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By C. S. Roberts

Microstructural studies of a Mg-10.3 pct Al alloy showed that discontinuous precipitation during aging multiplies the grain boundary area available for easy deformation in elevated temperature creep. An increase of strain rate for a 6.2 pct Al alloy at 400°F, where precipitation and creep are concurrent, caused an increase in the volume percentage discontinuously precipitated at the completion of the process. The relatively poor elevated temperature creep resistance of heat treated alloys of the Mg-AI-Zn type was explained in these structural terms. C resistance of the heat treatable Mg-A1 based alloys is poor compared to that of Mg-Ce based alloys. While the latter show a continuous precipitate, Mg-A1 alloys prefer a discontinuous precipitate at grain boundaries. '.:' It has been concluded that the excellent creep resistance of Mg-Ce alloys was primarily due to the continuous precipitation which especially localized at the grain boundaries.' The purpose of the present investigation was to obtain a parallel correlation, if such exists, between the poor creep resistance and the state of precipitation in Mg-A1 alloys. Discontinuous precipitation produces about three times as many true grain boundaries as originally existed. This microstructure would be expected to have a marked influence in creep, where quantity of grain boundary area is important. Experimental Procedure The two experimental alloys contained 6.2 and 10.3 pct Al. They were made from electrolytic magnesium by alloying under flux and casting in 3 in. diam permanent molds. The ingots were extruded into 1 1/4 x 1/8 in. flat stock under the following conditions: billet preheat 700°F (2 hr), container and die temperature 700°F, speed 3 fpm, and area reduction ratio 45:1. The creep specimens were machined from blanks which had been solution heat treated 24 hr at 770°F and aged 16 hr at 400°F. Attempts were made to control the grain size as closely as possible for extruded stock. The grain size after solution heat treatment was about two thousandths of an inch for the 6.2 and five thousandths for the 10.3 pct Al alloy.

Jan 1, 1957

Jan 1, 1930

E. E. Olcott, New York City: Prof. Kemp's valuable description of the Lancaster Gap mine is in line with many other able contributions on the origin of mineral deposits that the Institute has lately brought forward. The splendid contribution that Prof.

Jan 1, 1895

R. F. McELVENNY.- Mr. Oldright has just given me a letter to read to you, which I think it may be of interest. It is headed, "Silver Meeting Dinner". The letter is as follows: "To Members of the A. I. M. & M E.: The annual business meeting and election of officers will take place at the University Club, Wednesday, May 28th, 1930 at 7 p.m., at the Silver Meeting Dinner. The Nominating. Committee for next year's officers have proposed the following names: Chairman, Robert Wallace; Vice-Chairman, G. W. Crane; secretary, C. T. Van Winkle, Other nominations can be made at the meeting. Utah being the leading silver producer of the United States, constructive suggestions regarding the silver situation will be made at this meeting which are new and of general interest to the members. The speak¬ers will be followed by a Round Table discussion of the silver situation and proposed remedies. Speakers will be - W. M. Ferry, President of the Silver Producers' Association, 'Recent developments in the Silver Question'.. Senator Frank J. Cannon, 'The Cannon Plan'. George W. Snyder, 'The Manufacture of Sterling Silver.' Discussion by J. J. Beason, G. W. Crane, J. 0. Elton, J. W. Wade and others. Members of the Conference on Copper Reverberatory Smelting are invited to be present. Chairman J. A. Norden will preside. C. T. Van Winkle, Secretary. Dinner will be $1.50 per plate." The next subject is "Boilers: Proper construction of, so as to secure best utilization of heat from gases, and facility in removing dust and clinker with minimum losses in operation." Who is particularly interested in that subject? The type of boilers is practically a standard practice now. I do not know of anybody that is using the tandem system now. No one is building a plant with a tandem system in it.

