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By J. B. Newkirk, A. H. Geisler

Certain of the permanent magnet alloys provide ideal systems for the study of the kinetics of the precipitation reaction and the correlation of structure with properties. One such system, Cu-Ni-Fe, was found by Bradley1,2 to exhibit a coherent transition state in the precipitation process analogous to that reported for Al-Cu alloys somewhat earlier.3 The attractiveness of some perrnanent magnet alloys for study lies in the fact that vertical sections of the ternary phase diagram in certain regions of composition (Fig I) have as their prototype the binary Ni-Au diagram. Alloys of this type decompose into products that have the same crystal lattice type but only slightly different lattice parameters. The advantages that such alloy systems oA&apos;er for study over the usual in which an intermetallic compound is formed are many: 1. Since the precipitate has the same crystal strutture as the matrix, complex atomic movements are not required to form the new lattice. 2. Similarly, complex orientation relationships are not involved for both the matrix and the precipitate would be ex. petted to have the same orientation. 3, Small &,registry of the decomposition products at equilibrium (in contrast with Cu-Ag alloys) is conducive to extensive coherent growth in the transient state and thus the transition lattice can be detected by the usual X ray diffraction methods. 4. Finally, the relative quantities of precipitate and depleted matrix can be varied from 0 to 100 pet* thus permitting wide freedom for the study of the effect of cornposition on coherent growth and properties. In the Cu-Ni-Fe alloys of appropriate composition, the face-centered cubic precipitate and also the depleted matrix when first formed are coherent with the parent matrix.1&apos;2 The two have the same <Jo parameter as the original matrix but they are both tetragonal; the precipitate has an axial ratio c/a < I while that of the depleted matrix is c/a > I. When coherency is lost they assume the normal face-centered cubic structure with the depleted matrix having a lattice parameter greater than the original matrix and that of the precipitate less. Such a mechanism would also be expected for CU-Ni-CO alloys because of the similarity in constitution but this had not been demonstrated. The Present investigation was conducted on a CU-Ni-CO alloy. The constitution diagram and magnetic properties of these alloys have been fairly well established, however, no previous determinations of mechanism of precipitation and no correlation of structure with properties had been made. Thus, an alloy of this system Was chosen for a comprehensive investiga-

Jan 1, 1949

By F. M. Hamilton, H. F. Ameen

Results of a laboratory investigation of some sintering variables are presented. The effect on physical properties of mix component variation and rate of cooling of the sinter is illustrated by crush and tumbler test results and data of reducibility tests and microscopic examination of sinters are shown. The results of using solid additions in the mix to improve bed permeability are given. SOME of the variables encountered in the sintering of iron ores and their effect on sinter properties have been investigated at the Jones and Laughlin Ore Research Laboratory in Michigan. Ores requiring agglomeration before blast furnace utilization may be classed as coarse, intermediate or fine. Coarse iron ore is considered similar to a — 1/4-in. Mesabi wash ore containing some 95 pct of its particles between 94 in. and 100-mesh. Intermediate iron ore is considered similar to our New York State magnetic concentrates in which all the particles are — 20-mesh and about 60 pct are +100-mesh. Fine ores are considered as being at least 100 pct —100-mesh. This paper will deal only with the two coarser classifications. Most of the work has been done in a small experimental batch unit previously described in an AIME1 paper. Results being obtained form a basis for present and future trials in production sinter plants. It is expected that new production units that may be added in the future will benefit from laboratory studies. In general, the results reported here are obtained by laboratory study, but it is Experimental Sinter Machine: The laboratory sinter machine employed in the work consists of a chamber with 1 sq ft of grate area. It is mounted on

Jan 1, 1951

By Frederic P. Dewey

At the Seventh International Congress of Applied Chemistry I presented a paper,&apos; The Assay and Valuation of Gold-Bullion, in which are briefly mentioned a few illustrations of different methods of sampling gold-bullion, particularly cyanide-bars. Since then I have carried on an extensive investigation upon the sampling of gold-bullion in relation to its effects upon the assay-results, in connection with the statement of accounts between the smaller assay-offices of the United States which purchase gold-bullion and the mints where the purchases are re-deposited. Under the name of gold-bullion are included metals of widely different composition. We may have practically pure metal, 999.75 fine or even more in gold; alloys of .gold and silver with only trifling amounts of base metal; alloys of gold and copper with trifling amounts of other metals; ternary alloys of gold, silver, and copper, or gold, silver, and lead; and most complex alloys of from five to eight or more constituents of ordinary occurrence, besides some of the rarer metals occasi&apos;onally. In any one or all of these classes we may have one or more of the metalloids, which may add to our difficulties. Of course, with metal 999.75 fine in gold there is only slight opportunity for different samples to differ in fineness, but on such fine metal we expect the assays to agree very closely, and the sampling must be done with the utmost care. When possible, dip- or granulation-samples of the molten metal should be taken; but when it is necessary to sample bars, the chief point to guard against is surface-dirt.

