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By J. N. Ong

The oxidation of tantalum is assumed to occur by four simultaneous first-order chain reactions; solution of oxygen in the metal, nucleation and growth of a suboxide phase at the metal surface and two phase boundary processes which give rise to two different modifications of Ta2O5. A rate equation is then formulated which accounts for all principal details of oxidation behavior, unifies and correlatss the results of the principal investigations, and expresses the rate as a function of pressure, temperature, and time. For purposes of practical application, the expressions: may be used below and above 700T respectively to determine the regression rate of tantalum in cm per hr, where T is to be expressed in "K and P in atmospheres pressure of oxygm. The equations will reproduce within a factor of two all reported experimental rates in the temperature range 475" to 1400°C and pressure range 0.000026 to 40.8 atm 0. 1 HE oxidation kinetics of tantalum have been investigated thoroughly in the temperature range 50" to 1400 and pressure range 1.32 x l0-' to 40.8 atm pressure of 0,and as a result, the principal features of the oxidation of tantalum are known and have been described in considerable detail. The exposition of the characteristics of the behavior of tantalum in oxygen has been largely descriptive, with considerable attention being devoted to elucidating the structure, composition, and morphology of the resulting oxide products. The weight change vs time results have usually been reported graphically. With the exception of the linear rate below 700 C and the process of diffusion of interstitial oxygen into the metal,6'9 no effort has been made to characterize the reaction rates in functional form. It is the purpose of this paper to demonstrate that when the fundamental principles of chemical kinetics are rigorously followed, the results of the principal investigations will be correlated and unified and the oxidation rale may be expressed as an analytic function of pressure, temperature, and time. In addition to accounting for the temperature and pressure dependency of the oxidation rate, the following minor features will be accounted for as a result of the basic analysis: the initial period of nonline-arity in rate at low temperatures, which decreases with increasing temperature;3'5'7 the rate vs temperature cusps obtained at constant pressure"5 the concentration gradient of oxygen interstitially dissolved in the metal.5'7 The analysis will also be consistent with the overall chemistry of reaction and with all visual, microscopic, and X-ray observations. DEVELOPMENT OF RATE EQUATION As a fundamental basis for the treatment of metal-oxygen reaction kinetics, it will be regarded that the rate of reaction is determined by the concentration and not the activity or chemical potential. It is further assumed that all metal-oxygen reactions are first order complex chain reactions" whose rate is dependent on the concentration of an intermediate species which is a complex function of the oxygen concentration, or oxygen pressure, only. The basic rate equation is therefore: is the weight of oxygen consumed by the reaction, A is that portion of the area of the metal over which the reaction is occurring (cm2), t the time (sec), kf the rate constant for forward reaction, C the intermediate species concentration and f '([Oz]) and f (Po,) are complex functions of oxygen concentration and Oxygen pressure respectively. Reverse reactions may usually be neglected in metal-oxygen systems since a large negative free energy generally accompanies these reactions. Eq. [I] takes different forms when the rate of reaction is controlled by diffusion into or through a phase or at a phase boundary. For diffusion into the metal phase, the rate is given by1' Di is the diffusion coefficient of species diffusing into the metal phase (cm2/sec), and Q is the corre-

Jan 1, 1962

[SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 10 am to 5 pm Council of Section' Delegates SUNDAY, FEBRUARY .17 1 pm Student Relations Committee 2 pm Board of Directors 2:30 pm MIED-Mineral Economics Instruction 5:30 pm MIED-Cocktails and Buffet Supper 7:30 pm MIED-Mineral Education 8 pm IMD-Program Committee]

