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By C. M. Moncrief, B C. Craft

A bentonite-clay drilling mud when treated with tetrasodium pyroarsenate underwent substantially the same reduction in viscosity and water loss as when treated with the complex phosphates. The complex arsenate showed a slightly higher reversion after heating; the other arsenates showed poor viscosity-reducing properties. Introduction During the past 10 years the chemical control of drilling mud has become of major importance in affecting the successful drilling and working over of wells. The desired properties of drilling mud have been well established, and in obtaining these characteristics there has developed a large market for viscosity-reducing chemicals. Viscosity reduction produced by humic acid, tannic acid, sodium silicate, sodium tannate, Calgon, and the complex phosphates has been described by Loomis, Ford, and Fidiam.l The effects Of treatment with complex phosphates and ammonium PolyPhosPhates on the rheological properties of muds were investigated by Fancher2 and the alkali vanadates have been described by Williams.3 Laboratory Investigations It is the purpose of this paper to point out the effects of arsenates in controlling the viscosity and gelling characteristics of a drilling mud. Viscosities and gel strengths were measured at room temperatures with a Stormer viscosimeter calibrated in centipoises and operated at 600 r.p.m. Water loss was determined at 80°F. with the Baroid low-pressure wall-building tester at a pressure of I00 lb. per sq. in. for 30 min. The hydrogen-ion concentration was measured with a glass electrode. The bentonite-clay suspensions were prepared in the laboratory and allowed to age several days before testing. Members of the Arsenic Group in the periodic Table include arsenic, antimony and bismuth, but this investigation was limited to arsenic. Phosphorus also occurs in Group V of the Periodic system and phosphorus and arsenic form many closely related compounds such as pH3 and AsH3, P2O5 and As2O5, H3PO4 and H3AS04 Samples of tetrasodium pyroarsenate were prepared by fusing c.p. disodium arsenate (Na2HA5O4.7H2O). According to Friend,' this re-forms the ortho-arsenate on dissolution in water. Sodium trihydrodiorthoarsenate was prepared as described by Mellor,5 from arsenic pen-toxide as follows: As2O5 + 3H20 -> 2H3AsO4 2H3AS04 + 3NaOH Na3H3(AsO4)2 .3H20 Sodium dihydrogen orthoarsenateWaHz-As04) was obtained by fusing together equivalent quantities of arsenious Oxide and sodium nitrate, dissolving the residue in water and allowing it to crystallize.

Jan 1, 1946

A SPRING meeting is to be held at Cleveland this month under the joint auspices of the Iron and Steel Committee and the Ohio Section with the cooperation of the neighboring sections in Pennsyl-vania, Illinois, and the other States of the Great Lakes region. The discussions will be focused on just one subject, that of manganese, but will cover that thor- oughly as is indicated by the following list of papers. TECHNICAL PROGRAM Some Political Aspects of the World Manganese Situa-tion. By C. K. Leith, Professor of Geology, Uni-versity of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. Manganese Resources in Relation to Domestic Con-sumption. By J. V. W. Reynders, Consulting En-gineer, New York, N. Y. Manganese Deposits of the' Gold Coast, Africa. By Sir Arthur E. Kitson, Director of the Geological Sur-vey of the Gold Coast, London; with Notes on the Petrology of Certain Associated Manganese Silicate-bearing Rocks. By Maj. N. R. Junner. Reserves of Lake Superior Manganiferous Iron Ores. By Carl Zapffe, Manager, iron ore properties, North-ern Pacific Railway Co., Brainerd, Minn. Iron Manganese Alloys Low in Carbon. By. Sir Robert Hadfield, Hadfields, Ltd., London. Manganese in Non-ferrous Alloys. By M. G. Corson, Consulting Engineer, New York, N. Y. Importance of Manganese in the Steel Industry. By H. M. Boylston, Professor of Metallurgy, Case School of Applied Science, Cleveland, Ohio. Minnesota Manganiferous Iron Ore in Relation to the Iron and Steel Industry. By T. L. Joseph, E. P. Barnett and C. E. Wood of the North Central Min-ing, Experiment Station, U. S. Bureau of Mines, Minneapolis, Minn. Representatives of the leading steel companies, the Army, the Navy, the Geological Survey, Bureau of Mines, and leading technical societies will be present and a lively discussion of the various papers is already assured. Nearly 14 pounds of manganese is needed for every ton of steel made. Estimates indicate that the total reserves of ore in this country suitable for making ferro would hardly supply domestic requirements for ten years, even if it could all be mined in that time. The grade of ore called for by present practice must come from abroad. The present tariff policy of this country is stated to cost industry $8,000,000 in order to force production of manganese ore to the extent of $600,000. What is the wise thing to do? Should a stock be accumulated? If so, how? Is it feasible to change practice and use low-grade ore or to beneficiate the ores of this grade and meet our requirements? What progress is being made in this direction? ,These and similar questions are raised in the various papers that have been submitted and will be open for dis-cussion.