Jan 1, 1913

By H. F. Ameen, F. M. Hamilton

Results of a laboratory investigation of some sintering variables are presented. The effect on physical properties of mix component variation and rate of cooling of the sinter is illustrated by crush and tumbler test results and data of reducibility tests and microscopic examination of sinters are shown. The results of using solid additions in the mix to improve bed permeability are given. SOME of the variables encountered in the sintering of iron ores and their effect on sinter properties have been investigated at the Jones and Laughlin Ore Research Laboratory in Michigan. Ores requiring agglomeration before blast furnace utilization may be classed as coarse, intermediate or fine. Coarse iron ore is considered similar to a — 1/4-in. Mesabi wash ore containing some 95 pct of its particles between 94 in. and 100-mesh. Intermediate iron ore is considered similar to our New York State magnetic concentrates in which all the particles are — 20-mesh and about 60 pct are +100-mesh. Fine ores are considered as being at least 100 pct —100-mesh. This paper will deal only with the two coarser classifications. Most of the work has been done in a small experimental batch unit previously described in an AIME1 paper. Results being obtained form a basis for present and future trials in production sinter plants. It is expected that new production units that may be added in the future will benefit from laboratory studies. In general, the results reported here are obtained by laboratory study, but it is Experimental Sinter Machine: The laboratory sinter machine employed in the work consists of a chamber with 1 sq ft of grate area. It is mounted on

Jan 1, 1951

By Z. E. Arlin, R. D. Lynn

A deep well injection system is used by The Anaconda Co. for the disposal of uranium mill tailing water near Grants, N. M. A 2511-ft hole was cored and tested through Triassic, Permian, and Pennsylvanian (?) sediments and bottomed in Precambrian granite gneiss. The disposal well was plugged back to 1830 ft and completed in 563 ft of sandstones in the Yeso formation. The reservoir sandstones contain water similar to the injected waste water, and are isolated from overlying fresh-water aquifers by an evaporite barrier zone. Mill tailing water is decanted, filtered, and introduced into the well by gravity at an average rate of 400 gpm. The reservoir has a life expectancy of 10 years. The Anaconda Co. began uranium milling operations near Grants, N. M. in 1953 with a small mill that processed limestone ores. A larger second mill was built in 1955 to treat sandstone ores. In 1956 it became apparent that a large tailing pond would be required to contain the increased discharge of mill waste water. Research was begun on supplementary methods of disposal by which a minimal pond size could be maintained to avert excessive seepage losses. An intensive sampling program was begun to monitor the fresh-water wells in the area. The original limestone mill ceased operation in 1959. The present mill treats sandstone ores by sulfuric acid leach and a resin-in-pulp ion exchange recovery circuit that uses chloride elution. Process waste water is discharged to a tailing pond where, after evaporation losses, an annual average of about 400 gpm are available for injection into the disposal well. The waste water is a mildly acid solution that contains large amounts of manganese, iron, and the sulfate and chloride salts of sodium, calcium, and magnesium. It is a low-level radioactive fluid that contains small amounts of Uranium-natural, Thorium-230, and Radium-226. The average chemical and radioactive analyses of the waste water injected into the disposal well are shown in Column B of Table I. Disposal of the excess mill waste water by deep well injection was investigated after extensive research had proved that alternate methods were not satisfactory. A study of the regional geology and hydrology indicated that a disposal well was feasible, and a test well to basement rock was planned. Tentative plans for the test well and the results of the geologic and hydrologic studies were submitted to the New Mexico Dept. of Public Health, the New Mexico State Engineer&apos;s Office, the U.S. Atomic

Jan 1, 1962

By J. M. Callow

H. A. MEGRAW, New York, N.,Y.-One interesting thing that might be brought out in this connection is the cost of making sulphide gas. I had a communication the other day which suggested that, in view of the high cost of oil, sulphur and sodium sulphide, we might make use of a well-known chemical reaction to form this sulphide gas by the use of aluminum sulphide. It is difficult to see any advantage in this, however, since aluminum has been affected just as much as any other commodity by the rise in prices, due, to war conditions. RUDOLF GAHL, Miami, Ariz. (communication td the Secretary*) Mr. Callow refers to my paper, History of Flotation at Inspiration, which was presented at the Arizona meeting of the Institute. These notes of Mr. Callow&apos;s contain much valuable information on flotation practice, as is to be expected from an article written by an author of Mr. Callow&apos;s experience in this branch of metallurgy. Nevertheless, I cannot help contradicting a number of the statements made in the references to my paper. In passing, I will also say a word about the reference in Mr. Callow&apos;s paper to the article by Messrs. Laist and Wiggin entitled "Flotation Concentration at Anaconda, Mont." Mr. Callow calls attention to the fact that evidently Callow flotation machines are not very sensitive, inasmuch as one man per shift handles four 800-ton sections of Callow machines or 3,200 tons per day at the Inspiration plant. While-it has been the experience of the Inspiration company that the four sections of Callow machines in the Inspiration concentrator are easily handled by one American operator per shift, it is only fair to state that each man operating four sections is assisted by two Mexican helpers who constantly clean the bottoms of the machines. The tonnage per section, by the way, whether equipped with Callow,, Inspiration or Minerals Separation machines, is considerably in excess 4 800 tons.. Mr. Callow further says that local opinion at Inspiration is that, two 800-ton sections consisting of two 10-compartment and four 6-compartment Minerals Separation machines (these machines are of the Hebbard type) is the limit that one man can properly attend. I do not hesitate to say that I consider it perfectly feasible to have four such sections operated by one man, perhaps assisted by "one helper. The Minerals Separation machines of this type have undoubtedly an advantage as far as easiness of operation is concerned,

