Search Documents

By E. Miller, K. L. Komarek

Equatiorzs have been derived which related maximum solid solubilities in semicondcting compounds having retvograde solidus curves with 1iqllidus data. Liquidus curves in Lke Pb-Te, Pb-Se, ard PB-S systetris have been defermined by thertrzal aralyses. Fvotrz expevimental maximum solibilities ia CdTe, PbTe, uxd PbS vetvograde tetrperatures hale beep1 calculated. TIze resllts support the concept that under certaiz conditiots pronounced itjlections in the liquidis curves arc indzcatiz:e of retropade solidus curves and that the tenlperatltre of the lmaximum solid solubility will be close to the temperature of the point of inflection in the liquidus curve. The maximum solid solihility within a gvoup of homologous cottrpoods SeetlLs to increase with increasing flatness ol the liquidus curvres. The phenomenon of retrograde solubility in metals, i.e., maximum solubility in a solid terminal phase in equilibrium with a liquid phase, has been theoretically predicted by Van aar' in his calculations of hypothetical binary phase diagrams. It was not until 1926, however, that retrograde solubility was experimentally verified in the Zn-Cd system.' Since then many sys- tems with retrograde solubility have been found, so that at present approximately fifty binary diagrams with a retrograde solidus curve are known.3 Meijering4 has critically appraised the accumulated data and has presented calculations which alloy predictions as to whether or not a solidus line will be retrograde. Interest in retrograde solubility increased when it was found that the solidus curves of germanium and silicon alloyed with a great many doping elements are retrrade. The problem was treated thermody-namically by odkinson,% d all available data on solid solutions in germanium and silicon were summarized by Trumbore.7 Although it is to be expected that intermetallic compounds will also exhibit retrograde solubility, experimental evidence is much more limited. Until now retrograde solidus curves have been reported for the compounds de,' be, Ps:" ne," SnSe," and SnS.13 All these compounds are semiconductors, and the solidus curves were usually obtained by determining the carrier concentration at room temperature of samples equilibrated at elevated temperatures and then quenched. It has been hown,'' however, that it is not always possible to quench in the equilibrium compositions from above a certain temperature. Theoretical discussions have either explicitly excluded intermetallic compounds4 or not treated them with respect to retrograde slubilit.j In the following a thermodynamic treatment of retrograde solu-

Jan 1, 1967

By C. R. Hayward

CARLE R. HAYWARD.-I do not want it understood that I think that the conclusion that the time of tempering temperature is immaterial has been definitely proven, but since these are the first definite figures put out, I thought before continuing on more work ourselves, it would be well to present them as progress and for information. J. A. MATHEWS, Syracuse, N. Y.-I think that if Prof. Hayward would consult the paper of Profs. Barus and Strouhal,1 1885, he would find about 250 pages, mostly figures, on this subject, in which they investigated the tempering effect by electrical and magnetic methods. There are so many figures in the paper that it is very difficult reading. One point particularly brought out was that even at a low temperature, such as the boiling point of alcohol, about 60° C., there is a tempering effect, increasing up to 4 hr. One reason they obtained those results, with which the present authors are at variance, was that they started with a high-carbon steel which hardens thoroughly, whereas the steel Prof. Hayward and his collaborator used was a comparatively mild steel which does not take a great deal of hardening. About 3 years ago Mr. Stagg and I published 2 a few figures bearing on the same subject, but we used .a low-carbon alloy steel of high tempering qualities and found a great deal of improvement, particularly in ductility, by continuing the drawing up to 4 hr. We used a chrome-vanadium steel showing after heat treatment 250,000 tensile strength. On short drawing, we got almost no ductility, but by continuing to 4 hr., we raised it to 12 per cent. I believe Prof. Hayward's results are due to using comparatively mild steel, whereas Prof. Barus used drill rod and carried out a, wonderfully exhaustive