Jan 3, 1927

By C. H. North, L. E. Lynd, W. W. Anderson, H. Sicurdson

D. R. Grantham (Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, London, England)—This paper is a very valuable contribution to our knowledge of ilmenite and its alteration products. Two aspects are not treated in the paper and further information would be valuable. How far are the alteration processes described influenced by the original composition of the ilmenite? The word gangue is used but it is not clear whether this refers to other chemical constituents in the ilmenite, e.g., magnesia, or to other minerals loose or in composite grains. Has the work described been related to specific gravities? Pure ilmenite is stated to have a specific gravity of 4.79. Some varieties range up to over 5.0, while high magnesic varieties have a specific gravity ranging to below 4.2. Alteration to hematite might lower the specific gravity and a porous texture due to the removal of iron and the formation of rutile might also lower it. As specific gravity is a quick method which often gives an approximate indication of composition, data on the above would be valuable. L. E. Lynd (authors' reply)—Because of the way in which beach sand deposits were formed, it is impossible to tell exactly what the original composition of the parent ilmenites might have been. Information on the influence of original composition on the alteration processes must be derived from other sources, perhaps by comparing the alteration products formed from ilmenite in place in a variety of rock deposits, where parent ilmenite and its alteration product can be recognized. No information of this type has yet been brought to our attention. The material referred to as gangue includes all constituents other than oxides of titanium and iron. Nearly all of this was present as separate grains of garnet, augite, hornblende, quartz, feldspar, spinel, or other gangue minerals. Inclusions of gangue minerals within ore grains were rare, and we believe there is little MgO (1 pct or less) or other impurity actually held in the ilmenite structure in any of the concentrates studied. No specific gravity measurements were made on the samples studied. However, the suggestion that alteration involving loss of iron would lower the specific gravity is a very reasonable one, and is in accord with the findings of Creitz and McVay (Ref. 9 of our paper) who reported two magnetic opaque fractions from Trail Ridge, Fla., to have the following specific gravities and pompositions: The specific gravity of this porous, high TiO² alteration product of ilmenite is closer to that of rutile (4.25) than to that of ilmenite. Due to the porosity, it may even be less dense than rutile, although lower in TiO² and higher in iron.

Jan 1, 1955

By C. M. Moncrief

A bentonite-clay drilling mud when treated with tetrasodium pyroarsenate underwent substantially the same reduction in viscosity and water loss as when treated with the complex phosphates. The complex arsenate showed a slightly higher reversion after heating; the other arsenates showed poor viscosity-reducing properties. Introduction During the past 10 years the chemical control of drilling mud has become of major importance in affecting the successful drilling and working over of wells. The desired properties of drilling mud have been well established, and in obtaining these characteristics there has developed a large market for viscosity-reducing chemicals. Viscosity reduction produced by humic acid, tannic acid, sodium silicate, sodium tannate, Calgon, and the complex phosphates has been described by Loomis, Ford, and Fidiam.l The effects Of treatment with complex phosphates and ammonium PolyPhosPhates on the rheological properties of muds were investigated by Fancher2 and the alkali vanadates have been described by Williams.3 Laboratory Investigations It is the purpose of this paper to point out the effects of arsenates in controlling the viscosity and gelling characteristics of a drilling mud. Viscosities and gel strengths were measured at room temperatures with a Stormer viscosimeter calibrated in centipoises and operated at 600 r.p.m. Water loss was determined at 80°F. with the Baroid low-pressure wall-building tester at a pressure of I00 lb. per sq. in. for 30 min. The hydrogen-ion concentration was measured with a glass electrode. The bentonite-clay suspensions were prepared in the laboratory and allowed to age several days before testing. Members of the Arsenic Group in the periodic Table include arsenic, antimony and bismuth, but this investigation was limited to arsenic. Phosphorus also occurs in Group V of the Periodic system and phosphorus and arsenic form many closely related compounds such as pH3 and AsH3, P2O5 and As2O5, H3PO4 and H3AS04 Samples of tetrasodium pyroarsenate were prepared by fusing c.p. disodium arsenate (Na2HA5O4.7H2O). According to Friend,' this re-forms the ortho-arsenate on dissolution in water. Sodium trihydrodiorthoarsenate was prepared as described by Mellor,5 from arsenic pen-toxide as follows: As2O5 + 3H20 -> 2H3AsO4 2H3AS04 + 3NaOH Na3H3(AsO4)2 .3H20 Sodium dihydrogen orthoarsenateWaHz-As04) was obtained by fusing together equivalent quantities of arsenious Oxide and sodium nitrate, dissolving the residue in water and allowing it to crystallize.

Jan 1, 1946

By Walter Miller

AFter a year's continued impact of war, the task of the petroleum-refining industry stands out clearly and looms up in larger aspect. This time it is not, as it was so largely in the first World War, simply a matter of increased quantity—more and more of the same petroleum products that had substantially been standard for years. In this era the emphasis is largely on newer and improved materials which had been produced, if at all, in comparatively insignificant quantities, and for which manufacturing equipment was not available on a large scale. At the beginning of 1942 four great product needs (besides a number of lesser ones) confronted the industry: 100-octane aviation gasoline, toluene for T.N.T. production, high-quality lubricating oils for aviation and Army equipment service, and petroleum chemicals for synthetic rubber manufacture. The difficulty in presenting a review of engineering progress in petroleum refining during 1942 is that there is so little one is free to say about so much which has been and is being accomplished. At the opening of 1942 the program was to increase the then existing capacity of 50,000 bbl. a day of aviation gasoline to over 150,000 bbl. daily by building new plants at an estimated installation cost of $150,000,000. Later in the year. after the announcement by President Roosevelt of a large increase in the program for war-plane building, additional contracts were made between the Reconstruction Finance Corporation and rehers to raise the capacity to 250,000 bbl. per day. The greatly increased scope of the war activities in all parts of the world, the obligation of the United States as the arsenal of the United Nations, and the greater importance and use of bomber, transport, and cargo planes will undoubtedly bring about plans and installations for a further increase in production of aviation gasoline over the present announced plan. In this connection, Jesse Jones, Reconstruction Finance Corporation Chairman, announced that as of Oct. 31 the R.F.C. had through its subsidiary Defense Plant Corporation entered into contracts for the construction, expansion, or equipping of 28 plants to increase 100-octane aviation gasoline production, but gave no data on 'capacity involved or completion dates. His list did not, of course, include a number of existing plants, and some installations being made by companies who are themselves financing the construction. Production from existing operating installations was materially increased in a number of instances as a result of pooling knowledge of improvements in operation and also by the exchange of Components going into 100-octane blend to enable greater quantities of aviation gasoline to be produced from the over-

