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By R. E. Ogilvie, N. L. Peterson

Intevdiffusion and intrinsic diffusiorz coefficients were determined in the uranium-niobium system from diffusion couples analyzed with an electron microbeam probe. A Previously unveported intermediate phase, designated in this report as the delta phase, was found to exist along the mobium-rich side of the miscibility gap. Its composition width was determined from the concentration gradients in the diffusion couples. The presence of this phase was also confirmed by microhardness analysis and metallographic observations. THE excellent corrosion resistant properties, high-temperature strength and reasonable nuclear properties of niobium have prompted its use as an alloying element with uranium and as a possible cladding material for reactor fuel elements. Hence the formation and growth of intermetallic phases as well as diffusion data for the uranium-niobium system are of considerable practical importance to metallurgists and nuclear engineers. Diffusion zones may exhibit varying degrees of complexity dependi.ng upon the mutual solubility of the metals involved, and the intermediate phases which may form. In the simplest case where the metals exhibit a calmplete range of solid solubility, a single phase region is produced. Generally, however, the metals may react to produce a multiphase diffusion zone containing several layers of intermetallic phases. A number of investigatorsl-6 have analyzed the concentration gradients present in diffusion couples in order to investigate phase equilibria and solu- bility limits. If diffusion is the rate-controlling process in establishing a concentration gradient, the compositions at the interfaces of the intermediate phases will represent the equilibrium values expected from the phase diagram at the temperature at which diffusion has taken place. No published information is available at this time on diffusion in the uranium-niobium system. A number of investigators7-" have contributed information to the construction of the uranium-niobium phase diagram from other than diffusion techniques. There is good agreement on the high uranium side of the phase diagram, but the high niobium side of the miscibility gap still remains somewhat in doubt. The phase diagram as determined by B. A. Rogers, et al.7 is shown in Fig. 1. The present work was aimed at obtaining fundamental information about the solubility limits of the miscibility gap and diffusion in the uranium-niobium system. A Kirkendall effect, which might be expected on the basis of the rather large difference in melting points between uranium (1132°C) and niobium (2415" C), was also investigated. The concentration gradients were measured by an electron microbeam probe technique, similar to that used by Castaing,l2 Adda and philibert,13, l4 and Macres.4

Jan 1, 1961

By Waldemar Dyrssen

I CANNOT agree with the results obtained by the committee. The gas obtained per pound of coal is too high in calorific value and the amount of gas is too large. It should require about 190 cu. ft. of oxygen per 1000 cu. ft. of gas and not 75.14 cu. ft. as is given on page 35 of the report, or about 2.5 as much. Calculating the calorific value per pound of coal from the coal analysis given on page 34, according to Dulong's formula, the gross and net calorific heat are about 12,890 and 12,430 B.t.u., respectively, which is about 18,600 and 17,900 B.t.u., respectively, per pound of carbon in the coal. This is an unusually high figure, as ordinary bituminous coal has less than 18,000 gross B.t.u. per pound of carbon. Assuming, however, that the calorific values calculated are correct, the following results are obtained. On page 35, the net calorific heat in the gas per pound of coal is given as 12,856 B.t.u. and calculation for the gross value shows it to be about 13,950; in other words, the gas contains (13,950 - 12,890) ÷ 12,890 = 8.2 per cent. more heat than the coal on a gross basis and (12,856 - 12,430) ÷ 12,430 = 3.4 per cent. more on a net basis. The calculated amount of carbon in this gas per pound of coal gasified is about 0.688 lb., or nearly the same as in the coal (0.6972) and the gross and net calorific heat per pound of carbon in the gas are 20,300 and 18,710 B.t.u. which are 9.1 and 4.5 per cent. more than for the carbon in the coal. These calculations show that the results given in the report cannot be correct. There must always be some heat losses in the gasification of coal, in radiation from the producer, and in sensible heat in the gas; there must be some loss of carbon in ashes and in soot, and there are always tarry vapors in the gases that are condensed and do not appear in the fixed gases. From the excessive heat in gas per pound of carbon contained therein, it can also be concluded that the percentage of hydrogen in the gas is too high, from which it follows that the moisture decomposed is too high and that more free oxygen must be used.

