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By J. E. Howard

On Aug. 25, 1911, a rail failed on the Lehigh Valley Railroad, causing a disastrous wreck. The surface of the fracture was in a plane at right angles to the length of the rail. There was a dark-colored, oval spot on this surface, located on the gage side of the head, representing the part of the rail which was the first to fracture. The nucleus of this spot showed that the fracture had an interior origin. Other fractures of this kind, the peripheries of which had not reached the surface of the rail, presented surfaces having a (silvery luster. The darkened surface of the present fracture was caused, doubtless, by the air having had access to it. This fracture was recognized as a fatigue fracture, of a modified type, its interior origin having been due to a component in the rail which is not usually present in cases of fatigue fractures. The metal next the running surface of the head of the rail was in a state of internal compression, this being the component not commonly met with in other cases, and which caused the fracture to have its interior origin. For the purpose of giving this modified type of fatigue fracture a specific name, for identification, the term "transverse fissure" was applied. No mystery was thought to attach to its formation, or to its development. The explanation of its occurrence seemed obvious in the light of common knowledge upon the behavior of steel under repeated alternate stresses.' By reason of the state of internal compression at the running surface, the maximum tensile stresses in the head, ander bending loads, were along an interior element. Here the tensile strains were higher than in the fibers more remote from the neutral axis. Under such conditions the fracture of the rail would be expected to have an interior origin. A discussion of the subject of transverse fissures essentially becomes a discussion of fatigue fractures, since they are believed to be identical. The descriptive term employed, merely for the identification of this type of fatigue fracture, had the appearance of creating alarm. Apprehensions arose that a new phenomenon in the physical properties of steel had presented itself, the explanation of which was sought in every

Jan 1, 1918

By J. P. Kerr, W. H. Cordell

Conditions in the oil and gas industry in Indiana were about the same in 1935 as in 1934. This is especially true of the old Trenton area and the Harrison County area where production was steady and almost no exploration and development took place. The past year has seen an increase in drilling activity and a decrease in oil and gas output in southwestern Indiana. In the state, 224 wells were completed in 1935, of which 48 were oil wells, 61 gas wells, and 115 dry holes. A few of these were old gas wells deepened to oil horizons. Twenty-six wells started during 1935 were not completed by Dec. 31. Approximately one-half the wells drilled were within proven areas. A relatively large number of wildcats, especially in Daviess, Pike and Gibson Counties, were in search of new gas supplies to supplant the diminishing resources in those counties. The decreased production of gas was due largely to the fact that existing supplies declined more rapidly than new fields could be brought on. The Alford field, in Pike County, which produced the bulk of the supply in 1934, was called on to do likewise in 1935, but was unable to respond sufficiently to keep up the yearly production for southwestern Indiana. During the last half of the year, the Oaktown field, Knox County, was connected with one of the principal pipe lines of the state, which helped to keep gas production above an unusual low. The decline in oil production was due almost entirely to proration during the first eight months of the year. The proration affected Daviess, Pike, Gibson, Sullivan and Vigo counties, which produce about three-fourths of the total for the state. After proration was lifted, the wells never quite reached the conditions existing before proration. The average daily production per well in Indiana is less than two barrels. The outstanding development in Indiana in 1935 was the drilling in the Oaktown field immediately before and after the laying of the 6-in. pipe line to the field. Almost without exception the wells came in with an open flow of two to four million cubic feet. At the end of the year, 26 wells were connected to the pipe line. Development of this field will