Jan 1, 1943

By Walter Miller

AFter a year's continued impact of war, the task of the petroleum-refining industry stands out clearly and looms up in larger aspect. This time it is not, as it was so largely in the first World War, simply a matter of increased quantity—more and more of the same petroleum products that had substantially been standard for years. In this era the emphasis is largely on newer and improved materials which had been produced, if at all, in comparatively insignificant quantities, and for which manufacturing equipment was not available on a large scale. At the beginning of 1942 four great product needs (besides a number of lesser ones) confronted the industry: 100-octane aviation gasoline, toluene for T.N.T. production, high-quality lubricating oils for aviation and Army equipment service, and petroleum chemicals for synthetic rubber manufacture. The difficulty in presenting a review of engineering progress in petroleum refining during 1942 is that there is so little one is free to say about so much which has been and is being accomplished. At the opening of 1942 the program was to increase the then existing capacity of 50,000 bbl. a day of aviation gasoline to over 150,000 bbl. daily by building new plants at an estimated installation cost of $150,000,000. Later in the year. after the announcement by President Roosevelt of a large increase in the program for war-plane building, additional contracts were made between the Reconstruction Finance Corporation and rehers to raise the capacity to 250,000 bbl. per day. The greatly increased scope of the war activities in all parts of the world, the obligation of the United States as the arsenal of the United Nations, and the greater importance and use of bomber, transport, and cargo planes will undoubtedly bring about plans and installations for a further increase in production of aviation gasoline over the present announced plan. In this connection, Jesse Jones, Reconstruction Finance Corporation Chairman, announced that as of Oct. 31 the R.F.C. had through its subsidiary Defense Plant Corporation entered into contracts for the construction, expansion, or equipping of 28 plants to increase 100-octane aviation gasoline production, but gave no data on 'capacity involved or completion dates. His list did not, of course, include a number of existing plants, and some installations being made by companies who are themselves financing the construction. Production from existing operating installations was materially increased in a number of instances as a result of pooling knowledge of improvements in operation and also by the exchange of Components going into 100-octane blend to enable greater quantities of aviation gasoline to be produced from the over-

Jan 1, 1943

By Ralph Hultgren, David W. Mitchell

MAGNESIUM alloys usually are superheated before casting in order to ensure fineness of grain. Superheat temperatures in common use range from 1600° to 1700°F while the casting temperature, which depends upon the mold shape, is usually 200° to 300°F lower. The process of superheating requires considerable time and seriously shortens the life of the iron pots used. Recently it has been reported' that if acetylene, carbon dioxide or natural gas is bubbled through molten electrolytic A.S.T.M. No. 4 alloy at 1400°F. for 5 min., grain refinement equivalent to that of superheating will take place. Addition of certain solids such as graphite or aluminum carbide accomplishes the same results.2 As will be shown in this paper, it is possible to achieve grain refinement in magnesium casting alloys at low temperatures by mechanical stirring of the molten metal for a short time. This process was developed in the course of research work, supervised by the War Metallurgy Committee under the "Restricted" Project NRC-550, for the Office of Production Research and Development of the War Production Board. This paper, based on that work, has been released for publication by the O.P.R.D. MATERIALS AND METHODS The alloys studied were the most common American sand-casting alloys designated as No. 4 and No. 17 by the American Society for Testing Materials. The magnesium used in these alloys was of both carbothermic3 and electrolytic4 origin. Chemical analyses supplied by the producers are shown in Table I. Each heat consisted of approximately 5 lb. of alloy melted in a Tercod crucible. It was refined by fluxing with Permanente No. 7* refining flux at 1300° to 1350°F. After cooling to 1200' to 1250°F., portions of approximately one pound each were ladled into iron crucibles contained in an electric furnace at about 1250°F. The molten metal was covered with Permanente No. 21† covering flux and then heated to the temperature to be investigated. Normally each of the four portions was given a different treatment. In a typical case one portion was stirred vigorously for 5 min., acetylene gas was passed through a second portion for 5 min., a third portion was superheated to 1600°F for 15 min., then cooled to casting temperature, and the fourth was held for 5 min. at the temperature of stirring or gassing without other treatment. Each portion was then cast into one-inch diameter cylinders in three "nonturbulent" molds of identical shape. One mold was made of cast iron and the other two of baked sand. The cast-iron mold and one of the baked sand molds were heated to 360°F., the other baked sand mold was at room temperature. The freezing times in these molds were

Jan 1, 1945

E. P. Pfleider, University of Minnesota I would like to ask Bob Merrill whether he considers that horizontal concave curvature of a slope has any stabilizing effect, such as Jenike 1 suggested several years ago. R. H. Merrill, U. S. Bureau of Mines, Denver Federal Center The stabilizing effect is due to the restraint offered to radial movement by the curvature. We found in laboratory tests that if we constrained the rock with the same stresses as those measured in the pit then it would sustain a maximum stress about two or four times greater than when the same rock type was unconstrained. We are therefore definitely of the opinion that a constrained situation in a slope is favorable towards stability. G. A. Leonards, Purdue University I was interested in Mr. Lane's observations concerning the correspondence between rate of slide movement with rise of reservoir. Perhaps the most interesting feature is that the rate of movement at the time the rock slope failed was less than the rate at an earlier time when it did not fail. This is difficult to explain from current slope stability theory. K. S. Lane, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers I believe that reduced rate of movement is the result of the progressive type of failure, such as described by Patton and Deere. which occurs along the sliding surfaces. It is difficult to analytically define the progressive failure condition for inclusion in slope stability conditions, but its existence should be recognized in design. We should also realize that many apparently stable slopes undoubtedly contain overstressed regions. To design a slope with no overstressed region would be uneconomical and conservative. D. H. Deere I would pose the question-"What is the meaning of a factor of safety of one?" We were involved in the design of a large, irregularly shaped, underground cavity with an unsupported span of several hundreds of feet. Tests on rock specimens indicated a strength of 1300 lb per sq in. The RQD would have been between 90 to 100 percent indicating excellent structural continuity. In-situ stress determinations indicated an approximately hydrostatic state of stress at a level of 1400 lb per sq in. Calculation of stress concentrations at the walls indicated that the stresses there would be about 3000 to 4000 lb per sq in. Admittedly the rock is in a confined condition everywhere except at the very skin of the wall and the rock walls would thus on the average be somewhat stronger. Allowing for the effect of restraint the factor of safety was found to be less than 0.5 over a region several feet into the wall. Construction was started, using rockbolts only to support the walls. Failure around the immediate skin occurred after each