Jan 4, 1917

By P. Chiotti, J. T. Mason

Thermal, X-ray, metallographic, and resistivity data were obtained to establish the phase diagram for the Yb-Zn system. Six intermetallic compounds and five eutectics have been identified. The compounds position at 695°C. No evidence for the compound YbZn,, was observed. Whether this compound is stabilized or inhibited by small amounts of impurities is uncertain. SEVERAL aspects of the Yb-Zn system have been reported in the literature. Much of this work deals with the crystallographic identification of some of the compounds. The YbZn compound has been reported by Iandelli and palenzonal and the YbZn, structure and thermal data for the composition range between YbZn and Yb3Znll have been reported by Michel et al. A compound of uncertain stoichiometry in the range 60 to 68 wt pct Zn with a cubic structure has been reported by Kuz'ma et aL4 The YbzZn17, YbZn,,, and YbZn13 compounds have been reported by both Kuz'ma et a1 and Iandelli and Palenzona.' YbnZn17 has also been identified by Laube. This investigation was undertaken to establish the phase diagram of this system. Ytterbium in many respects behaves as an alkaline earth rather than a rare earth metal6 and it is of interest to note the resemblance between the Yb-Zn system, the Ca-Zn,' and typical rare earth-zinc systems.g'10 MATERIALS AND EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES The materials used in this investigation were Ames Laboratory ytterbium and Bunker-Hill slab zinc, 99.99 pct pure. Analyses of the ytterbium showed 38 ppm Ta, 82 ppm 0, and 15 ppm N with Ca, Cu, C, Mg, Al, Si, Cr, Fe, Ni, Sc, Y, Er, Tm, and Lu all less than 50 ppm. The ytterbium was dehydrogenated by heating in tantalum under vacuum for 8 hr at 900°C. The metal was kept under argon except when being cut with shears and when being weighed. Tantalum was found to be a suitable container for alloys in the composition range between ytterbium and Yb2Zn17. With higher zinc concentrations the tantalum was penetrated by the alloy and failed after several days at temperatures of 600" to 700°C. Approximately 20 g of zinc and ytterbium metal were sealed under argon in *-in.-diam tantalum cruci- bles equipped with thermocouple wells. The crucibles were in turn sealed in stainless-steel jackets. The alloys were equilibrated in an oscillating furnace and given various heat treatments in a soaking furnace. The steel jackets were removed and differential thermal analysis data were obtained under an atmosphere of argon. The thermal analysis apparatus was calibrated against the melting points of pure zinc, aluminum, silver, and copper and found to give thermal arrests within 1°C of the accepted melting temperatures for these elements. The thermal analysis apparatus has been described in an earlier paper.g Alloys were further heat-treated as necessary and subjected to metallographic examination and X-ray diffraction analysis. Most alloys were etched with Nital (0.5 to 10 pct nitric acid in alcohol). EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS The results of the thermal analysis are summarized by the points on the phase diagram, Fig. 1. Six compounds and five eutectics were observed. The eutectic temperature and compositions in weight percent zinc are 491°C and 12 pct, 645°C and 32 pct, 687°C and 54 pct, 742°C and 67 pct, and 750°C and 77 pct. The compounds YbZn, YbZn2, Yb2Zng, Yb2Zn17, and YbZnll melt congruently at 650°, 751°, 75Z°, 754", and 755"C, respectively. The compound Yb3Znll undergoes a peritectic decomposition at 695°C. The transformation and melting temperatures for the ytterbium were observed to be 797" and 817°C. re-

Jan 1, 1969

A special meeting of the Alaska Mining and Engineering society, held at Perseverance Mine of the Alaska Gastineau Mining Co. on Mar. 17, 1017, was attended by 46 members and about 80 guests, among whom were members of the Alaska Territorial Legislature. After an interesting trip through the mine in the afternoon, the members and guests assembled for dinner at the Perseverance Dining Room. After the dinner G. T. Jackson, assistant manager of the company, as president of the society, called the meeting to order. After the reading of the minutes, he welcomed the guests and then gave a short history of Perseverance Mine. B. L. Thane, manager of the company, briefly out-lined its general organization. The following papers were read-by members of the society and members of the staff of the Perseverance Mine: "The Organization of the Mine Staff and the Methods of Mining," by B. B. Nieding, Mine Supt.; "Tramming Equipment and Costs," by R. R. Van Valkenburgh; "The Surveying of the Mine," by R. L. Healey, Mine Engineer; "The Electrical Equipment of the Mine," by W. S. Pullen, Supt., of Power Supply; "The System of Mine Accounting, "by E. J. Doherty, Mine Accountant; and "The Mine Buildings," by D: J. Argall, Asst: Mine Supt. M. T. Tolch, Transportation Supt., described briefly the general transportation of the ore to the mill and the equipment used.

Jan 6, 1917

By A. J. Boynton

THIS paper is not the result of recent research with regard to any particular feature of iron metallurgy, blast-furnace practice or mechanical engineering. It is rather a series of notes with regard to contemporaneous progress in blast-furnace construction and operation, together with some suggestions as to changes and improvements that seem to be desirable. On April 1, 1930, a committee of the Chicago District Blast Furnace and Coke Association presented to that association a rather ambitious study of blast-furnace equipment, together with recommendations for the design of construction of a complete blast-furnace unit for the production of 1000 tons of pig iron per day. This report represented the result of months of study by members of the committee, all of whom were actively engaged in operation or design of blast-furnace plants. It is natural, therefore, that comments on the present state of the art should take this 1000-tons furnace, as recommended by the Association, as a basis for comparison with corresponding features of construction or design. See Table 1. In looking through this report at the present time, the significant difference is in the nature of the gas-washing equipment that today would be specified. In other respects, the installation would remain generally very much as it was outlined in 1930. The change in furnace dimensions would be very slight and of no especial significance, except with respect to changes in stock-line diameter, of which more will be said hereafter. The high-efficiency stove as developed by various designers is thoroughly described within this report, and few changes have taken place since. Blowing equipment shows refinement and reflects the improvement in steam engineering. Hoisting and charging equipment and ladles for the conveyance of iron and slag remain, in general, as they were in 1930. In accordance with a general tendency

