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By J. P. Witherow

The Clapp and Griffiths steel-process may be considered a pneumatic system, similar to the Bessemer, with the difference that the converter is fixed or non-tilting, and that the blast is introduced around the lower section of the converter instead of through its bottom. Mr. Griffiths was engineer-in-chief of the Gilchrist & Thomas basic dephosphorizing process during all the time those gentlemen were experimenting and working up their system, as Mr. G. communicated to me. After separating from these gentlemen, he began developing the present Clapp and Griffiths type of converter. Dr. Clapp, of Nantyglow, Monmouthshire, was a prominent physician in a large iron district. Previous to his association with Mr. Griffiths, he took out some patents on a process of his own for the manufacture of steel, which patents stood in Mr. Griffiths' way; hence the consolidation. Early in the summer of 1883, my attention was called to the experiments of Messrs. Clapp & Griffiths in Great Britain by a friend who had just returned from England. Later in that summer I went to Newport, on the border of Wales, where I met Messrs. Clapp and Griffiths and their friends. After visiting two small converters of their type which were in operation at different works, and spending a few days in the iron-districts of Wales, I went to London, where I met my friend Henry W. Oliver, Jr., who had already heard of the new steel-process. We decided to revisit Wales and examine more fully the process, more especially that Mr. Oliver might have the opportunity of coming practically in contact with the men and die process himself, so that his judgment might not be influenced by my sanguine feelings. On

Jan 1, 1885

By Frank Alfred Fahrenwald

A complete list of the elements as given for 1915 includes 18 that melt above 1,700" C. There does not exist one complete thermal equilibrium diagram for any pair of these 18 elements. Several of these elements have been combined, in relatively small proportions, with metals of lower melting point: e.g., tungsten, molybdenum, and vanadium, in steels, or with nickel and cobalt; but of this refractory group, platinum is the only one that has been extensively studied in this connection. When one considers that, with few exceptions, the industries have made use of alloys to the exclusion of pure metals, it is reasonable to expect that alloys of this refractory group will invade fields in which the pure metals have found little application. The past neglect of this class of metals has, no doubt, been partly due to the rarity of some of them, for even though alloys of very valuable properties should be developed, their cost, unless in exceptional applications, would be prohibitive. There is also a well-founded reluctance to undertake research involving very high temperatures which, in the case of most of these elements, must be accompanied by an inert atmosphere as well. This combination of high temperatures*and control of atmosphere within the heating chamber of any furnace of present design is a difficult problem. It is the purpose of this paper to give results,' of an investigation of one binary series of this group, in which methods were employed that avoided the usual difficulties accompanying high-temperature alloy investigation. , Historical.—The alloys of tungsten and molybdenum have received very little consideration during the past. A review of available literature reveals very little regarding this system, and that which has been recorded seems to be at fault. Mennicke2 writes, "Die bekannteste Verbindung

