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By John V. Beall

BROMO Seltzer blue has gone to war. The blue of the Bromo Seltzer bottle is a product of cobalt, the Nation's No. 1 strategic metal. When the National Production Authority, on Nov. 21, 1950, ordered a 70 pct cutback in domestic use of cobalt, a stab of pain was felt in the hearts of the glass, porcelain enamel, steel, paint, pottery, and electrical and electronic equipment industries. The reason: A full-scale wartime economy with astronomical requirements for jet engines, high velocity projectiles, armor plate, electronic equipment, and the many products needed to win a war. There is little potential comfort for cobalt users in nonessential manufacturing, and the military will be pinched for optimum supplies of the metal. However, if proper measures are taken immediately and current plans are completed, in two years there will be far more cobalt available than ever before. When normal times return, cobalt supplies should be sufficient to meet peacetime military requirements, and greatly expanded domestic requirements that will result from new technological development for wartime but adaptable to peacetime products. The pres-

Jan 1, 1951

By John M. Cigan

Samples of copper-lead concentrates from the mine of Cia Minerals Santander, Inc., a Peruvian subsidiary of the St. Joseph Lead Co. were recently subjected to special analysis. This concentrate was known to contain bismuth which, under some circumstances, might have incurred a smelter penalty. In this case, customers for the concentrate accepted it and requested a higher concentration of bismuth. Although chemical analysis would disclose the presence of the metal, it was not possible with equipment available at the mill in Peru to determine the mode of occurrence in the fine grained ores.

Jan 11, 1964

By J. G. Giddings, R. Kobayashi

Residual viscosity, the ViSCOSitY at a given pressure and temperature minus the dilute gas viscosity at the same temperature, has been found to be independent of temperature for pure components and mixtures for simple molecules and light hydrocarbons. The residual viscosities for methane, ethane, propane and four mixtures were correlated as a function of reduced density and molecular weight. INTRODUCTION Earlier efforts in correlating the viscosity of light hydrocarbons and associated gases under pressure, primarily by some form of the corresponding states principle, have been reported elsewhere.7 The formal theory of corresponding states principle for viscosity from non-equilibrium statistical mechanical arguments for simple molecules has been developed by Helfand and Rice.13 The most serious obstacle to the development of a generalized corresponding states representation of viscosity data, even for simple molecules, has been the limited quantity of precise viscosity data of pure components and mixtures over a wide range of pressure and temperature conditions. Viscosity data on light hydrocarbons have recently been contributed by several laboratories.2,6,8,23,25,26 In the study of the viscosity of nitrogen, Michels and Gibson" observed that the viscosities of nitrogen as a function of density gave parallel isotherms. The same behavior has since been reported for other gases.".= The observed behavior indicates that the residual viscosity or the viscosity at a given pressure and temperature minus the dilute gas viscosity at the same temperature is a unique function of the density. Abas-Zade,1 Michels and Botzen,18 and Michels, Bot-Zen, Friedman and Sengers,19 observed similar behavior for thermal conductivity, the residual thermal conductivity being defined in a manner parallel to that of residual viscosity. Thodos and co-workers 4,15,24 applied the residual viscosity concept to the viscosity of pure monatomic and diatomic gases. Ellington and co-workers10,25 made the residual viscosity vs density plots for ethane and propane, but omitted the region below a residual viscosity of 15 micropoise and showed a systematic separation of the ethane isotherms in the low density region. Eakin correlated the residual viscosity of methane, ethane, propane and n-butane empirically as a function of density and molecular weight: Carmichael and Sage6 recently presented ethane residual viscosity vs density values in the gaseous liquid, and near critical regions as a single univariant function of density. Flynn, Hanks, Lemaire and ROSS" have contributed extremely accurate viscosity data to confirm that the residual viscosity concept is essentially correct, but may not be accurate within 0.1 per cent of the viscosity value for the gaseous state- The recent studies by Giddings12 indicate that the residual viscosity of methane, propane and each of four methane-propane mixtures are unique functions of density Over the temperature and the density ranges studied.