Jan 1, 1952

By W. A. Tiller, D. H. Lane

A simple zone melting technique for investigating the effect of ultrasonic irradiation upon ingot solidification is described. The effect of i) ultrasonic power level, ii) freezing velocity, iii) constant or variable frequency, iv) direction of irradiation, and v) transducer-cozlpling bar joint upon the grain size of type 316 stainless steel have been investigated. The results of this study support the postulate that the ultrasonic vibrations increase the nucleation probability in the layer of liquid adjacent to the freezing interface. In the first paper of this series,l the possible mechanisms whereby ingot structure may be altered by irradiating a solidifying melt with ultrasonic vibrations have been discussed. A new technique for efficiently introducing the ultrasonic energy into the solid-liquid interface region was presented and applied to ingot preparation by the consumable-electrode arc-melting technique. The experimental results support the postulate that the ultrasonic vibrations may refine the ingot structure by increasing the nucleation probability in the zone of liquid adjacent to the solid-liquid interface. The present paper describes the application of the same technique to a relatively simple laboratory-scale zone-melting apparatus. This apparatus is found to be well suited to the detailed study of ultrasonic technology in this area and allows one to determine, in particular, the minimum ultrasonic power level needed to produce a certain grain size in a particular material. The results of this study support the nucleation mechanism for grain refinement, but do not provide any deeper insight into the specific nucleation mechanism responsible for the effect. EXPERIMENT The apparatus used in these experiments is shown in Fig. 1 and illustrated schematically in Fig. 2. The material to be studied, type 316 stainless steel, was in the form of a 3/4-in. sq bar 30 in. long. This bar was placed in a square open-topped mold with open ends made from high-purity graphite coated with a flame-sprayed Al2O3, skin. Surrounding the crucible was a molybdenum susceptor with 3/8-in. diam holes spaced at 1-in. intervals along its length to serve as sight ports. A tapered transducer horn was brazed to one end of the specimen. The entire assemblage was enclosed in a quartz tube, the transducer itself projecting out one end and resting in a cooling tank. A vacuum seal between the coupling bar and the end plate enclosed one end. A similar plate and seal enclosed the other end. The system is gas tight and can be operated under vacuum or an inert atmosphere. For these experiments, flowing argon at 15 in. of Hg pressure was used. The heat source for melting the stainless steel specimen was a 2-in. long 3-kc induction coil placed around the quartz tube; this source heated the susceptor, inductively melting about a 3-in. zone of the sample by radiation. To move the molten zone at a specified rate, the induction coil was moved down the tube at this rate with the aid of a simple pulling device. Thus, the sample could be irradiated at varying ultrasonic frequencies and power levels and could be solidified at varying rates. The power input to the transducer was measured using a "John Fluke Model 120 VAW-Meter." 1 The power delivered to the interface region is probably only about 50 pct of that measured on the VAW-meter. In a typical run, when the ultrasonic power was turned on, the interface of the molten zone closest

Jan 1, 1961

By Richard A. Hawkins

O the American coal man, Australian coal mining most appear to have little, if any, influence on American coal-mining practice and to bear little relation to it. Actually, the relationship has been close, for Australian operators have carefully studied American practice by reading American technical publications, by consulting American engineers, and by visits to Ameriean operations. They have leaned heavily on America for their supply of mechanization equipment and many American mining-machinery manufacturers are active in that country, supplying its needs and furnishing technical assistance. Australia's influence on American coal mining has been obscure and probably negligible. However, it seems reasonable to assume that this influence will increase. The wartime development of air transportation will inevitably bring these two countries into much more intimate contact than existed in recent years. American servicemen. many of them former miners and coal-mining technicians, have visited Australian operation, while stationed in that country, have talked with operators and men over there, and undoubt-

Jan 1, 1945

By S. Andrew Kulin, L. Kaufman

A general treatment of the broadening of X-ray double-crystal spectrometer rocking curves due to distributions of tilts and strains has been carried out. The results of this treatment have been applied to the case where dislocations in a crystal give rise to both tilts and strains. On this basis it is found that the rocking-curve halfwidth due to imperfections in the crystal, ßC , increases with increasing Bragg angle, 8. These considerations predict linear relationships between & and tan2 , and ßCand tan 8, for Gaussian and Cauchy distributions of dislocations, respectively. The zero intercept of the ßC us 8 curve, which is a measure of the degree of imperfection of the crystal, is found to depend directly on the distribution rather than the number of dislocations. In addition, the slope-intercept ratio for the ßc - ? curve has been calculated for both the Gaussian and Cauchy distributions. Experimental determination of the - 8 curves for a series of copper single crystals prepared by the Bridgeman and Czochralski methods yields results in agreement with the calculated slope-intercept ratio for a Cauchy distribution of dislocations. CERTAIN X-ray techniques have been used to study the perfection of single crystals. Gay, Hirsch, and Kelly have considered the spreading of spots into arcs on Debye-Sherrer rings due to imperfections. The Double-Crystal Spectrometer has also been applied to this problem.2 The characteristics of Double-Crystal Spectrometer Rocking Curves have been described in the literature by various workers.2-4 By assuming a random spacing of dislocations which give rise to a Gaussian distribution of misorientations relative to some mean orientation in a crystal Gay, et al.,1 arrive at the conclu- sion that the most probable misorientation is given by where h is the spacing between dislocations, and 8 and are the relative misorientations of neighboring regions. If ßC is the halfwidth of the rocking curve (the width at one-half the peak intensity) due to dislocations in the crystal then5