Jan 1, 1967

By Arthur F. Taggart, A. W. Thomas, T.C. Fitt

It was noticed early by operators that high recoveries and flocculation of the sulphide minerals were closely correlated in agitation-froth flotation. Later, this readily visible flocculation was found almost invariably to be due to the binding together of the oiled sulphides by minute air bubbles, and is now known to be characteristic of pulps in which at least one of the mineral species is coated with an insoluble collecting oil. In 1930 it was reported1 that in differential flotation a correlation exists between Brownian movement of particles in the pulp and their nonfloatability, and that Brownian movement and dispersion are likewise correlated, whence it would appear to follow that dispersion of a mineral particle in a flotation pulp denotes a particle condition unfavorable to flotation. In 1934 it was postulated2 that Brownian movement, dispersion and nonfloatability all flow from the condition of the surface of the dispersed particles. It was also postulated at that time that the surfaces of dispersed particles are ionized, the ionized compound being a product of reaction between a component of the particle and a component of the pulp, of a mass solubility of the general order of a fraction of a milligram to I 5 to 20 mg. per liter. It was then further asserted, and has since been confirmed by Bankoff,3 that sulphides so conditioned with soluble collectors as to be floatable flocculate without the intervention of air bubbles as binding media. The present paper comprises an inquiry into the nature of the bound and counter ions in zinc sulphide dispersed by sodium arsenate. A part of its findings was mentioned in the 1934 paper above cited.= The tests show that: I. When powdered granular zinc sulphide is immersed in aqueous solutions of sodium arsenate, arsenate ion is abstracted from solution and anchored to the solid surface, while sulphate and lower sulphoxy ions are concurrently displaced therefrom in substantially stoichiometric quantities. 2. The ion counterbalancing the anchored arsenate ion is zinc. 3. Dispersion and Brownian movement of zinc sulphide are concurrently maxima at an arsenate-ion concentration lying between 0.01 and 0.001-molar sodium arsenate. 4. Any condition or reaction that tends. to remove the zinc arsenate coating from the zinc sulphide particles decreases dispersion and Brownian movement concurrently. Experimental Three samples of zinc sulphide were used. Lot I was C.P. zinc sulphide, washed well be~ond absence of chloride, as shown by test with silver ion. Lot 2 was prepared by precipitation from hydrochloric acid solution of arsenic-free zinc, and was washed as lot I. Lot 3 was prepared by heating a portion of lot 2 in absence of air at 1200° to r300°C. for one hour."

Jan 1, 1943

An Appreciation of Dr. Douglas by Dr. ALBERT R. LEDOUX The Bulletins of the American Institute of Mining Engineers and the program of the International Engineering Congress, held last September at San Francisco, called attention to an important feature in the pro¬ceedings of the Congress; viz., the public presentation to Dr. James Douglas of the John Fritz Medal, for notable achievements in mining, metallurgy, education. and industrial welfare. Dr. Douglas' health, unfortunately, did not permit of his taking the journey to California. While he had been willing that the bestowal of the medal should be a public ceremony, his natural modesty made him shrink somewhat from what he considered something of an ordeal, and he begged those who were to take part in it to use restraint in anything which they might have to say as to his work and attainments. It was, therefore, with some considerable satisfaction on his side that he learned that the medal would be given him without a public, ceremony in New York, or elsewhere. . On Dec. 5, 1915, the writer of this had the pleasure of handing him the medal, certificate, and official letters of transmittal, at his home at Spuyten Duyvil, where lie was surrounded by his children and grandchildren, with one or two of his most intimate friends. He begged the writer to return his thanks to the Committee of Award; and again to express the feeling that nothing in his career merited so great an honor. On this point all of the members of the Institute will share the writer's feeling that Dr. Douglas is too modest. James Douglas was born at Quebec, Canada, in November, 1837. His father Was a distinguished physician and surgeon, employing his skill in the field of philanthropy: He established the first retreat for the insane in the Dominion, to which lie. devoted himself up to the time of his departure from Canada, when it was taken over by the Government. The son spent 2 years in study at the University of Edinburgh, which lie entered in 1855. Returning to Canada, he graduated from Queens University, at Kingston, Ontario, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, having also studied medicine, and later theology. After his graduation he traveled extensively with his father in Europe and in the Orient, visiting Egypt several time's. They returned with important archaelogical collections, which Dr. Douglas subsequently donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in this city. He then returned to Edinburgh, where he continued his course in medicine, surgery being perhaps his chief interest at that time. He was subsequently licensed to preach and his contemporaries bore testimony to his broad philanthropy and to the sympathy which dominated his every act. His taste was distinctly literary; he had carried off a prize at Edinburgh in English literature.