Jan 4, 1917

By Harry C. Gatos, Frank J. Bachner

It was shown through high-pressure experiments that tin loss by volatilizatim is necessary for the degrada-tion of the superconducting transition temperature of Nb,Sn associated with high-temperature annealing. Crystallochemical analysis of the degraded Nb3Sn showed that it constitutes a new phase with ordered niobium-site vacancies, created by the migration of niobium atoms to vaccnt tin sites. This new phase was found to form when 4 pct Nb-site vacancies were present. It has a transition temperature of 6&apos;K and a lattice parameter of 5.283A. A similar degradation effect was observed in Nb,Al. Its superconducting transition temperature dropped from 16.5" to 8" K following a high-temperature annealing. The superconducting temperature degradation in these 0-tungsten structure compounds is attributed to the disruption of the interchain d bonding by the periodic interruption of the niobium atom chains. By annealing the degraded Nb, Sn at 1000 C in nitrogen its normal superconducting behavior is restored most likely due to the incorporation of nitrogen atoms causing the elimination of the ordered vacancies. HANAK et al.&apos; have observed low superconducting transition-temperature values (T, - 9"K) in some NbsSn samples deposited from the vapor phase. They attributed such low T, values to disorder in the 0-tung-sten structure. Much lower T values (down to 5.6"K) were reported by Reed et al.zC for NbsSn samples annealed at high temperatures. These authors also attributed this degradation effect to disorder (random occupation of the A and B sites by niobium and tin) but pointed out that such disorder could be brought about (by high-temperature treatment) only in samples containing niobium in excess of the stoichiometric composition NbsSn. Both groups reported that the normal superconductivity behavior could be rever-sibly restored by appropriate heat treatment. Courtney et al., also found that degradation in NbsSn requires excess niobium brought about by the loss of tin during the treatment. However, these investigators proposed that the degradation is due to niobium-site vacancies resulting from the migration of the niobium atoms to the vacated tin atom sites. They did not consider the reversibility of the effect. The present study attempts to establish the nature of the above degradation phenomenon. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES All compounds prepared for this investigation were made from the powders or filings of the elements which were intimately mixed, cold-pressed into a cylindrical pellet at approximately 50,000 lb per sq in., and then submitted to the desired heat treatment. The samples annealed under high pressure were placed in a MgO sample container which was mounted in a pyrophyllite tetrahedron designed for a tetra-hedral-anvil press. Details of the experimental arrangement are given elsewhere. This setup allowed heating at 1800°C or above under pressures in excess of 30kbars for 3 hr. The samples annealed in a vacuum were prepared in a high-temperature vacuum furnace which could reach temperatures up to 2400°C under a pressure of 2 x lo-&apos; Torr. For annealing in a reactive atmosphere, a quartz tube was placed in a clamshell furnace and the desired gas ambient passed through the tube. Lattice parameters were determined using a Debye-Scherer 114.6-mm camera. Cohen&apos;s method, programmed for the IBM 7094 computer, was used to calculate the lattice parameter from the measured d spacings. X-ray integrated intensity measurements were made on several samples. These samples were ground to -400 mesh and the powder mixed with a solution of collodion in amyl acetate. The mixture was poured into a depression milled in a bakelite disc. When the mixture dried, the surface of the disc was ground flat leaving a diffraction surface defined by the face of the disc. The disc was mounted in a Philips rotating specimen holder which allowed the rotation of the sample in the plane of the diffraction surface and the integrated intensity measured using a scintillation counter and a pulse-height analysis sys-tem. The superconducting transition temperatures were determined by means of self-inductance techniques.&apos; EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The Role of Tin Loss in the Degradation of Super-conductivity. The loss of tin during high-temperature annealing can be effectively suppressed by annealing under high hydrostatic pressures. Accordingly, a series of experiments were performed under pressures of approximately 30kbars. This pressure was the minimum under which high-temperature experiments could be safely performed in the particular pressure apparatus employed. Experiments were also designed to test high-pressure effects on the superconductivity behavior of NbJSn. The results of the high-pressure annealing experi-ments are summarized in Table I. All samples were prepared as described earlier. They were reacted and homogenized at 1000°C for 24 hr under argon at-