Jan 1, 1936

By J. P. Kerr, W. H. Cordell

Conditions in the oil and gas industry in Indiana were about the same in 1935 as in 1934. This is especially true of the old Trenton area and the Harrison County area where production was steady and almost no exploration and development took place. The past year has seen an increase in drilling activity and a decrease in oil and gas output in southwestern Indiana. In the state, 224 wells were completed in 1935, of which 48 were oil wells, 61 gas wells, and 115 dry holes. A few of these were old gas wells deepened to oil horizons. Twenty-six wells started during 1935 were not completed by Dec. 31. Approximately one-half the wells drilled were within proven areas. A relatively large number of wildcats, especially in Daviess, Pike and Gibson Counties, were in search of new gas supplies to supplant the diminishing resources in those counties. The decreased production of gas was due largely to the fact that existing supplies declined more rapidly than new fields could be brought on. The Alford field, in Pike County, which produced the bulk of the supply in 1934, was called on to do likewise in 1935, but was unable to respond sufficiently to keep up the yearly production for southwestern Indiana. During the last half of the year, the Oaktown field, Knox County, was connected with one of the principal pipe lines of the state, which helped to keep gas production above an unusual low. The decline in oil production was due almost entirely to proration during the first eight months of the year. The proration affected Daviess, Pike, Gibson, Sullivan and Vigo counties, which produce about three-fourths of the total for the state. After proration was lifted, the wells never quite reached the conditions existing before proration. The average daily production per well in Indiana is less than two barrels. The outstanding development in Indiana in 1935 was the drilling in the Oaktown field immediately before and after the laying of the 6-in. pipe line to the field. Almost without exception the wells came in with an open flow of two to four million cubic feet. At the end of the year, 26 wells were connected to the pipe line. Development of this field will

Jan 1, 1936

[Abad. Leopoldo F., Min. Engr., Div. of Mines, Bureau of Science Manila, P. 1. '28 Abadilla, Quirico A., Geol., Lago Pet. Corp Box 172, Maracaibo, Venezuela. '20 Abarquez, Ramon F., Met., Bureau of Science Manila, P. I. '24 Abbey, Robert Graham, Student, Case School of Applied Science Cleveland, Ohio. '21 Abbott, A. N., Mines Supt.. Mazapil Copper Co,, Ltd Concepcion del Oro, Zac,, Mexico. '28 Abbott, Clarence E., Mgr,, Mines & Quarries, Tenn, Coal, Iron & R. R. Co., 1242 Brown Marx Bldg,, Birmingham, Ala. '04]

Jan 1, 1928

By A. A. Berk

LAGGING technology and the slow spread of information have been the chief obstacles to widespread participation in minimizing the industrial pollution load. These obstacles can be conquered by fact finding and applied research. There are three aspects to the problem of water-borne mineral waste: to minimize the amount being thrown away, to select a predisposal treatment, and to use the products or dispose of them. It is often possible to minimize the waste by making very minor changes in the process that produces it. For example, a manufacturer of automobile bumpers greatly reduced the dragout 'from a plating bath by modifying the design and position of two boltholes.' A plater of automobile hubcaps installed a drainage bar and decreased the loss of chrome-plating solution to the rinse water by about 80 pct.' The mill at a western mine found it possible to discard 60 to 70 pct of an ore with minimum treatment," so that the processing effort could be concentrated on a high-graded slime, with significant reduction in costs and improvement in recovery. The possibilities for waste reduction through process changes are limited only by the imagination. A recent patent points out the advantages of using No. 1 fuel oil instead of water in wet-process cement making;& the fuel oil presumably has better properties than water for this purpose and is said to be almost com'pletely recovered or utilized, so that there is no waterborne waste. Recycling to reduce wastes and improve process economy is very well illustrated in vanadium and uranium recoveries from relatively low grade ore. Ores containing 6 pct calcium carbonate were found to give poor vanadium recovery by the salt-roasting process because the vanadium was converted to water-insoluble calcium vanadate. Following the salt-roasting process, sulfuric acid was used to leach the uranium. Enough calcium sulfate was formed