Jan 1, 1965

By R. W. Ludt, C. C. DeWitt

The use of froth flotation for the separation of minerals has become one of the most important of ore dressing processes. Its particular adaptability to the enrichment of low grade ores has made the process an important factor in the national economy. The methods have been extended to the recovery of a great number of minerals. Among the few minerals which have resisted efforts toward industrial flotation is chrysocolla, a hydrated partly colloidal copper silicate. Chrysocolla, being a product of natural oxidation, has been found to occur in small quantities with many ores which are recovered by flotation methods. In present practice, these small quantities of copper silicate pass off with the tailings and are lost. The advantages to be gained by a satisfactory process for the recovery of chrysocolla is apparent. Any application of principles which points a way toward the satisfactory industrial flotation process for copper silicate would be of advantage. This paper presents an attack on this problem. Two methods for the recovery of chrysocolla have been developed by the United States Bureau of Mines.1,2 They have been successful on a laboratory scale but have been seriously restricted in industrial application by critical requirements in the procedure. In one of the Bureau of Mines methods,' the ore is activated with sodium or hydrogen sulphide in an aqueous solution at a pH of 4. Amy1 xanthate is then used as a collector with pine oil as a frother in the flotation process. An excess of sulphide acts as a depressant and the state of optimum conditions is difficult to control industrially. In the second Bureau of Mines method,2 soap is used as the collector at a pH of between 8 and 9. The diffi- culties with this process are that soap is not a specific collector, that heavy metal or alkaline earth ions cause the formation of insoluble soaps, and that a more acid solution causes the formation of a free acid which does not act as a collector for chrysocolla. The problem of recovering chrysocolla by flotation involves the selection of a suitable collector. The collector molecule must be composed of an active polar group that has an attraction for chrysocolla, and of a hydrocarbon chain. Certain dyes have been shown to have an attraction for certain minerals. Suida3 found that hydrated silicates are colored by basic dyes. Dittler4 showed that chrysocolla, among other colloidal minerals of acid reaction, preferentially takes up such basic dyes as fuchsin B, methylene blue, and methyl green. Endell5 gave information to show that the colloidal material in clay may be determined by its selective adsorption of fuchsin. A simple experiment, likewise, illustrates the difference in the adsorptive power of chrysocolla and of silica for the basic triphenyl methane dyes. When a mixture of chrysocolla and silica is immersed in a very dilute dye solution, less than 5 ppm, the chryso-colla is rapidly dyed and the silica is dyed more slowly. The difference is substantial but one of degree. Dean2 showed that the dyes, crystal violet and toluidine blue, are taken up by quartz in an adsorption type process. The difference in the adsorptive power, however, offers the means by which a new collector may act. To form such a collector, a hydrocarbon chain must be attached to the dye molecule. This involves a process of organic synthesis. Butyl, hexyl, and octyl hydrocarbon chains were selected for substitution in the malachite green molecule. For the purpose of identification, the alkyl-substituted dyes formed are called: butyl-malachite green; hexyl- malachite green; and octyl-malachite green. An outline of the procedure for their synthesis is given in the appendix. It is generally recognized in the preparation of this type of dye that the chemical structure of some of the dye molecules varies. However, a uniform formula is attributed to the dye. Such a procedure has been followed in specifying the structure of these alkyl-substi-tuted malachite green dyes. The structure is given on the basis of their properties as an homologous series of dyes, on their method of preparation, and on the purity of intermediates used. Structure of substituted alkyl malachite green is: C6H4 N(CH3)2 p-R C6H4 CH C6H4 N(CH)2 Procedure The flotation cell is a Bureau of Mines 100-g, batch unit provided with an air inlet at the bottom above which is a variable speed agitator. The agi-

Jan 1, 1950

By C. B. Barlow, T. A. Mekelburg

Due to a tight ash constraint on the clean coal product and difficult middlings washability characteristics, a considerable amount of coal was being lost in the jig middlings at the Monterey No. 2 Mine. An investigation was conducted into circuitry to recover this lost coal with minimal effect on the total clean coal ash. A reverse two-stage hydrocyclone system cleaning at low specific gravities was selected. This system is currently recovering approximately 5.8 kg/s (23 stph) of 11.5% to 12.5% ash coal. The specific gravity of separation for the system is about 1.5 and the probable error is 0.13.

Jan 1, 1986

By William E. Ford, Edward Salisbury Dana

In their action upon the senses a few minerals possess taste, and others under some circumstances give off odor. 444. Taste belongs only to soluble minerals. The different kinds of taste adopted for reference are as follows: 1. Astringent: the taste of vitriol. 2. Sweetish astringent: taste of alum. 3. Saline: taste of common salt. 4. Alkaline: tast'e of soda. 5. Cooling: taste of saltpeter. 6. Bitter: taste of Epsom salts. 7. Sour: taste of sulphuric acid.

