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By R. Floyd Farris

A method is presented for determining minimum waiting-on-cement time, which takes into account the differences that exist between types and brands of cements and such individual well conditions as depth, temperature, and pressure. The basis for the method was determined by laboratory tests. Being a laboratory development, several steps were required to prove its merit. The first step consisted of laboratory tests designed to determine the minimum cement strength required in wells. Basis was found for setting a minimum value of 8 Ib. per sq. in. tensile strength. Next, it was shown by laboratory tests that the time to 8 Ib. per sq. in. tensile strength may be expressed as a function of consistometer stirring time to loo "poises," the approximate relation being "the time to 8 Ib. per sq. in. tensile strength equals the time to I00 'poises' times three." Next, it was shown that the time of maximum temperature development in cement slurries, due to heat of hydration, is also related to consistometer stirring time to loo poises, but only by a factor of approximately two. It was shown also that the shut-in casing pressure will build up after cement is placed and register a maximum pressure at approximately the same time the slurry down the hole attains maximum temperature. From this and the relationships listed above, the general rule was established that minimum waiting-on-cement time (time to 8 Ib. per sq. in.) after casing cement jobs in any well is equal to the time when the shut-in casing pressure reaches a maximum, as measured from the initial mixing of cement, times a factor of 1.5. Cement plugs drilled in the field at the time prescribed by this formula were found to drill "firm to hard," thus confirming the laboratory tests. These tests prove that many of the present regulations for waiting on cement require a longer time than is absolutely necessary. Use of the method herein proposed offers the possibility of a saving of $1200 per well. Introduction The length of time allowed for cement to set after casing is determined either by state-wide rules, field rules, or self-imposed rules written into drilling contracts. In general, the time is dictated by experience and common practice. However, owing to differences in opinion and in experience of the various groups involved, waiting-on-cement time often varies from one area to the next. For example, an operator in an area where no rules exist may drill out of surface pipe at 24 to 36 hr., while another operator in another area may wait 48 hr. or more to comply with state or field rules, although the depth of the well, hole size, type of cement, and other data are identical. An even greater difference in practices will be found by making similar comparisons with respect to oil-string cement jobs. Differences in waiting-on-cement times of 36 to 48 hr. are common. Further complicating the picture is the rather common practice of allowing more waiting time for cement to set at the greater depths than is allowed at the shallow depths. This practice has existed for years in spite of the common knowl-edge1,2,3 that the temperature of the earth at the usual setting depths of surface

Jan 1, 1946

By A. A. Bauer, F. A. Rough, G. H. Beatty

AS a result of recent studies, the constitution of the zirconium-uranium system has been fairly well defined. A diagram for the system is shown in Fig. 1. However, both oxygen and nitrogen are known1-3 to have a pronounced effect on the limits of both ß- and e -phase regions. It has been shown that small amounts of oxygen severely constrict the compositional limits of these phase regions in the ternary zirconium-uranium-oxygen system. A previously published tentative diagram shown in Fig. 2 illustrates the ß-phase constriction resulting from oxygen additions. Generally, iodide zirconium has been used in constitutional studies of zirconium-uranium alloys. While this is the highest purity material available, cast iodide zirconium-uranium alloys will generally average from 200 to 300 ppm 0 and from 50 to 60 ppm N. Thus, while the constitution of the zirconium-uranium system is fairly well defined, it must be realized that this definition applies to alloys containing in the vicinity of 250 ppm 0 and 50 ppm N. The present investigation was undertaken to accurately determine the boundary between the ß-plus-P and ß phases at a single temperature in the binary zirconium-uranium system by quantitatively