Jan 1, 1930

By W. A. Koehler, W. L. Eaton, Reynold Q. Shotts, M. E. Hinkle, M. R. Geer, Ralph M. Hunter, H. F. Yancey, Andrew B. Crichton, E. Zimmerman, S. H. Ash

R. Maize and H. P. Greenwald presiding) E. T. POWELL*-I would like to ask either Mr. Ash or Mr. Eaton if they know of any place where the Mine Inspectors' for¬mula has been used that water has flowed from one colliery to the other. W. L. EATON (authors' reply)-We have made considerable study but we have not gotten around to very many of the barrier pillars. I would not say that any or all of them have been designed to the strict figures of this formula. Most of those ex¬amined will not hold back the water that they are supposed to hold back. E. T. POWELL-If the pillar remains ac¬cording to the Mine Inspectors' formula? W. L. EATON-We have not found very many where the provisions were followed. E. T. POWELL-Where the Mine Inspec¬tors' formula has been fully complied with, have there been failures or not? W. L. EATON-I cannot say. Most of these barrier pillars probably were designed in accordance with this formula, but most of them, if they were so designed, are not in that shape now because a large number of them will not hold back the water; they have been reinforced, and they are punc¬tured in various places. Holes have been driven through them to relieve the hydro¬static pressure to avoid a failure. They do not dare to have a failure. In many instances, the barrier is punc¬tured to avoid a failure. In order to mine their coal safely, many companies must pump water from mines that were aban¬doned many years ago. R. MAIZE-That is true, Mr. Eaton, but do you know of any case where a barrier pillar actually failed and flooded an ad¬joining mine when the pillar had been left in accordance with the Mine Inspectors formula?

Jan 1, 1948

By R. H. Sweetser

AT the Buffalo meeting in October, 1898 (Trans., xxviii., 865), our Secretary, Dr. Raymond, in speaking of the obstacles he had encountered in securing contributions to the Transactions from members in practice, said: "It is the disinclination of many members to communicate incomplete or partial or preliminary results. They are going to write, ' some day,' a thorough and monumental paper; and meanwhile they prefer to communicate nothing. . . . It is the difficulty to which I have just referred that I have encountered in a wide correspondence with members, undertaken for the purpose of securing contributions of fact and opinion concerning the special subject of this discussion. . . . Almost none of them seem to recognize the value of preliminary, incomplete and indecisive reports of practice, as laying the foundation for a thorough inquiry." This remark was made in immediate reference to a discussion concerning blast-furnace tuyeres ; but, notwithstanding this appeal from the Secretary, little has been recorded regarding the distribution, the penetration, and the pressure of the blast at the tuyeres and inside the iron blast-furnace. I am therefore encouraged to contribute the following incomplete and crude observations of the blast-pressure inside the hearth. At the suggestion of J. H. Frantz, the General Manager of the Columbus Iron & Steel Co., a test was made at the East furnace of the company to determine whether there was any difference in blast-pressure at the different tuyeres. The apparatus used for this test was not sensitive enough to give accurate results. It consisted of a small pressure-gauge mounted on a 3/8-in. gas-pipe. A hollow plug, fitting into the peep-hole of the tuyere-cap, prevented the blast from blowing-out during the test. The test-pipe was held in place by means of the handle on the outer end.

Mar 1, 1909

By Henry M. Howe

I wish to present to you a few thoughts on some of the phenomena and laws of iron smelting. Owing to the great complexity of the subject, to the great variety of points to be taken into consideration, many of which are very poorly understood, and to the meagreness and even conflictoriness of our information with regard to some of the most important laws which govern the subject, the fruits of such thoughts as I venture to offer you must be received as speculations, not as facts. Nevertheless, in discussing old phenomena from new standpoints, thus furnishing a metallurgical parallax, if I may say so, these theoretical speculations may have their value in helping to a clearer comprehension of the phenomena and laws we now know, and in suggesting new lines of inquiry. While an increase of height in blast furnaces is not always followed by increase in their power of production, experience proves that it tends to increase it; for while we have many cases of short furnaces producing more iron than longer ones, yet enormous productions, such as those of the Lucy and Isabella furnaces of Pittsburgh, and of the furnaces of Esch sur l'Alzette, in Luxembourg, have never been reached in short furnaces. We may safely infer that height is an element essential to great production, though of course not the only essential element, and that, in the case of high furnaces which are not capable of great production, some other essential element is wanting. Moreover, experience teaches that within limits increase of height tends to increase the producing power in a still higher ratio. Thus, in the Esch furnace, which is 19.8 meters (65 feet) high, 393 tonnes (or 387 gross tons) of 31 1/2 per cent. Ore