Jan 1, 1960

By John C. Martin

The discovery of a new gas reservoir demands that the planning of a sottnd well-spacing program be initiated early in the development stage. It is the purpose of this discussion to illustrate by actual field examples the application of basic well-spacing principles, previously developed for oil reservoirs, to the problem of well spacing in natural gas fields. These studies are presented for the field use of geologists and engineers who are concerned with the initial planning of the proper development of the newly discovered gas reservoir. INTRODUCTION The phenomenal growth of a vigorous natural gas industry emphasizes the increasing importance of natural gas as a source of energy, fuel, and raw materials to our nation's economy. Since 1945 marketed production of natural gas for the U. S. has increased 21/2 times to a record high of 10.6 trillion cu ft during 1957. As major participants in the gas industry, we share an added interest to develop and produce our natural gas reserves with constantly improved efficiency. The subject of well spacing is vitally important to the gas industry, for the well itself plays a significant role in the development of the natural gas reservoir and in control of the recovery process. Maximum utilization of wells is an integral part of sound conservation practices. The discovery of a new gas reservoir demands that careful choice of well location and well spacing be made and that the planning of a sound well spacing program be initiated early an the development stage. With the drilling of the first development well, efforts of the geologist and engineer must be directed toward acquisition of adequate technical evidence upon which a firm recommendation for a spacing program may be based. With this technical appraisal as a foundation, operators and state regulatory agencies jointly can go far in providing a framework for sound development of gas fields to achieve a program of conservation that avoids the unnecessary well. WELL-SPACING CONCEPTS Through laboratory and field investigations of the mechanism of the recovery of oil and gas, of fluid behavior, and of effective control of reservoir and well, a crystallization of ideas regarding reservoir behavior has emerged as a well-developed technology. Associated with a better understanding of the fundamental principles underlying reservoir and well behavior has been the growth of concepts concerning the role of wells and their spacing in the development and operation of an oil or gas reservoir. In addition to serving as outlets for the withdrawal of fluids from the reservoir, wells are recognized as having two other important functions: (1) providing access to the reservoir to obtain information concerning the characteristics of the reservoir and its fluids, and (2) serving as a means by which the natural or induced recovery mechanism may be effectively controlled. Beyond a minimum number of wells required to fulfill these two functions, additional wells will not increase recovery. With particular emphasis upon well spacing in oil reservoirs, many studies of the well spacing-recovery relationship have evolved the concept that the ultimate oil recovery is essentially independent of the well spacing.' These fundamental concepts are no different when regarding the role of wells and their spacing in the natural gas reservoir. They are equally applicable to the consideration of well spacing in gas reservoirs. For the gas reservoir, the problem of well spacing then revolves around the question of drainage and the degree or extent to which a well may drain gas from its surrounding reservoir environment. Theoretical and Experimental Work During the past 30 years, theoretical and experimental work carried on to study the physical principles involved in the flow of fluids through porous media has shed light upon the matter of drainage. Fundamental mathematical equations have been derived to describe the mechanism of flow of oil and gas through porous rocks. With the recent advent of high-speed digital computers, attempts have been made with mounting success to develop solutions, employing numerical techniques, to mathematical expressions that describe more rigorously the physical behavior and mechanism involved in the unsteady-state flow of compressible fluids, such as a gas, through porous rock. In 1953, Bruce, Peace-man, Rachford and Ricez published a stable numerical procedure for solving the equation for production of gas at constant rate. The results of these calculations are significant with respect to this matter of drainage, for they indicated (1) that depletion of the gas reservoir resulted in a drop in pressure at the extremity of the

By Dorsey Hager

North Central Texas has recently become a center of interest for the oil men of America. The bringing in of the McClosky well at Ranger, Eastland County, and the shallow pool at Brownwood, Brown County, in 1917, has stimulated interest in this area to fever pitch. Oil men from all over the United States are now investing there. The area of present interest is shown by the accompanying map (Fig. 1). The money spent in leases runs into millions of dollars. It is no exaggeration to say that a strip of country 200 miles (321 km.) long and 125 miles (201 km.) wide, comprising some 15,000,000 acres (6,070,310 ha.), has been leased practically solid at a cost for rentals and bonuses of at least $1 per acre. The test holes contracted for will certainly number 400, at a cost of at least $5,000,000. From what has been done in the past six months, $20,000,000 at least will be spent. To pay returns on this amount of money, new production to the extent of at least 12,000,000 bbl. must be obtained. At present, the production from new fields will not average over 5000 bbl. per day; three wells at Ranger are producing 3000 bbl.; 250 wells at Brownwood produce 1000 bbl.; and the Gray well, Coleman County, is as yet an unknown factor. However, at Ranger there is every indication of developing a good pool covering from 1500 to 2000 acres (607 to 809 ha.), more or less, but the wells are deep, 3400 to 3800 ft. (1036 to 1158 m.), and cost $35,000 to $40,000 to drill. Large wells are necessary to pay for such expensive holes. As new wells are drilled, the gas pressure will be lowered rapidly, and large production need not be expected. For those oil men who expect a second Cushing or an Eldorado, Ranger holds little of promise. At Brownwood, Brown County, there are some 250 shallow wells (depths from 200 to 350 ft.) averaging 4 to 7 bbl. per day. There is a chance of an extensive producing area for these shallow sands to the southwest, and the opening of several thousand acres of shallow oil territory, and also some promise of deeper oil horizons in the Ranger horizon, but probably all under 2500 ft. At present, the lease brokers and speculators, and only a handful of oil men, have made any money. More fields must be developed, and it is more particularly with these possibilities that this paper deals. Lack of water for drilling purposes has undoubtedly held back development so far this year; this part of Texas has had a drouth for two years and there is an actual scarcity of water. Geological investigations so far undertaken cover nearly all the area outlined, and while pakt of the