Jan 1, 1917

By J. P. Nielsen, H. Margolin, E. Ence

The Ti-Ni phase diagram has been investigated up to 68 pct Ni with iodide titanium base alloys by metallographic, X-ray, and melting point methods, and from 68 to 90 pct Ni by examination of as-cast structures of sponge titanium base alloys. NVESTIGATION of the nickel-rich portion of the I Ti-Ni phase diagram was first reported by Vogel and Wallbaum in 1938.' This work was subsequently extended to lower nickel contents by Wallbaum' who indicated the possibility of a eutectic reaction for nickel contents below 38 pct. Long et al.3 studied the titanium-rich portion of the phase diagram and found eutectic and eutectoid reactions below 38 pct Ni. However, the temperature of the eutectic indicated by Long et al. was considerably lower than that suggested by Wallbaum. Long and his coworkers synthesized their alloys by powder metallurgical techniques and encountered oxygen and/or nitrogen contamination. Thus the diagram which was obtained did not represent binary alloying conditions. However from these results the features of the binary diagram were predicted. At Battelle Memorial Institute4 the Ti-Ni diagram was investigated up to approximately 11.5 pct Ni with sponge titanium alloys. The range of temperatures used was not sufficient to define the eutectoid temperature or composition. The data of Wallbaum2 and Long et al.8 were of particular interest for the present study, and although the work was originally concerned with the region below 40 pct Ni, the investigation was extended to higher nickel contents in an attempt to resolve the differences between these workers. Experimental Procedure Preliminary work on the Ti-Ni system was carried out with duPont Process A sponge titanium alloys to reduce the amount of subsequent work to be done with iodide titanium base alloys. The sponge titanium used contained 99.71 to 99.77 pct Ti, 0.1 pct Fe and 0.005 to 0.009 pct Ni. The iodide titanium obtained from the New Jersey Zinc Co. contained 99.9 to 99.95 pct Ti. Nickel used with sponge titanium was 98.9 pct pure. The high-purity nickel alloyed with iodide titanium was cobalt-free with approximately 0.05 pct C and was obtained through the courtesy of the International Nickel Co. The 15 g sponge titanium charges for melting were prepared by compacting in a die or by placing the weighed portions of nickel and titanium directly into the furnace. Iodide titanium charges were made by drilling holes in the as-received rod and inserting the nickel or by wrapping the nickel in sheet. Sponge titanium alloys containing from 0.2 to 90 pct Ni and iodide titanium alloys containing 0.2 to 68 pct Ni were prepared by these methods. In addition to these alloys several 1/2 1b sponge titanium alloys were supplied by the Allegheny Ludlum Co. The charges were melted in an arc furnace under an argon atmosphere. The procedures used were similar to those reported in the literature5,' and the furnace has been described.' Except for iodide titanium alloys with 40 to 68 pct Ni (see section on copper contamination), each alloy was melted for 1 min, then either turned over or broken before re-melting for an additional minute. Currents of 200 to 400 amp were used depending on the melting point of the alloy. Prior to heat treatment, alloys containing less than 14.5 pct Ni were hot-forged at 750°C. With the exception of alloys in the homogeneity range of the compound TiNi, alloys of higher nickel contents could not be hot-forged. Heat treatment of iodide titanium base alloys was carried out in argon-filled quartz capsules which were broken under water at the conclusion of heat treatment to quench the specimens. Temperatures were controlled to ±5oC and annealing times up to 48 hr were used. For melting point determination, specimens were placed in carbon crucibles which were in turn en-capsuled in argon-filled quartz capsules. The start of melting was determined by rounding of corners and by metallographic examination. Complete melting was considered to have occurred at that temperature at which the specimen assumed the shape of the crucible. Specimens were prepared for metallographic examination by mechanical polishing or by an electrolytic procedure." For alloys containing up to 80 pct Ni Remington A etch7 50 pct glycerine, 25 pct HNO,, 25 8 HF) was used. For higher nickel alloys aqua regia and Carapella's etch (5 g FeCl,, 2 ml HNO,, and 99 ml methyl alcohol) were employed. Specimens to be exposed for powder patterns were prepared by filing, by breaking specimens in a

Jan 1, 1954

By Paul M. Tyler

ROUGHLY one-half the value of mineral products at mines or quarries must be spent for wages. In view of the steady increase in hourly wages that continued for several decades prior to the onslaught of the recent depression, it is perhaps surprising to discover that labor's share of the gross proceeds of the mining and quarrying industries of the United States declined to 46.8 per cent in 1929, compared with 52.2 per cent in 1919 and 53.2 per cent in 1909. The actual percentages vary in different branches of the industry and in different localities but the downward trend is unmistakable. For the period 1909 to 1919 it was quite marked in every industry and from 1919 to 1929 it was apparent in all but six: namely, gold and silver lode mining, placer gold mining, crude gypsum production, marble quarrying, asbestos production, and fluorspar Tninino mining

Jan 1, 1933

By George Sachs, S. M. Clark, George Espey

he tendency of a commercially drawn cartridge case to crack in the mercury test and the relation of cracking tendency to residual stress retained after drawing were studied. The fourth drawpiece (next to the final) of caliber 0.30 cartridge cases produced by Frankford Arsenal were selected as test pieces. These exhibited an exceptionally high cracking tendency, making a detailed study possible. To obtain fast cracking in the mercury test, about 0.0015 to 0.003 in. must be removed from the wall thickness of the drawpiece by pickling, and it must be subjected to the mercury test immediately after washing. Removal of the adhering mercury by annealing and subsequent squeezing of the case in a vise was used to reveal definitely the presence or absence of cracks. Various lots of apparently identically fabricated cases were shown to possess a different cracking tendency. Machining off or boring a hole in the base gradually reduced and eventually eliminated the cracking tendency. On the contrary, shortening of the wall (body) reduced the cracking tendency only if the wall became so short that the cracking zone was directly affected. By boring out the base and pickling from the outside and then splitting the resulting rings, it was possible to determine the approximate stress distribution in the base and in the adjacent part of the wall. Small compression stresses were present in the core and the major part of the base, while the surface of the base and the adjacent wall contained high circumferential tensile stresses. On the contrary, the wall when parted from the base contained only insignificant residual stress. The conception is advanced, that the stress distribution in a drawn cartridge case corresponds fundamentally to that of a tube (wall) shrunk on a disk (base). Such a stress distribution results from the tendency of the base to recover elastically by an increase in diameter from the biaxial compression during drawing while the wall exhibits little tendency to change its diameter after progressing through the die. This is confirmed by measurements which show the base diameter to be slightly larger than the wall diameter.

Jan 1, 1945

By K. A. ACKLEY

The petroleum industry experienced a year of satisfactory accomplishment in Oklahoma during 1945. Crude oil production was increased, a new record for recent years was established in well completions, and refinery operations were maintained at a maximum level. Daily average crude oil production increased to 382,000 bbl., reflecting a 13.5 per cent gain compared with production during the previous pear. Total wells drilled during 1945 amounted to 2556, a gain of 28.7 per cent over 1944 Refinery throughout averaged 187,500 bbl. daily, an increase of approximately 4 percent over the preceding year.