By H. M. Howe

I WISH to present to you a few thoughts on some of the phenomena and laws of iron smelting. Owing to the great complexity of the subject, to the great variety of points to be taken into consideration, many of which are very poorly understood, and to the meagreness and even conflictoriness of our information with regard to some of the most important laws which govern the subject, the fruits of such thoughts as I venture to offer you must be received as speculations, not as facts. Nevertheless, in discussing old phenomena from new standpoints, thus furnishing a metallurgical parallax, if I may say so, these theoretical speculations may have their value in helping to a clearer comprehension of the phenomena and laws we now know, and in suggesting new lines of inquiry. While an increase of height in blast furnaces is not always followed by increase in their power of production, experience proves that it tends to increase it; for while we have many cases of short furnaces producing more iron than longer ones, yet enormous productions, such as those of the Lucy and Isabella furnaces of Pittsburgh, and of the furnaces of Esch sur l'Alzette, in Luxembourg, have never been reached in short furnaces. We may safely infer that height is an element essential to great production, though of course not the only essential element, and that, in the case of high furnaces which are not capable of great production, some other essential element is wanting. Moreover, experience teaches that within limits increase of height tends to increase the producing power in a still higher ratio. Thus, in the Esch furnace, which is 19.8 meters (65 feet) high, 393 tonnes (or 387 gross tons) of 312 per cent. Ore

Jan 1, 1877

By Paul Weir

BLEACHING clays have been used extensively in the oil-refining industries for a number of years. Their use in water purification is relatively recent and less extensive. They are frequently classified as (1) those naturally active and (2) those active after artificial activation with acid. Fuller's earths fall within the general group of bleaching clays and gradually the commercial term "fuller's earth" has been applied to natural clays originating, for the most part, in the south- eastern section of the United States. Bentonitic clays are usually classed as activable and are prevalent in the southwestern section of the United States. Bleaching clays vary considerably in chemical and physical properties throughout the country, or even in different parts of one deposit (Table 1). [ ] The fuller's earth type of clay is characterized by a lack of plasticity, relatively adsorbent, foliated structure, and does not swell to form a

Jan 1, 1939

By B. W. Prof. Frazier

(Read at the Wilkes-Barre Meeting, May, 1877.) THIS interesting application of the laws of thermodynamics to metallurgical practice has not been discussed by any writer, within my reading, except the late Prof. Gallon of Paris. In his Cours de Machines,* Prof. Callon has given a short but lucid discussion of this subject in the admirably clear style for which he was remarkable. Although the interest attached to the subject is rather theoretical than practical, I have thought that an attempt to explain the mechanical action exerted in the hot-blast oven might not be entirely devoid of utility, especially in the suggestions which it involves. The statement, that the mechanical work performed in heating the blast is, when high temperatures are produced, considerably greater than the work performed by the blowing-engine, may seem incredible to many who are practically acquainted with the subject, appearing, as it does, to conflict with the results of their experience. It is, nevertheless, literally true, and I shall attempt in this paper to prove it, and to explain why it has not rendered itself palpably manifest in practice. Before proceeding to the mathematical demonstration, it will be well to recall to mind the definitions of some terms employed by writers in mechanics and thermodynamics. The actual energy of a moving body, as defined by Rankine, is the work which it is capable of performing against a retarding resistance before being brought to rest, and is equal to the energy which must be exerted on the body to bring it from a state of rest to its actual velocity. The value of that quantity is the product of the weight of the body into the height from which it must fall to acquire its actual velocity. * Vol. I, chap. x, [§ ] 4, p. 312.