Jan 1, 1958

By E. P. Chartkoff, W. P. Sykes

In 1926 one of the authors published researches on the determination and description of the iron-tungsten and iron-molybdenum systems,' including the equilibrium diagrams. In 1929, further work was carried on, including the examination by X-rays, which is recorded here. Meas-urements were made of changes in lattice parameters in the solid solutions. Precipitation from the solid solution and the accompanying changes in hardness were studied as well as the formation of the intermetallic com-pound phases upon sintering a mixture of metal powders. Materials All the specimens were prepared from the same quality of metals and by the same methods as were described in the determination of the constitutional diagrams. The metal powders as mixed and pressed were sintered or fused in a hydrogen atmosphere and subsequently treated as indicated in the titles of the figures. The formation of the iron-rich solutlon in the solid was accomplished by sintering in hydrogen for a period of 20 to 30 hr. at a temperature 25' to 50' C. below the melting point of the eutectic. The tungsten-rich and molybdenum-rich solid solutions of iron were prepared by adding the iron as a solution of iron ammonium oxalate to the oxide of tungsten or molybdenum, followed by a hydrogen reduction. This method results in a homogeneous alloy after sintering the pressed metal powder for 20 to 30 hr. at a temperature slightly below that of the peritectic reaction in the system involved. For X-ray examination the specimens were variously prepared, depending on the nature of the sample and what it was desired to show. For example, the iron containing tungsten or molybdenum in solid solution was cut with a file, the chips were put through bolting cloth, and this powder of filings formed the specimens for comparative study. The

Jan 1, 1930

By Henry Sturgis Drinker, Rossiter W. Raymond

Jan 1, 1914

By D. Harker, E. Epremian

The constitution of the nickel-tungsten system has been studied by a number of investigators, the most recent of which are Ellinger and Sykes.1 On the basis of metallography, electrical resistivity and hardness measurements and some X ray diffraction work, they constructed a consitution diagram (Fig 1). Ellinger and Sykes report a0 for the alpha face-centered cubic phase (nickel saturated with tungsten) as 3.66?.‡ The gamma phase (tungsten saturated with nickel) is given as body-centered cubic, but no value of a. is recorded. At 43 pct tungsten by weight (approximately 20 at. pct) a beta phase is reported, but structure and lattice parameter are not known. Primarily on the basis of metallographic evidence, they conclude that beta is a new phase and rule out the possibility of formation of a superlattice since they- observe a new phase in the microstructure. Grube and Schlecht2 report an ordering reaction in a system similar to the Ni-W (Ni-Mo) and Harker3 has shown that NirMo forms a superlattice upon the pre-existing face-centered cubic lattice of the alpha phase. Elliniger arid Sykes observed a change in the diffraction pattern of a 4.3 pct W alloy upon aging and attributed it to the formation of a new phase. Thus, there appears to be some question as to the character of the beta phase reported by Ellinger and Sykes. The purpose of the present work is to determine precisely the structure and nature of the beta phase in the Ni-w system of X ray diffraction methods. Experimental Procedure One inch diameter ingots of 43.66 pct, 40.15 pct and 34.06 pct .tungsten by weight (19.8, 17.6 and 14.1 at. pct respectively) were melted and cast under vacuum from electrolytic nickel and pure wire filament grade tungsten. The ingots were soaked for 16 hr at 1300°C in a hydrogen atmosphere furnace, then swaged at this temperature and finally drawn to 0.020 in. diam wire. Some of the bar stock was retained in 1/2 in. diam rod for hardness and metallographic studies. Wire samples for diffraction work were sealed in evacuated quartz tubes and subjected to the various solution and aging heat treatments in a hydrogen furnace. X ray photograms were taken in a Debeye-Slierrer camera using copper K radiation filtered by nickel foil. Results X RAY DIFFRACTION The lattice parameters of the alpha and gamma phases at saturation were determined by an X ray photogram of the 19.8 at. pct W alloy after solution heat treatment at a temperature well within the alpha-gamma range above the peritectoid temperature (17 hr at 1150°C—oil quenched). The alpha phase was found to be face-centeted cubic with a. of 3.594 ± 0.001?, while the gamma phase was determined as body-centered cubic with a. of 3.158 ± 0.001?. Exactly the same phases and parameters were ohtained with the 17.6 at. pct W alloy for the same solution heat treatment. Thorough analysis was made of an X ray photogram of a 19.8 at. pct alloy sample in the quenched and aged condition (solution treated 1T hr at