Jan 1, 1946

By D. L. Katz

The Oklahoma City Wilcox sand, discovered on March 26, 1930, has produced 394 million barrels of crude oil and 819 billion cubic feet of natural gas as of July I, 1941. The 100,000-bbl. wells, pressures of 2600 lb. per sq. in., and flows of "Wilcox" sand caused exciting moments in the early life of the field. Today the reservoir is substantially at atmospheric pressure and produccs 75,000 bbl. of crude oil daily through 466 pumping wells. Early estimates of the initial crude-oil content of the "Wilcox" sand1 indicated that about 600 million barrels of crude oil would remain after the pumping wells ceased to produce economically. The Oklahoma City Wilcox Secondary Recovery Association was organized in March 1939, to study the possibilities of recovering a portion of this oil. Only a very brief summary of the information available can be presented in a paper of this nature. Some simplifications and generalizations are necessary to give the over-all picture in SO short a space and statements made may not apply to a specific well or small area. Since the area under consideration by the Association is that north of the south line of section 22-11-3, some information will be presented for areas A, B, C, 1, 2, 3 and part of 4 of Fig. 2, and some will be for the entire Wilcox zone west of the fault. This paper is essentially an abstract of an engineering report made by A. D. Small, B. T. Murphree, M. C. Sons and the author for the Oklahoma City Wilcox Secondary Recovery Association on Sept. 5, 1940. Some information is taken from a report to the Association by C. V. Sidwell on March I, 1940, and some data are from a recent report by A. D. Small. It gives a brief history of the Wilcox zone, estimates of the initial oil contents of the reservoir, present conditions in the reservoir, and probable results from several programs of "secondary recovery." History of Wilcox Zone The Wilcox sand lies on the flank of the general structure, as shown by cross section of Fig. I2,3,4 and areal map of Fig. 2. The sand is of Ordovician age and is composed of well assorted, rounded sand grains with no apparent cementing material. The loose texture of the sand is shown by the enormous quantities of sand production from the wells and from the soft cores. The productive sand varies from zero thickness on the east to 220 ft. maximum and to zero thickness on the west because of water. The development of the pool4 as dependent upon drilling restrictions within the city limits, which accounts for the spacing of drilling operations listed in Table I by years. In 1931, areas I through 7 of Fig. 2 were open for drilling with the exception of some west-edge properties, and all wells drilled before Feb. I, 1935, were in this portion of the field. Nearly all wells drilled from 1933 to 1037 were in areas A, B and C. Since 1939, the newly drilled wells have gradually enlarged the producing area toward the west in the northern portion.

Jan 1, 1942

By D. L. Katz

The Oklahoma City Wilcox sand, discovered on March 26, 1930, has produced 394 million barrels of crude oil and 819 billion cubic feet of natural gas as of July I, 1941. The 100,000-bbl. wells, pressures of 2600 lb. per sq. in., and flows of "Wilcox" sand caused exciting moments in the early life of the field. Today the reservoir is substantially at atmospheric pressure and produccs 75,000 bbl. of crude oil daily through 466 pumping wells. Early estimates of the initial crude-oil content of the "Wilcox" sand1 indicated that about 600 million barrels of crude oil would remain after the pumping wells ceased to produce economically. The Oklahoma City Wilcox Secondary Recovery Association was organized in March 1939, to study the possibilities of recovering a portion of this oil. Only a very brief summary of the information available can be presented in a paper of this nature. Some simplifications and generalizations are necessary to give the over-all picture in SO short a space and statements made may not apply to a specific well or small area. Since the area under consideration by the Association is that north of the south line of section 22-11-3, some information will be presented for areas A, B, C, 1, 2, 3 and part of 4 of Fig. 2, and some will be for the entire Wilcox zone west of the fault. This paper is essentially an abstract of an engineering report made by A. D. Small, B. T. Murphree, M. C. Sons and the author for the Oklahoma City Wilcox Secondary Recovery Association on Sept. 5, 1940. Some information is taken from a report to the Association by C. V. Sidwell on March I, 1940, and some data are from a recent report by A. D. Small. It gives a brief history of the Wilcox zone, estimates of the initial oil contents of the reservoir, present conditions in the reservoir, and probable results from several programs of "secondary recovery." History of Wilcox Zone The Wilcox sand lies on the flank of the general structure, as shown by cross section of Fig. I2,3,4 and areal map of Fig. 2. The sand is of Ordovician age and is composed of well assorted, rounded sand grains with no apparent cementing material. The loose texture of the sand is shown by the enormous quantities of sand production from the wells and from the soft cores. The productive sand varies from zero thickness on the east to 220 ft. maximum and to zero thickness on the west because of water. The development of the pool4 as dependent upon drilling restrictions within the city limits, which accounts for the spacing of drilling operations listed in Table I by years. In 1931, areas I through 7 of Fig. 2 were open for drilling with the exception of some west-edge properties, and all wells drilled before Feb. I, 1935, were in this portion of the field. Nearly all wells drilled from 1933 to 1037 were in areas A, B and C. Since 1939, the newly drilled wells have gradually enlarged the producing area toward the west in the northern portion.