Jan 1, 1920

By K. R. Evans

The deformation mechanisms occurring in polycrys-talline, commercially pure titanium and a Ti-8 pct A1 alloy have been investigated and compared to earlier results by Levine on high-purity titanium single crystals and by Conrad on commercially pure titanium. In accord with Levine, two consecutive deformation mechanisms are observed to exist below 500°K with the transition temperature between mechanisms, Tc, strongly dependent upon interstitial composition. T, is found to be 210°. 375° -430°, and 450°K for alloys A large number of investigations have been conducted to determine the rate-controlling mechanisms of plastic deformation occurring in fcc and bcc metals. Very few investigations of a similar nature have been conducted for hexagonal metals. In fact, until very recently, magnesium is the only hexagonal metal which has been systematically investigated for determination of the rate-controlling deformation mechanisms.1"3 From these investigations, it was concluded that basal slip below 420°K occurs by the intersection of forest dislocations,1'3 while for prismatic slip the Peierls mechanism is rate-controlling at low temperatures with interstitial compositions of 0.024, 0.42, 0.61, and 1.13 at. pct expressed in terns of oxygen equivalents. The low-temperature mechanism is found to be an impurity obstacle mechanism in contrast to Levine's earlier conclusion of the Peierls barrier. Measurement of the activation parameters for deformation and estimation of the force-distance profile of the obstacles show their retarding force to be effective over longer distances from the obstacle as the interstitial composition increases. and thermally activated cross slip at higher temperatures. 2 The potential technological importance of titanium alloys has prompted recent studies of the deformation and fracture characteristics of titanium and its alloys. 4-8 Levine' systematically investigated the low-temperature deformation behavior of high purity titanium single crystals oriented for either basal or prismatic slip. It was concluded that the Peierls mechanism was rate-controlling at temperatures below 210°K, while above this temperature an undefined mechanism was rate-controlling. Conrad 7,8 concluded from an analysis of the composition dependence of the critical shear stress at 0°K and measurement of the activation parameters that the low-temperature deformation of titanium is controlled by an impurity

Jan 1, 1969

By W. A. Anderson

Recrystallization of cold-worked metals has long been known to proceed by a process of nucleation and growth.' When a cold-worked metal is heated to a temperature at which recrystallization will ensue, nuclei of new grains, essentially strain-free, appear and grow. As the process proceeds, nuclei continue to appear and to grow, until the cold-worked matrix has been entirely consumed and recrystallization has been completed (Fig. I). Conducted isothermally, a measurement of the fraction of the matrix recrystallized plotted against time, yields an isothermal recrystallization curve, showing the time course of the recrystallization process (Fig. 2).2 Evidently, then, the rate of recrystallization is determined by the rate at which nuclei form and the rate at which they grow. The rate of nucleation N is the number of nuclei that form in unit time in unit volume of the unrecrystallized matrix, and the rate of growth G is the increase in radius of the recrystallized grain per unit time. In recent years attempts have been made to determine N and G as these vary with the well-recognized variables affecting recrystallization: time, temperature, degree of deformation, etc.1 Such studies yield information that is more fundamental than that conveyed by the conventional recrystallization diagram,' since the rate of recrvstallization is thus analyzed into its two component rates3 Methods are now available by which N and G can be measured, and analytical expressions have been developed for the interrelationships among N, G, the isothermal recrystallization curve, and the final grain size, which greatly facilitate analysis.2-4 The application of these methods has been demonstrated recently for the recrystallization of silicon ferrite.2 Data on N and G in dependence upon the recognized recrystallization variables are, however, very fragmentary;" values of N and G have been determined for some metals, but the effect of temperature, which would yield the fundamentally important activation energies, has been too little studied. Thus far there has been no detailed study of the recrystallization of any one metal in terms of X and G ovcr appreciable ranges of the variables time, temperature, degree of deformation, and original grain size. It is the purpose of the present paper to provide such a study, employing aluminum.