Jan 1, 1935

By Albert D. Brokaw

THE accompanying chart was devised to provide a rapid and simple method of correcting for temperature and compressibility (deviation from Boyle's law) of gas under relatively high pressures and temperatures, such as are encountered in many deep reservoirs. The chart was prepared by interpolating for the desired values in the experimental data of Burke and Keyes1 and Kvalnes and Gaddy2 on the compressibility of methane, after adjusting their results from 0°C. to 60°F. and combining the correction factors for compressibility and temperature into a single multiplier, which, applied to the product of pressure and reservoir volume, gives at once the volume at one atmosphere (14.7 lb. per sq. in. abs.) and 60°F. The relationship 0f this multiplier to the compressibility factor Z, as used in most discussions, is simply: [Multiplier = 460° + 60°ZT –] where Z is the compressibility factor and T the absolute temperature (Rankine). Fahrenheit temperatures are shown on the vertical axis and pressures in pounds per square inch absolute on the horizontal axis. Correction factors or multipliers at intervals of 0.05 from 0.55 to 1.40 have been plotted on the chart and are calculated t0 give volume of gas at one atmosphere pressure (14.7 lb.) and 60°F. The operation is as follows: The reservoir volume, times the number of atmospheres pressure, times the multiplier, gives the volume of gas measured at one atmosphere (14.7 lb. per sq. in.) and 60°F. For example, a reservoir is estimated to have a volume of 10,000,000 cu. ft., bottom-hole pressure is 2940 lb. per sq. in. and temperature is 184°F To make the correction for methane, follow the 184° line horizontally to the 2940-lb. pressure line. The intersection lies between the 0.85 and 0.90 correction lines, and by interpolation we may estimate the multiplier at 0.863. The computation is simply: [ ] Using the chart for methane prepared by Prof. G. G. Brown3 and his associates, the multiplier is found to be 0.867. Details 0f computation are as follows: Correction factor to apply to PV to correct for deviation from Boyle's law and adjust to measurement basis of 60°F.: [ ]

Jan 1, 1941

By Herbert Clark Hoover, Lou Henry Hoover

PREVIOUSLY I have dealt with the methods of separating silver from copper. There now remains the portion which treats of solidified juices ; and whereas they might be considered as alien to things metallic, nevertheless, the reasons why they should not be separated from it I have explained in the second book. Solidified juices are either prepared from waters in which nature or art has infused them, or they are produced from the liquid juices themselves, or from stony minerals. Sagacious people, at first observing the waters of some lakes to be naturally full of juices which thickened on being dried up by the heat of the sun and thus became solidified juices, drew such waters into other places, or diverted them into low-lying places adjoining hills, so that the heat of the sun should likewise cause them to condense. Subsequently, because they observed that in this wise the solidified juices could be made only in summer, and then not in all countries, but only in hot and temperate regions in which it seldom rains in summer, they boiled them in vessels over a fire until they began to thicken. In this manner, at all times of the year, in all regions, even the coldest, solidified juices could be obtained from solutions of such juices, whether made by nature or by art. Afterward, when they saw juices drip from some roasted stones, they cooked these in pots in order to obtain solidified juices in this wise also. It is worth the trouble to learn the pro- portions and the methods by which these are made. I will therefore began with salt, which is made from water either salty by nature, or by the labour of man, or else from a solution of salt, or from lye, likewise salty. Water which is salty by nature, is condensed and converted into salt in salt-pits by the heat of the sun, or else by the heat of a fire in pans or pts or trenches. That which is made salty by art, is also condensed by fire and changed into salt. There should be as many salt-pits dug as the circumstance of the place permits, but there should not be more made than can be used, although we ought to make as much salt as we can sell. The depth of salt-pits should be moderate, and the bottom should be level, so that all the water is evaporated from the salt by the heat of the sun. The salt-pits should first be encrusted with salt, so that they may not suck up the water. The method of pouring or leading sea-water into salt-pits is very old, and is still in use in many places. The method is not less old, but less common, to pour well-water into salt-pits, as was done in Babylon, for which Pliny is the authority, and in Cappadocia, where they used not only well-water, but also spring-water. In all hot countries salt-water and lake-water are conducted, poured or carried into salt-pits, and, being dried by the heat of the sun, are converted into