Jan 1, 1922

By V. V. J. Sarma

Interpretation of earth resistivity data involves not only obtaining depth to interfaces but also determining the nature of formations from their resistivity characteristics. Moore's method of interpretation envisages obtaining depths to the interfaces alone. A simple method of estimating the true resistivity values of formations by applying Hummel's formula of average resistivities is proposed. The method would increase the interpretative value of Moore's method as originally proposed. For most of the earth resistivity measurements, the four-electrode configuration developed by Wennerl is employed. In principal, the method consists of energizing (Current I) the ground through two outer electrodes and measuring the resultant potential (v) between the two inner electrodes. The configuration is such that the separation (a) between any two successive electrodes is equal. The apparent resistivity (pa) for such a configuration is given by 2p- a (V/I). By increasing the electrode separation (pa vs a) curves are obtained. Ideally, a homogeneous isotropic formation underground has a characteristic resistivity. However, the field conditions do not present such ideal cases. Almost invariably, even in the same geological bed, the physical conditions are widely different at different parts in the bed. It is further shown that the penetration of the current into the ground for a given horizontal electrode separation, a, is roughly down to a depth, equal to a. It is therefore, evident that the apparent resistivity calculated from the field observations is a weighted average of the resistivities of the materials present down to this depth. With some prior knowledge about the relative dispositions of the geological formations and their physical conditions, it would be possible, by resistivity surveys, to obtain characteristic resistivities for these formations. It is, thus, that the apparent resistivity-electrode separation curves enable one to decipher the resis- tivity distribution at various depth levels and therefore the nature of the geological formations present. Both empirical and theoretical methods have been developed for determining resistivity characteristics of the various formations. The theoretical methods proposed by Tagg2 and Roman3 are derived from studies of the potential distribution on the surface due to the presence of layers of widely differing resistivities underground. The more recent methods of Wetzel and McMurry4 and Wetzel and Mooney5 are but extensions of the original Roman method of superposition. These methods suffer from lack of similarity of the actual field conditions with those of assumed conditions in developing the theory. The empirical methods such as the one developed by Gish and rooneY6 depend purely on personal observation and local peculiarities, and are applicable only for those limited areas. Out of the empirical methods, moore's7 cumulative resistivity method is still found to be applicable in several localities of differing conditions. While Reudy in 1945 adduced some theoretical justification for the method (Eve and Keys),8 Muskat9 and Mooney 10 tried to show the lack of theoretical basis for the same. It is, however, observed that the method in practice "forms a valuable means of successfully attacking the apparent resistivity curves which fail to respond to the Gish-Rooney, the Tagg or the Roman logarithmic methods" (Ramachandra Rao). 11 Comparatively good results are also reported by Melbyel2 by employing Moore's method in interpreting the resistivity results obtained for ground water in the city of Gunnison, Colo. MOORE'S METHOD As has already been pointed out, the application of the theoretical methods is time-consuming, laborious and sometimes not applicable for quick and accurate interpretation of the field data. moore7 has developed a quick method for obtaining depths to interfaces by plotting the cumulative sums of resistivities, against the corresponding electrode separations a instead of plotting the usual Pa — a curve. In this process of continuous integration, corrections for small variations in resistivities, arising due to local surface conditions or adjacent layers, are made, while large consistent variations are brought out

Jan 1, 1963

By Clarence F. Zeuch

Mr. Shaw's work showed the dodecyl mercaptan as a very good collector compared with other collectors on Cu-Mo ores, Mo ores, and for Au and Au-Ag ores plus Pt ores. However, as one who has had extensive experience on Cu-Mo ores, the work is not complete in making only a rougher concentrate with a collector; the work must be carried on in making a Cu-Mo separation. Did Mr. Shaw do any of this work? Before trying the dodecyl mercaptan as a Cu-Mo collector for the Cu-Mo ore it would be well to have any new work conducted knowing how the reagent acts on the Mo. Will it allow a good separation? The use of the collector at Palabora was also mentioned. From some earlier literature I thought that the reagent has been used as an oxide Cu collector after the sulfide mineral was floated out. I thought the pH at this point was about 1.5-3.0. I would like to have this point clarified.