Jan 1, 1945

By Garth M. Crosby

Seven mines with important production records in the Coeur d'Alene lie adjacent to the Gem stocks -the Frisco (Gem), Hercules, Interstate, Rex (Sixteen to One), Success (Granite), Sunset, and Tamarack. Old records are incomplete, but avail- able data given in Table I show these mines have produced 10,550,721 tons of ore containing more than 50 million oz of silver, more than 1.5 billion lb of lead, and about 1 billion lb of zinc (approximately 1.25 million tons of lead and zinc combined). Average ore grade is 4.8 oz of silver per ton, 7.2 pct Pb, and 4.6 pct Zn. This impressive production represents about 12 pct of the District's yield. At present metal prices, with modern beneficiation, the gross value would be more than $400 million.

Jan 7, 1959

By Harry A. Lipsitt, Rollins E. Hook, Attwell M. Adair

A necessary condition for a uniaxial stress distribution in compression testing is that the specimen end surfaces make full contact with the apparatus compression plates. In addition all compression surfaces must be machined perpendicularly to the loading axis. In general this condition is not sufficiently fulfilled in a simple apparatus. Therefore on application of the load the compression plate may first touch the specimen at one point only. This may cause crumbling of the specimen if the material under investigation is brittle (e.g., ionic crystals). It also precludes a precise study of the beginning of deformation as the effective cross sectional area is unknown. In addition a complex stress state is set up which renders quantitative work impossible, e.g., on dislocation density and arrangement as a function of stress. To overcome these difficulties a "self-adjusting" upper compression plate is required. A simple and reliable method of achieving this is shown in Fig. 1: A steel hemisphere is placed on the specimen. As soon as the compression plate (which no longer needs precise machining) makes contact with this hemisphere the load is uniformly distributed over the whole specimen surface, and a homogeneous uniaxial state of stress results. An advantage of the method is that the loading is always central, even when the specimen surface is not parallel to the compression plate (Fig. 1, dashed line). Therefore to a first approximation a uniaxial state of stress is maintained if the misorientation of the specimen end surface is small. Two typical stress strain curves of identically prepared sodium chloride crystals are shown in Fig. 2; curve 1 was taken without and curve II with the hemisphere under otherwise identical conditions. The improvement in the accuracy of defining the beginning of elastic and plastic deformation is clearly indicated. The writer wishes to thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft for financial support, and Professor P. Haasen for providing facilities for this work.

Jan 1, 1962

By Michael Hoch, Walter C. Wyder

The isothermul section of the Nb-Ti-Zr-O system at 1500°C was investigated using X-ray dzffraction and metallographic techniques. UP to 66.7 at. pct 0, the system contains nine four-phase regions. Tsopleths at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 55 at. pct 0 weye constructed. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the general shape of the quaternary equilibrium phase diagram of niobium, titanium, zirconium, and oxygen at 1500°C. The system was truncated at 66.7 at. pct. O., PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS The Ti-Zr-O system was investigated in this laboratory.' The binary systems of interest have been compiled and discussed by anssen2 and Levin, McMurdie, and Ha11. Elliott4 has determined the Nb-O system by metallographic and X-ray diffraction techniques. He shows the existence of three oxides, namely NbO, NbO2, and Nb2O5. At 1500°C the solubility of oxygen in niobium is about 4 at. pct. No solid solubility region is shown for either NbO or NbO2. EQUIPMENT The same equipment as that for the study of the Ti-Zr-O system was used. The X-ray diffraction patterns were analyzed with the help of the ASTM card set5 and NBS circulars.6 MATERIALS The niobium powder (99 pct pure), the titanium powder (99.6 pct pure), the niobium pentoxide, and the zirconium dioxide used in this study were purchased from the Fairmount Chemical Co., Newark, N.J. The zirconium powder (99.4 pct pure) was obtained from the Charles Hardy Co., Inc., N.Y. Reagent-grade titanium dioxide was purchased from the Matheson Co., Inc., Norwood, Ohio. The oxides were dried in air at 700°C for 24 hr before use. Though the materials used were not "hyper-pure," the impurities present do not affect the results (lattice parameters, phase boundaries), within the experimental accuracy. PROCEDURE Samples of the desired compositions were made up, in mole pct, from the materials listed above. In some cases the intermediate binary compounds, such as NbO and TiZrO4 were prepared beforehand and used in the preparation of the samples. This technique enabled equilibrium to be reached from two sides. The components of each sample were mechanically mixed in a mortar and pestle and pressed into 3/16-in. diam pellets. The pressures used in compacting were of the order of 50 to 100 x 103 psi. Sintering was accomplished by heating the samples in a tungsten crucible (3/4-in. high, %-in. diam, 1/8-in. wall, lid with XB-in. hole). The pellets were separated from each other and from the crucible by means of small spiral coils of tungsten wire placed between the stacked pellets and on the bottom of the crucible. The sintering time was from 4 to 12 hr at 1500°C under a vacuum of 6 x 101-5 to 1 x 10-6 mm of Hg. All samples were reground after the first or second heating repressed, and reheated. In most cases: equilibrium was obtained after the first heating, as the X-ray diffraction pictures after each heating remained unchanged. Quenching of the samples from 1500°C was at first only possible by allowing the crucible and its contents to lose heat by radiation. The temperature dropped from 1500° to 900°c in approximately 1 1/2 min, which was considered adequate when compared to the times used by other investigators to reach equilibrium in the temperature range of 1000°c and lower. Later, a new technique for faster quenching of the samples was cleveloped. This technique involved the removal of the samples from the crucible, whereupon they were quenched by coming in contact with the water-cooled copper base of the furnace. This manipulation was performed without breaking the vacuum. The sample pellets were placed on a tungsten wire rack inside the crucible. The wire rack passed through the hole in the crucible lid, where it was connected to a small nonmagnetic chain. The chain was fed to the side of the furnace by means of a brass rack which fitted between the body and lid of the furnace. Suspended at the end of the chain, near the furnace wall, were three magnetic washers. With the use of a strong