Jan 1, 1967

By Charles L. Mantell, Kurt Straler

The hydrogen reduction of Cr2O3 to chromium metal was found to be feasible at very low water-vapor concentrations, corresponding to dew points of -38° to -24°C, over a temperature range of 1130" to 1490°C. Hydrogen reduction under these conditions was predicted by the calculated equilibrium curves which also indicated that CrzOs is reduced directly to chromium without forming the intermediate oxide, CrO. This reduction path was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. The percent reduction of Cr2O3 at each reaction temperature was constant with time, suggesting an inhibiting effect of water vapor. A small increase in the residual water-vapor concentration of a single temperature, 1490°C, strongly retarded the rate of reduction This effect was expressed by an empim&apos;cal equation which indicated a direct relationship between "distance from equilibrium" and the rate of reduction. me effect of temperature over the range of 1130" to 1490°C was expressed in an Arvhenius plot of log rate vs reciprocal absolute temperature. From this curve the apparent enthalpy of activation was found to be 29,600 cal. Based on the hypothesis that the rate of reductiun is contvolled at the oxide-metal interface, an over-all rate equation consistent with the experimental data and the thery of absolute reaction rates was formulated. A simplification of this expression to an Arrhenius equation was justified by the overriding effect of temperature on the rate of reaction for the minimum water-vapor concentration range. MOST of the metals in Subgroup V1 of the periodic table can be prepared commercially by direct reduction of their oxides by hydrogen or carbon monoxide, at temperatures considerably below the melting points of both the metals and their oxides. Chromium is an exception, being generally reduced from its ore, Cr2O3 . FeO, by silicon in an electric arc furnace which operates above the melting point of the Fe-Cr alloy or above the melting point of chro- mium if a chromium oxide be the starting material. In reduction of chromium oxide by hydrogen, either reduction does not occur at all or the rate of reduction is extremely slow. Theoretical considerations based on the high, exothermic, free energy of formation of Cr2O3 compared to the oxides of the other Subgroup VI metals, molybdenum, tungsten, and uranium, would also suggest a slow rate of reaction and a high activation energy. Interest in the direct gaseous reduction of fine-powdered ores in fluidized beds was considered justification for examination of this reaction. In order to develop a basis for a continuing study of the commercial feasibility of the direct gaseous reduction of chromite, a study of the kinetics of the reduction of Cr2O3 with hydrogen was undertaken. To the authors&apos; knowledge no accurate kinetic data for this reaction have been obtained. Neither has an activation energy been determined nor has an attempt been made to establish a mechanism of reaction. LITERATURE Maier10 compared the data of I. Y. Granaat,6 H. von Wartenburg and S. Aoyama, and G. Grube and M. Flad7 with that derived from calorimetric and ther-modynamic properties for the equilibria for the reduction of Cr2O3 with hydrogen. These results, plotted as the log of the equilibrium constant vs absolute temperature for the reduction of Cr2O3 and the intermediate oxide, CrO, to chromium, show agreement between the differently derived data. In both cases the equilibrium constants were extremely low. Maier showed that, over a temperature range of 1000° to 2000°K, Cr2O3 is more readily reducible than CrO. Granat assumed that CrO was preferentially formed from Cr2o3 above 1100°C. Grube and Flad&apos;s analysis of their reaction products in the 895" to 1000°C range indicated the coexistence of only Cr2O3 and chromium. The hydrogen reduction of the other Subgroup VI metals, molybdenum, tungsten, and uranium, shows that reduction of the higher oxide proceeds through all of the intermediate oxides before being reduced to the metal. Since evidence pointed to an anomaly in the reduction behavior of Cr2O3, the authors investigated the reduction path of Cr2Os.to chromium. This was done theoretically with more recently available free-energy data and experimentally by X-ray diffraction analysis. This work reinforces Maier&apos;s conclusion.