Jan 1, 1950

By Earl Hanson

FIRES in heavily timbered mines are disastrous, involving danger to both life and property. Some mines have been completely ruined or so heavily damaged that reopening them would not pay. Though few mines are entirely free from danger of fire, the risk is minimized by proper care and good design of plant. The Tintic Standard mine is at Dividend, Utah, in the famous Tintic mining district, about 60 miles south of Salt Lake City. The development of the mine was begun in 1907 by the late Mr. E. J. Raddatz and his associates. From the beginning, the work was hampered by high rock temperatures and the presence of high concentrations of rock gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Development work was carried on with great perseverance for nine years, and resulted in the discovery of ore in 1916. The total production of the Tintic Standard mine to Jan. 1, 1936, amounted to 1,664,388 tons of ore, having a gross value of .$61,996,719.

Jan 1, 1936

By H. M. Chance

In almost all coal-fields, the quantity of explosive gases given off by the coal increases as depth is attained, requiring correspondingly enlarged quantities of air to ventilate the workings properly, by diluting and carrying off the gas. Again, with increased depth there is a corresponding increased pressure caused by the weight of the overlying strata. Sandstone or slate, which would form a good roof for a coalbed at a depth of 300 or 400 feet, may be unable to sustain the pressure of 800 or 1000 feet of overlying rock. Hence, in nearly all deep mines, the miner will generally describe the roof as "bad," although the roof-rock may be a firm slate, forming an excellent roof for workings of moderate depth, but unable to stand the pressure resulting from the weight of a great thickness of overlying rock. With increased weight of rock-mass above comes also

Jan 1, 1901

By R. L. Curfman

WHEN the Uranium Reduction Co. mill was put on stream in October 1956, one of the many operational problems was that the sand-slime separation circuits could not produce a satisfactory RIP feed, inasmuch as production greatly exceeded de- sign capacity. The original cyclone portion of the circuits consisted of two stages of three 14-in. cyclones in each circuit, as shown in the condensed flowsheet. The high percentage of +325 mesh material in the over- flows of these 14-in. cyclones was not consistent with good operation, and flow rates per ton of ore were high, indicating that not enough of the total solids in the ore was being rejected as sands. It was inferred by members of the metallurgical department that returning the underflows, or sand fraction, from these cyclones back into the drag classifiers was the primary reason for dirty feed.

Jan 7, 1958

By Kenneth L. Temple

ACID coal mine drainage presents a peculiarly difficult problem for two principal reasons. First is the fact that the amount of acid water discharged from active and abandoned mines constantly in- creases as coal fields are developed and thereby creates a steadily worsening nuisance of rapidly growing importance to the general public as well as to the coal industry. Second is the even more significant fact that there is no method yet known that will appreciably alleviate the acid water problem except at totally prohibitive cost to the coal operators. The problem is thus seen to be an urgent one. With a growing need for good quality water and a growing public demand for abatement of stream pollution, a large portion of the soft coal industry finds itself in the position of year by year dumping more and more acid into the streams and waterways and having no way in sight of improving the situation or even of keeping it from getting worse.