Jan 1, 1962

By John V. Beall

Cutting costs and increasing safety with new ideas is the byword with The Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co. on the Marquette Range in Michigan. Among the new ideas being tried out are mechanical shaft mucking, prefabricated lagging to replace timber poles, Carset bits in shaft sinking, and rubber tired guide wheels on the ore skips. Plans are being made to stockpile ore with conveyor belts during the winter. In sinking the Mather "B" Shaft a 3/8-yd clamshell-type bucket is used for mucking. The clamshell is opened and closed by means of a verticallymounted hydraulic ram actuated by 5000 psi oil pressure. An Ingersoll Rand-type hoist is used to raise and lower the clamshell. The hoist is controlled by one member of the crew on the floor of the shaft. When the bucket is raised, the men swing it over the muck pile to the desired position and then it is lowered on to the broken rock. The 1400-lb weight of the bucket causes it to sink into the broken rock and it digs as the ram closes the bucket. The hydraulic ram is operated by a man on the lowest shaft steel set who controls a specially designed oil pump which supplies oil pressure. The clamshell is emptied.

Jan 1, 1949

By Ramkrishna Agarwal

The problem of the measurement of in situ stresses in rock masses has, in recent years, become one of the prime concerns of investigators and researchers in the field of rock mechanics. Numerous instruments have been developed for that purpose and various techniques have been used to determine the absolute values of these stresses at a point.l The "stress-relief" technique has gained the widest acceptance. In its usual application it relies on one of the two following principles: (1) Measurements of the changes in a "solid inclusion" in a borehole,2 or (2) Measurements of the diametral deformation of a borehole with a free boundary." The theoretical development, in the case of the latter, is based upon an evaluation of the deformation of a circular hole in an infinite plate under the action of a uniaxial stress field. Expressions for the deformations may be obtained by using either the plain strain or the generalized plane stress theoretical approach of the classical theory of Elasticity, which assumes that the material is linearly elastic, homogeneous and isotropic. The solution for the case of a biaxial stress field is obtained by the Principal of Superposition. The circular hole becomes elliptical after deformation takes place under the action of a uniaxial or biaxial stress field applied to the plate. In the practical application of the technique, the reverse procedure is applied. A borehole is drilled in the rock and a deformation-measuring

Jan 1, 1968

By D. J. Wynnemer, G. W. Preckshot

Precise electromotive force measurements have been made on the zinc-cadmium system over the temperature range 700° to 900°C. Activity coefficients, partial free energies, enthalpies, and entropies have been determined .for the entire composition range. The integral heat of mixing is positive and compares favorably with calorimetrically determined values. Vapor-liquid equilibrium compositions were determined .for a total pressure of 1 atm and these agree well with previous values determined in other ways. The use of electromotive force measurements to obtain thermodynamic data for liquid metal systems is a simple and well-known method. Several reviews of the various experimental methods and results have been published.2,3,11 However, most of the past work using this technique was carried out at temperatures slightly above the melting point of the alloy system where alloy composition changes due to vapor transport and increased metal solubility in the electrolyte are not important factors. One advantage of extending the electromotive force measurements up to and including the normal boiling point of the alloy is that it is then possible to evaluate the vapor-liquid equilibrium of the alloy at various pressure levels up to 1 atm. A detailed discussion of the thermodynamics of reversible electromotive force cells can be found in most advanced physical chemistry or chemical thermodynamic textbooks. The expression stating the inter-relation of the electromotive force and the thermodynamic functions is the Gibbs-Helmholtz equation.