Jan 11, 1924

By R. W. Bowers

In order to hoist the ore according to grades, stope samples are taken. Three equidistant grooves are picked across the breast at right angles to the dip of the ore, the part removed being caught in the hand and then put into a small bag. When there is broken ore in the breast, the lines are continued down the pile and a small amount taken at intervals of the length of the sampler's pick handle. The quantity of sample from each breast will be between 2 and 3 Ib. If there are two grades of ore, bessemer and non-bessemer, there are two sets of brass checks for each chute, each check stamped with the number of the chute; one set of checks has the word "bessemer" and the other "non-bessemer." Before any ore is removed from the chutes, it is the duty of one man to see that the proper set of checks is at each chute in the mine. As each motor car is loaded, a check is attached to it. When the train reaches the shaft, the sample man removes the check on the first car, notes the grade, and directs the motorman to spot it over the proper pocket. The check is then hung on a hook with the number corresponding to the chute from which the ore came. The sample man throws a short rope with a knot in the end over the car and at the point where the knot falls a standard scoopful is taken. This is placed in a large bag that hangs directly under the hook containing the checks for that particular chute. These chute samples represent a check on the grading of the various contracts and by counting the tags a check is obtained on the miner's tally of the ore going into each chute; the total of the checks represents the hoist. During the stocking season, a standard scoopful is taken from each top tram car. This sample is taken in the same way as the chute samples at the plats underground. Top-of-car Samples These samples are taken by using a rope, preferably a clothesline, knotted each 18 in. of its length, and a hammer and a scoop. The standard scoop measures 31/2 by 21/4 by 11/4 in. and holds about 1/2 Ib. of ore. The rope, as applied to the usual railroad cars at the mine, is knotted into fifteen sections. It is placed diagonally over the car from

Jan 1, 1925

By A. H. Daane, B. J. Beaudry

The yttl-irtm-nickel system has been investigated by metallo-graphic, thermal ard X-ray methods. There are nine intermetal-lic compounds present: Y3Ni, Y3Ni,, YNi,, YNi,, Y,Ni,, YNi,, and Y,Nil, which rodergo peritectic decomposition and YNi and YNi, which melt congruently. There are eutectics at 34.8, 57.5 and 93.3 at pct Ni which melt at 805°, 950 and 1285 C, respectively. Crystallographic data are given for YNi, YNi,, YNi,, YNi5and Y,Ni,. The terminal solid solubility is low. In recent work by Fisher and Fullhart' in which yttrium crucibles to be used for containers of uranium-chromium eutectic were clad with a high nickel steel, a low melting phase formed where the yttrium was in contact with the steel. To investigate the cause of this phenomenon, Daane, et al. made a survey study of yttrium systems with chromium, manganese, iron, and nickel and found an 18 wt pct Ni (weight percent) alloy to melt at approximately 950°C. voge13 in a study of the systems of cerium, lanthanum, and praseodymium with nickel found six compounds of the same formula in each system, i.e., R3Ni, RNi, RNiz, RNi3, RNi4, and RNi5. Since there is a great similarity between yttrium and the rare earths, compound formation was likely to occur also in the yttrium-nickel system. voge13 observed that the ability of transition metals to form compounds with the rare earths diminishes in the order nickel, cobalt, and iron while no compounds are formed with manganese, chromium, and titanium. Available data on yttrium systems with these elements indicate similar behavior, except that a slightly greater tendency toward compound formation is apparent. Simple eutectics with limited solid solubility have been found in the yttrium-titanium4 and yttrium-chromium5 systems, but at least one compound is present in the yttrium-manganese system.' In the case of yttrium-iron, at least three compounds are present,5 while only two are present in the cerium-iron,' and no compounds are present in the lanthanum-iron5 system. On the basis of both the trend in the alloying behavior of yttrium and rare-earth metals with the first transition series metals and the large number of compounds in the cerium-nickel system, one might expect six or more compounds to form in the nickel-yttrium system. A consideration of Hume-Rothery's rules of alloying based on size factor, electronegati-vity, and valence predicted low terminal solid solubility and possible compound formation. The present study was undertaken to confirm these predictions of