Jan 12, 1951

By Richard E. Chism

If internal commotion can be called life, the Mexicans have certainly lived more in the last seventy-five years than any other people. To the oppression of the Spanish viceroys succeeded the sanguinary tumults of the Revolution of Independence, after which the Supreme Congress bequeathed its heritage of uncertain power to the empire of Iturbide, the only one ever established by Americans upon American soil, with an American at its head. That shortlived reign mas followed by years of ceaseless, bloody, and, to the superficial observer, meaningless revolutions—the deeper political and ecclesiastical significance of which it is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss. Then came foreign intervention, the ill-fated Austrian's brief supremacy, and the final triumph of the patriot cause under rugged old Benito Juarez, who crowned the victory of arms by a series of reforms breaking forever the temporal power of the Church and ushering in the calmer era which has lasted from the first accession of Diaz to the present day. During all those troublous times, the revolutionary ocean, that rolled so deeply over all other relics of Spanish dominion, had left almost unaltered the ancient laws of Spain, still lifting themselves above the tide, like landmarks of a flooded world. Many of these laws were obsolete ; some were absurdly inadequate to the demands

Jan 1, 1886

By R. E. Wade

The Butte, Anaconda & Pacific electrification is of peculiar interest, in an incidental way, to the entire mining fraternity, and especially the engineering branch, not only in this great Northwest country but throughout the entire Western mining country, which is rich in minerals and water power. It is probably fair to say that the prime object of mining and smelting engineering is to reduce the cost of production, and in the case in hand the relative location of mines and smelter brings the cost of transportation of ore to the front. While some might assign this item to the railway people, it is inseparably a part and parcel of the general scheme of the production of metal from the ore. In considering the electrification of the B., A. & P. railway the mining and smelting engineer, above all, wants to know what saving will be effected by the change in motive power. Unfortunately the new power has been in use during a very limited period and on the Smelter Hill section of the road only, and no reliable data, from actual service conditions, can be obtained until the entire electrified section has been in service for a reasonable length of time. Any remarks on this subject at the present time, therefore, must of necessity be general in nature and more or less descriptive. The railway, electrical and mining worlds and the country in general are indebted to the B., A. & P. railway for the pioneer work it is now doing, as it undoubtedly marks the beginning of the electrification, within the comparatively near future, of all transcontinental roads between the Missouri river and the Pacific coast. Together with this goes the development of an untold wealth in water power and all natural resources within the same territory. For the first time in the history of electric railway work, in this country, direct current at a potential of 2,400 volts is being used. With this potential there is a great saving in transmission of energy to the locomotives and there are only two substations, one at either end and 26 miles apart, for supplying the power for the movement of trains of heavy tonnage over the main line and for switching movements at terminal and intermediate yards, and comparatively little feeder copper is required.