Jan 1, 1982

By Samuel B. Christy

Columbia College has the honor of founding the first well-organized School of Mines in America. The University of Michigan, however, shared with her the honor of graduating the first class, in 1867. Prof. Thomas Egleston was the pioneer in the new movement. He drew up the original plan for the Columbia School of Mines in 1863, and was in 1864 appointed its first professor. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology turned out a class of mining students a year later, and others followed in the order of their first graduating class, as shown in Table I., condensed from the Engineering News of August 11, 1892. Besides those mentioned, mining schools have been organized in the States of Arizona and Nevada, and more or less instruction is advertised in connection with other engineering schools. It will be noticed that Columbia easily heads the list with reference to the number of graduates; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology stands second ; the California University third, and then follow Lehigh, Washington University, the University of Michigan, Lafayette College, Michigan Mining School, Missouri, Colorado and the others. The total number of graduates from these 16 schools in 26 years, has been 871, or an average of 33 per year; but as all these schools give a partial education to many who do not graduate, it is probable that from 2000 to 3000 mining students have received from them considerable training. An interesting comparison of the rate of growth of the engineering schools has been recently instituted by the Engineering News, for the period between 1860 and 1892. Table 11. shows that civil engineering had the advantage in numbers from the start, and maintained the advantage until 2890, when it was surpassed by mechanical engineering. The development of the latter course may be said to date from 1880. There are many interesting facts evident in Table 11. It will

Jan 1, 1894

By William Klement

KNELLER' has recently reported that extensive metastable solid solutions may be obtained in Cu-Fe alloys by simultaneous vapor deposition. This note reports that solid solutions, apparently single -phase, can be obtained for Cu-Fe alloys containing 0 to 20 and 85 to 100 at. pct Fe by rapid quenching from the melt; the inability to extend the solid solubilities further is related to the liquid miscibility gap, Fig. 1, as for Cu-Co alloys.2'3 Accurate lattice spacings of the copper-rich fcc and iron-rich bcc solid solutions have been obtained. Homogeneous alloys were prepared by casting4'5 and sintering2 from elements of 99.9+ pct purity. The quenching techniques were as before,' except the iron-rich alloys were liberally covered with argon while at elevated temperatures. Flakes about 1 sq mm in area were obtained and investigated with the Debye-Scherrer technique, as previously described.2,4 All X-ray work was done at 25° 2°C using filtered copper and cobalt K radiation. Relative visual intensities of the diffraction lines for the phases in the quenched alloys are shown in Table I. The lattice spacings of the fcc structure for alloys containing up to 80 at. pct Fe are plotted in Fig. 2. The variation of these lattice parameters with composition is in good agreement with the re- of cementite spots usually present (all hkl reflections are allowed) and the ease of confusing them with ferrite or martensite reflections. Copies of the report can be obtained by writing to the Materials Research Department, Rocketdyne. 6633 Canoga Avenue, Canoga Park, Calif., 91304. A copy is also available at the Engineering Societies Library, 2nd floor, 345 East 47th Street, New York, N.Y., 10017. Photocopies, either full-size or microfilm, may be purchased from the Engineering Societies Library. sults6 of Andersen and Kingsbury, Fig. 2, although there is some disagreement in absolute value. This discrepancy may be due to the different temperatures at which the X-ray measurements were carried out and perhaps to the different extrapolation procedures. Also, Andersen and Kingsbury6 state that their lattice spacings were computed relative to the wavelengths given by Siegbahn in 1933; this reference has not been found and it is assumed that the well-known 1931 wavelengths were used, the lattice spacings then being in kx units which are converted into angstroms by the factor 1.00202. There is no support for the contention that solution of iron decreases the lattice parameter of copper, as con-