Jan 1, 1962

By George A. Miller

ALTHOUGH the Andean mountain belt, which contains almost all the metal deposits of the other South American nations, does not enter Brazil, this country is rich in mineral resources, for in area it accounts for half the continent and geologically it contains almost all of the Brazilian Shield. This great mass of ancient rocks has been relatively stable for a long time and forms a great area of plateaus and highlands interrupted only by the syncline which carries the Amazon River across it to the sea. Lowland Brazil - the great flood plains of the Amazon. Tocantins, Paraguay, and Parana Rivers-is of no interest to the miner, and in fact supports but a small proportion of the country's population. The highland area is divided into unequal parts by the Amazon River; the north half is underlain by the north lobe of the Brazilian Shield which extends into Venezuela as far as the Orinoco, and into the Guianas, and is known as the Guiana Highlands. Mineralization appears to have been weak in the Brazilian portion of these hills. In fact most of the ore deposits are to be found in the States of Minas Gerais and Bahia, although the neighboring states of Sao Paulo, Pernambuco, and Piauhy can also boast of some deposits. Goias and Matto Grosso are as yet incompletely prospected but are considered to contain reserves for the future.

Jan 1, 1945

By A. R. Jr. Amos

LOG washers have been used for many years in the washing of clay iron ores, phosphate rock and manganese ores, but not until the past 15 years have they been employed to any extent in the preparation of aggregate materials and fluxing stone. For a machine of such importance where tenacious clay or soft rock must be eliminated, there are few data generally available. The purpose of this paper is to set forth the results obtained from several operations, together with a few suggestions for planning a specific installation. Where the material to be washed out consists of loose surface soil, silt, or small amounts of quickly soluble clay, there is little competition with other forms of washers, because greater power and maintenance are required for the operation of log washers, but where the foreign matter is a stiff clay, such as occurs with high-calcium limestones and in marginal gravel deposits, the ability of other kinds of washers to eliminate com-pletely the hard clay balls is at least uncertain. Then the log washer comes into its own field, for with the breaking and churning action of the logs it will clean out the toughest clay. Even with material from the hydraulic dredge, if it contains tough clay, the log washer is desirable unless the gravel is subjected to a costly soaking and rehandling process. Recently there has been a considerable development in other types of machines to accomplish these results but it is not within the scope of this paper to make comparisons between competitive types, but to present the best obtainable data on log washers only. From the primitive design that gave it its name, a long log hewn from a tree, with paddles forged to shape from strap iron and attached by lag screws, the log washer has gradually been developed to the present all-steel type. As now manufactured, the log washer consists essentially of two built-up logs on which are mounted a series of paddles, carried by shafts fitted at the ends of the logs on bearings fastened outside the enclosing steel box, or trough, which is set at an angle of about 5° to 10° and into which the material is fed. Stuffing boxes at the places where the shafts pass through the box at the lower end are equipped with water-