Jan 1, 1961

By Howard S. Strouth

Investors and mining companies in the U. S. have recently shown increased interest in the Union of South Africa. This has been sparked partially by the founding in the U. S. of a large investment trust which will hold substantial shares in many of the leading gold and uranium producers. The average U. S, mining man's judgment of the Union, however, may be somewhat clouded by recent headline news. We are inclined to take a strong dislike to the stern measures of the present Union government with regard to its native majority. Others possibly think of South Africa in krms of a British colony which, under pressure of rising African nationalism, must eventually be abandoned. These concepts frequently suffer for lack of precise information.

Jan 5, 1959

By H. B. Pulsifer

ABOUT 15 varieties, or modifications, of the best magnesium available were prepared and subjected to etching tests, then examined for microstructure. Of the 30-odd etching reagents that were tried, nearly half, mostly ammonium salts, etched the metal satisfactorily. The surfacing and etching of magnesium is shown to be a very simple and quick operation. The density and hardness of magnesium were determined. The most interesting new observations relate to the finding of the hexagonal etch figures, the crystal laminations, and the fact that the metal is plastic, cold, when restrained or quickly deformed. Under slowly applied pressure cold metal deforms slightly, then shears to fracture without plastic flow: The chief structural features of magnesium are presented in two reduced photographs and 30 photomicrographs.

Jan 1, 1927

By Charles Law McCabe, Lyndon H. Everett, Edna A. Dancy

It has been found that the carbide phase present at equilibrium in the system M-H2-CH4, at about 600°C, is MC for the rare-earth metals Ce and Pr. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the monocarbides have fcc structures with lattice constants of 5.036 + 0.009Å and 5.131 + 0.001Å for CeC and PrC respectively. Gaseous equilibrium measurements were used to calculate the standard free energy of formation of the monocarbides from the elements. for the formation of (+ 1300) for the formation of PrC. THE rare-earthdicarbides, and their crystal structures, have been known for some years,l but only more recently were the carbides CeC,2,3 Ce2C3 2 and CeCS3 reported. In 1958 to 1959, Spedding et al. published work on the lanthanum-carbon system4 and other rare-earth metal-carbon systems,5 proving the existence of M2C3 and MC2, and measuring the lattice constants. They also demonstrated that tri-rare earth carbides, M3C, exist for the rare-earth metals samarium through ytterbium. However, they concluded that the cerium monocarbide reported by Brewer and Krikorian2 and by Warf,3 and given a fcc structure with a lattice constant of 5.130Å bythe former workers, was, in fact, cerium metal with carbon dissolved in it. They were also unable to find any evidence for the existence of Warf's CeC3, for which no structural details had been given. Even more recently, Palenik22 reported the existence of only M2C3 and MC2, having been unable to find any evidence for the existence of any other rare-earth carbides. There are no published experimentally derived thermodynamic data for the formation of any of these carbides, although Brewer and Krikorian6 have estimated values of for CeC, Ce2C3 and CeC2. The objective of the present investigation was; to determine experimentally the free energy of formation of any of the reported carbides of cerium and praseodymium, through a study of the rare-earth metal-hydrogen equilibrium. EXPERIMENTAL A methane-hydrogen mixture was circulated, in a closed system over previously prepared cerium or praseodymium hydride, and when equilibrium had been attained, the gas mixture was analyzed by selectively oxidizing the hydrogen and condensing out the water formed. The metal hydrides were used as starting material for convenience because, otherwise, the hydrogen in the gas mixture would immediately dissolve in the metals; in addition, the metals would not react with methane alone at the experimental temperature (around 600°C). The circulating system was based on that used by Browning, DeWitt, and Emmett7 for similar studies on iron carbides. It consisted of a quartz reaction vessel, all-glass circulating pump, analysis tube containing copper oxide that could be heated to 300" C by means of a small furnace, a solid CO2-methanol trap, and a double limb absolute manometer, Fig. 1. A cathetometer, capable of reading to 0.005 cm, was used to measure the difference in height between the two columns of mercury. In its final form, the reaction vessel was enclosed in an outer jacket, containing approximately the same pressure of hydrogen as that within, to reduce errors due to diffusion of hydrogen out through the fused silica of the reaction vessel., The circulating system was supplied with

