous. Such a rearrangement would allow instruction and research to proceed in wider accord with industrial evolution and the needs of our times.

Jan 1, 1942

By William H. Bassett

COPPER is the world's most important non-ferrous metal, and brass is the most widely used non- ferrous alloy. Much of the utility of each may be credited to the work of metallurgists who have constantly improved the quality of the metals and alloys and the methods of fabrication. Standing in the front rank among these is William Hastings Bassett, the newly elected president of the Institute. Mr. Bassett, ,who is technical superintendent and metallurgist for the American Brass Co.,

Jan 1, 1930