Jan 1, 1965

By S. Weinig, E. S. Machlin

IN a previous study of the grain boundary stress relaxation phenomenon,' the authors had arrived at the conclusion that two successive steps were involved in the complete relaxation of stress at a grain boundary. These two steps were grain boundary migration and grain boundary slip. It was further suggested that the slower of these two processes is rate controlling. In an attempt to ascertain the validity of the above, a study of grain growth kinetics on the same alloys used for the previous study was undertaken. Separate wire specimens, 0.030 in. diam, in the same as-deformed state (99 pct reduction in area) as in the previous investigation were heated to the various temperatures for a sequence of times. The compositions used and the temperatures of testing are summarized in Table I. A statistical determination of grain size was then made on each specimen, using the average length of traverse between boundaries as a measure of the grain size. Examples of typical results obtained are shown in Figs. '1 and 2. The grain growth law D = ktn was found to fit most of the data. Using this relation, values of the grain growth exponent n were calculated and the inter -esting dependence of n on solute content shown in Figs. 3 and 4 was then obtained. Also, it was found that the constant K which was obtained from extrapolation is roughly independent of solute content. (K is uncertain to within ±25 pct.) An estimate of the activation energy for grain growth was made using the technique of Burke? This method utilizes the plot of the reciprocal of time necessary for the grain size to increase from a definite starting size Do, to a final size D, for each isothermal heat treatment. The slope of this curve corresponds to the heat of activation for the process. In Fig. 5 the rate of grain growth is plotted against the reciprocal of absolute temperature. The activation energies were obtained from these curves and are summarized in Fig. 6. Discussion It is interesting to note that the same saturation in the variability with concentration has been found for the grain growth exponent n in this research as was found in the previous researches on both grain boundary stress relaxationa and internal friction of dislocation origin." The significant feature is that saturation in the variation of these properties has been found to occur at about the same level of solute concentration, namely, between 0.1 and 0.5 atomic pct. The only characteristic common to these different quantities is that solute adsorption at grain boundaries and dislocation can take place and affect these values in a similar fashion. Thus, it is concluded that the grain growth exponent n depends upon solute adsorption at the grain boundaries. It appears, therefore, that theoretical considerations leading to the contrary conclusions5,6 have not treated the real process by which solute atoms exert their effect on grain growth. Prior to the analysis of the observed activation energies, certain of the aspects of the aforementioned grain boundary stress relaxation investigation will be briefly reviewed. It was found that with the addition of solute atoms the grain boundary stress relaxation peak (internal friction vs temperature) decreased in intensity. Simultaneously a second peak was observed which increased with increasing solute atoms. Both of these peaks were shown to be the result of grain boundary stress relaxation. They have been termed, respectively, poire peak and solute peak. It was suggested that the solute peak was dependent upon grain boundary migration, whereas the pure peak was a manifestation of grain boundry slip. Activation energies for both peaks were obtained as a function of Solute content. The value of the activation energy in the temperature range corresponding to the solute peak was

Jan 1, 1958

By K. E. Gray, M. S. Seth

Equations of elasticity for transversely isotropic, axisymmetric, homogeneous, porous media exhibiting pore fluid pressure were formulated. Using an analogy between thermal and porous body stresses, it was shown that the solution for a transversely isotropic porous body may be obtained by incorporating body forces and the stresses due to a boundary load into the corresponding solution for the thermal stress problem. Equations of elasticity ad the thermal analogy method were used to determine transient horizontal, tangential, and vertical stresses and radial displacement in a semi-infinite cylindrical region when either a constant pressure or a constant rate of flow is maintained at the wellbore. The vertical and tangential displacements are zero from the conditions of the problem. A numerical analysis was made of the solutions obtained by using a digital computer to determine the relative influence of each system variable. Considering rock as a porous body with internal fluid pressure generally gives results significantly different than considering the rock to be nonporous; the directional character of rocks leads to significant differences as compared to results based upon the common assumption of isotropy. Stress gradients are high near the wellbore but die out away from the well. Radial stresses are compressive or neutral, whereas tangential stresses are tensile, neutral or compressive, depending upon the boundary conditions and physical properties of the system Vertical stresses are compressive for an unbounded system. For constant wellbore injection rate, the vertical stress is proportional to the rate of fluid injection and decreases with time, whereas the radial and tangential stresses increase with time. At a given location, the radial displacement generally is very dependent upon time. INTRODUCTION A realistic appraisal of the state of stress in subsurface rock formations would be of considerable interest and use to the petroleum industry. For example, knowing the state of stress in proximity to a wellbore would be of fundamental importance in designing a fracturing operation or, more important, of clearly understanding the conditions necessary to produce rock failure of desired dimensions and geometry. Understanding conditions necessary for rock failure at the wellbore would also be of utility in a preventive sense. For example, borehole stability is an important consideration for many rock formations, and knowledge of the stress state at and near the wellbore under conditions of substantial pressure gradient due to fluid flow would be of great value. When fluid flows through a porous body which is initially at some uniform stress level, the following forces generate stresses at any point in the body. (1) Forces due to nonuniform pressure distribution. With increasing pressure the elements of a body are compressed. Such compression cannot proceed freely in a continuum when the pressure is not uniform throughout, and thus, stresses due to flow of fluid are set up. (2) Pore fluid pressure. This gives rise to normal stresses whose value at any point is the product of areal porosity and the fluid pressure. Although the fluid exerts uniform pressure, the stresses it creates in an anisotropic body may not be the same in all directions since the areal porosity in an anisotropic porous body is a direction-dependent quantity. This consideration leads to the concept of directional porosity. (3) Body Forces. The flow of the moving fluid imparts a force to the rock matrix, the magnitude of which depends upon the pressure