Jan 1, 1962

By R. L. Loofbourow, Roger V. Pierce

THE degree to which our mineral requirements are being met by mining leaner, more complex or more remote deposits is indicated by developments during 1953. Heavy capital investment, skilled technical advice, planning, and able execution are requirements for the typical venture. Producers, faced with rising costs and with softer prices, are seeking improved mining and recovery. Developments in production of iron ore are typical of the course being followed in metal and nonmetal mining. Iron ore development in the U. S. is concentrated on the spectacular work with Lake Superior taconite, while in Canada new production is expected from Labrador and output from Steep Rock, Algoma, and Newfoundland is being increased. Shipment of iron will soon be made from Venezuela.

Jan 2, 1954

By Paul A. Beck, John Towers, W. D. Manly

Recent work on grain growth in high purity aluminum and in a solid solution type alloy of aluminum and magnesium1 showed that the isothermal increase of the average grain diameter D with time follows the equation D = K(tg + A)2 Eq 1 Here tg is that portion of the total annealing time 1, which is available for grain growth, that is the annealing time less the time necessary for complete recrystallization. The parameters A and n depend only on the temperature. A has the dimension of time, and is usually of the same order of magnitude as the time for recrystallization: R. In some instances R may be substituted for A in Eq I. This is the case for example at long periods of annealing or at high temperatures, where both A and R become small in comparison with t. In such instances Eq I is simplified to D = K, tn Eq 2 For high purity aluminum the exponent n increases in the ratio of about I to 5 in. the temperature range of 350' to 6w°C. 70-30 brass has been long known to exhibit grain growth of the continuous type, such as occurs in pure metals. For this reason, it was of interest to determine whether grain growth in brass also follows Eq I and 2 as it does in aluminum. Isotherma1 grain growth data for 70-30 brass were published in recent years by R. S. French2 and by H. L. Walker.' Fig I shows a log D vs. log t plot of French's data, together with the 500, 600 and 700°C data by Walker for 42.8 pct reduction by rolling. In such a log D vs. log t plot Eq 2 corresponds to a straight line with a slope of n. As seen in Fig I, the data of French and the 600°C data of Walker can be represented by straight lines. However, the 500 and 7c0°C data of Walker give curved lines and the average slope of his 500°C line is very different from the slope of the line representing French's data for the same temperature. Furthermore the curvature of the 700°C line suggests a tendency for grain growth to stop after 8 hr. If confirmed, this would constitute a definite deviation from Eq 2, not explainable on the basis of the specimen thickness effect found in high purity aluminum.' Walker's specimens were 0.125 in., or 3.18 mm thick, while the deviation occurs at a grain size of approximately 0.4 mm. A further point of divergence arose recently, when J. E. Burke suggested4 on the basis of Walker's data, that, instead of Eq 2, grain growth in 70-30 brass follows the equation D - D, = K . tgn Eq 3 Here D, is the grain size as recrystallized at the temperature in question. Although it was possible to show5 that, for pure aluminum, for which isothermal grain growth has been carefully investigated, Eq 3 is incompatible with the experimental facts, the situation remained somewhat obscure with respect to 70-30 brass. In view of the discrepancies between the published data on brass from different