Jan 1, 1964

By T. H. Alden, H. W. Schadler

The strain rate dependence of the flow stress of the eutectoid Zn-Al alloy has been determined as a function of mechanical processing, microstructure, and temperature. The best superplastic properties result from the ultrafine, equiaxed structure produced by solution treatment and isothermal transformation at 0°C. Lamellar structures produced by isothermal transformation and coarse equiaxed structures produced by annealing also exhibit strain rate sensitivity in excess of 0.5, but at higher stresses and lower strain rates than the finest structure. Solution treatment and isothermal transformation eliminate the effect of prior processing history. Small composition variations in the binary alloy do not influence the mechanical properties. Below the eutectoid transformation temperature (.275C) increasing temperature lowers the flow stress at all strain rates. The data do not favor any of the present proposals for the mechanism of superplastic flow. ALLOYS of zinc and aluminum, near the eutectoid composition, have been investigated for: 1) the flow stress-strain rate and elongation behavior,1, 2) the transformation kinetics,3 and 3) structure,3"5 but the structure sensitivity of the mechanical properties is poorly understood. Using a near eutectoid alloy water-quenched from 380°C, Backofen et aL2 estab- high and increases with increasing strain rate. They found a correlation between strain rate sensitivity and tensile elongation as expected from the increased resistance to necking that a high strain rate sensitivity provides.296 The large elongation at high strain rates is attractive for metal forming. Since most other superplastic alloys7-l3 do not show high strain rate sensitivity at such a high strain rate (for the exception see Ref. 12) there is the possibility of a unique deformation mechanism for this alloy. The sensitivity of the mechanical properties of the eutectoid alloy to thermal history1 suggests a structure sensitivity that has not been demonstrated. Gar-wood and Hopkins3 identified a lamellar product for material transformed between 200" and 260°C. The size of the lamellae decreased with decreasing temperature. They also demonstrated that an unresolved transformation product formed below 200°C. A granular two-phase material was resolved for specimens quenched to below 150°C by Mitbauer and sauerwald4 who observed coarsening of the structure after annealing. The role of grain boundaries in superplastic deformation is suggested by the strong effect of grain refinement in encouraging this phenomenon at high strain rateS7-11, 13 and is emphasized in several proposals about rnechanism7, 8, 12 and in a theory14 of high-temperature deformation. Alden8 showed metallographic evidence that grain boundary sliding is occurring extensively at strain rates where m is large but less at high strain rates where normal plasticity is observed. Holt and Backofen10 have shown that sliding also oc-

Jan 1, 1969

By Dr. O’Neil Thomas J., Donald W. Gentry

"We can easily represent things as we wish them to be..” -Aesop INTRODUCTION The first eight chapters of this book have primarily addressed the concepts and fundamentals associated with project valuation, particularly as they apply to mining-related projects. Specific emphasis was placed on the engineering and economic parameters and estimates necessary for quantifying line items in pro forma income statements and the subsequent calculation of net annual cash flows. Given these estimates of relative benefits, costs, and annual cash flows for a project, it then becomes necessary to convert these estimates into measures of relative desirability or attractiveness. The criteria and techniques typically utilized to determine project acceptability or desirability are, then, the topics of discussion in this chapter. Before proceeding it may be advantageous to put the problem of project evaluation into proper perspective by reiterating some of the fundamental concepts developed in Chapter 1. The basic premise set forth in this book is that the objective of the firm should be to maximize its value to its owners (stockholders&apos; wealth). This value or wealth is represented by the market price of the firm&apos;s common stock; consequently, the primary objective of the firm can be restated as one of maximizing the value (price) of the firm&apos;s common stock in the marketplace over the long term. This price, in effect, is an indicator or index of the market&apos;s perception of the company&apos;s progress and a reflection of the investment, financing, and dividend decisions made by corporate management. These three major decisions are inter- related and jointly impact the market price of the firm&apos;s stock. Therefore, if the objective of maximizing the value of the firm to its stockholders is to be achieved, an optimal combination of the three decisions will be necessary. It is important to emphasize that maximizing stockholder wealth is not the same as profit maximization or even the maximization of earnings per share. Corporate managers making decisions based on the objectives of maximizing profits and/or earnings per share must recognize that these objectives do not consider: (I) the timing or duration of expected returns, (2) the business and financial risks of the promised earnings, or (3) the dividend policy of the firm. Obviously all of these factors are of concern to the company&apos;s stockholders and will have an effect on the market value or price of the firm&apos;s common stock. Maximizing market price per share, or wealth maximization, is therefore the appropriate corporate objective and

Jan 1, 1984

By Prof John E. Church

ONE of the most striking phenomena connected with the mines on the Comstock lode is the extreme heat encountered in the lower levels. This heat is not due to the burning of candles, heat of the men, and decomposition of timbers, all intensified by bad ventilation, as was the case nearer the surface. It proceeds from the rock, which maintains constantly a temperature very much higher than the average of the atmosphere in Nevada. The heat of these mines is a matter of more than usual interest, for they are the only hot ones now worked in the United States, and both in the present temperature encountered and in the increase which is to be expected as greater depths are reached, they appear to surpass any foreign mines of which we have a record. Hot mines are known also in other countries, as in the tin and copper lodes of Wales, where one of the veins worked by the United Mines is known as the hot lode. It has springs which discharge water at a temperature of 116&apos; Fahrenheit, the depth being 220 fathoms, or 1320 feet. The heat of the air in these workings is. given at 100&apos; to 113&apos; Fahrenheit. The air is bad, and the heat in the drifts seems to be traceable to defective ventilation rather than to the real necessities of the case. Air is supplied through a small pipe, and is drawn from a place where the temperature is 95&apos; Fahrenheit. Under such circumstances it is not surprising to read that in this hot mine the air is hotter than the rock, a state of things which I hare never observed in the Comstock. Other mines have been reported to the British Coal Committee as having temperatures of 106" Fahrenheit and thereabouts, but the only positive comparisons that are available at this writing are the following, all from Cornish mines : Mine. Depth Temperature. in feet. Air. Rock. Tresaveau,.....1581 86° 83° to 85° Consolidated Mines,. .. 1500 87° 86° " " . 1722 94o 93° " L .. .. 1764 94o to 96° 921/2° to 931/2°