Jan 1, 1969

H. 0. HOFMAN, Boston, Mass (written discussion*).-The paper by Mr.. Pyne gives clear evidence of the difficulties the metallurgist is likely to encounter when he tries to recover in the blast furnace the metal from old chromite lining used as a refractory material in the copper reverberatory furnace. It appears that chromite cannot be fluxed at temperatures which usually prevail in copper blast furnaces. This calls to mind the freezing-point curve drawn by M. Simonis1 of mixtures of chromite and kaolinite. The chromite used in the experiments contained 52.9 per cent. Cr203, 22.6 FeO, 4.8 AI203, 9.6 Si02, .10.1-MgO; FIG. 1. the kaolinite was clay from Zettlitz with 98.5 per cent. clay-substance: The accompanying curve shows that the eutectic mixture with 35 per cent. kaolinite and 65 per cent. chromite freezes at Seger cone No. 15 (1435° C.), while kaolinite fuses at cone No. 35 (1770° C.) and chromite at cone No. 42 (2000° C.). The curve indicates that the difficulty in the blast furnace can be overcome by having at the smelting zone a temperature much higher than is usual in copper smelting; a charge composition similar to that prevailing at the Mansfeld copper smeltery -which gives with 23 per cent. coke a, slag of the composition Si02, .49.09; .(FeMg)0, 5.58; (CaMg)0, 16.02; A1203,-16.02-might flux and fuse chromite.