Jan 1, 1878

Joseph E. Thropp, Jr., Indiana Harbor, Ind.:—To what do you attribute the fact that in some localities the by-product coke sells at a premium over the ordinary bee-hive coke for foundry use ? If the cell-structure is preferably soft and rather thick in coke for foundry use, as I understand it, do you mean that by-product coke has soft and thick cell-walls ? William H. Blauvelt, Syracuse, N. Y.:—As I say in one of the paragraphs of my paper, the tendency seems to be towards the manufacture of foundry- and furnace-coke under somewhat different conditions. The development of the best cell-structure in coke, of course, has not reached perfection, but we are making progress, and we are inclined to believe that under ordinary conditions the best furnace-coke, that is, coke with the hard cell-wall and the well-developed cell, is produced at fast coking-time and high heats, whereas the best foundry-coke seems to be produced at somewhat lower heats. In one of our plants we are making furnace-coke in 16-hr. coking-time, and foundry-coke in 20-hr. time. Foundry-men want the strong, tough coke. I think the furnace-men present will agree that the best furnace-practice requires a hard coke, with a well-developed cell-structure. Replying to the question as to the reason for higher prices being realized for by-product foundry-coke than for bee-hive coke, of course, the immediate reason is that it suits the foundry-men better. Perhaps one cause may be that we are able, by the selection of coals, which is not usually practicable at bee-hive plants, to get a quality and analysis best suited to foundry-work, with high carbon-content, and with cell-structure and physical strength especially suited to the foundry-men's ideas.

Jan 1, 1913

By Henry M. Howe

IN discussing the classification of iron to-day, we are to leave out of consideration the general division into non-malleable or cast iron and malleable iron, as to the adequacy of which no question has been raised; and to confine ourselves to the subdivisions of malleable iron. This has been classified, according to the extent to which the properties imparted by carbon are present (viz., resilience, hardness, strength„ and, above all, the capacity for being hardened by sudden cooling from a high temperature), into (1) wrought iron which cannot be hardened, and (2) steel which can be hardened; and this classification I shall, for briefness, term the carbon classification. Until within a few years all authorities, both metallurgical and general,, have concurred in explicitly recognizing the carbon-given qualities, and preeminently the capacity for being hardened, as the essential qualities of steel ; this is laid down with clearness by every writer on the subject. For several years this old classification has not been sufficient to, meet all our needs, since the genius of Bessemer, Siemens, and, I may add, Holley, has produced wrought iron which has been perfectly melted, and thus freed from certain mechanical adhering impurities. This causes what we call homogeneousness for want of a better word, and gives rise to many important qualities which the old wrought iron had not;. qualities universally recognized, though not readily described. I shall, for briefness, style them the fusion qualities, and a classification based on them., a fusion classification. These qualities render the new product so vastly superior, for most purposes, to the wrought iron formerly known, that it is neces- * This paper was read in opening the discussion on the motion to adopt the report of the International Committee on the Nomenclature of Iron and Steel. At the conclusion of the discussion the resolutions on page 44 were adopted.

Jan 1, 1877

By Emil Gathmann

Ik presenting this paper I will attempt to answer certain questions proposed at this meeting and describe and illustrate methods of producing sound steel in an economical and hence commercial manner, which are adaptable to the production of practically all steel manufacturers, by readily effected rational changes in the methods of casting, cooling, and subsequent handling of the ingots. In some of the high-grade mills of America, where it is essential to obtain perfectly sound billets or blooms, it is the practice to discard from 35 to 40 per cent. of the crop- or pipe-end, and even with this excessive discard, secondary pipe or shrinkage-cavities are frequently discovered during subsequent working of the blooms and billets into their various manufactured products. The usual discard of from 10 to 20 per cent, from the crop-end of the ingot, which is made by the present generally employed methods of form and solidifying of the castings, certainly does not give the slightest assurance of the saleable product being physically sound or chemically homogeneous. I am aware that in the past there has been and at the present time there still is a decided difference of expert opinion as to what constitutes physically sound steel. Physically sound steel, as I would classify it, must be free from blow-holes as well as pipe. The line of demarcation between harmless and harmful blow-holes is exceedingly difficult to define. It is certainly the better and safer practice to eliminate blow-holes from the saleable portion of the ingots and to form a well-defined shrinkage-cavity or pipe at the upper crop-end of ingot. The higher grades of steel are all piping-steels. Is not their superior physical quality due to this fact as well as to their better chemical composition ? Such