Jan 1, 1942

By C. C. Herrick

The vapor pressure of indium has been measured by the torque-effusion technique, as a function of temperature between 1102o and 1422oK. For liquid indium, the vapor pressure (in atmospheres) can be represented by the equation -R In P = 5.782 x104/T - 25.29from 1000o to 1422oK. Extrapolation yields a calculated normal boiling point of 2329°K and a heat of vaporization at 298 oK of 58.09 kcal per mole by the third-law method and of 58.39 kcal per mole by the second-law method. Calculations indicate that the free-energy functions of Hultgren are to be preferred to those of Guruich. BECAUSE of the potential uses of liquid metals, it is important that convenient experimental methods be developed which will lead to a sufficient body of thermodynamic data so that reasonable estimates of properties of liquid metals can be made. Indium is particularly well-suited to investigation, since it remains liquid over a long temperature interval, it alloys readily, suitable containers for it are easily procured, and relatively few investigations of its thermodynamic properties in the region above 1000°K have been made. PREVIOUS RESEARCH The first determination of the vapor pressure of indium was made by Anderson,' using the Knudsen method and silica-lines stainless-steel cells. Kohlmeyer and spandau2 determined the normal boiling point, and a mass-spectroscopic investigation has been made by Lyubimov and Lyubitov.3 (Unfortunately, only an equation representing the data of the latter investigators has been available to us.) Hultgren et al.4 and Gurvich5 have published discordant tables of the free-energy functions for indium. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD The torsion-effusion principle has been described amply in the literature.8,7 With this method, one observes the angular deflection induced by effusion of vapor from a multihole effusion cell which is suspended from a filament producing a small rotational restoring force. The pressure within the effusion cell can be computed from the relation ziaifiai where k is the torsion constant of the filament, 6 is the observed angular deflection, and ai, fi, and qi are the area, force factor, and moment arm of the ith effusion orifice. The force factor f is analogous to the Clausing factor,' and corrects for the reduction in effusive force attributable to the finite geometry of the effusion orifice. Schultz and Searcy' have tabulated the force factors for various tube geometries. EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS The physical arrangement employed in this study is shown in Fig. 1. The furnace elements are six Globar heat rods with 15-in. hot zones. Temperature is maintained to * 1°K by a Beck mechanism driving two 26-amp Powerstats in parallel. A Pt (Pt, Rh 10 pct) thermocouple serves as the sensing element. Four inner tubes act as vibration isolators; the air pressure required for maximum isolation was determined empirically, and is maintained by a solenoid valve. The tungsten fiber, 9 by 0.002 in., is joined to an 0.008-in. tungsten wire or graphite rod via a machined lightweight chuck.

Jan 1, 1964

By John M. Kelly

New Mexico produced 39,475,388 bbl. of oil in 1944, the greatest amount in one year in the oil history of the state. This production was 593,046 bbl. or 1.25 per cent more than in 1943. New Mexico retained its position as the seventh largest oil-producing state. The maximum per well allowable on Jan. I, 1944 was 48 bbl. daily and at the end of the year it was 45 bbl. daily. Allocations as set by the New Mexico Oil Conservation Commission closely followed the recommendations made by the' Petroleum Administrator for War. The average daily pipe-line runs were within 4 per cent of the allocation. Production by counties was as fol1ows;Lea County, 33,509,548 bbl.; Eddy County, 5,504,498; Northwestern New Mexico 461, 342. Drilling activity for New Mexico in 1944 was well above that of 1943, with 362 completions. Of these, 283 were oil wells, 12 gas wells and 67 dry holes. The ratio of dry holes to producers, about I to 4, was an improvement over 1943. Wildcat drilling during 1944 was responsible for the discovery of six new fields and the extension of two present producing areas. Drilling records were established in New Mexico during 1944 with the deepest producer ever completed, the Humble Leonard Oil Company's No. I at 11,969 ft., in the Ellenburger section of Ordovician age near Jal, Lea County. The discoveries in Lea County during 1944 were as follows: West Lovington field, where Fred Turner, Jr. drilled his No. I State B .in C SE SW sec. 4-17-36 and completed it for 122 bbl. of oil in 8 1/2 hr., in the San Andreas section of Permian age. The Tonto field, where the T-exas Company completed its No. I Baskin at a total depth of 3586 ft. in Seven Rivers lime of Permian age, with an initial production of 254 bbl. of oil in 21 hours. The Drinkard area, where the Gulf Oil Corporation's Drinkard No. I flowed 782 bbl. of oil in 14 hr. from the Yeso section of lower Permian age, thus opening the first lower Permian production in the state. The total depth of this discovery was 6508 ft. and oil was 38.8" A.P.I. gravity. The Dublin area, where the Humble Oil and Refining Co. established a drilling depth record of 11,969 ft. drilling and completing its No. I Leonard Oil Co. well in the Ellenburger lime of Ordovician age. This well flowed 221 bbl. of oil per day, of 48.9º A.P.I. gravity oil. It is in sec. 12-26-37. The new pay horizon discovery of the Continental Oil Co. in the Skaggs area, where the company completed its Skaggs B-23 No. 2 in sec. 23-20-37 for 236 bbl. of oil in 21 hr. from the Wolfcamp section of lower Permian age, at a total depth of 7725 ft. This well was drilled to granite at 10,465 ft. and plugged back to the Wolf-camp for a new pay zone completion.