Jan 3, 1918

By Cloyd M. Smith

B. F. TiLLson*— The manifold difficulties of accurate anemometry in irregular sections of mine passageways, the irregular distributions of velocities in cross sections of the same, and the disturbing influence of the observer upon the air flow, all indicate an undesirable inaccuracy of results obtainable by any standardized method of traversing the section by an anemometer. It seems obvious that another, and simpler, method should be used to determine the volume of air flow in mine passages, namely: 1. At appropriate locations cement or calked framework rings should be installed permanently to equalize the irregularities of sectional contour and provide a place and means of attachment for a temporary cloth brattice which bears a rigid orifice. 2. The measurement of the velocity of air flow through the orifice may then be by anemometer or, preferably, by Pitot tube measurements of the differential pressures on both sides of the orifice in accordance with the standard practices available in engineering 1iterature. † The constants may be determined for various measuring positions in relation to the resulting "vena contracta." 3. The position of the person who makes the measurements is behind the brattice out of the air stream. The Pitot tube does not offer as disturbing an obstruction as the anemometer. A recording gauge may be employed to integrate fluctuations in air flow through that portion of the mine. No traverses are required because the reading may be at a single central point. An anemometer can be used with an orifice flow. The orifice will increase the air velocity at the measuring point, with correspondingly more accurate measurements where the normal air velocity through the passageway is low. Portable brattices might be devised with the cushioning rims which would seal against irregular rock surfaces where permanent rings were not available or feasible. The development by the Ventilation Committee of standard procedures and devices for the orifice measurement of the flow of mine ventilating air might be a desirable project for this coming year. C. M. Smith (author's reply)—Thank you for your discussion of my paper on underground anemometry. Your suggested method of measuring underground air flow is a novel one which might be applicable in some situations. It should be tested along with other suggested methods in any investigation of this subject. G. E. McElroy*—In spite of the adverse publicity that vane-anemometer methods of air measurement have had in the past and that contributed by the present paper, I endorse Mr. Erickovic's statement that anemometer traversing "has proved to be widely applicable, expeditious and simple" and add that available methods are accurate enough for the purposes for which they may be used. The fact that the great majority of minor mine officials assess relative changes in rates of air flow by comparison of crude vane-anemometer measurements, known to average 20 to 30 pct high, has no important bearing on this subject, because state inspection standards were based originally on such methods of air measurement. Federal inspection standards are based on actual rates of flow as determined by traversing, and interest in traversing methods is rapidly increasing. In considering traversing methods, three aspects are of major importance: (1) the absolute accuracy of calibrations; (2) the degree of interference with normal flow conditions introduced by traversing methods designed for accurate measurement by shaft-mounted instruments; and (3) the proper "method" factor to use for approximate measurements by hand-held instruments. With respect to absolute accuracy of calibrations, we have always placed reliance on calibrations made by the National Bureau of Standards, with which manufacturers' calibrations have usually agreed very closely. It is therefore particularly disturbing to find7 that calibrations made previous to June 1947 are presumably about 5 pct in error because of excessive registry caused by the thin flat plates on which anemometers were mounted for calibration. Velocities corrected for calibration have therefore averaged about 5 pct low in all probability. In this connection, it is interesting to note that an anemometer calibrated against Pitot-tube measurement by a single-point method in the Bureau of Mines experimental coal nine in 1923 indicated this same difference of about 5 pct and that the same instrument calibrated by a traversing method in a metal mine some months later indicated a difference in the same direction of about 4 pct. These results are reported by the Bureau of Mines.8 Regarding the degree of interference, or changes in velocity distribution, caused by the position of the observer's body in traversing operations, misconceptions seem to be especially prevalent, resulting in increasing advocacy of methods, such as the "clear section" method outlined in this paper, that cause just the type of interferences that they are designed to avoid. The degree of interference for any method may be gauged easily by a few experiments with a velocity-pressure gauge connected to a Pitot tube or with an indicating velocity meter such as the Velometer. In an experiment cited by McElroy and Richardson,# a decrease of 5 pct was noted at ten widths upstream from a 6-in. plank, whereas an observer's body at about the maximum practical distance of 6 ft downstream from the instrument is only about four widths away. In the Bureau of Standards paper previously mentioned, it is recommended that supports used in calibrations be at least 16 widths downstream. In practice, therefore, a downstream position of the observer is ruled out as far as accurate measurement is concerned. Operation of the anemometer by rigid shaft support from a point outside the section is seldom practicable; however, accurate results can be obtained, with the anemometer rigidly attached to a short shaft and held at arm's length, by an observer advancing across the traversed section while he faces the opposite wall and stands sideways to the current, provided that he keeps the instrument at least 3 ft away from his body at all times and traverses the entire section with it. If the traverse can be started with the observer in a side recess, the entire section can be covered in one operation. Normally, it would be covered in two half-sections. The presence of the observer's body does not, as is commonly supposed, increase the average velocity throughout the remaining part of the section. Rather, the velocities 1 to 2 ft on either side of his body are increased, but the distribution of velocities throughout the rest of the cross section remains normal, and a traverse made as stated gives a true average velocity for normal-flow conditions. Regarding the proper "method" factor for accounting for interference in the approximate methods of traversing with hand-held instruments, here again confusion prevails, for which the writer must assume some of the blame. Comparison of consecutive traverses made by shaft-held and hand-held 4-in. anemometers in field work after the tests reported by McElroy and Richardson' gave method factors

Jan 1, 1950

By A. C. Stevenson

IN OUTLINING the various steps taken and the exigences met during the time of unwatering and rebuilding the burnt top equipment at the Hecla mine, the major portion of the detail is omitted and a general description of the experience only is given. All the electrical power lines were out of commission, as were the mine feeder cables. The first effort, there- fore, was to restore electrical connections. The Washington Water Power Co. immediately put a crew to work restoring the power line, it being necessary to rebuild about 4000 ft. of 66,000 volt transmission and about 2000 ft. of 2200 volt feeder. This work was rushed and power was again available at the mine sub- station about 26 hours after the fire. During the same time temporary lighting lines were strung and transformer equipment obtained, so that when electrical connection was resumed the lights were turned on and the dump well lighted that night.