Jan 1, 1959

By V. Koump, R. H. Tien, W. J. Kim

This paper presents an approximate solution of the problem of freezing of a binary alloy. he alloy is in the form of a one-dimensional slab of finite thickness. The surface temperature of the slab is assumed to be constant and lower than the solidus (or eutectic) temperature. The densities of the liquid and the solid are assumed to be equal. For a given binary alloy system, initial concentration of solute and surface temperature, the solution yields a) the temperature distribution in the solid skin, b) the temperature, concentration, and solid fraction distribution within the solid-liquid region, and c) the positions of the liquidus and the solidus (or eutectic) fronts as a function of time. The results of calculation for Fe-C and Fe-P systems are presented. In this investigation we are considering the problem of solidification of a binary alloy. The alloy is in the form of a one-dimensional slab of finite thickness. The molten alloy is initially at liquidus temperature. At time zero the surface of the slab is reduced to a temperature T, < Te,, where Te, is the solidus (or eutectic) temperature and T, is a constant. The densities of solid and liquid alloys are assumed to be equal and independent of temperature and composition. A qualitative picture of solidification of an alloy, under these conditions, is illustrated in Fig. 1. During the initial stage of solidification, before liquidus front reaches the center of the slab, freezing proceeds by propagation of two isothermal fronts, the liquidus front and the solidus (or eutectic) front. The fraction of solid at the liquidus front is zero; the fraction of solid at the solidus front is unity, The solid fraction and the temperature distribution between the two fronts and the width of the solid-liquid region change with time. During the later stage of freezing, after the liquidus front reaches the center of the slab, the liquidus front disappears. The solid fraction and the temperature at the center of the slab, as well as throughout the solid-liquid region, are now changing with time. The solidification is completed when the fraction of solid at the center of the slab reaches unity. In solution of this problem we seek to determine a) the temperature distribution in the solid, b) temperature, concentration,

Jan 1, 1968

By G. W. Healy, W. Craft, D. C. Hilty

By means of a theoretical extension of the Cr-C temperature relation in molten chromium steels to low chromium contents and by a correlation of the ratios of chromium to iron in the slag and metal, a method has been developed for estimating the amount of metallic oxidation during the oxidizing period of a chromium steel heat. Application of this method has indicated that due to temperature limitations metallic oxidation may be excessive for very low carbon steels charged with more than a small amount of chromium. IN the melting and refining of chromium steels the oxidation of carbon to a low level is accompanied by the oxidation of chromium and iron in considerable amounts. For the subsequent recovery of chromium and associated iron from the slag, the amounts of metal oxidized must be known for efficient reduction and control of composition. Further, in order to arrive at an accurate understanding of the process, so that chromium-bearing scrap can be used effectively, information is required on the relation between composition of the charge and weight of metal oxidized to reach the desired carbon content. Crafts and Rassbach1 recently developed an empirical relation between chromium, iron, and manganese oxidized per ton of steel charged, and final carbon content and temperature. This relation did not show any dependence on amount of chromium charged. However, it was felt that such a dependence might be present, so a further analysis of the data was undertaken. Cr-C Relation at Low Chromium Levels Crafts and Rassbach&apos;s results were based on temperatures estimated from the Cr-C relation previously established experimentally by Hilty,2 and on a single temperature observation (immersion thermocouple) on a heat made at low temperature from a charge of carbon steel scrap containing only a small amount of residual chromium. The temperatures estimated from the Cr-C relation were for heats charged with chromium-bearing scrap and which contained substantial amounts of chromium (2 to 10 pct) at the end of the oxidizing period. No data, other than that from the low temperature heat just mentioned, were available for the low and intermediate chromium ranges. In order to extend the range in which temperature may be estimated, the Cr-C relation requires further consideration. The Cr-C relation, expressed as suggests that carbon is zero at zero chromium in the bath. This is obviously absurd, because as chromium approaches zero the carbon content must approach the limit established by the Fe-C-O equilibrium. It is evident, therefore, that the Cr-C relation as defined by Eq. 1 is not valid below some minimum chromium content that may vary with temperature. On the other hand, it is probable that any such limiting chromium content is less than 4 pct at 3200°F, since the experimental data from which the Cr-C relation was derived included several observations at that level with no deviation. In any event, it is apparent that further evaluation of the results presented by Crafts and Rassbach is dependent upon a means for estimating the Cr-C temperature relation in the low chromium region. From the observations of Chen and Chipman9 and thermodynamic data given in Basic Open Hearth Steelmaking,4 the following relation can be calculated for melts containing small amounts of chromium and carbon assuming a carbon monoxide pressure of 1 atm: % Cr -21,250 K&apos; = (%C)2; logK1 == —t— +13.88 [2] Moreover, by plotting Eq. 2 for any given temperature on cartesian coordinates, it can be extrapolated graphically to the limiting carbon content at zero chromium for the specified temperature without serious complications. By means of Eq. 2 and its extrapolation, the Cr-C temperature relations originally established experi-