Jan 1, 1945

By E. T. Turkdogan, P. Grieveson, J. F. Beisler

Experimental results are given for the rate of reduction of silica from silicate melts by paphite-saturated iron in the presence of carbon monoxide. It is shown that, when gas bubbles are present at the slag-metal interface, the interfacial chemical reaction is the rate-controlling process in the transfer of silicon from slag to metal. From the silicon-concentration profiles in the metal sample, the diffusivity of silicon in paphite-saturated iron is found to be (5.4 * 0.4) x 10 sq cm per sec at 1600°C. Some consideration is given to the transport of oxygen from the slug-metal interface to the walls of the gvaphite metal container as becoming the rate-controlling process in the absence of gas bubbles at the slag-metal interface. ATTEMPTS were made by Fulton and chipman1 to investigate the kinetics of reduction of silica from calcium alumino-silicate melts by graphite-saturated iron in an atmosphere of carbon monoxide. In these experiments with 400 to 500 g of metal and slag, both phases were stirred in such a manner that the interface was essentially undisturbed. Initially, the graphite-saturated iron contained about 15 pct Si and, after about 8 or 10 hr of reaction time at 1600°C, the silicon content of the metal in- creased by about 0.2 pct. In a written discussion on this paper of Fulton and Chipman, schuhmann2 pointed out the possibility that this observed slowness of the reduction of silica could be due to the transport of oxygen across the liquid metal boundary layer at the slag-metal interface. Although this explanation of Schuhmann is quite feasible for the experimental data of Fulton and Chipman on silica reduction, such a reasoning should not be extended to other rate data on slag-metal reactions unless sufficient evidence is available satisfying the boundary conditions for such a transport process. The hydrodynamics of stirred liquids are very complex and even for a simple method of stirring there is no exact mathematical solution which will predict the mass transfer coefficient accurately. The best available solution of this problem is that given by Lewis' and later modified by mayers~ for a two-liquid system where liquids are stirred by counter-rotating stirrer blades without disturbing the interface. In such a system the mass transfer coefficient is estimated from an empirical relationship using the data on viscosity and density of the two liquids, rate of revolution, the length of stirrer blades, and the diffusivity of the element which is transferred from one phase to the other. It was found in these investigations' that the estimated and observed mass transfer coefficients, in systems containing two immiscible aqueous solutions, agreed within *40 pct. Although this is not considered to be an unreasonable error for the study of industrial processes, uncertainties of this magnitude cannot be tolerated in any theoretical study of reaction kinetics. In view of the complexity of the

Jan 1, 1963

The House Committee of the Engineering Societies Building has lent to he members of the three welfare committees a room on the ground floor of the building where they can carry on some of their war activities. Two sewing machines and two knitting machines are installed there and ladies are invited to sew for the Foreign War Relief Committee and knit for the Emergency Committee, which is working for the 27th Engineers, a special mining regiment. The Emergency Committee, Mrs. H. Norman Spicer, Chairman, reports the formation of a committed of 21 members. The organization meeting was held March 7, and plans were made for future activities as follows: A letter was read from Mr. Ingalls asking for 72 sweaters, 72 helmets, 66 pairs of wristlets as well as 772 pairs of socks, 272 being for immediate delivery. To meet this request it was decided to secure the helmets and wristlets from the Navy League, and to undertake the making of the sweaters and socks ourselves. Accordingly Mrs. H. N. Spicer and Mrs. J. H. Devereux were empowered to buy wool in sufficient quantities, and woven material for the 72 sweaters, sending the bills to Mr. Ingalls, who had guaranteed the money from the Engineering and Mining Journal. This was attended to promptly, and the materials were ready for distribution to the committee on March 13. After considerable difficulty, knitting machines for the socks were discovered and the agent came to demonstrate them. Mrs. Spicer gave one to the Committee and Mr. Ingalls has guaranteed the money to buy two when the manufacturers can deliver them. Up to April 6, 130 pairs of socks, machine and hand-knitted, have been handed in-also 68 sweaters, 80 helmets and 90 pairs of wristlets. It has been calculated that it needs five women knitting behind each man at the front to keep him continuously supplied with knitted garments.