Jan 1, 1950

By E. P. Klier, Taylor Lyman

THE structures formed when austenite is quenched to subcritical temperatures and allowed to transform isothermally have been the subject of intensive study since the work of Davenport and Bain.1 Isothermal transformation diagrams summarizing the results of many of these studies have become widely familiar to metallurgists. Of particular interest to metallographers are the dark-etching, acicular products of transformation formed by isothermal reaction below the temperature of maximum velocity of the austenite to pearlite reaction. These products, the bainite structures, can be formed in a wide variety of steels. However, the constitution of bainite is not well understood and divergent views have been expressed as to its mode of formation. In this investigation a combination of dilatometric, microscopic and X-ray methods has been brought to bear upon the problem in the hope of some elucidation of the bainite reaction as it occurs in hypoeutectoid steels. MECHANISM OF BAINITE FORMATION Davenport and Bain1 considered the mechanism of bainite formation to consist of two steps-an allotropic transformation followed by precipitation of carbide. The separation in time of the two processes was considered to be very slight in the upper temperature range and very marked at temperatures just above the martensite range. This concept has been restated by Vilella, Guellich and Bain2 in the form of a definition of the acicular mode of transformation as: The successive, abrupt formation of flat plates of supersaturated ferrite along certain crystallographic planes of the austenite grains; this supersaturated ferrite begins at once to reject carbide particles, (not lamellae), at a rate depending upon temperature. In effect, this is the acicular mode of transformation, even though the temperature be such as to limit the actual life of the quasi-martensite to millionths of a second. The investigation of isothermal decomposition of austenite in certain alloy steels (notably those containing chromium or molybdenum) has revealed that there may be a range of temperatures between the pearlite and bainite reactions in which the austenite decomposes at a relatively low rate.3-6 Further, it is characteristic that in the second region of fast reaction the decomposition of the austenite is incomplete by one reaction but goes to completion by a second reaction. These observations led Wever7 to a description of the bainite reaction as follows: I. The reaction takes place by initial precipitation of a martensitic intermediate structure. 2. In the upper temperature range this structure readily decomposes into ferrite and cementite. In the lower range carbon separates in an unknown form. 3. In the upper temperature range the precipitated carbide nucleates the precipitation

Jan 1, 1944

By J. F. KENP

THE White Knob copper-deposits are situated about three miles south of Mackay, on the Salmon River .branch of the Oregon Short Line Railroad, in Custer county, Idaho. An outline-map of this district is given in Fig. 1. The deposits have been known and spasmodically worked for many years, and a total of over 3.5 miles of tunnels, shafts and other workings has been driven with a view to their development. These extensive excavations have exposed the deposits sufficiently to permit a careful geological examination. The peculiar features which give special interest to this paper are the branching, free-like form of the ore-bodies; the absence of zones of secondary enrichment in the partly oxidized pyritic deposits, and the fact that while the deposits are associated in a general way with the contact of an eruptive rock with limestone, which it penetrates, the garnetization has taken place not in the limestone, as is the usual case, but in the igneous

Mar 1, 1907

By Johann F. Kerl

Autogenous batch grinding tests were performed in laboratory-scale tumbling mills with magnetite, limestone, and sandstone pebbles. The influence of pebble size, feed size, mill speed and loading, and grinding time on the fineness of grinding was investigated. Comparisons were made with the results from ball mill grinding experiments.

Jan 1, 1972

By John S. Brown

The northeastern United States embraces that area of the Appalachian Mountains, and adjacent territory, beginning on the south at the Potomac River. It thus extends from the flat-lying Paleozoic terrane of the Appalachian plateau on the west, across the folded Paleozoics of the Great Valley and adjacent ridges (Paleozoic and Precambrian), over the Piedmont and New England metamorphic complex (mixed Paleozoic and igenous rocks), broken by the great Triassic rift remnants, onto the subdued coastal plain of Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments. Although not noted as a metal mining region, the area does contain numerous substantial and several outstanding mines, chiefly of the more prosaic metals, particularly iron, zinc, and copper, as well as many minor occurrences of these and a few additional items. These deposits occur to some extent in every subdivision of the area. The region to date (1966) has produced almost 500,000,000 tons of medium to lowgrade iron ore, especially magnetite, including ilmenitic magnetite; 50,000,000 tons of highgrade zinc ore; and 5,000,000 tons of lowgrade copper. In the past, it has yielded small amounts of chromite and nickel, and at present is a large producer of titanium. Precious metals are conspicuously absent, and so also are the Tertiary or Mesozoic igneous phenomena so commonly associated with mines of the West. Hence, a survey of the extensive mineralization · of this region should be instructive