Jan 1, 1924

By L. S. Richardson, N. J. Grant

REACTIONS of oxygen and nitrogen at low pressures with titanium have recently been studied by a number of investigators.1-3 Gulbransen and Andrew' noted that the reaction with nitrogen followed the parabolic rate law whereas the reaction with oxygen deviated slightly from this law in the temperature range 300° to 800°C. In the work reported here, commercial titanium (75 A) was used as the test material. Cylinders 2.5 in. long and 0.25 in. in diameter were machined from heavier bar stock. The test pieces were given a metallographic finish, immersed for 30 min in cold concentrated HC1, washed in water, then acetone, and dried with lint-free cloth. Reaction rates were determined in a modified Sieverts type apparatus by measuring the decrease in gas pressure of the reacting gas contained in a constant volume. The amount of gas added could be measured in a calibrated gas burette to an accuracy of 0.01 mm. During the course of a run the temperature never varied by more than 10°C and then only for brief moments. After placing the specimen in the furnace, the system was first evacuated for 12 hr at room temperature, and then flushed with purified argon five times, adsorbed gases being discharged during this period from the glass system with a high frequency spark coil. The flushing and discharging were repeated at 400°C. This rather involved procedure was found necessary after a number of trial runs indicated extraneous effects traceable to the system. Reaction periods up to 2 hr were used, at initial gas pressures of 0.2 to 0.5 atm. Experimental Results Fig. 1 shows the decrease in oxygen pressure for tests at 0.5 atm at various temperatures as a function of the square root of the time. Deviations from linearity are minor and the parabolic rate law is obeyed. Fig. 2 shows the same plot for the nitrogen reaction. A definite deviation from linearity is noted; however, it is probable that the higher initial rates are caused by the presence of small amounts of oxygen contamination, the initial faster rate changing to the slower rate after about 5 to 10 min. Calculations of the rate constants were made on the basis of the latter portion of the curves. The parabolic rate law constants calculated from these curves are shown for oxygen and nitrogen in Fig. 3. In spite of some scatter the average curves are quite definite. Changes in gas pressure of the order of 20 pct did not result in a measurable change in the rate law constants. The activation energy for the oxygen reaction was calculated to be 47,400 cal per mol (above 700°C), which is not in agreement with the value quoted by Gulbransen and Andrew' for lower temperatures, their value being 26,000 cal below 600°C. The activation energy for the nitrogen reaction was calculated to be 45,400 cal per mol above about

Jan 1, 1955

By F. Keller

ALUMINUM alloys containing magnesium and silicon are susceptible to strengthening and hardening by suitable heat-treatments, and they constitute a class of alloys of considerable commercial importance. Generally, they contain these two elements in the proportions required for the formation of the intermetallic compound Mg2Si, or an excess of silicon; no commercial wrought alloys are made with an appreciable excess of magnesium. The reason for not having excess magnesium is obvious from the results given in this paper, since it is shown that excess magnesium results in a proportional decrease in the solubility of Mg2Si. This is the eighteenth1 of a series of papers from the Aluminum Research Laboratories dealing with the equilibrium relations in aluminum-alloy systems; most of the previous publications concerned binary aluminum-alloy systems; this is the fourth of a group pertaining to ternary aluminum-alloy systems. The work on this system was com-pleted in 1930, but the results were not published because of the pressure of other work. Hanson and Gaylor2, in 1921, presented the results of an extensive investigation of the aluminum-magnesium-silicon system. Their results indicated that an excess of magnesium over the amount required to form the compound Mg2Si caused a noticeable decrease in the solid solubility of Mg2Si in aluminum. A more recent investigation3 in these laboratories showed that the solid solubility of Mg2Si in aluminum was 1.85 per cent at 595° C. and decreased to 0.30 per cent at 300° C. The results of the latter investigation were used as the basis for the present work.

Jan 1, 1936

By B. A. Stainton, John D. Gill

OUR combined economic activities have as their goal the maximum of individual well-being and national security. In this age of intense international competition the two objectives are closely related. For many decades, the maximum of well-being and ability to maintain national security have moved generally upward. The best single measure-perhaps the only adequate measure -of the level of the rising goal is the per capita real national income (national income corrected for price changes). For centuries before the industrial revolution the income of the world's population changed little from generation to generation. In our country prior to 1800 the growth of national income was hardly measurable from decade to decade. Since 1850, perhaps since the "industrial revolution," the growth of per capita real income has been increasing geometrically. Of major importance is the accelerative growth of the productive ability of our economy. Inadequate consideration of its implications is partly responsible for periodic delays in solving our princi-

Jan 1, 1946

By S. H. Chauvenet

Jan 1, 1882

By A. J. Brown

I herewith send to the Institute a sample of Pancake coal. It is rather early yet to make any estimate of the future value of the discovery; but it is certainly the most promising vein of coal yet discovered in the State of Nevada, and, I believe, the first true coal found west of the Rocky Mountains, or perhaps west of the Missouri River, unless some of the Utah coals belong to the coal measures of the Carboniferous age. The Pancake vein certainly belongs * Since the above paper was read before the Institute, some modifications in the description of the machine have been made in order that recent improvements may be embraced.—U. S. A.