Jan 5, 1918

By M. V. Lowry

This paper outlines the economic considerations that led to the recent installation of a thickener at St. Joseph LeadCo.'s Balmat, N.Y. mill. To incorporate storage of concentrates, they decided upon a single, unusually deep tank to be used for both storage and thickening. The abnormally high rake lift required was achieved by the novel feature of having the entire drive platform raise and lower. Initial operating problems are described along with the satisfactory solutions. Total costs for concentrate handling before and after installation of the storage thickeners are compared. In Northern New York State, the St. Joseph Lead Co. conducts a 2100 tpd zinc mining and milling operation at its Balmat Plant. Conventional crushing, grinding, and flotation is used to produce a zinc concentrate. For 32 years, from 1930 through 1962, the plant operated with the concentrates going directly from flotation to the filtering, drying, and loading facilities. All of the concentrate handling equipment, therefore, had to operate 24 hrs per day. It also had to accommodate wide fluctuations in tonnage, due to variations in the grade of ore. Many problems were thereby encountered in filtering and drying, but it was never concluded that the cost could be justified for installing a conventional, large diameter thickener. Finally, in 1963, they installed an unconventional thickener that is unusual in several respects. The tank depth is 16 ft instead of the normal 8 ft. The rakes are raised and lowered by having the main drive gear located on a movable platform. Automatic controls are programmed to raise the drive platform and rakes during one shift of storage. During the next two shifts of withdrawal, the controls are programmed to lower the drive platform and rakes. After three years of operating this unique storage-thickener, the conclusion is that a correct choice was made from several alternative schemes for storing concentrates. The various considerations involved in the final selection will here be analyzed, and the design features and installation details will be de- scribed. Operating problems and modifications made to the equipment will next be considered, and finally the effects upon filtering, drying, and loading will be reported. SELECTION CONSIDERATIONS Even without a thickener, concentrate handling had become reasonably efficient at the Balmat Mill by the year 1962. A tonnage that varied between 6 and 25 tph was being handled fairly satisfactorily. The filter cake moisture of 8%% seemed quite respectable, except that two large filters were usually in service. Three filters often had to be operated in order to prevent excessive filter overflow with consequent loss of values. This situation occurred when zinc concentrates from flotation exceeded 20 tph and when filter cloth blinding developed. Over the years, numerous small improvements had been effected, such as: selection of a filter cloth with better flow characteristics; addition of flocculant to the filter feed; and, in 1953, the smallest of three drum filters was replaced by a five disc, 8' 10" diam filter with a bottom agitator and snap blow. As another example of fairly efficient operation, the oil-fired dryer was doing a seemingly satisfactory job of further reducing the moisture content to an average of 3%. However, there were often considerable dust losses when the tonnage suddenly dropped off to 6 tph. At high tonnage rates, the resulting high moistures of 4% and 5% caused difficulties due to concentrates sticking and freezing in chutes leading to the box car loaders. (Drying of concentrates is justified because of the high freight rate for the long shipping distance to the company owned smelter at Josephtown, Pa. near Pittsburgh.) It was long realized that installation of a thickener would permit the subsequent steps of concentrate handling to proceed more smoothly and would alleviate the problems existing in the filtering, drying, and loading operations. It was also realized that even a slightly lower filter cake moisture could mean considerable savings in fuel oil. However, all these factors were never quite sufficient to warrant the expense of a thickener until three more considerations were added to the picture. First, the advent of flocculants meant that a thickener of relatively small area could now be considered. Secondly, a complete renovation of the zinc flotation circuit was made between 1957 and 1961. The

Jan 1, 1967

By Arthur La Motte

I NDUSTRIAL explosives, as distinguished from military explosives, include high explosives and blasting powder. The high explosives which are best known are straight dynamite, gelatin dynamite, ammonia dynamite and permissibles. There are two kinds of blasting powder, saltpetre blasting powder and nitrate of soda blasting powder. Blasting powders are mechanical mixtures of nitrate of potash or nitrate of soda with sulfur and charcoal, highly compressed, granulated and glazed. They ignite from a spark and burn with relative slowness, the rate of burning and hence the rate of conversion into gases depending upon the size of the granulation and upon the degree of. confinement under which the powder is placed. High explosives, on the other hand, are chemical compounds which detonate; that is, when the explosive is subjected to a violent shock, provided in practice by a blasting cap or an electric blasting cap, the molecule of the essential ingredient, usually nitroglycerin, is disrupted and the energy and heat released cause any other explosive ingredients which may be present, such as ammoniuin nitrate or T.N.T., to decompose with a resultant evolution of gases at an extremely rapid rate varying from 6000 to 20,000 ft. per second.