Jan 1, 1879

By George H. Cunningham, Allen C. Jephson

The plant for production of electrolytic zinc recently erected by the American Smelting and Rcfining Co. is situated along Nueces Bay, on the Gulf Coast, some 5 miles west by rail and highway from the city and port of Corpus Christi. A ship channel from the port now approaches to within 2 miles of the site. It is expected that this will be extended at some future date and so provide direct water shipment from the plant. In addition to Gulf shipping, an intercoastal waterway connects Corpus Christi with Houston and New Orleans. Factors leading to the establishment oi this plant in the area were: ample supplies of natural gas for the generation of electric power, advantageous shipping lanes, favorable market for acid, adequate supply of labor, and moderate climate. General Description The plant was erected primarily to assist with the production of high-grade zinc much needed for war purposes. Production started during October 1942. The purity of the slab-zinc output meets the American Society for Testing Materials&apos; special high-grade spccifications. Other products of the plant are electrolytic cadmium and sulphuric acid. Residues containing lead, copper and silvcr are sent for treatment to the Company&apos;s smelter at El Paso, Texas. The design of the plant includes the use of Trail suspension roasting equipment, contact acid equipment, also batch leaching in mechanically agitated tanks, pressure filtering and washing of leach pulp, batch purification in mechanically agitated tanks followed by clarification in filter presses and cooling of purified solution by evaporation. Electrolysis is performed in cells using Tainton alloy anodes and aluminum cathodes. Cathode current density is 60 amp. per square foot. Except for the portion returned to the leaching division, the cell solution is continuously flowing in closed circuit through the cells to cooling towers, which hold cell temperatures within desired limits. Direct current for electrolysis, is supplied by generators driven by steam turbines. The cathode zinc is melted in a gas-fired furnace and cast in the usual way into slabs for shipment. The plant divides into five major divisions: Concentrates Storage, Roasting and Acid, Leaching, Electrolysis, Melting and Casting. No attempt is made to give many tabulated data in this paper; it is mainly a general description of the divisions and methods employed for operation. A plan is shown in Fig. I and a general flowsheet in Fig. 3. Concentrates Storage The original plan for inward shipments was to receive zinc concentrates by steamer at the port of Corpus Christi, there to unload into open railroad cars and move into the plant by rail. Up to the present, however, concentrates have been received mainly in box cars from mines in Mexico.

Jan 1, 1944

By Frank E. Hall

The needs of the World War showed the necessity of a metal stronger than cast iron which would supplement the supply of steel. SO patriotic metallurgists were spurred to new efforts to improve the status of that half-breed of the metal world that had been, more or less erroneously, christened semisteel. As a result, it was developed that for certain purposes semisteel was superior to steel in the manufacture of shells. Steel, because of its greater strength and toughness, is able to carry a greater charge of explosive, weight for weight; consequently, a steel shell can be expected to cause greater destruction when used against fortifications or other inanimate objects, while semisteel, because of its comparative brittleness and its resulting greater fragmentation, is capable of inflicting more serious loss of life when used against opposing forces of men. Therefore, each has its proper place in the economy of war. For the present purpose, steel may be defined as a comparatively pure iron whose physical nature is modified by small amounts of carbon, silicon, sulfur, phosphorus, manganese, and possibly other rarer elements; while cast iron generally is limited to approximately 93 per cent. of iron, the remainder consisting of larger percentages of carbon, silicon, sulfur, phosphorus, and manganese. Semisteel may be defined as cast iron in which the carbon and silicon have been reduced to as low a point as is consistent with maintaining the nature of gray iron, and in which the remaining elements are adjusted so as to give the greatest strength. The fact that the addition of steel scrap, in varying percentages, is the means used to reduce the carbon, together with the fact that a considerable increase in strength results, is probably the explanation of the origin of the name semisteel. That ordinary grades of steel show from three to four times the tensile strength of cast iron is due to the fact that the crystals, or grains, of cast iron are interspersed with flakes of

Jan 1, 1922

By F. E. Poulson

The discovery of two new fields, Van, in East Texas, and Darst Creek, in the Balcones fault zone, is the outstanding development in 1929. The first six months was one of the most inactive periods in the history of East Texas. Five of the interior salt domes, which had been so eagerly sought as a result of the Humble Oil & Refining Co.&apos;s strike on the Boggy Creek dome in 1927, were drilled with discouraging results, and the Boggy Creek field itself had fallen far short of expectations. Kelsey, a structure of considerable magnitude and extent in Upshur County, was equally disappointing; the Amerada Petroleum Corpn.&apos;s initial test on this structure was dry. The situation improved in the latter half of the year. On Oct. 13, 1929, the Pure Oil Co. discovered the Van field. This gained for East Texas a permanent place in point of future potential production. There was a similar reaction in the Balcones fault zone. The Salt Flats (Bruner) field, the important discovery of 1928, proved its rating as a second Luling, but on account of repeated failures to extend the productive zone, wildcatting during the first half of 1929 in the Luling district was dilatory. In July, however, Darst Creek, a third fault-line field of majori mportance producing from Edwards limestone (Lower Cretaceous), was discovered. Retarded as development in this field has been by various attempts at proration, interest in the Balcones fault zone fields centered on Darst Creek as the year 1929 drew to a close. Development in East Texas Fields Discovered during 1929 Van.—The discovery well, Jarman No. 1 of the Pure Oil Co., is near the town of Van in the southeastern part of Van Zandt County, Texas. It is 55 miles northeast of the Powell field in Navarro County and 45 miles west of north from the Boggy Creek field in Cherokee and Anderson counties. Early in 1927, the Van area was submitted to seismographic exploration and outlined as a large anticline, the apex of which seemed to be