Jan 1, 1968

By D. J. McAdam

As shown in three recent papers by the author, in two papers by McAdam and Mebs, and in a paper by McAdam, Mebs, and Geil," the technical cohesive strength of a metal, in any particular state as regards mechanical treatment and heat-treatment, cannot be represented by a single stress value, but must be represented by a diagram with the principal stressest as coordinates. Each point on the boundary of such a diagram represents a technical cohesion limit. The technical cohesive strength thus comprises an infinite number of technical cohesion limits, each representing fracture under a specific stress combination. Moreover, neither the yield strength1 nor the ultimate strength can be represented completely by a single stress value, but must be represented by a diagram with the principal stresses as coordinates. All combinations of the principal stresses may be classified in three groups as illustrated by Fig. I. Fig. Ia shows three typical stress combinations with no two principal stresses equal. The magnitude of each principal stress is indicated qualitatively by the length of the arrow. Arrows pointing away from the cube indicate tensile stresses; arrows pointing toward the cube indicate compressive stresses. Typical stress combinations with two principal stresses equal are illustrated in Figs. rb and Ic. Such stress combinations would be produced by subjecting a cylinder to combinations of uniform axial and radial stresses. The uniform radial stress may be resolved into two equal principal stresses. with the mutually perpendicular directions rotatable around the axis of the cylinder. Fig. ib shows stress combinations with Sz equal to The greatest principal stress is in the axial direction, and the stress combination tends to cause either absolute or relative increase in length.* Fig. u shows stress combinations with S2 equal to St. The greatest principal stress is in the radial direction, and the combination tends to cause either absolute or relative decrease in length. The complete representation of either technical cohesive strength, yield strength, or ultimate strength generally requires a three-dimensional diagram. When two of the principal stresses are kept equal, however, the strength of a metal may be represented by a two-dimensional diagram with the coordinates representing the axial and radial stresses.6-II In this paper, attention will be confined almost entirely to stress combinations with two of the prin-

Jan 1, 1945

By Nathan C. Rockwood

BASIC mineral commodities may be divided into two general classifications in their market or price characteristics. In one class are commodities sold on a world-wide basis, as gold, silver, nickel, asbestos and petroleum, and in the second are those produced and sold locally. Of course, no precise line of demarcation exists between the two; coal, for instance, belongs more or less in both. If there are enough producers of any commodity to prevent control of production by any one person or group, a free market then exists and the price in a buyer's market is determined by the most favored producer-meaning the producer, with the lowest production cost or the lowest cost of transportation, or both, to the particular market, or place of use. With minerals in the first classification, their high intrinsic value far outweighs the transportation cost and a uniform market price is accepted as an essential element in the economy of distribution. But with common minerals of small. intrinsic value and relatively high transportation costs, economists are reluctant to admit that a uniform price may also be an essential element in distribution.

Jan 1, 1940

By Danforth R. Hale

Minerals for electronic and optical uses divide easily into two sections: (1) quartz and (2) minerals other than quartz. Quartz Quartz, having a great usefulness discovered by the radio communication enthusiasts about 1918, has become a subject of amazingly expanded interest in the U.S. over the past decade as a man-made mineral and a $3 million crystal-growing business. An economic summary of the commercial growing of quartz crystals has a place in a handbook directed to the mineral engineering industry when it is remembered that quartz crystals have long been an important commercial mineral, and that the raw material for “cultured quartz”- that is to say, quartz crystals grown through the ingenuity of man-is still natural quartz. Nearly all the natural crystals come from Brazil. The larger pieces which meet rigorous standards of quality are used for electronic and, to a lesser extent, optical components. Smaller pieces and fragments are used for vitreous silica. The need for high quality material in quantity led to U.S. government-sponsored research programs in the 1940s that have resulted in the factory growing of beautiful crystals of prescribed shape, size, and quality. The development of the cultured quartz crystal is typical of man's success in adapting the product of the mine to increasingly sophisticated uses. A remarkable achievement perhaps, but foreshadowed by experiments in 1908 by Giorgio Spezia (1908), an Italian geologist studying the relative effects of temperature and alkaline environment on the solubility of quartz. Modern radio equipment is most often controlled as to frequency by the presence in the circuit of a separately added "crystal"-the 1918 discovery responsible for the existence and growth of the quartz industry. The "crystal" is quartz, but this component is a carefully oriented and prepared slice from a crystal, but not a crystal as recognized by a rock hound or seen in a museum. How quartz operates to control frequencies is not a proper subject for a handbook on industrial minerals, and references should be consulted (Cady, 1964; Mason, 1964). Quartz belongs to that class of materials called dielectrics: those that do not conduct an electric current but permit electric fields to exist and act across them. Quartz shows the "piezo-electric effect," which means that when a quartz plate is mechanically deformed against its natural stiffness, one of its surfaces becomes negatively charged, the other, positively charged. When the plate is released from the stress quickly, the charges disappear as the plate regains its original shape, but because of mechanical momentum the plate deforms in the opposite direction (to a lesser amount) and the surfaces correspondingly become charged in the opposite direction. By coating the two surfaces thinly with metal and attaching flexible wires, these charges may be brought into an electronic circuit. If the surfaces are suddenly electrically charged by movement of current through the wires, the "converse piezoelectric effect" occurs -the plate deforms. Carry the thought further and it is realized that an alternating current flowing through the wires responds to the mechanical oscillation of the plate and is keyed to this oscillation. By controlling the thickness of the plate its mechanical vibration frequency can bevaried through a wide range. One type of quartz plate, called the AT-cut, having a precisely defined orientation with respect to the crystallographic axes of the crystal, vibrates on a microscopic scale much as a book would deform when placed flat on a table and the top cover moved parallel back and forth with the hand. There are at least 17 other orientations which have been studied, some of