Jan 1, 1914

By Robert L. Slobod

In much of the work reported in the literature on long cores. true connate water value, probably have not been obtained because of insufficient flow of 011 to attain equilibrium. A -.satisfactory method for establishing connate water in long cores has been developed in which oil flow is maintained until no additiona1 water is displaced. INTRODUCTION Long cores have been used by sev-erals investigators in an effort to evaluate the efficiency of oil recovery for various producing schemes. The effects of many variables such as rate of displacement. pressure drop, volume of displacing medium, gas-oil ratio, inter-facial tension, and others have been investigated, and the merits of gas drive have been compared with water drive. In the older experiments no connate water was used. but in the more recent stndies the philosophy of the experiment calls for a core containing oil and connate water (irreducible water) as the starting point of the experiment. The method generally used to establish this condition in long cores involves dynamic' displacement wherein one or more phases are forced through the core. flow being maintained at a constant rate or at a constant pressure until a steady state is reached wherein there is no change of saturation with time. It is one purpose of this paper to point out that in much of the work reported in the literature true connate water values probably have not been obtained. The reason for this failure is pointed out. and a method for obtaining more reliable connate water values on long cores is presented. It is impossible at this time to completely evaluate the effect on the conclusions in the earlier papers resulting from the failure to obtain true connate water in the long cores, but some data are presented which indicate that serious errors may he present in many cases. MATERIALS AND APPARATUS Cores cut front outcrop sandstones (Strawn. Torpedo, and Elgin sandstones) with permeabilities of the order of 300 md were used. The major experiments were made with a core 18-in. long and 2-in. in diameter. Cores of the same diameter but only 12-in. long were used in a few tests? and in some work a core I-in. in diameter and 11-in. long was used. These materials were all somewhat bentonitic. 'To reduce the effect of such constituents, one of the cores (Torpedo No. 10) on which the most work was performed was acid extracted at the start of the experiment. Brine containing 50,000 ppm chloride and naphtha (Stoddard's Solvent) were used as the water and oil phases, respectively. The core was mounted in a rubber sleeve which forms the inner lining of a brass cylinder. In this arrangement2 the rubber sleeve is forced against the core by applying pressure to water in the annular space between the rubber sleeve and the brass cylinder wall. The core is therefore sealed in rubber so that all fluids introduced at the input end of the core flow through the core. With this equipment the core may be easily removed for inspection and analysis. Also, other cores may be introduced for study with no extra time for preparation such as is required when plastic mounting is used. When pressure or conductivity measurements are desired at intermediate points along tile length of the core, the brass cylinder comprising the outer jacket of the core holder is cut into section, of the desired length. Each section is then made up as an individual unit with its own rubber sleeve (see Fig. 1). The individual units are then butted up against a ring of plastic or other insulating material which carries an electrical contact for resistivity measurements and an opening which can be used for the measurements of fluid pressures. The individual units are forced tightly against the plastic ring separators and held in place with several tie rods. Inlet and outlet end butts of the same diameter as the core and several inches in length are provided to control the introduction and withdrawal of fluids and to complete the arrangement for sealing the core within the rubber sleeve. Fluid flow is maintained either by applying pressure to the liquid confined in a reservoir or by the use of a gear pump. The latter is preferable where continuous flow at a moderate rate over a long time interval is desired since a small volume of liquid can be readily recirculated using filters to prevent plugging of the core. EXPERIMENTAL The oven-dried core is weighed and is then completely saturated with brine

Jan 1, 1950

By E. O. Fromm, R. I. Jaffee, R. M. Evans

IN connection with a research on gallium alloys, a method for the thermal analysis of very low melting alloys was developed, which appeared to be worthy of more than passing interest. As used, the method was suitable for work in the temperature range, — 72° to 250°C. However, with suitable adjustment, the method could be adapted for use over broader temperature ranges. The Rosenhain temperature gradient furnace,' adapted for low-temperature use, was the basis for the method. The gradient was set up in a stainless steel tube. The specimens were lowered through it at a constant rate while time-temperature or inverse rate data were taken. It was essential to maintain careful control of the top and bottom temperatures of the gradient. Also essential was good heat transfer from the walls to the specimen. This was accomplished by a liquid heat-transfer medium.

Jan 1, 1953

By J. H. McCormick

This plant, near Marysville, Mont., was planned to treat the ore from the Piegan and Gloster mines, the latter being one of the early and famous producers of the Marysville district. When the mill was closed in 1888, treatment consisted of stamp milling, followed by pans and settlers for pan amalgamation. The extraction was evidently poor, because, a few years later, thousands of tons of tailings were re-treated by the ranchers in the valley below the mill, by the then new cyanide process, and gave a handsome profit. In 1914, the present owners, after laboratory tests and an experimental mill run, decided upon the following treatment: crushing to 40 mesh in cyanide solution, concentration, amalgamation, classification, and cyani-dation of sands by leaching, and of slime by agitation and decantation in charges. The ore averaged about $7 per ton, gold and silver, the ratio of weight being 1 oz. gold to 7.56 oz. silver. The ratio of gold and silver in tailings was 1 oz. Au to 36.6 oz. Ag; the quartz was sharp and sandy, however finely ground, and rather difficult to slime. The mechanical equipment was a No. 5 Symons gyratory crusher; three 10-ft. Lane slow-speed Chilean mills; one Wilfley roughing and one finishing table; one submerged-type Akins classifier; five 26 by 10-ft. fir leaching tanks; one 24 by 7-ft. Dorr thickener; four 14 by 16-ft. Dorr agitators; four 6-compartment double-row zinc-boxes having compartments 18 in. wide, 18 in. deep, and 34 in. long; Johnson zinc lathe; acid and vacuum filter tanks for treating precipitate; roasting furnace; and Case tilting No. 275 crucible furnace for melting precipitate. The mill is driven by electric power supplied by the Montana Power Co. at the following rates, per kw.-hr.: 200 to 300 hp., 0.68 c.; 300 to 500 hp., 0.61 c.; 500 to 750 hp., 0.55 c.; plus $1 per month per installed motor horsepower. The plant as above described was operated from May, 1915, to the end of the year, when an additional Dorr thickener and a 12 by 12-ft. Portland revolving filter were added, increasing the nominal capacity of 100 tons per 24 hr., but not the percentage of extraction. The combined treatment, at a cost of $1.48 per ton, saved 90 per cent. of the gold arid