Jan 1, 1924

By Basil B. Zavoico

PRODUCTION of crude it in the United States during 1939 totaled about 1.255,776,000 barrels, an average of 3,440,482 barrels per day, 3.41 per cent above the 1938 output of 1,214,355,000 barrels but 1.83 per cent below the record pro¬duction of 1,279,160,000 barrels, in 1937. However only the two-week shutdown of oil fields in the Southwestern States in August and September prevented the domestic crude production from establishing an all-time record in 1939. Demand for all petroleum products for the first ten months of 1939 showed an increase of 7.04 per cent over the similar period of 1938. Domestic demand for all petroleum products was particularly benefited by the increasing industrial activity, advancing 8.37 per cent above the like period of the preceding year equivalent to a volume increment of 256,810 barrels per day; with motor-fuel demand gaining 5.83 per cent and demand for all fuel oils gaining 12.15 per cent over the corresponding period of 1938. The export demand for the first ten months of 1939 was slightly below the export movements during the same period of 1938, declining 0.56 per cent. The European war was a major factor in 1939 for the petroleum industry in the United States, even if, at the end of the year, the war had not yet resulted in the expected large shipments to England and France.

Jan 1, 1940

By John T. Galey

Production of crude oil for 1940 in southwestern Pennsylvania was off nearly 70,000 bbl., largely as a result of the great number oi abandonments, together with the lack of extension of the Washington and Green County pools. Oil wells completed numbered 51, which is 26 more than last year, but the total initial production of 259 bbl. is only 18 bbl. greater than in 1939. There was an increase of 72 over last year for a total of 209f gas wells. However, 68 7 dry holes were drilled, which is 40 more than a year ago. Thus, 328f wells were drilled during the year, and rigs are erected or drilling is progressing on 59 t more. Shallow Development Oil.—Butler County led in number of oil wells completed, with a total of 27 for an initial production of only 69 bbl. Washington County, with 12 new oil wells, one of which made 40 bbl. from the Fifth sand in S. Franklin township, has 95 bbl., while in Allegheny County 9 wells gave an initial of 86 bbl. for the highest Per well average in the area. This initial was given a considerable boost by one 35-bbl and another 2;-bbl. well in West Deer township, where the Fourth sand produced at 1840 feet. Greene County had only one oil well completed during 1940, and Washington County had 12. The subnormal totals for these counties may be explained by the higher cost of completions and the declining price of crude. The first price change in crude during the year occurred on May 22, when a 25 cut was made. A second 25 cut was made July 12, and was followed by a 156 cut on .Aug. 28. This price held until Nov. 12, when there was a restoration of 156. On Dec. 17 a second 156 increase was put into effect, bringing the price to $I.So per barrel. Gas The large increase in the number of gas wells completed may be attributed to three factors; namely, the recently discovered production possibilities of moderately deep, hitherto little tested horizons, together with increased demand and price. The latter has been made possible by a recent decision of the court, which ruled restraining the public service Commision's prohibition of a raise in the minimum monthly charge to small consumers by one of the major gas companies. A portion of the revenue derived in this manner is being passed along to the producer in the form of higher prices in the field. This higher field rate will remain in effect until a new ruling is made, when it will be reduced in proportion to the reduction of the monthly minimum charge. In an effort to extend the chambers Dam Fifth sand oil pool southwest from Amwell township, Washington County, several wells have been drilled. One of these, in Morris township, washington County, had an initial of 3.2 million cu. ft. open flow from the Big Injun sand. This indicates an entirely new productive area for the latter horizon. Allegheny County had one spectacular well in South Fayette township-—at a depth of about 2500 ft. a 4-million-CU. ft.