Jan 1, 1975

By Otto Wartenweiler

AFTER the phenomenal development of the new mine, the United Eastern Mining Co., with Mr. Frank A. Keith as President, decided to install a reduction plant. The character of the ore, closely resembling the product of other mines in the district, did not offer any particular metallurgical problems, since these neighboring mines had been operating milling plants very successfully for several years. Thus, with the general metallurgical treatment fairly well-defined, the matter of next importance was to design and construct a plant as economically as possible, that would give the best results obtainable. The ore consists of a mixture of calcite and quartz in about equal quantities with some decomposed andesite, while the average value of mill heads were calculated to be $20 plus in gold, no silver being present. The tonnage to be treated at ,the start was fixed at 200 tons, but, in view of the favorable condition of the mine, it was considered advisable to arrange facilities, for increasing the capacity to 400 tons. . While it is best in some cases to adopt a distinct independent unit system where future enlargement is contemplated, in this instance the plans worked out differently. Summarized, the treatment adopted consists of coarse crushing, coarse grinding, fine grinding and cyanidation. For coarse crushing the selection of the No. 6 size gyratory crusher was governed not so much by its capacity as by the size of the feed openings to properly receive the run-of-mine material, which was too coarse for a No. 5 crusher. To accomplish the coarse grinding to. best advantage, a careful comparison was made between the modern steel ball mill-the last word in crushing and grinding-and one of its older, and, at that time better-established, competitors, the rolls.' The following conclusion was reached: While it is possible that for the sized plant under consideration the cost of operating rolls might be a little cheaper, it is preferable to use ball mills because a simpler arrangement is possible, and1 because. the handling of, ball mills is preferred by the operator.

Jan 11, 1917

By G. L. Schroeder

Investigations were conducted at two underground locations, foreman's room and 5702 area, of the Kermac Nuclear Fuels Corp. uranium mining installation, Ambrosia Lake, New Mexico. The rock environment is stratified sandstone. Pressures were varied from minus 0.4 an Hg to plus 3.8 cm Hg with respect to barometric pressure, and were maintained for periods ranging from several hours to 21 days. One cm Hg overpressure (-1.5% of normal barometric pressure) produced a 20-fold decrease in Rn flux into the foreman's room as compared to the Rn flux observed during dilution ventilation. The 5702 area experienced a 5-fold decrease in Rn flux for a similar overpressure. During 21 days of continuous 1 cm Hg overpressure in the 5702 area this reduced Rn flux was maintained. The smaller reduction in flux for the 5702 area results in part from the proximity of the foreman's room to a non-pressured area and the presence of an impermeable shale lens overlying the ceiling of the 5702 area. A 0.4 cm Hg underpressure of the 5702 area increased the Rn flux into the area by 3-fold over the non-pressured value. A barometric pressure influence on Rn flux into the mine and on air Rn concentrations in non-pressurd areas of the mine was measured. A falling barometric pressure causes an increase in the flux of interstitial gas into the mine; a rising barometric pressure decreases this flux. These effects are not seen in overpressured mine areas. Radon concentrations in rock interstices show, during overpressure, decreases of all locations monitored except in the immediate vicinity of the shale lens above the 5702 area ceiling. These reductions are the result of air flowing from the mine into the rock interstices under the influence of the pressure gradient induced by the overpressure. The relative humidity of the 5702 area was reduced after 2 days of 1 cm Hg overpressure from a pre-overpressure value of 96% to 81%. The control of harmful or noisesome gases which emanate into underground mining areas from surrounding rocks is often a costly necessity. In uranium (U) mines this problem is presented by the high interstitial concentrations of radon-222 (Rn), a radioactive noble gas of 3.82-day half-period, formed in the decay scheme of U238, and the relative ease with which this noble gas diffuses from its parent rock into the interstices of the rock and then to a working area. Long-term exposure to moderate concentrations of Rn (3000 µµc per 1) and its short-lived alpha-ray emitting daughter products, RaA (Po218) and RaC (po214), has been found to result in an increased incidence of bronchial carcinomaa2 The acceptable limit of Rn daughter products in a mine atmosphere is presently set at a concentration of short-lived radon daughters which would be in equilibrium with 100 ppc of Rn per 1 of air. Ventilation of mines is conventionally accomplished by continuously diluting the mine air with fresh air brought in by fan or natural convection from above ground surface. The diluted air is allowed to vent freely to the atmosphere. This process does nothing to retard the rate at which gases (including Rn) diffuse into the mine from surrounding rock. It merely reduces the concentrations of these gases within the mine. It is suggested that in a sufficiently permeable rock environment a slight pressurization of the mine air may induce air flow from the mine into the interstices of rock surrounding the mine. The convective flow of comparatively fresh air will reduce the concentration and the concentration gradient of undesirable gases in the rock interstices adjacent to the mine. Radon will diffuse counter-current to this convective flow at a rate proportional to its concentration gradient. In time, a steady state of convection and counter diffusion will be established. The Rn flux into the mine will never be reduced to zero, and will only asymptotically approach zero as the overpressure (and hence the convective velocity of purging air) approaches infinity. During 1963 and 1964, an investigation into the effect which such applied pressures have upon the Rn characteristics of a mine atmosphere was conducted at the Kermac Nuclear Fuels Corp. uranium mines, Ambrosia Lake (near Grants), New Mexico.