Jan 1, 1919

FROM newspaper reports circulated in Indonesia, it seems quite obvious that many people, even the left-wingers, have serious doubts concerning the wisdom of the Indonesian Government in nationalizing the Bangka Island tin mines, formerly operated by the Dutch Billiton Co. Chief source of American dollars for Indonesia has been the 34,000 ton tin production of its mines. Right now, both left and right are concerned with whether the Government will be able to maintain and increase current production. The right wing Moslem party newspaper, Mimbar Indonesia, stated: "It will no longer be possible any more for radical labor leaders to find foreign scapegoats and tell the workers they are working only for foreign interests and foreign managements. It is up to labor now to increase its labors for the national good. It will be a new experience, and the problem is whether we are capable enough to manage these important mines."

Jan 4, 1953

By M. Cohen, D. J. Blickwede

Quantitative observations concerning the carbide phases in high speed steel are of importance for two general reasons: (1) the carbides, being inevitable constituents of the final structure, exert a direct influence on the properties of the steel; and (2) a substantial proportion of the total alloy content is tied-up in the carbides, and hence the extent of their solution on austenitizing governs the composition of the steel matrix. The latter relationship has a vital bearing on the response of the steel to tempering as well as on its performance in subsequent service. Accordingly, in the course of a long-term study of the behavior of high speed steels, the authors were confronted with the problem of securing quantitative data on the carbide phases. The obvious method for acquiring such information is to isolate the car-bides from the steel and subject them to chemical, X ray diffraction and other measurements. There are well-known extraction techniques which involve the chemical or electrolytic solution of the less noble matrix (ferrite, marten-site or austenite), thus leaving a residue of the carbide phases. However, the results obtained must be scrutinized carefully1,2 since the carbides may be affected by the chemical or electrolytic action. It is the purpose of the present paper to describe the experiments leading to an electrolytic-extraction technique for quantitatively isolating the carbides from both I and hardened high speed steel. Particular attention is paid to the amount, as well as the composition, of the carbides so that the matrix analysis becomes ascertainable by subtraction from the overall steel composition. Illustrative results are given for the M-2 grade of tungsten-molybdenum steel. Review of the Literature The chemical method of dissolving the matrix selectively with respect to the carbides makes use of dilute non- oxidizing reagents such as hydrochloric or sulphuric acid. Although this simple procedure has led to the determination of the cementite composition,3,4 it achieved only limited success because of the interaction between the acid and the carbide residue. Some of the carbides may not only be destroyed in this way, but the hydrogen released is likely to remove part of their carbon as hydrocarbon gases. The electrolytic technique of isolating carbides has the advantage of rapidly dissolving the specimen (anode) in the presence of less reactive solutions than are practicable with the chemical method. This reduces the possibility of chemical attack on the carbides, and furthermore, the hydrogen evolved during the electrolysis is released at the cathode which is not in close proximity to the carbides. The common electrolytes adopted for this purpose are hydrochloric and sulphuric acids.5-l1 Aqueous solutions of ferrous salts have also been used.12,13 A considerable advance in experimental technique was introduced by Treje and Benedicks14 who developed a double-compartment cell for electrolytic extraction, the anode and cathode chambers being separated by a porous diaphragm. A solution of 15 pct sodium citrate, 2 pct potassium bromide and 1 pct potassium iodide was selected for the anolyte, while the catholyte consisted of a 10 pct solution of copper sulphate, with copper serving as the cathode. This type of cell has a number of desirable characteristics: 1. The anolyte has a pH value close to 7, at least at the beginning of the run. 2. The iron that dissolves from the anode-specimen forms a water-soluble complex ion with the citrate, thereby preventing the precipitation of iron hydroxide (which would contaminate the carbide residue) despite the neutrality of the solution. 