Jan 1, 1954

By R. Floyd Farris

A method is presented for determining minimum waiting-on-cement time, which takes into account the differences that exist between types and brands of cements and such individual well conditions as depth, temperature, and pressure. The basis for the method was determined by laboratory tests. Being a laboratory development, several steps were required to prove its merit. The first step consisted of laboratory tests designed to determine the minimum cement strength required in wells. Basis was found for setting a minimum value of 8 Ib. per sq. in. tensile strength. Next, it was shown by laboratory tests that the time to 8 Ib. per sq. in. tensile strength may be expressed as a function of consistometer stirring time to loo "poises," the approximate relation being "the time to 8 Ib. per sq. in. tensile strength equals the time to I00 &apos;poises&apos; times three." Next, it was shown that the time of maximum temperature development in cement slurries, due to heat of hydration, is also related to consistometer stirring time to loo poises, but only by a factor of approximately two. It was shown also that the shut-in casing pressure will build up after cement is placed and register a maximum pressure at approximately the same time the slurry down the hole attains maximum temperature. From this and the relationships listed above, the general rule was established that minimum waiting-on-cement time (time to 8 Ib. per sq. in.) after casing cement jobs in any well is equal to the time when the shut-in casing pressure reaches a maximum, as measured from the initial mixing of cement, times a factor of 1.5. Cement plugs drilled in the field at the time prescribed by this formula were found to drill "firm to hard," thus confirming the laboratory tests. These tests prove that many of the present regulations for waiting on cement require a longer time than is absolutely necessary. Use of the method herein proposed offers the possibility of a saving of $1200 per well. Introduction The length of time allowed for cement to set after casing is determined either by state-wide rules, field rules, or self-imposed rules written into drilling contracts. In general, the time is dictated by experience and common practice. However, owing to differences in opinion and in experience of the various groups involved, waiting-on-cement time often varies from one area to the next. For example, an operator in an area where no rules exist may drill out of surface pipe at 24 to 36 hr., while another operator in another area may wait 48 hr. or more to comply with state or field rules, although the depth of the well, hole size, type of cement, and other data are identical. An even greater difference in practices will be found by making similar comparisons with respect to oil-string cement jobs. Differences in waiting-on-cement times of 36 to 48 hr. are common. Further complicating the picture is the rather common practice of allowing more waiting time for cement to set at the greater depths than is allowed at the shallow depths. This practice has existed for years in spite of the common knowl-edge1,2,3 that the temperature of the earth at the usual setting depths of surface

Jan 1, 1946

By H. H. Stout

THE high copper price during the war stimulated the capacity to produce far beyond a possible normal consumption. The curves in Fig. 1 show this. The line YZ indicates, what the world production and consumption of primary copper nor-mally would have been, had not the 3 war upset the rhythm of industry. Granting that the maximum world production of 3,150,000,000 lb. in 1917 was obtained by crowding both the equipment and the grade of ore mined, yet in many instances addi-tional capital was invested, upon which the producer will be driven to earn at least a reasonable interest. During the period of deflation, or C liquidation, which we have entered, the consumption of copper will nat-urally be below the normal. Fig. 1 shows the actual consumption ex-pressed-in per cent. of normal : 1919, 96 per cent.; 1920, 94 per cent.; 1921, 70 per cent. The copper industry, consequently, faces: (1) Potential over-production capacity; I (2) Diminished consumption. To deny the existence of these factors would be illogical. To minimize the menace of this potential producing capacity might lead to regret. All past attempts at artificial control have not proved very successful. Obviously the remedy is to increase, if possible, the consumption of copper to a point where these factors cease to be dangerous. In ultimate analysis, this means: Produce an article so cheap and so good that no one can afford to use substitutes. The problem can be solved by: (1) Re-ducing price; (2) Improving product offered.