Jan 1, 1967

By D. O. Hobson, J. O. Stiegler, C. J. McHargue

The effects of alloy composition, deformation temperature, heal treatment, ad inlerstilial contamination on the occurrence of deformation twins were studied. The twinning transition temperature varied with composition and was a maximuni of 140°C for the 40 pcl V composition. Tire remperature range of the transition was very narrow. Alloys of 20 to 70 pet V could he cold-rolled and exhibited profuse twinning. The alloys which did not twin at room temperature (10, 80, and 90 pel V) could plot be cold-rolled. Oxygen additions systematically lowered the transition temperatures for all vanadium contents. The transition temperature for a 30 pet V alloy increased with annealing temperature, apparently due to changes in dislocation density and configuration. Twinning did not nucleate fracture in any specimen in the 20 to 60 pet V composition range. THERE is great current interest in the refractory metals and alloys as structural materials. An important factor in considering the ductile-brittle behavior of such materials is the role of mechanical twinning as a deformation mechanism. Mechanical twins have been observed after deformation at low temperatures or at high loading rates in the pure metals iron,1 vanadium,2,3 columbium,4,5 tantalum,6 Chromium,7 molybdenum,8 and tungsten.9 Binary alloys in which mechanical twins have been observed include: iron with silicon,10 phosphorous," or aluminum;12 and chromium, molybdenum, or tungsten with rhenium.13-17 The increase in low-temperature ductility obtained by alloying the Group VI-A elements with rhenium is very important with regard to fabricability, and there has been considerable effort to understand the so-called '(rhenium effect". Factors suggested to explain this effect include:'' 1) increase in solubility of interstitial impurities with alloying (electronic effect): 2) changes in the nature of grain boundary phases; 3) changes in interfacial energies of grain boundaries and stacking faults: and 4) promotion of twinning. Although an outstanding characteristic of these alloys is the profuse twinning that accompanies low-temperature deformation, most studies of the rhenium effect have been concerned with the other factors. During recent studies of refractory-metal alloys, it was noted that solid solutions of columbium and vanadium exhibited high hardness and strength at room temperature and elevated temperature and, surprisingly, also showed considerable ductility at room temperature and below. These alloys deformed by twinning at room temperature when subjected to slow loading rates. It appeared that the low-temperature ductility resulted at least in part from the relaxation of stresses by twinning in a system where slip is difficult. The reason for enhanced twinning behavior in some bee solid-solution alloys is unknown. There have been suggestions18,19 that, as in fee alloys, the

Jan 1, 1965

By L. L. Oriard

In order to predict the influence of blasting on slopes, one must first understand the action of explosives, the manner in which rock is broken or displaced, and how seismic waves are transmitted, and the nature of these seismic waves. In this paper, the author describes the action of high explosives on rock masses, beginning at the source of the explosion, extending through the zone of rupture to a distance where only elastic waves of low energy persist. The paper describes the relationships between explosives charge quantities and distances, including the character and intensity of the seismic waves in various types of terrain. In looking at the analysis of slopes subjected to seismic waves, it has been common practice to assume a simplified model in which the anticipated acceleration is applied horizontally to the slope as an equivalent static force, or a model in which there is a rigid base subjected to mechanical shaking. Such models do not accurately portray blasting activity taking place within or near the slope in question. In dealing with blasting effects, it is important to under- stand seismic wave types, wave lengths, attenuation and transmission paths, as well as vibration intensity. In most cases, those slopes that are the least stable under static loading will also be the least stable under dynamic loading, although there may be rare exceptions. Thus, the more that is known about a slope statically, the better will be the assessment of it dynamically.