Jan 1, 1949

By John Towers, Paul A. Beck, W. D. Manly

Recent work on grain growth in high purity aluminum and in a solid solution type alloy of aluminum and magnesium1 showed that the isothermal increase of the average grain diameter D with time follows the equation D = K(tg + A)2 Eq 1 Here tg is that portion of the total annealing time 1, which is available for grain growth, that is the annealing time less the time necessary for complete recrystallization. The parameters A and n depend only on the temperature. A has the dimension of time, and is usually of the same order of magnitude as the time for recrystallization: R. In some instances R may be substituted for A in Eq I. This is the case for example at long periods of annealing or at high temperatures, where both A and R become small in comparison with t. In such instances Eq I is simplified to D = K, tn Eq 2 For high purity aluminum the exponent n increases in the ratio of about I to 5 in. the temperature range of 350' to 6w°C. 70-30 brass has been long known to exhibit grain growth of the continuous type, such as occurs in pure metals. For this reason, it was of interest to determine whether grain growth in brass also follows Eq I and 2 as it does in aluminum. Isotherma1 grain growth data for 70-30 brass were published in recent years by R. S. French2 and by H. L. Walker.' Fig I shows a log D vs. log t plot of French's data, together with the 500, 600 and 700°C data by Walker for 42.8 pct reduction by rolling. In such a log D vs. log t plot Eq 2 corresponds to a straight line with a slope of n. As seen in Fig I, the data of French and the 600°C data of Walker can be represented by straight lines. However, the 500 and 7c0°C data of Walker give curved lines and the average slope of his 500°C line is very different from the slope of the line representing French's data for the same temperature. Furthermore the curvature of the 700°C line suggests a tendency for grain growth to stop after 8 hr. If confirmed, this would constitute a definite deviation from Eq 2, not explainable on the basis of the specimen thickness effect found in high purity aluminum.' Walker's specimens were 0.125 in., or 3.18 mm thick, while the deviation occurs at a grain size of approximately 0.4 mm. A further point of divergence arose recently, when J. E. Burke suggested4 on the basis of Walker's data, that, instead of Eq 2, grain growth in 70-30 brass follows the equation D - D, = K . tgn Eq 3 Here D, is the grain size as recrystallized at the temperature in question. Although it was possible to show5 that, for pure aluminum, for which isothermal grain growth has been carefully investigated, Eq 3 is incompatible with the experimental facts, the situation remained somewhat obscure with respect to 70-30 brass. In view of the discrepancies between the published data on brass from different

Jan 1, 1949

By Thomas N. Williamson, Victor Zeni

A 6-ft diam core drilling machine has successfully completed seven mine shafts in Virginia and West Virginia to depths as great as 465 ft. There is no practical depth limitation to this new system-a potential method in formations not easily penetrated with other large-scale drilling programs-and higher penetration rates and larger diameters are possible in some formations already being drilled successfully by other methods. The core barrel on the machine is fitted with rolling cutters such as those used on oil field rotary bits, so that less torque is required than with other large- scale drilling systems. The core is made with a wider kerf than is achieved with other coring methods, providing more working room for core drilling.

Jan 4, 1957

I have attended these meetings, every year, since 1926 and have served on both the Pittsburgh and the National Executive Committees, so that I am fully aware - of the ruling of this organization regarding, "No Papers by Vendors". Since I am now classified as a VENDOR, I wish to express my sincere appreciation for the invitation to formally discuss these very interesting papers --all of which herald the coming of an entirely new era in the manufacture of quality steels. I also appreciate the references by Mr. Mosser and Dr. Swinkels to my first paper on the oxygen probe which was presented at the meeting of this group, here in Chicago, in 1966 and was subsequently published in the NOH Proceedings of that year. (1)

Jan 1, 1972

By W. E. C. Eustis

During the last year I had occasion, on behalf of our New York copper works, to send to various chemists samples, intended to he accurate, of material which we were buying and selling, and I was astonished to find what differences were reported. After talking over the probable reasons for this with a number of chemists and metallurgists, it was suggested that it would be of real use and some scientific interest to send samples to the different chemists, and take such care in making up the samples that we could feel sure that each chemist had as nearly identical a sample as it was possible to make. After some consideration it was determined to send a mixture which should carry about 50 per cent. copper, and

Jan 1, 1883

By Jack Fox

Although this is going to appear in the December Issue of &E, it is being written long before the end of the year. December, of course, is the time for a summing up of the year's activities. Perhaps, the best way to begin is to report on what went on at the SME Board of Directors Meeting in St. Louis on October 20. This won't be a chronological report, and I shall take time to comment on some of the items we cover as we go along. You should be encouraged to know that your Directors take their duties seriously. Of the 21 current Directors, 19 were present, and three of the new 1971 Directors came to observe what goes on at an SME Board Meeting.