Jan 11, 1922

By Franklyn Oatman

IN order that the conditions which obtain in an oil well may be readily understood, a brief description of a typical California well and. a number of the phenomena accompanying same will be given. That the necessity for the exclusion of water be realized, the effects of water intrusion, a description of methods of prevention, and a discussion of causes of failure will be presented, followed by a summary and recommendations. Fig. 1 shows a section of a typical well which illustrates the relation of oil sands to overlying strata. It indicates a deep water sand separated from the oil sand by shale, and the proper place for the final shutting off of water. In this well a comparatively thick stratum of compact shale protected the oil from overlying water so that the operation of landing the water string was a simple matter. In some wells the protecting stratum may be only from 3 to 5 ft. thick and very careful operation is necessary in order to land the water string of casing properly and not puncture through to the oil sand. The cases just cited are common, but occasionally, after excluding overlying water, productive oil sands are drilled through in the expectation of finding more productive underlying sand, and a water-bearing stratum is tapped. In this case the problem is the reverse of the normal; water must be prevented from ascending rather than descending. A discussion of well-drilling methods is not within the scope of this paper, except such operations as pertain to shutting off of water. A brief outline of the several conditions which may accompany drilling follows. Some or all may be present in any particular case. The direct relation of these to prevention of intrusion will he discussed in detail further on. In drilling, the hole. becomes more or less irregular in shape, and rough, and as the casing follows the bit into the well it does not fit snugly against the walls. As a result, water may descend between the casing and walls of the well. If a circulation pump is not used during drilling, the hole is simply punched through and the pulverized material removed from the well by means of a bailer. If circulation is maintained there is a continual flow of water down inside the casing and up around the outside between the pipe and the walls of hole. This keeps an open. space around the pipe.

Jan 3, 1914

By T. D. Lynch, N. B. Pilling

The development of a proper treatment for shells in conncction with war contracts has brought to our attention the fact that the temperature of the liquid bath in which steel is quenched has a decided influence on the speed of cooling in the case of some liquids and very little in the case of others. Widely different physical results have been obtained by the use of water spray, water immersion, and oil immersion and further experiment has shown that the quenching effect of water used as a spray or an immersion varies greatly with the temperature of the water. The present experiments were undertaken with the idea of obtaining information of a quantitative nature regarding the quenching properties of a number of liquids used commercially in hardening steel. The general features of such cooling media are common knowledge and in the literature may be found records of numerous attempts to evaluate the cooling power of a liquid when used as a quenching bath. Much, if not most, of the data given on this subject is in the form of a simple statement of the time required for a certain heated mass to cool between two arbitrary temperatures when immersed in the liquid, quite regardless of the path of the temperature change. Our own purpose has been somewhat different. We have attempted to isolate that property of these liquids having to do with their ability to absorb heat rapidly, as distinct from the behavior of a considerable mass when exposed to different thermal environments. More specifically, from the data obtained through autographically recorded cooling curves of a small standard mass quenched under various conditions, we have tried to analyze the mechanism of heat absorption by the several liquids, measure the changes in its rate as a function of the temperature of the surface of transference, and ascertain the influence of the temperature of the liquid itself upon both. Without attempting an exhaustive citation of the literature, mention may be made of some of the more important contributions, notably the pioneer work of Le Chatelier,&apos; followed by the extensive investigations

Jan 1, 1920

As already said Pattin&apos;s map and the later one of Evans&apos; showed coal in several places in Ohio as early as 1750, and possibly 1748; the reference on the latter map was&apos; to an exposure near Bolivar, in Tuscarawas County, as well as along the Hocking River. So far. as now known, it &apos;was not mined in either place until 1810. George Croghan, in descending the Ohio with his party in 1765, mentions an "Alum Hill" which they saw near the present site of Pomeroy, probably an exposure of saline deposits, but does not mention coal. As settlement north of the Ohio River was prohibited until 1787, no coal was mined until long after that date. In 1785 a survey of seven ranges in the Ohio country was made, the line running west from a point on the north bank of &apos;the Ohio River, due north of the western termination of the southern boundary of Pennsylvania. The surveyors noted, "from hence to Stoney Brook between two very steep and high Ridges; it is eight yards wide, its bottom is of Slate and Sand Stone, and in many parts of it are large pieces of excellent Coal washed by, the Rains from the Neighboring Hills."&apos; This was the present Yellow Creek, and the coal was from some of the lower measures. The Scioto Company published a pamphlet in French in 1787, to promote the sale of their lands and emigration to them, in which was said,

Jan 1, 1942

By R. G. Brown

Tars paper will present a general description of the different mineral belts in the Butte City region (limited, however, to the copper and contiguous silver veins) such as may serve to give an intelligent idea of the distribution and characteristics of the deposits, forming thus a groundwork of information, which it is hoped will have value, when later writers enter into particularized detail.

Jan 1, 1895

By G. B. Misra

Though resistance to flow offered by mine airways supported with timber sets has been an object of study over the last half century, no accurate relation has yet been established from which prediction of the resistance coefficient of a projected timbered airway can be made. Zenofontowa et al. developed an empirical relation, but this relation has not been found to satisfactorily correlate experimental data obtained by Sales and Hinsley. This led the author to develop a set of simple theoretical relations between the resistance coefficient of timbered airways and the various parameters affecting it, such as the type and spacing of sets as well as the shape and size of members forming the set. Experiments were designed with the help of a laboratory model airway to verify the validity of the relations developed. With the experiments conducted so far with 4, 3 and 1-piece sets of 3.4 x 3.4, 2..5 x 2.5, and 4.5 X 4.5-cm square-section timbers in a 45.8 x 38-cm model airway, the theoretical relations have been shown to hold.