Jan 1, 1916

By Arthur F. Taggart, T. C. Fitt, A. W. Thomas

It was noticed early by operators that high recoveries and flocculation of the sulphide minerals were closely correlated in agitation-froth flotation. Later, this readily visible flocculation was found almost invariably to be due to the binding together of the oiled sulphides by minute air bubbles, and is now known to be characteristic of pulps in which at least one of the mineral species is coated with an insoluble collecting oil. In 1930 it was reported1 that in differential flotation a correlation exists between Brownian movement of particles in the pulp and their nonfloatability, and that Brownian movement and dispersion are likewise correlated, whence it would appear to follow that dispersion of a mineral particle in a flotation pulp denotes a particle condition unfavorable to flotation. In 1934 it was postulated2 that Brownian movement, dispersion and nonfloatability all flow from the condition of the surface of the dispersed particles. It was also postulated at that time that the surfaces of dispersed particles are ionized, the ionized compound being a product of reaction between a component of the particle and a component of the pulp, of a mass solubility of the general order of a fraction of a milligram to I 5 to 20 mg. per liter. It was then further asserted, and has since been confirmed by Bankoff,3 that sulphides so conditioned with soluble collectors as to be floatable flocculate without the intervention of air bubbles as binding media. The present paper comprises an inquiry into the nature of the bound and counter ions in zinc sulphide dispersed by sodium arsenate. A part of its findings was mentioned in the 1934 paper above cited.= The tests show that: I. When powdered granular zinc sulphide is immersed in aqueous solutions of sodium arsenate, arsenate ion is abstracted from solution and anchored to the solid surface, while sulphate and lower sulphoxy ions are concurrently displaced therefrom in substantially stoichiometric quantities. 2. The ion counterbalancing the anchored arsenate ion is zinc. 3. Dispersion and Brownian movement of zinc sulphide are concurrently maxima at an arsenate-ion concentration lying between 0.01 and 0.001-molar sodium arsenate. 4. Any condition or reaction that tends. to remove the zinc arsenate coating from the zinc sulphide particles decreases dispersion and Brownian movement concurrently. Experimental Three samples of zinc sulphide were used. Lot I was C.P. zinc sulphide, washed well be~ond absence of chloride, as shown by test with silver ion. Lot 2 was prepared by precipitation from hydrochloric acid solution of arsenic-free zinc, and was washed as lot I. Lot 3 was prepared by heating a portion of lot 2 in absence of air at 1200° to r300°C. for one hour."

Jan 1, 1943

By G. Carman Ridland

In conjunction with a geological investigation of the silver-bearing veins at Contact Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada, a survey was made with a Geiger-Miiller counter of the gamma-ray emissions from the rocks in the vicinity of the mine workings. Discontinuous pitchblende veins have been encountered occasionally in the silver-bearing fissures, and the geophysical survey was undertaken with the hope that abnormally high gamma-ray intensities, if detected, might lead to larger and more continuous pitchblende discoveries. Before the instrument was used at Contact Lake, preliminary tests were made, first with laboratory specimens at Princeton University, and later over known pitchblende deposits at the Eldorado property, LaBine Point, N.W.T. The Geiger-Müller counter, as adapted for field use, is described; the technique of transporting and operating the instrument is outlined; and the general precautions to be observed are discussed. The results obtained at Great Bear Lake show that the instrument is capable of detecting not only a pitchblende ore shoot in a shear zone, but also the mildly radioactive "host rock" at a considerable distance from the ore body. Hence, use of the Geiger-Müller counter is urged, not just for the detailed search for an ore body in a shear zone, but for the detection of possible radioactive "host rocks" in large-scale reconnaissance surveys of unexplored regions made by prospectors and members of federal geological survey parties. Location.—Along the rocky eastern shores of Great Bear Lake, in the Northwest Territories of Canada, lies one of the world's great radium-producing areas. The Eldorado mine, owned and operated by the Eldorado Gold Mines, Ltd., is at LaBine Point; while the Contact Lake mine, operated by Bear Exploration and Radium, Ltd. (B.E.A.R.), lies 9 miles to the southeast of LaBine Point and 2 miles south of Echo Bay, an indentation in the eastern shore line of Great Bear Lake. Geology.—The Eldorado company obtains its radium by the mining of the mineral pitchblende, which is found associated with a complex variety of metallic and nonmetallic minerals1 in quartz-carbonate veins occurring in metamorphosed pre-Cambrian sediment aries. Most of the pitchblende is intimately associated with a brown quartz and belongs to an early hydrothermal stage of mineralization during which safflorite-rammelsbergite and minor cobalt-nickel minerals were also deposited. Some pitchblende occurs with a group of minerals belonging to a later stage of mineralization in which the gangue is mainly dolomite and sometimes ferruginous rhodochrosite. Associated with this group are native silver and lead-zinc-copper sulphide minerals. The Contact Lake property owes its existence to the mining of rich, native silver ore shoots, which are

Jan 1, 1946

By G. Carman Ridland

In conjunction with a geological investigation of the silver-bearing veins at Contact Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada, a survey was made with a Geiger-Miiller counter of the gamma-ray emissions from the rocks in the vicinity of the mine workings. Discontinuous pitchblende veins have been encountered occasionally in the silver-bearing fissures, and the geophysical survey was undertaken with the hope that abnormally high gamma-ray intensities, if detected, might lead to larger and more continuous pitchblende discoveries. Before the instrument was used at Contact Lake, preliminary tests were made, first with laboratory specimens at Princeton University, and later over known pitchblende deposits at the Eldorado property, LaBine Point, N.W.T. The Geiger-Müller counter, as adapted for field use, is described; the technique of transporting and operating the instrument is outlined; and the general precautions to be observed are discussed. The results obtained at Great Bear Lake show that the instrument is capable of detecting not only a pitchblende ore shoot in a shear zone, but also the mildly radioactive "host rock" at a considerable distance from the ore body. Hence, use of the Geiger-Müller counter is urged, not just for the detailed search for an ore body in a shear zone, but for the detection of possible radioactive "host rocks" in large-scale reconnaissance surveys of unexplored regions made by prospectors and members of federal geological survey parties. Location.—Along the rocky eastern shores of Great Bear Lake, in the Northwest Territories of Canada, lies one of the world's great radium-producing areas. The Eldorado mine, owned and operated by the Eldorado Gold Mines, Ltd., is at LaBine Point; while the Contact Lake mine, operated by Bear Exploration and Radium, Ltd. (B.E.A.R.), lies 9 miles to the southeast of LaBine Point and 2 miles south of Echo Bay, an indentation in the eastern shore line of Great Bear Lake. Geology.—The Eldorado company obtains its radium by the mining of the mineral pitchblende, which is found associated with a complex variety of metallic and nonmetallic minerals1 in quartz-carbonate veins occurring in metamorphosed pre-Cambrian sediment aries. Most of the pitchblende is intimately associated with a brown quartz and belongs to an early hydrothermal stage of mineralization during which safflorite-rammelsbergite and minor cobalt-nickel minerals were also deposited. Some pitchblende occurs with a group of minerals belonging to a later stage of mineralization in which the gangue is mainly dolomite and sometimes ferruginous rhodochrosite. Associated with this group are native silver and lead-zinc-copper sulphide minerals. The Contact Lake property owes its existence to the mining of rich, native silver ore shoots, which are