Jan 1, 1936

By M. C. Flemings, R. Mehrabian, G. E. Nereo

Analytic expressions were developed and applied in two preuious papers to predict effects of solidification variables on macrosegvegation. In this paper, experiments are reported to test the analyses quantitatively and qualitatively. Good quantitative agreement is obtained between predicted and measured compositions for the following types of segregation (all experiments were on laboratory-size ingots of Al-4.5 pct Cu alloy): (a) inuerse segregation, (b) composition distribution in ingots solidified with unidirectional heat and fluid flow, (c) simulated centerline segregation, and (d) segregation resulting fro, change in solidification cross section. In addition, qualitative agreement of prediction of theory with experiment is obtained for (a) segregation resulting from sudden change in heat extraction during solidification, (b) centerline segregation in a bidirectionally solidified ingot, and (c) under-riser positive segregation. IN two previous papers,''2 it was shown that a variety of apparently different types of macrosegregation result from the same basic mechanism. This mechanism is the flow of solute -rich liquid to feed solidification and thermal contractions. Analytic expressions were derived and examples given of their application to predict macrosegregation. Calculations were for Al-4.5 pct Cu alloy. In this paper, we describe a series of experiments designed to test results of the foregoing calculations. All experiments were on laboratory-size ingots (weighing 10 lb or less), of A1-4.5 pct Cu alloy, nominal composition. APPARATUS AND PROCEDURE A typical mold and chilling arrangement used for unidirectional solidification is shown in Fig. 1. Before casting, this assembly was placed in an electrically heated air furnace, and heated to 680" to 700°C. When the plaster reached the desired temperature (usually 1 to 2 hr after the furnace temperature), the mold was filled through a funnel extending from the outside of the furnace into the cavity. The assembly, with liquid, was held for several minutes to allow convection to subside. The coolant, either air or water (depending on the desired solidification rate), was turned on and the ingot solidified. With the four sides and top insulated, heat removal for solidification was through the bottom surface, resulting in a fully columnar structure. Design of the casting cavity was varied, as discussed below, to produce desired macrosegregation effects. However, for castings solidified with unidirectional heat flow, the top was always open to the furnace atmosphere and temperature. The bottom sur- face rested on a chill through which the heat was extracted, and all other surfaces were insulated with plaster. In one case to be discussed, the mold design was changed to obtain bidirectional solidification. In this case, two vertical chills were used (on two faces of the mold) and the bottom was insulated. In a last case discussed, that dealing with under-riser segregation, experiments were conducted in bottom-chilled sand molds at ambient temperature. Except for this one case, all experiments were conducted in the electrically heated air furnace as described above. In many ingots, thermocouples were used to obtain continuous records of solidification. In all cases, these were chromel-alumel couples with output continuously monitored on a twelve-channel recorder. Where thermocouples were employed, these were embedded in the refractory mold walls during mold-making so their heads extended to the vertical centerline. Six to nine couples were employed, placed at intervals from the chill. METAL-MEL TING PROCEDURE Aim analysis was A1-4.5 pct Cu; alloy was prepared from high-purity aluminum (99.9 pct Al) and A1-Cu master alloy (50 pctOFHC Copper, 50 pct high-purity Al). The A1-4.5 pct Cu alloy was cast in 5- to 7-lb ingots for subsequent remelting for the macrosegregation experiments. Melting for ingot casting was as follows. After preheating the melting crucible for an hour or more, the charge was melted and superheated to a temperature of 690" to 720°C. After stirring, the melt was degassed with chlorine for 10 min. After stirring again for 1 min, a gas sample, under reduced pressure, was taken. When the sample was gas-free, the crucible

Jan 1, 1969

By Ross Blake

THE St. Joseph Lead Co. became interested in the Tri-State district in 1921 through acquisition of prospecting and development rights on approximately 20,000 acres of land extending northeastward from the Picher mining field, mostly in Kansas. Prospecting with churn drills was begun the same year and the first commercial ore body was found on the Jarrett tract at the then northern limit of the main Picher field. Operations at this mine began in 1923. Kansas Explorations, Inc., was organized in 1923 by the St. Joseph Lead Co. as a wholly-owned subsidiary to carry on its operations in the Tri-State District from an office at Joplin, Mo. As prospecting of the original acreage proved largely negative, attention was subsequently turned to other sections of the district. Numerous additional leases were acquired and prospected. The Company was successful in developing into operating properties the Jarrett, Isherwood, Robinson, Sullivan and Lotson tracts and, in more recent years, the Ritz, Snapp, Buckingham, Gibson and Jasper mines.

Jan 1, 1947

By Thomas F. Bates

ANALYSIS of the chemical and structural differences in minerals often results in a better understanding of the differences in the geological conditions under which they were formed. The minerals in the kaolinite group differ in the amount of interlayer water and in the nature and amount of ordered and/or random shifting of each 1:1 layer with respect to those above and below it. This paper is a progress report resulting from research on the morphology, structure, and origin of fine-grained minerals, supported by Contract N6onr26914 with the Geophysics Branch of the Office of Naval Research. The purpose of the paper is to present data obtained in the laboratories at The Pennsylvania State College and elsewhere, which reveal some of the details of structure of the minerals in the kaolinite group, and to suggest a number of interpretations that bear upon the conditions of origin of these minerals. Be¬cause most of the work in this investigation thus far has been concerned with the relationships of kaolinite, halloysite (4H2O; endellite), and halloysite (2H2O), must of the discussion deals with these members of the group. The first step in the analysis of the differences in two sets of geological conditions is an evaluation of the differences in the minerals that result. Thus the chemical differences between the montmorillonite and the kaolinite clays corroborate other evidence in support of the view that the montmorillonites are commonly formed when solutions are alkaline and leaching poor, while kaolinite usually is associated with acid solutions and good drainage condi¬tions. It is obvious that the greater the differences in the minerals, the more divergent may be the conditions that give rise to them and the more readily one condition can be distinguished from the other. In the kaolinite group, differences between individual members are small, therefore the differences in condition of origin are presumably subtle and difficult to define. At the same time, the very fact that the minerals differ only slightly makes them more sensitive indicators of the exact conditions under which they and the minerals associated with them were formed. Since clay minerals are being used more and more to evaluate the nature, value, and mode of formation of economic mineral deposits, an attempt to define these subtle differences would appear worth while. For purposes of the present discussion, the minerals nacrite, dickite, kaolinite, the so-called "fireclay mineral," halloysite (4H2O), halloysite

Jan 1, 1952