Jan 1, 1930

By Frank E. Hall

The needs of the World War showed the necessity of a metal stronger than cast iron which would supplement the supply of steel. SO patriotic metallurgists were spurred to new efforts to improve the status of that half-breed of the metal world that had been, more or less erroneously, christened semisteel. As a result, it was developed that for certain purposes semisteel was superior to steel in the manufacture of shells. Steel, because of its greater strength and toughness, is able to carry a greater charge of explosive, weight for weight; consequently, a steel shell can be expected to cause greater destruction when used against fortifications or other inanimate objects, while semisteel, because of its comparative brittleness and its resulting greater fragmentation, is capable of inflicting more serious loss of life when used against opposing forces of men. Therefore, each has its proper place in the economy of war. For the present purpose, steel may be defined as a comparatively pure iron whose physical nature is modified by small amounts of carbon, silicon, sulfur, phosphorus, manganese, and possibly other rarer elements; while cast iron generally is limited to approximately 93 per cent. of iron, the remainder consisting of larger percentages of carbon, silicon, sulfur, phosphorus, and manganese. Semisteel may be defined as cast iron in which the carbon and silicon have been reduced to as low a point as is consistent with maintaining the nature of gray iron, and in which the remaining elements are adjusted so as to give the greatest strength. The fact that the addition of steel scrap, in varying percentages, is the means used to reduce the carbon, together with the fact that a considerable increase in strength results, is probably the explanation of the origin of the name semisteel. That ordinary grades of steel show from three to four times the tensile strength of cast iron is due to the fact that the crystals, or grains, of cast iron are interspersed with flakes of

Jan 1, 1922

By H. T. Mercer, A. C. Paulson

The composition of steel and the theory of its heat treatment have been so ably discussed elsewhere that it is unnecessary to go into the subject here. The purpose of this paper is to describe briefly the method of treating drill steel at the Copper Range mines, giving some of the troubles encountered and the manner in which they were overcome or corrected. To study the matter properly, it was necessary to devise a system of records that would show the actual underground performance of the drills. To illustrate this system, the records of the Champion mine are used, as it is at this mine that most of the work along these lines has been done. Reports from each drill machine are made daily by the shop and mine, and tables compiled from these reports show the footage drilled, steel broken, drills received and sent out at the shop, drills sharpened, and bits cut off. These data show what each machine or party is doing and whether the miners&apos; supply of drills is kept up to date. There have been times when the supply of drills has been short and time lost by the miner in looking for drills. The daily records show the number and condition of drills on hand at all times. Under the old method of sharpening, the drills were heated in a coke furnace, the proper degree of heat being judged by color. Then they were sharpened in a machine, reheated in a second coke furnace where the proper heat was again determined by color, and quenched in water. While this method was fairly successful in the hands of a careful workman and for the solid steel used in the old piston drill machine, the introduction of the faster water machine, using hollow steel, produced changes both underground and in the shop. Much more was expected of the hollow-steel and hammer-type machine, with its improved method of rotation, but troubles due to breakage, burnt bits, uneven tempering, etc., at once appeared.

Jan 1, 1922

By Robert Mehl

RELATIVELY few data have been collected on the rates of diffusion in ternary solid solution systems. In general it does not seem worth while to gather extensive data for such systems until the factors that determine the rates of diffusion in binary systems are better understood. But the rates of diffusion in a ternary system of limited solid solubility, in which the terminal solid solution is in equilibrium with an intermediate phase and may thus be represented as a quasibinary system, represents a case of special interest. In this case, where by reason of the association of the two solute metals in an intermediate phase a special attraction of the two solute atoms may be safely assumed, some interaction of these atoms during simultaneous diffusion in the solvent lattice might be expected. It has frequently been proposed that molecular solid solutions exist in quasibinary and in other ternary (and binary) solid solutions. There is no direct evidence for such solid solutions; arguments based upon the supposed anomaly in certain physical properties1 are hardly important; unexpected density relationships have proved deceptive ;2 suggestions of molecular solid solutions have been made on the basis of solution laws in their application to certain systems, but without result;3 attempts to find lattice parameters in the solid solution Al-MgZn2, which cannot be calculated from the separate effects of magnesium and zinc and might therefore be taken as evidence for a molecular aggregation, have given negative results.4 Fundamentally, methods for the determination of the state of molecu¬lar aggregation in solution depend upon the kinetic behavior of the par-ticles constituting the system. If it could be shown that the two solutes in a quasibinary ternary system diffuse in molecular proportions, despite a radical difference in the separate rates of diffusion of each solute when diffusing alone in the solvent lattice, some basis for the concept of molecu-lar solid solution would be afforded. Freche5 examined the rates of independent and simultaneous diffusion of magnesium and silicon in