Jan 1, 1946

By Frederick C. Langenberg

IT has been shown1 that copper can be removed from iron-base alloys by solvent extraction with molten lead and sodium sulfide slags. In these processes copper removal is favored by a positive deviation of copper in iron from ideal behavior. Chou' determined the distribution of copper between liquid silver and iron and obtained a value for the activity coefficient of copper in iron at 1600°C, y°, of 9.12. Chipman" calculated the activity coefficient from the Fe-Cu phase diagram to be 12 at 1600°C. More recent work by Koros and Chipman" yields a value at 1600°C for y V equal to 8.0. In this latter work, the distribution of copper between silver and iron was measured at 1600°C, while the activity of copper in the silver phase was determined from calculations based on the Ag-Cu phase diagram. The present work presents another value of based on calculations from the Cu-Pb phase diagram, on the heat of mixing data for the Cu-Pb system, and on an experimental study of the distribution of copper between iron and lead at 1600°C. These experiments were part of a larger research on the removal of copper from iron-base alloys conducted at The Pennsylvania State University. Experimental Procedure—The distribution of copper between pure iron and lead at 1600°C was made in the furnace assembly shown in Fig. 1. The melts were made in high purity alumina crucibles under an atmosphere of prepurified argon. Temperatures were read with an optical pyrometer sighted into a %-in. hole drilled in the inductor. Extensive calibration of the optical readings with immersion readings had been carried out previously. The initial charges consisted of 100 g of electrolytic iron and varying weights of copper. The melts were brought rapidly to 1600°C and 75 g of lead added. The temperature was quickly readjusted to 1600°C, and the melts were held for 10 min at this temperature. A sample was then drawn from the iron layer in a fused silica tube. This sample was analyzed to determine the copper content of the iron layer at equilibrium, while the copper content of the lead layer was determined from a material balance. The validity of the material balance was confirmed by a chemical analysis of the entire lead layer for one heat in which the crucible was removed and quenched after the iron sample was taken. The calculated copper content of the lead-rich phase was 1.18 pct; while the entire lead layer analyzed 1.20 pct Cu. The distribution results are shown in Fig. 2. The distribution constant, N,.'r'"/N, is equal to 3.95. Discussion—From the Cu-Pb phase diagram' it can be seen that lead-rich liquid Pb-Cu solutions

Jan 1, 1957

By Earl Ingerson

BORE surfaces of used guns commonly show a pattern of cracks in various degrees of development. It has been suggested that these cracks may aid erosion by providing channelways for the gases, eventually leading to the tearing out of blocks of metal. Under the general studies of gun erosion conducted at the Geophysical Laboratory it appeared desirable to consider this factor, and to determine the resistance to surface cracking offered by gun steel and by various other materials that might be used in the bores of guns. METHOD AND APPARATUS In order to make such a determination it is necessary to have (I) an arrangement in which the surface to be studied can be subjected to conditions similar to those in a gun with respect to temperature, pressure (developed by explosion gases), composition of the gases and length of time the surface is exposed to the gases; and (2) a specimen that can be examined readily after any number of shots, and then fired again, if necessary. The first of these conditions can be met by using an explosion vessel designed by H. S. Roberts of the Geophysical Laboratory. Fig I shows a cross section of the apparatus. The "gun" G from which the charge is fired is made from the receiver of a caliber 0.30 army rifle, M1903, and the charges are prepared in caliber 0.30 cartridge cases. The test specimen S is held in place by a cone-shaped plug P and by a steel ,bridge B which is bolted to the outside of the explosion vessel on either side of the section shown. The plug, in turn, is held in place by a screw collar C. Maximum pressure is controlled by a brass rupture disk R. Part of the explosion gases flow past the two flat areas on S. st the two flat areas on S. Temperature and composition of gases, and the time before the rupture disk breaks, can be controlled by amount and kind of powder used, and pressure can be controlled by using rupture disks of different thickness. While the explosion vessel used was not designed so that temperature and pressure could be measured, in other vessels of closely similar size and shape containing proportionate charges of the same kind of powder as that used for standard testing procedure, values of 2700°K and 5000 psi were obtained. Since the orifices past the flat areas on the plug are small compared to the rupture disk hole (1:16), most of the gas goes out through the rupture disk when it breaks. The amount that goes by the plug depends on (I) the pressure attained before the rupture disk breaks and (2) the time it takes for this pressure to be built UP. The second condition (examination at will after any firing) is met by using for specimens short rods that have flat areas ground on opposite sides. These flat