Jan 1, 1914

By James Finlay

(New York Meeting, February, 1913) AT first blush one is tempted to say that iron-mines are like any other mines, and that principles governing mining-property in general will apply to them. But there are certain considerations which seem to repay reflection. Gold and copper are more or less independent of transportation. The proof of this is that those metals are profitably mined and shipped from the remotest corners of the earth. Their value is determined by the cost of production on the ground. This is quite true of gold, not quite so true of copper, not at all true of iron. If New York were a fishing-village and Chicago' a swamp, Calumet & Hecla might still be a bonanza. The main element of its value is the 60 lb. of fine copper per ton which it produced for years. But the Mesabi Range is absolutely dependent upon the industrial activity in the United States. Iron-manufacture in Europe would give it no value whatever. If Chicago and New York had a population of Peruvians or Hindus, the Hull-Rust mine would be as worthless a bit of landscape as any tundra in Alaska. I have discussed these facts more or less casually and dimly in my book on the cost of mining and in my report to the Tax Commissioners of Michigan1 I shall try here to bring them out in more detail. I have already referred to some differences in the problem of mining as between the more precious metals, e.g., gold, and the less precious and more abundant minerals, like iron and coal; but it is interesting to note that the literature of the eco-

Jan 3, 1913

By R. W. Raymond

Four portraits have recently been hung in the rooms of the Institute, in recognition of four illustrious men with whom we, as mining engineers and metallurgists, may claim fellowship. Luther. Martin Luther is often spoken of as a miner's son; but it is less generally known that John Luther, his father, was, in a small way, a metallurgist as well as a miner, and that Martin Luther himself, in his youth, worked in a forge or bloomary established by his father at Mansfeld, Saxony. Since this is the only manual occupation on his part of which we have ally record, it is fair to assume that the great scholar and reformer derived from his work in this department the practical familiarity with the conditions of human labor so abundantly evinced in the homely illustrations which accompany even his serious arguments, and in the witty apothegms of his famous " table-talk." At the same time, I must confess that I have not been able to find in any of the works of Luther distinct allusions to mining or metallurgy. Körner. Theodor Körner, a student at the Mining Academy of Freiberg, Saxony, threw himself into the German War of Freedom in the first decade of the 19th Century. He was a poet of no mean rank; and his " Song of the Sword " is one of the great lyrics of literature. This poem was written but a few days before he died in battle. In many respects, Körner may be compared with our American hero Theodore Winthrop, who similarly met a glorious fate, and left behind him prophetic indications of geniue, of which his premature death prevented the complete fulfillment. I am informed by a member of the Institute that Körner's admirable collection of minerals is still preserved at Dresden.

Jan 1, 1909

By E. E. White

In August, 1911, I read a paper before the Lake Superior Mining Institute1 on surveying and sampling diamond-drill holes. The present paper gives a more thorough descriptiou of these methods, together with a few changes and notes suggested by further experience. Since August, 1911, the methods, used constantly by the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co., have been developed to a higher degree of efficiency, and have given great satisfaction. Until a few years ago but little attention was paid to the determination of the actual course of drill-holes, to the accurate sampling' and analysis of the material, or to the scientific location of the drill-holes. It has now been common practice for several years in many districts to test the inclination of drillholes by etching glass tubes with hydrofluoric acid, but the direction of deviation from the vertical has not often been determined. Methods of determining the direction by means of a compass were first developed in connection with drilling in Victoria. The latest method used on the Rand in South Africa has been recently described by John I. Hoffman.2 In the same paper Mr. Hoffman describes an ingenious method of wedging-off a drill-hole so as to start new holes at several successive points. By this means a hole can be deflected in any desired direction, and the curvature can be controlled to a considerable extent, provided the rock is soft enough to permit the hole to be wedged off. Unfortunately, in the Lake Superior district, the jasper iron-formation is so hard that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to do this. I tried to deflect one hole so as to avoid drill-rods stuck in the hole, by using a

Jan 1, 1913

By Henry G. Granger

A residence of 14 Sears in the Republic of Colombia, spent . in almost continuous traveling and prospecting-trips, has given me an intimate knowledge of the resources of that wonderful country. The man who best knows Colombia is unquestionably General Rafael Reyes, President of the Republic for the past three years, and with seven years more to serve in his present term. Such is the strength of his personality and the wisdom of his policies that his term of office will no doubt endure as long as he is milling to serve. The vastly improved economic situation and the brilliant outlook for Colombia are so directly due to the influence of President Reyes that a few lines concerning him will not be amiss, if they serve towards a better understanding of his personality. Born of a distinguished ancestry in the mountain~ of Boyaca, he is now 57 years old, just the age of his friend Porfirio Diaz when he began the work which has placed Mexico in the rank of great modern nations. It was Reyes who came to Washington to protest against the action of the government of the United States of America in