Jan 1, 1941

By John T. Galey

Production of crude oil for 1940 in southwestern Pennsylvania was off nearly 70,000 bbl., largely as a result of the great number oi abandonments, together with the lack of extension of the Washington and Green County pools. Oil wells completed numbered 51, which is 26 more than last year, but the total initial production of 259 bbl. is only 18 bbl. greater than in 1939. There was an increase of 72 over last year for a total of 209f gas wells. However, 68 7 dry holes were drilled, which is 40 more than a year ago. Thus, 328f wells were drilled during the year, and rigs are erected or drilling is progressing on 59 t more. Shallow Development Oil.—Butler County led in number of oil wells completed, with a total of 27 for an initial production of only 69 bbl. Washington County, with 12 new oil wells, one of which made 40 bbl. from the Fifth sand in S. Franklin township, has 95 bbl., while in Allegheny County 9 wells gave an initial of 86 bbl. for the highest Per well average in the area. This initial was given a considerable boost by one 35-bbl and another 2;-bbl. well in West Deer township, where the Fourth sand produced at 1840 feet. Greene County had only one oil well completed during 1940, and Washington County had 12. The subnormal totals for these counties may be explained by the higher cost of completions and the declining price of crude. The first price change in crude during the year occurred on May 22, when a 25 cut was made. A second 25 cut was made July 12, and was followed by a 156 cut on .Aug. 28. This price held until Nov. 12, when there was a restoration of 156. On Dec. 17 a second 156 increase was put into effect, bringing the price to $I.So per barrel. Gas The large increase in the number of gas wells completed may be attributed to three factors; namely, the recently discovered production possibilities of moderately deep, hitherto little tested horizons, together with increased demand and price. The latter has been made possible by a recent decision of the court, which ruled restraining the public service Commision's prohibition of a raise in the minimum monthly charge to small consumers by one of the major gas companies. A portion of the revenue derived in this manner is being passed along to the producer in the form of higher prices in the field. This higher field rate will remain in effect until a new ruling is made, when it will be reduced in proportion to the reduction of the monthly minimum charge. In an effort to extend the chambers Dam Fifth sand oil pool southwest from Amwell township, Washington County, several wells have been drilled. One of these, in Morris township, washington County, had an initial of 3.2 million cu. ft. open flow from the Big Injun sand. This indicates an entirely new productive area for the latter horizon. Allegheny County had one spectacular well in South Fayette township-—at a depth of about 2500 ft. a 4-million-CU. ft.

Jan 1, 1941

By W. E. Remmers

The defect in wire known as "cuppiness" has appeared and disappeared from time to time but the exact cause of its appearance or disappearance has not heretofore been known definitely. This defect is not limited to one particular metal or alloy but seems to be found at various times in all of the materials that are drawn into wire. Fig. 1 represents cuppy wire made from an aluminum alloy and Fig. 2 illustrates copper wire that became cuppy in drawing without intermediate annealing. Differences of opinion are current among the manufacturers of wire and in the literature (see bibliography at end of paper), some believing that the source of the trouble lies in segregation in the wire rod, oxides, sulfides, slag, etc.; others that the trouble is created by an unevenness of stress distribution across the section of the wire, usually thought of as being a function of die shape. All of the published work is of a qualitative rather than a quantitative nature. With this in mind, it was deemed advisable to make a study of the shape of the wire-drawing dies, as well as the oxygen content of the copper to be drawn. Experimental After several methods were tried, it was found that by studying the contour of the butt-end of the rod after drawing a measure of the "working" across the section of the wire could be made. The butt-end of the annealed rod was not sheared but was sawed off. The end was then smoothed with a fine file so that the plane of filing was perpendicular to the drawing axis. It is to be noted that this method is not an absolute measure of the distribution of cold working but is a very good indicative means of studying comparative values. The method of examining a tension break in wire was found to be the most sensitive in detecting cuppiness. Other methods, such as microscopic examination of longitudinal sections, X-ray radiographic studies, etching away of outer layers with nitric acid, and fracture by bending, can all be used to identify cuppy wire but the tension break will give the fracture characteristic of cuppiness before any of the other methods can

Jan 1, 1930

By RAYMOND M. LARSEN

The area covered by this paper is the same as that covered in 1944. Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming are included in the discussion and statistics, and brief mention is made of activities in the adjoining states, except Nebraska and New Mexico, which are considered separately (see pp. 187-189). The other adjoining states, North and South Dakota, Arizona, Nevada, and Idaho, have had virtually no oil or gas production, except in the gas field of Cedar Creek. Montana, which extends into North Dakota; the Pierre field in South Dakota, where gas is produced and separated in gas-water wells, and the abandoned Payette area in western Idaho. Seven gas wells were drilled in North Dakota, but no wildcatting was reported. Several unsuccessful wildcats were drilled in South Dakota, and some were continuing at the end of the year. Activity in Idaho and Nevada was negligible.

Jan 1, 1946

By S. B. Christy

The fact that many millions of gold have been extracted by the cyanide process, during the last five or six years, from South African tailings which could not be profitably worked by any other method previously tried upon them, lends a peculiar practical interest to this branch' of metallurgy. Numerous writers have recently made valuable contributions on the process without exhausting the many complexities of the subject. Among the first American writers on the subject in its modern aspect were two former students of the University of California, Mr. Louis Janin, Jr., and Mr. Charles Butters. Young Janin was one of the first to enter this field, and performed much useful experimental work in the early stages of the history of the process. At about the same time, Mr. Charles Butters, who had left California to erect chlorination works for the Robinson mine at Johannesburg, became interested in the cyanide process, and, after getting the chlorination plant in working order, put up, for working the tailings from the Robinson mine, a cyanide plant which achieved the first large-scale success ever made with this process. The papers which Charles Butters, together with John E. Clennell and Edgar Smart, have contributed on the chemistry of the process, were among the first to give any adequate idea of its nature.* Another important contribution to the literature of the subject is the paper of Dr. A. Scheidell, published in 1894 as a " Bulletin of the California State Mining Bureau." This contains an admirable summary of the state of the art at the time of its publication.

Jan 1, 1897