Jan 1, 1972

By John Mathews

IT is twenty years since the writer made his first molybdenum steels and others were making them commercially five years earlier but the prevailing opinion seems to be that molybdenum steels are new; from time to time the daily press speaks of important discoveries in Europe and intimates that American steel makers have much to learn in regard to alloy steels. The earlier experiments were largely confined to the use of relatively high percentages of molybdenum in tool steels and permanent magnet steels. Recent developments deal with the types of alloy structural steels used for airplane, automobile, and other engineering requirements; in these, the molybdenum content is usually less than 1 per cent. The earlier types generally have been unsuccessful commercially, but the newer types of steels are becoming of increasing importance. The war showed our dependence on foreign sources for alloying metals; molybdenum alone is widely distributed in the United States and seemingly abundant. Many deposits are not now of commercial interest, owing to location and relatively small amount of ore available, but other deposits are being developed and a stable source of supply seems well assured. In tool and magnet steels, it was early found that 1 part of molybdenum was equivalent to from 2 to 2.5 parts of tungsten. The permanent magnet steels investigated by Madame Curie,1 in 1898, contained from 3.36 to 4.05 per cent. molybdenum; in 1902, Dr. E. L. French and the writer thoroughly tested steels containing from 2:0 to 4.0 per cent. These steels gave satisfactory tests for permanence, but were low in residual density and much more sensitive to hardening than the corresponding tungsten products. We discontinued work with them, therefore, and have no advice that such steels have been used commercially here or abroad.

Jan 2, 1921

By H. F. Yancey

Various criteria for evaluating the performance of coal washeries are discussed critically, with particular reference to ideas developed at the First International Conference on Coal Preparation held in Paris in June 1950. Criteria that relate only to the sharpness with which a cleaning unit separates coal from impurity are compared with those that reflect loss of coal or quality of products.

Jan 6, 1951

By A. Boltax

Precipitation processes occurring during both furnace cooling and aging of copper-iron albys were studied by means of electrical and magnetic measurements. On furnace cooling, two distinct stages in the precipitation process were detected; one occurring above and the other below 850° C. The kinetics of precipitation from quenched alloys were studied between 200° and 700°C. The reaction appears to be consistent with the concept of tmcleation of precipitate particles at dislocation loops formed by the clustering of quenched-in vacancies. A study Of in copper-iron alloys is particularly interesting because the combination of magnetic and electrical properties in these allovs provides a quantitative means of following the course of the precipitation reaction. (The details of precip-

Jan 1, 1961

The Library of the above-named Societies is open from 9 A.M. to 10 P.M. on a11 week-days, except holidays, from Sept. 1 to June 30, and from 9 A.M. to 6 P.M. during July and August. The Library contains about 55,000 volumes, including sets of technical periodicals and the publications of scientific and technical societies. Members of the Institute, with few exceptions, are forced to spend a portion of their time in localities isolated from sources of information. To these the Library can render valuable service through correspondence; letters requesting information will receive special attention. The Library is prepared to furnish references and copies of articles on mining and metallurgical subjects; to determine the existence of mining maps, and to furnish general information as to the geology and mineral resources of all countries. All communications should be made as definite as possible so that the information received may be what is desired and not include collateral matter which may not be of interest. The time spent in searching for such collateral matter will be saved, and the information will be sent more promptly and in more usable shape. The members of the Institute can be of service to the Library by for- warding copies of mining reports, maps privately issued, and similar material, which will be classified, indexed, and made available to other members. Suggestions for additions to the Library, either by purchase or personal solicitation as gifts, will be welcomed. It is hoped that members while in the city will use the Library freely, and assurance is given that most careful service will be rendered to them.