Jan 1, 1947

By L. D. Clark, S. S. Saluja

A physical law, governing the rupture of rock by confined explosive charge correspondent to current expressions for determining weight of charge to rupture rock burden, W, was developed in the form Q = cVw3 by two early investigators performing unique experiments with ice. The coefficient C, is found by trial blast. Recent physical tests conducted with rock, synthetic materials and ice to establish the validity of the theory on which it and other related formulae are based indicated: (a) that failure under hydrodynamic impact pressure is by tension rather than shear as was assumed; (b) that the fundamental law of mechanics, enabling the determination of Q = cvw3, modified to the form P = R x Sa x Wb is valid when low velocity explosives are used; (c) that rock breakage under the action of low velocity explosives is entirely due to explosion gas pressure, as was believed; (d) that under the action of high velocity explosive it is due to the joint effects of scabbing and gas pressure; and that further possible modification could make the above equation also applicable to these joint mechanisms. shape could be easily frozen and because large loads would not be required. They found: (a) that the not unfamiliar shearing equation for metals was applicable to ice where P = load in lb; S = periphery of pressure surface, in.; W = burden, in.; K = modulus of rupture by shear in lb per in.2; and (b) that "the form of cavity produced by the application of gradual pressure is similar to that obtained by blasting in rock under similar conditions of free face and pressure surface!" This similarity in crater shapes leads to the conclusion that rock would rupture by shear, as did ice, and its behavior under the force of a blast could be governed by such a relationship as P = S x W x K. Three important interrelated empirical expressions were derived and rock, charging and spacing coefficients C,, C, and e were established and substantiated by trial blasts. In checking the accuracy of the main assumptions, duplication of the ice tests, substituting rock, suggested that K is not constant and that P = K x W x S, though valid for ice, does not necessarily hold for homogeneous limestone.' Conclusions from this later work raised questions making continued investigation desirable because such conclusions do not destroy the practical value of the empirical equations or theory. Further study for the establishment of the relationship between load, burden and periphery of the pressure surface and possible application of these to the mechanism of rock blasting was undertaken by the authors of this paper. MECHANICAL TESTING - EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Certain inconsistencies in the results of the aforementioned tests repeated on three types of limestone suggested these inconsistencies be attributed to rock inhomogeneity. It was also suspected that the loading speed, which could not be held uniform, may have contributed. The earlier work with both rock and ice

Jan 1, 1964

By M. Cohen, R. J. Teitel

There is considerable interest in beryllium because of its low density (1.84 g per cu cm), high modulus of elasticity (40 X 106 psi), high melting point (1280°C), and special nuclear characteristics. Moreover, it has fair resistance to corrosion and oxidation. However, the purest beryllium known to the authors is relatively brittle at room temperature, and cannot be fabricated readily. The search for improved properties leads naturally to investigations of beryllium alloys and the phase relationships upon which they are based. The present paper is concerned with the alloys of beryllium and iron, primarily from the standpoint of the equilibrium diagram. Iron was selected (1) because of its all-round importance in metallurgy, and (2) because the beryllium-iron system is known to be quite complex. The most recent diagram in the literature is that of Gaev and Sokolov,' and covers only the iron-rich end up to 16 wt pct beryllium. Beryllium markedly restricts the austenitic field, closing the gamma loop at about 0.4 wt pct (3 at. pct). On the other hand, beryllium is soluble in a-ferrite up to a maximum of 7.5 wt pct (34 at. pct) at the eutectic temperature of 1160"C. The eutectic composition lies at 10 wt pct beryllium (42 at. pct) and corresponds to a mixture of or and FeBez (called j3 in the present paper). The solid solubility of beryllium in the a phase decreases with decreasing temperature, and makes precipitation-hardening possible. These findings substantiate the earlier work of Oester-held,2 Wever and Mueller3 and Laissus.4 In addition to the FeBe2 (ß) mentioned above, Misch6 has reported on FeBes, and indicated evidence for another compound containing still more beryllium. A preliminary diagram by Gordon,5 not hitherto published, is given in Fig 1. Besides the phases previously named, there are shown a solid solution of extended range (e), a compound of limited solubility (t), and a high temperature phase (7). Beryllium is designated as 8. The t field contains the compound composition FeBea, and the f phase undoubtedly corresponds to the beryllium-rich compound found by Misch.6 The region around the { phase was proposed by R. J. Teitel based on Gordon's data. The details of the diagram are self-explanatory. It was the unusual complexity of this system that prompted the authors to undertake the present studies. By the same token, more emphasis was placed on the beryllium-rich than the iron-rich end of the diagram. Exprimental Details RAW MATERIALS The beryllium employed in this investigation was one of the purest grades available. Its chemical analysis after vacuum melting is given in Table 1. The metal assayed 99.4 wt pct beryllium. Vacuum melted electrolytic iron of purity shown in Table 1 was the source of iron.

Jan 1, 1950

By Michel T. Halbouty

The area for which oil and gas developments in South Texas are reported for 1940 in this paper covers the same counties that were included in the reports for 1938 and 1939, with the addition of LaSalle County. LaSalle County is includcd in the Laredo district of South Texas, which totals seven counties for that district. The Corpus Christi district remains the same, with nine counties. The two districts together comprise what is known as the South Texas area for this report. Continued exploration along established trends and beyond proven field limits during 1940 provided South Texas with new fields and new producing levels at a rate of discovery fairly comparable with the high records set during recent years. The wells drilled in the counties within this district (including LaSalle) numbered 1656, approximately 8 per cent below the 1801 figure of last year. However, rank wildcats totaIed 336, an increase of 17.5 per cent compared to the 286 drilled in 1939. Therefore, since new field discoveries numbered 25 in 1940 against 29 in 1939, the rate of new field discoveries in 1940, based upon rank wildcats drilled, was I/I3.4 while that of 1939 was I/9.86, which shows a decrease of about 25 per cent in the rate of new fields. The rank wildcat tests in 1940 gave the following results: 18 produced oil, 4 produced distillate with gas, 3 produced. only gas, and 3r1 were dry holes (Table 5). Of the 1320 tests drilled in already proven fields or as extensions to pro+en areas (representing a decline of 12.8 per cent from last year's total of 1515 tests), 1048 produced oil or distillate, 60 produced gas and 212 were dry holes (Table 4). Of the producers, 50 found new sands or crude-in-distillate-sands in existing fields. Among the several fields subjected to extensive development were: Colorado, Jim Hogg County; East White Point, San Patricio and Nueces County; Rincon and Sun, Starr County; Glen, Webb and Zapata Counties; Wade City and Orange Grove, Jim Wells County; Stratton and South Clara Driscoll, Nueces County, and Aransas Pass, San Patricio and Aransas Counties. The development of important crude reserves on structures formerly considered primarily distillate fields has probably been the most important phase of the year's operations in South Texas. The Rincon, Stratton, Agua Dulce, Wade City, Odem and Robston fields provided the new crude sand discoveries. At some places crude production was opened by exploratory wells that found new sand horizons; in others by flank wells that found already discovered distillate sands sufficiently low to provide crude production. Rincon, Starr County, with its multiple sands, is now believed to be one of South Texas' largest crude-oil reserves. Offshore drilling showed important results during the year, including the discovery of two new submerged fields and the extension of the East White Point field into offshore Nueces County. The new marine fields are: East Flour Bluff) 76