Jan 1, 1909

By B. H. Caudle, M. D. Witte

In predicting the performance of a pattern injection operation, the engineer needs to know both the amount of oil to be recovered and the rate at which the recovcry will take place. This paper- describes fluid flow model studies on the effect of mobility ratio on the rate of oil recovery in a five-spot. The results show the change in fluid conductivity (total flow rate/pressure drop) as the sweep-ont pattern increases for mobility ratios between 0.1 (and 10. There data, when cornbitted with a knowledge of reservoir permeabilities and sweep-orit pattern efficiencies, cata he used to predict the cLrmulntivr oil production as a function of time for homogeneous five-spot injection systems. INTRODUCTION The flow potential in a pattern flood element is a function of the mobility ratio and how far the injected flood front has gone.1,2 For a waterflood project having a mobility ratio of one, the conductance—which is the flow rate per unit pressure drop (q/Ap)—-will remain the same throughout the life of the flood. If the mobility ratio is favorable ( < I), the conductance of the project will drop continuously throughout the operation. If, on the other hand, the mobility ratio is unfavorahlc. the conductance ratio will increase continuously. Therefore, if the reservoir engineer wishes to predict either the rate at a specified pressure or the pressure at some rate for a secondary recovery project, he must know how the conductance will vary during the flood. Other investigators have studied this problem using potentiometric models&apos; or analytical solution&apos;. The

By Rossiter W. Raymond

As I have attempted briefly to show you, gentlemen, the present position of the mining and metallurgical industries of this country offers in several respects most important indications of radical change. This is an epoch for more than one branch of these industries. We are commencing again to export copper; we have shifted the main production of lead from the Mississippi Valley to the far West, besides developing a new production of that metal in Missouri; we have seen the price of quicksilver go up, and the price of iron go down to such an extent as to affect profoundly, on the one hand, the great business of extracting silver by amalgamation, through the Washoe process in this country and the patio process in Mexico, and, on the other hand, the various manufactures employing iron as a raw material; above all, the manufacture of steel. But the epoch which has occurred in the relative value of gold and silver, in consequence of causes which I shall attempt to explain, and among which the extraordinary increase in the silver product of Nevada is not the least; this epoch is, perhaps, the most striking feature in the review of our situation. Since my official duties in connection with the mining industry of the Pacific slope and the Great Interior Basin have led me to pay particular attention to this subject, I have thought it not inappropriate to lay before you a somewhat extended account of its history. It is a topic of peculiar interest, because of the general use of these two metals as standards of value in the exchange of commodities. Neither of them is suitable to be, for the political economist, a real standard of value. That standard is rather to be sought in some more universal product of labor, such as wheat—the relation

In March 1956 a conference on geochemical methods of prospecting for ore deposits was held in Moscow. This conference was the culmination of a ten-year period of extremely rapid increase in both research and routine application of geochemical prospecting methods in the USSR. This activity was divided among groups centered in extremely widely separated bases of operation, ranging from Moscow and Leningrad in the West, Yerevan in the Caucasus, and Alma-Ata in Central Asia to Chita near the Manchurian frontier in the Far-East. The All-Union Conference on Geochemical Methods of Prospecting for Ore Deposits, as the meeting was called, was the first opportunity for these scientists from many parts of the country to meet and exchange experiences. It also served to introduce members of the different research laboratories located in the city of Moscow itself, where adequate channels of technical communication had not yet been established. As a result of the Conference, it was resolved that a concerted effort should be made for the participants to publish the results of their work. Two books have appeared as a direct response to this resolution. I. I. Ginzburg prepared a synthesis of the field of geochemical prospecting for minerals based on the material presented at the Conference. This volume has been translated into English and is now available. In addition, the individual papers presented at the Conference were assembled into a symposium volume and published in 1957 under the editorship of V. I. Krasnikov. Unless otherwise noted, these two books have supplied the source material for the present appraisal of the status of geochemical prospecting in the USSR. It is thus about four to five years old. In the years following the conference, the literature has carried a substantial volume of technical papers, together with a few monographs pertaining to specialized aspects of geochemical prospecting.

Jan 6, 1960