Jan 8, 1916

By Jack White

W. I. Garms-—The authors state that when they added 11 tons of balls to the 45 pct volume ball load, the power needle did not budge. The question arises as to whether any increase in capacity accompanied the 11-ton addition. It is hardly conceivable that all of the balls making up the l l-ton addition were sterile. However, as the work done in the ball mill is not by kilo-watthours per se or balls per se but by kilowatthour-balls, it is possible that the kilowatthourballs in the mill before the ll-ton addition had a different amperage, voltage or robustage than those in the mill after the addition and that the overall outcome was that equal work was done before and after the addition. The authors can keep the efficiency that they got with the 45 pct volume 1-in. ball charge and get additional capacity by putting more kilowatthourballs to work in the form of the addition of 11 tons of 2-in. balls to the present ball charge, and subsequent makeup additions by weight of 20 pct 2-in. balls and 80 pct 1-in. balls. J. F. Myers (authors&apos; reply)-—Mr. Garms points his finger at the 11 tons of "sterile" balls added to the Tri-cone mill. A fact so interesting to us that we felt it should be reported. Clearly, ball slippage at the existing mill speed prevented any further transfer of power from the shell to the ball mass. We agree that the kilowatthourballs would increase, were we charging rough 2-in. balls as suggested by Mr. Garms. The assumption is, of course, that we would get a corresponding increase in work done. Our reported data (CIME meeting, Vancouver, 1946) shows a gain of work accomplished of 7.6 pct as we decreased the ball size from 2 in. to 1% in. and a further gain of work accomplished of 2.1 pct when we went from 1 % in. to 1 in. The small ball results reported by H. R. Banks at Chapman Camp are also very convincing. In the case of 2-in. balls they would take the conventional ball path and start cascading. They would thus destroy the classifying pool over the "foot" of the

Jan 1, 1951

By Jack White

W. I. Garms-—The authors state that when they added 11 tons of balls to the 45 pct volume ball load, the power needle did not budge. The question arises as to whether any increase in capacity accompanied the 11-ton addition. It is hardly conceivable that all of the balls making up the l l-ton addition were sterile. However, as the work done in the ball mill is not by kilo-watthours per se or balls per se but by kilowatthour-balls, it is possible that the kilowatthourballs in the mill before the ll-ton addition had a different amperage, voltage or robustage than those in the mill after the addition and that the overall outcome was that equal work was done before and after the addition. The authors can keep the efficiency that they got with the 45 pct volume 1-in. ball charge and get additional capacity by putting more kilowatthourballs to work in the form of the addition of 11 tons of 2-in. balls to the present ball charge, and subsequent makeup additions by weight of 20 pct 2-in. balls and 80 pct 1-in. balls. J. F. Myers (authors&apos; reply)-—Mr. Garms points his finger at the 11 tons of "sterile" balls added to the Tri-cone mill. A fact so interesting to us that we felt it should be reported. Clearly, ball slippage at the existing mill speed prevented any further transfer of power from the shell to the ball mass. We agree that the kilowatthourballs would increase, were we charging rough 2-in. balls as suggested by Mr. Garms. The assumption is, of course, that we would get a corresponding increase in work done. Our reported data (CIME meeting, Vancouver, 1946) shows a gain of work accomplished of 7.6 pct as we decreased the ball size from 2 in. to 1% in. and a further gain of work accomplished of 2.1 pct when we went from 1 % in. to 1 in. The small ball results reported by H. R. Banks at Chapman Camp are also very convincing. In the case of 2-in. balls they would take the conventional ball path and start cascading. They would thus destroy the classifying pool over the "foot" of the