Jan 1, 1941

By Michel T. Halbouty

The area for which oil and gas developments in South Texas are reported for 1940 in this paper covers the same counties that were included in the reports for 1938 and 1939, with the addition of LaSalle County. LaSalle County is includcd in the Laredo district of South Texas, which totals seven counties for that district. The Corpus Christi district remains the same, with nine counties. The two districts together comprise what is known as the South Texas area for this report. Continued exploration along established trends and beyond proven field limits during 1940 provided South Texas with new fields and new producing levels at a rate of discovery fairly comparable with the high records set during recent years. The wells drilled in the counties within this district (including LaSalle) numbered 1656, approximately 8 per cent below the 1801 figure of last year. However, rank wildcats totaIed 336, an increase of 17.5 per cent compared to the 286 drilled in 1939. Therefore, since new field discoveries numbered 25 in 1940 against 29 in 1939, the rate of new field discoveries in 1940, based upon rank wildcats drilled, was I/I3.4 while that of 1939 was I/9.86, which shows a decrease of about 25 per cent in the rate of new fields. The rank wildcat tests in 1940 gave the following results: 18 produced oil, 4 produced distillate with gas, 3 produced. only gas, and 3r1 were dry holes (Table 5). Of the 1320 tests drilled in already proven fields or as extensions to pro+en areas (representing a decline of 12.8 per cent from last year's total of 1515 tests), 1048 produced oil or distillate, 60 produced gas and 212 were dry holes (Table 4). Of the producers, 50 found new sands or crude-in-distillate-sands in existing fields. Among the several fields subjected to extensive development were: Colorado, Jim Hogg County; East White Point, San Patricio and Nueces County; Rincon and Sun, Starr County; Glen, Webb and Zapata Counties; Wade City and Orange Grove, Jim Wells County; Stratton and South Clara Driscoll, Nueces County, and Aransas Pass, San Patricio and Aransas Counties. The development of important crude reserves on structures formerly considered primarily distillate fields has probably been the most important phase of the year's operations in South Texas. The Rincon, Stratton, Agua Dulce, Wade City, Odem and Robston fields provided the new crude sand discoveries. At some places crude production was opened by exploratory wells that found new sand horizons; in others by flank wells that found already discovered distillate sands sufficiently low to provide crude production. Rincon, Starr County, with its multiple sands, is now believed to be one of South Texas' largest crude-oil reserves. Offshore drilling showed important results during the year, including the discovery of two new submerged fields and the extension of the East White Point field into offshore Nueces County. The new marine fields are: East Flour Bluff) 76

Jan 1, 1941

By Rollin E. Hook, Attwell M. Adair

The response of CrzO3 and C~304 to various heat treatments was studied in are-melted iodide chromizim over the temperature range 1000" to 1750°C. These oxides, which are present as impurity phases in this material, were identified by X-ray diffraction teclzniques which were supplemented by optical metallop-aphy. As a function of increasing temperature, Crs04 is first observable in samples annealed at 1300°C and coexists with Cr2O3 (the low-temperature oxide) over a temperature range exceeding 200°C. As the temperature decreases, Cr3O4 dissolves with the concomitant precipttation of Cr2Y2. Both oxides precipitate predominantly at pain boundaries. The reactions which occur are involved with at least ternary equilibria, possibly due to iron which is present as an impurity in arc-melted iodide chromium. HILTY, Forgeng, and Folkman' reported in their investigation of the Fe-Cr-0 system that Cr3O4 (with about 8 pct Fe substituted for chromium) is a primary phase found in alloys with 9 or more pct Cr. They reported that this phase is stable only at high temperatures and that below the liquidus Cr3O4 is disproportionated into Cr2O3 and chromium-rich metal for both Fe-Cr-O alloys and in oxygen saturated pure chromium. Further, they proposed that CrsO4 forms by a peritectic reaction between Cr2O3 and the liquid. On the other hand, Hook, Garrett, and Adair2 found in their investigation of impurity phases formed in "pure" chromium (material consolidated from iodide chromium crystals) that Cr3O4 forms intergranularly and is stable as low as 1500°C which is 375OC below the melting point of chromium. The purpose of the research described herein is to determine the temperature range of stability of Cr3O4, and to show the nature of its decomposition. This further investigation indicates that Cr3O4 undoubtedly occurs in this material as low as 1300°C. The chromium studied was consolidated and fabricated from iodide chromium crystals (ICr-5) and contained Fe r 135 ppm, Si = 20 to 100 ppm, and 0 = 35 to 137 ppm. A complete chemical analysis is given elsewhere.' Annealing was conducted in 1 atm of purified helium and all samples were rapidly cooled (-200°C per sec) by withdrawing them from the furnace hot zone under a high flow rate of helium. The details of the electrolytic-etching technique and electrolytic-digestion techniques for preparation of insoluble residues for X-ray examination are given elsewhere also.' EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS The Starting Material. The as-swaged rod (final swaging done at 900°C) had a wrought grain structure and contained a dispersion of CrzO3 inclusions of maximum particle size of about 2 or 3 p, Fig. 1. The microstructure also contained a dispersed

Jan 1, 1964