Jan 1, 1983

By R. Ehrlich, F. E. Crane

A consolidated porous medium is mathematically modeled by networks of irregularly shaped, interconnected pore channels. Mechanisms are described that form residual saturations during immiscible displacement both by entire pore channels being bypassed and by fluids being isolated by the movement of an interface within individual pore channels. This latter mechanism is shown to depend strongly on pore channel irregularity. Together, these mechanisms provide an explanation for the drainage-imbibition-hysteresis effect. The calculation of steady-state relative permeabilities, based on a pore-size distribution obtained from a Berea sandstone, is described. These relative permeability curves agree qualitatively with curves that are generally accepted to be typical for highly consolidated materials. In situations where interfacial effects predominate over viscous and gravitational effects, the following conclusions are reached. 1. Relative permeability at a given saturation is everywhere independent of flow rate. 2. Relative permeability is independent of viscosity ratio everywhere except at very low values of wetting-phase relative permeability. 3. Irreducible wetting-phase saturation following steady-state drainage decreases with increasing ratio of nonwetting- to wetting-phase viscosity. 4. lrreducible wetting-phase saturation following unsteady-state drainage is lower than fir steady-state drainage. 5. Irreducible nonwetting-phase saturation 101lowing imbibition is independent of viscosity ratio, whether or not the imbibition is carried out under steady- or unsteady-state conditions. Experiments qualithtiveIy verify the conclusions regarding unsteady-state residual wetting-phase saturation. Implications of these conclusions are discussed. INTRODUCTION Natural and artificial porous materials are generally composed of matrix substance brought together in a more or less random manner. This leads to the creation of a network of interconnected pore spaces of highly irregular shape. Since the geometry of such a network is impossible to describe, we can never obtain a complete description of its flow behavior. We can, however, abstract those properties of the porous medium pertinent to the type of flow under consideration, and thus obtain an adequate description of that flow. Thus, the Kozeny-Carmen equation, by considering a porous medium as a bundle of noninterconnecting capillary tubes, provides an adequate description of single-phase flow. With the addition of a saturation-dependent tortuosity parameter in two-phase flow to account for flow path elongation, the Kozeny-Carmen equation has been used to predict relative permeabilities for the displacement of a wetting liquid by a gas. 1-5 It has long been recognized that relative permeability depends not only on saturation but also on saturation history as we11.6,7 Naar and Henderson8 described a mathematical model in which differences between drainage and imbibition behavior are explained in terms of a bypassing mechanism by which oil is trapped during imbibition. Fatt9 proposed a model for a porous medium that consisted of regular networks of cylindrical tubes of randomly distributed radii. From this he calculated the drainage relative permeability curves. Moore and slobod,10 Rose and Witherspoon,11 and Rose and Cleary12 each considered flow in a pore doublet (a parallel arrangement of a small and large diameter cylindrical capillary tube). They concluded that, because of the different rates of flow in each tube, trapping would occur in one of the tubes; the extent of which would depend upon viscosity ratio and capillary pressure. They limited

Jan 1, 1970

By W. W. Norton

The gradually increasing proportion of sulphide ores which lead smelters of to-day are called upon to handle has caused the roasting problem to become one of ever greater importance. Mines have increased in depth, methods of concentration have improved, competition in the purchase of ores has become more keen and it has been clear that new and modern methods of eliminating sulphur must receive a large share of attention. We may look back a score of years or so and recall the old hand roasters, some of which turned out a finely divided roasted product, and others fashioned with a "fuse-box" wherein the roasted ore was slagged. Then came mechanical furnaces of several types, the Bruckner cylinder, the Brown-O'Harra, the Ropp, and others, all designed to cut out the cumbersome hand labor of the old reverberatories. Roasting costs were thereupon reduced and tonnages stimulated to a gratifying extent. However, it seems to have been early recognized that this very feature of a greater amount of roasted sulphide ore as compared with oxide ore brought with it a train of difficulties at the blast furnaces. The mechanically roasted ore was fine physically, the blast furnaces were choked and the troubles of the smelterman were not at an end. Then the Huntington-Heberlein pot system of roasting appeared upon the scene, and later on the Dwight-Lloyd machines were invented, and inasmuch as both of these processes were designed not only to roast the ore but to agglomerate it as well, it was apparent that distinct steps in advance had been achieved. At the Murray plant, modern up-to-date roasting practice is fully exemplified and there are now in successful operation roasting furnaces or devices of several sorts: namely, Godfrey revolving-hearth furnaces, Wedge multiple-hearth mechanical roasters, Dwight-Lloyd sintering machines, and Huntington-Heberlein pots. Godfrey and Wedge furnaces will properly handle material high in sulphur, say ores with 25, 30, and 35 per cent. of that element; D. & L. machines and H. & H. pots will positively not treat efficiently ores or mixtures containing anywhere near the sulphur content mentioned, but are confined to charges containing in the neighborhood of 15 or 18 per cent. In passing, it may also be explained that, so far as the knowledge of the writer goes, Godfrey and Wedge furnaces do not economically eliminate sulphur to an extent

Jan 1, 1915