Jan 1, 1970

By Shosei Serata

Conventional roof bolting may be giving ground to a new technique that utilizes only the ground itself to stabilize mine openings. This newly developed stress control technique (SCT) has initially been used in sedimentary ore bodies that are both overlain and underlain by weak strata. The technique is also suited to the design of production panels and main entry systems, and is readily adaptable to room and pillar as well as total- extraction mining, including both shortwall and longwall coal mining. In applications where the technique has been used, the requirements for roof bolting and floor renewal were virtually eliminated. The SCT comprises three basic methods and covers a wide range of problems associated with failing roofs and heaving floors in underground mines (see Table 1).

Jan 5, 1976

By Francis S. Kendorski

Caving offers the lowest cost per ton of ally large-scale mining method, but its successful application demands an ore body that conforms to several rigid requirements. The deposit must be of wide areal extent, massive and not spotty in ore values, and insensitive to ore dilution. It must also be a rock mass that breaks up readily. There are only three active caving operations in the US-Climax, Henderson, and San Manuel-but caving methods have recently-taken on new importance as deeper, lower grade mineral occurrences and ore bodies are found. These deposits are too deep for surface mining methods, and too low grade to support any type of underground mining except a bulk method such as caving.

Jan 6, 1978

By AIME AIME

FRANK T. SISCO is a native of Lawrence, Kansas. He received his earlier education in Clinton, Iowa and his university training at the University of Illinois. His experience in the steel industry has included service in the chemical, testing, and metallurgical departments of the Illinois Steel Co., of South Chicago; the Hess Steel Corp., of Baltimore; the IJ. S. Naval Ordnance Plant at Charleston, W. Va.; and the American Steel and Wire Co., Waukegan, Ill. He severed for seven years as chief of the metallurgical laboratories of the U. S. Army Air Corps at Wright Field, Dayton, before coming to New York in 1930 to become metallurgist and editor of the Alloys of Iron Research, the position he now holds.

Jan 1, 1940

By Sir Robert Hadfield

I am asked to contribute a few words to "The Book of British and American Friendship." This book of the two countries ought never to have been closed. It was a colossal mistake on the part of certain of our statesmen in the past which led to the severing of the interests of the two countries which, by the greatest of all bonds-Nature-were meant to be one. However, that is past, and a new book is opened, one full of promise for the world's future. I should imagine that outside the Kaiser-Junker classes, even the Hun himself would prefer to be under Anglo-Saxon laws and customs rather than his own. At any rate, judging from the number of Huns who have

Jan 8, 1918

By Douglas W. Fuerstenau, Kalanadh V. S. Sastry

Mathematical considerations of green ball growth in a balling device by the mechanisms of layering new feed onto seed or recycle pellets are presented. An experimental procedure was developed for investigating the agglomerate growth by layering in which the addition of feed to a batch of seed pellets was made cyclically. Using this procedure, the layering growth mode under partial feed consumption and no seed generation conditions was investigated experimentally in a laboratory balling drum as a function of such operating variables as moisture content of the material, feed rate, and the size distribution of the seed pellets. The experimental results were analyzed in the context of the model equations and the layering growth constant was estimated as a function of the operating variables.

Jan 1, 1978

By Frank J. Anderson

IN the cement region of the Lehigh Valley, a difference of 2 to 3 pct in CaCO3 can make or break a new quarry development, and experience of the Dragon Cement Co. has shown that values of calcium carbonate, as reported from churn drill samples, have been increased as much as 6 pct on the average when the same area was diamond drilled. This calcium carbonate increase consequently lowered the values for silica, iron, and alumina, and made these sections much more attractive. Since 1950, the Dragon Cement Co. Inc. has been engaged in extensive diamond drilling in the local limestone of the Northampton, Pa., region, known as the Jacksonburg formation, and in the Lebanon, Pa., region in the Annville limestone, both of Ordovician age.

Jan 12, 1954