3. Copper deposition instead of hydrogen evolution occurs at the cathode, and this avoids an increasing concentration of hy-droxyl ions which (in an otherwise neutral solution) might cause the precipitation of insoluble hydroxides. 4. Contamination of the anode chamber by copper sulphate is inhibited by the porous diaphragm. Houdremont and coworkers15 applied the above method (with the further refinement of excluding oxygen during the electrolysis, washing and drying) to the extraction of carbides from a series of plain carbon steels after various heat treatments. They had quantitative success only with specimens in the annealed condition, and concluded that the size and shape of the carbide particles play an important role in the isolation process, with large spheroids exhibiting the least tendency to decompose during the electrolysis. Up to the present time, the citrate double-cell has not been used to any extent for isolating the carbides of high alloy steels, apparently on the grounds that the complex carbides are more resistant than cementite to attack in the simpler acid electrolytes. In particular, Bain and Grossmann7 and Gulyaev10.10a have employed the hydrochloric acid cell for their investigations of the carbides in high speed steel.* It will be demonstrated here that this type of cell is capable of yielding quantitative results in the case of high speed steel, and actually has certain advantages over the more complicated double cell. However, in order to provide a rigorous test of the quanti-tativeness of electrolytic procedures for the problem at hand, both methods were studied in considerable detail.

Jan 1, 1950

By R. E. Wade

THE Butte, Anaconda & Pacific electrification is of peculiar interest, in an incidental way, to the entire mining fraternity, and especially the engineering branch, not only in this great Northwest country but throughout the entire Western mining country, which is rich in minerals and water power. It is probably fair to say that the prime object of mining and smelting engineering is to reduce the cost of production, and in the case in hand the relative location of mines and smelter brings the cost of transportation of ore to the front. While some might assign this item to the railway people, it is inseparably a part and parcel of the general scheme of the production of metal from the ore. In considering the electrification of the B., A. &. P. railway the mining and smelting engineer, above all, wants to know what saving will be effected by the change in motive power. Unfortunately the new power has been in use during a very limited period and on the Smelter Hill section of the road only, and no reliable data, from actual service conditions, can be obtained until the entire electrified section has been in service for a reasonable length of time. Any remarks on this subject at the present time, therefore, must of necessity be general in nature and more or less descriptive. The railway, electrical and mining worlds and the country in general are indebted to the B., A. & P. railway for the pioneer work it is now doing, as it undoubtedly marks the beginning of the electrification, within the comparatively near future, of all transcontinental roads between the Missouri river and the Pacific coast. Together with this goes the development of an untold wealth in water power and all natural resources within the same territory. For the first time in the history of electric railway work, in this country, direct current at a potential of 2,400 volts is being used. With this potential there is a great saving in transmission of energy to the locomotives and there are only two substations, one at. either end and 26 miles apart, for supplying the power for the movement of trains of heavy tonnage over the main line and for switching movements at terminal and intermediate yards, and comparatively little feeder copper is required.

Jan 11, 1913