Jan 1, 1951

By C. M. Sellars, F. Maak

Electvomotie -force measurements hazle been made on ten Au-Ni alloys at temperatures 7754 825O, 900O, and 935°C using galvanic cells with solid electrolyte. Partial and ivtegral thermodynamic functions are derived from the determined activities. which show la9,ge positive deviations jvom Raoult&apos;s law. The enthalpies of mixing- are in close accord with calorinletric data and are of comparable accuracy. The results are used to determine the miscibility gap and the spinoidal curL1e, and are qlalitaticely interpreted in terms of the large size difference and electvonic interactions between gold and nickel. Tabulated nalues of the actielities and partial and inteqal free energies, entropies , and enthalpies of mixing are given in the appendix. The Au-Ni binary alloys are of particular interest thermodynamically as despite the large size difference between gold and nickel atoms they have a simple phase diagram.&apos; This shows complete solid solubility above a miscibility gap with a maximum at about 71 at. pct Ni and 810°C. Activity measurements (over a range of temperature) have been made previously on this system using an electrolytic-cell method with a liquid chloride eletrolyte. The accuracy of this data has, however, been queried3&apos;4 as it leads to values for the enthalpy of mixing which are too high when compared with calorimetric measurements.46 Also, the entropy of mixing is too high when compared with the values derived from specific-heat measrements. It was therefore considered worthwhile redetermining the activity data using a galvanic cell with a solid electrolyte (0.85 ZrO, 0.15 CaO). This method is based on a technique introduced by Kiukkola and aner&apos;&apos; and has been used to determine the thermodynamic data for Cu-Ni alloys.&apos; THE ELECTROLYTIC CELL The cell used to determine the activity of nickel in Au-Ni alloys was: The cell reaction, which is discussed for a similar cell by Rapp and Maak, gives a direct measurement of the activity of nickel in the alloys as where aNi(alloy) is the activity of nickel in the alloy, 3 is Faraday&apos;s constant, E is the measured electromotive force, R is the gas constant, and T is absolute temperature. For the valid application of this type of cell the arrangement must be ther modynamic ally stable, which means that: 1) The free energies of formation of the oxides fulfill the relation 2) The vapor pressures or dissociation pressures of each component must be so small that during the time of the experiment the amount of any material transported by the gas is negligible. 3) Side reactions which change the alloy composition must be negligible. These reactions are possible both with the surrounding gas atmosphere and with neighboring solid material. The first two conditions are fulfilled by the above cell.&apos; The third condition is approached by care in the experimental technique. The factors which control the attainment of equilibrium in this type of cell have been considered by Rapp and aak, who conclude that metallic diffusion in the alloy is the rate-control ling step. A lower temperature limit for the practical application of this cell is therefore set by the condition that equilibrium must be attained in reasonable times. EXPERIMENTAL MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUE The starting materials were mint gold (99.99 pct Au) and Mond nickel (99.9 pct Ni). Alloys, nominally 5 at. pct Ni and then each 10 at. pct across the system, were produced by vacuum-levitation melting compacts of mixed drillings of the pure metals. The nickel used for the reference tablets in the cells was melted in a similar manner. The alloy ingots, cast in boron nitride molds, were cold-forged and

Jan 1, 1967

Nationalization of the coal mining industry in Great Britain was one of the first pieces of major legislation enacted by the post-war Labor Government in 1964. It followed a long period of economic depression with high unemployment and bad industrial relations in the coal mining industry during the 1930&apos;s, and shortages of coal during the last war. Upon nationalization, the National Coal Board took over control of the industry in 1947 and so became the biggest single employer of labor in the western world. As well as the coal mines themselves, it assumed responsibility for a great variety of other assets including coke ovens, byproduct plants, land, houses, railways and shipping wharves.

Jan 6, 1964

By H. G. Moulton

The increasing scale of mining operations over the past decade, particularly in connection with the exploitation of large bodies of comparatively low-grade copper ores, has made necessary the study of the behavior of rock under failure. When extractions of as high as 40,000 tons a day are reached in steam-shovel operations and as high as 20,000 tons per day in underground mining operations, it is evident that excavations soon become of such size that the behavior of the rock will often be dependent on fundamental principles applicable to more or less homogeneous materials under stress, rather than on weathering or local planes of weakness. In the ordinary rock excavations encountered in civil-engineering practice, such as excavations for subways, highways, railroads, etc., rock faces are not carried to depths sufficient to develop any pressures, or consequently any failures, except those due to loose masses resulting from local planes of weakness. When, however, orebodies whose tonnage is measured by hundreds of thousands are to be extracted by steam-shovel operations in open pits, it is necessary to determine if possible in advance the slopes that the sides of the pits will assume, for these slopes influence the shape of the excavations and thereby the amount of ore that may be extracted by the open-pit method. When large orebodies are mined underground at depths of 300 to 500 ft. (91 to 152 m.) by caving methods, the surface subsiding as the ore is withdrawn, it is necessary to determine in advance the outermost limits of fracture in the subsiding surface, for on the delineation of these limits depends the location of surface improvements, mills, smelters, etc. and also the location of development work, such as hoisting shafts, main haulage levels, and all other underground openings that must remain undisturbed during the period of ore extraction. Heretofore, in civil-engineering practice, it has been assumed that earth and rock behave differently in failure. For the calculation of earth pressures, formulas are used in which the assumption is made that earth banks fail by sliding along the slope determined by the frictional resistance of the material. The line of failure and the resulting pressure is held to be dependent on the angle of repose, which is different for varying

Jan 1, 1920