Jan 1, 1939

By B. E. Fernow

MINING interests in the Western mountains are very seriously affected by the danger to property and life from destructive snowslides and avalanches. This is a danger which the miner has largely brought upon himself by an improvident stripping of the timber from the mountain slopes, and, therefore, he might be expected to take an interest in the reforestation of the areas thus devastated. A canvass was lately undertaken by the writer to ascertain approximately the extent of the damage suffered from this source, but the difficulty of obtaining reliable data has proved too great to permit, as yet, even an approximation. So much, however, is certain : that the loss of life is considerable, and that much property is destroyed almost every winter. True, neither the number of avalanches, nor their destructiveness, nor the amount of loss compares with what Switzerland experiences. This is due not only to the greater precipitousness of the Alps and to different climatic conditions, but also to the fact that in Switzerland a larger number of settlements is exposed to these dangers. A very complete and interesting official report on the very numerous and destructive avalanches occurring in Switzerland during the season of 1887-1888 has just been published as a contribution to the inquiry, whether and how these dangers can be averted. Peculiar weather-conditions, in addition to heavy falls of snow, were the reasons for the frequency of the phenomenon during that winter. This report records 1094 avalauches, by which 850 houses were destroyed or severely damaged; 84 persons and 752 cattle were buried; traffic on railroads and on highways was greatly interrupted, and the damage to personal property alone was valued at over $100,000. One of these snow-masses covered about half an acre, with a cone 250 feet in height. During the same year in Tyrol the number of avalanches was 3647. Of these 1355 run over permanent beds; that is, they recur annually, so that they are

Jan 1, 1890

By D. G. Westlake, U. F. Kocks

WHILE single crystals of most materials with cph lattice structure show essentially unlimited ductility, polycrystalline specimens of the same materials exhibit the entire range of ductilities. A difference between the ductility of single crystals and polycrystals may be associated with the special stress concentrations to be expected, for example, at the intersections of slip bands or twin lamellae with grain boundaries. Whether such stress concentrations prove catastrophic depends on the cleavage strength of the material, the size of the stress concentrations, and the speed with which they are formed. Thus, the ductility may vary in degree from material to material. Another possible reason for differences in ductility between single crystals and polycrystals is that a sufficient number of independent deformation modes must be available to insure compatibility between the macroscopic strains in neighboring grains.&apos;&apos;2 This criterion is often taken to be a necessary condition for any polycrystal ductility whatsoever, not as one that determines different degrees of ductility; thus, a material with an insufficient number of independent deformation modes would have to be brittle as a polycrystal. The "sufficient number" is five if every grain is to accommodate arbitrary shape changes ("von Mises criterion "). We should like to argue that fewer than five independent modes may be sufficient to satisfy compatibility conditions; and that the internal stresses set up when the plastic strains are not compatible reach the theoretical fracture stress only after a significant amount of macroscopic strain has taken place which may vary in magnitude from case to case, allowing an influence on the degree of ductility. Experimental evidence for these statements is taken from the following review of the number of independent deformation modes observed in the various cph

Jan 1, 1968

By Donald H. McLaughlin, Reno H. Sales

ADAPTATION to mining needs of the rich store of geologic knowledge concerning mineral deposits and the application of principles of the science to specific problems in the finding, development and stoping of particular ore bodies are the major tasks of the mining geologist. On him to an increasing degree is placed responsibility for estimation of ore and appraisal of mineralized ground, for explicit guidance of exploration and development, and for reliable advice with regard to the many geologic conditions that influence mining operations. In the long continued and steady efforts to meet these requirements, a special skill in close observation, recording, and quantitative interpretation has been developed, particularly by geologists on staffs of mining companies, which in many districts has proved to be effective, not only for technical ends, but also for advancement of scientific understanding. The foundations for mining geologic work were laid in most districts of the West by investigations of the United States Geological Survey. For years they have provided a reliable basis for geologic thought with regard to ore deposits, and later studies have enriched and supplemented rather than superseded them. In very few districts have the geologic relations stated in the earlier papers needed serious modification or revision, in spite of new evidence subsequently made available in abundance by mining exposures. Indeed, one of the chief satisfactions derived from success in mining geologic work is the assurance that it gives of the correctness bf the major concepts of the science of ore formation, established to so large an extent by the leaders of this notable group among whom Lindgren has been so eminent a figure. The geologists of the Survey have given and are continuing to give the service which can properly be expected of the Federal government. Their work, however, though of the greatest value in establishing the broad geological setting,

Jan 1, 1933