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Institute of Metals Division - The Creep Behavior of Heat Treatable Magnesium Base Alloys for Fuel Element ComponentsBy P. Greenfield, C. C. Smith, A. M. Taylor
The Mg-Zr alloy ZA and Mg-Mn alloy AM503(S) are shown to have a markedly improved resistance to creep deformation after suitable heat treatments. This improvement makes them suitable for certain stress-bearing fuel element components in nuclear reactors. The extent of strengthening is described and an explanation of the behavior of both materials is given, based on a combination of strain-aging and grain growth. The increase in operating temperatures of fuel element components in Calder Hall type nuclear reactors has necessitated the development of magnesium base alloys with a very high resistance to creep at temperatures up to 500°C. Such alloys are not required for fuel element cans, which require high-creep ductility rather than strength, but for can supporting and stabilizing components, which are needed to support the imposed loads without deforming more than about 1 pct in times of up to 40,000 hr. The amount and type of alloying addition made to magnesium for these parts is limited by the necessity of keeping the cross-section to thermal neutrons as low as possible. The alloys must also possess a high resistance to oxidation in CO2. Alloys which have been developed for this application include ZA, an alloy of magnesium with 0.5 to 0.7 pct Zr and AM503(S), an alloy of magnesium with 0.5 to 0.75 pct Mn. In the as-extruded condition these alloys are very weak and ductile in creep but it has been found that they can be strengthened to a significant extent by heat treatment. This paper describes the method of developing a high-creep resistance in ZA and AM503(S), the extent of the strengthening produced and discusses the probable mechanisms of strengthening. TEST MATERIALS Specimens were taken from typical casts of ZA and AM503(S) alloys extruded into 2 1/4-in.-diam bars, supplied by Magnesium Elektron Ltd. Typical analyses of the bars were as follows: The as-extruded mean grain diameter was 0.001 to 0.002 in. for the ZA alloy and 0.003 in. for the AM503(S) alloy. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS Extruded bars of ZA alloy, 2 1/4 in. in diameter and 9 in. long, were heat treated in electrical resistance furnaces in an atmosphere of flowing CO2 containing 50 to 300 ppm water, thereby reducing the extent of oxidation compared with that which would have occurred in air. Heat treatments were carried out at 600oc for times of 8, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hr and material was subsequently both furnace cooled and water quenched. In order to measure the effect of time of heat treatment, specimens were creep tested at 400°C and 336 psi for about 1000 hr. Subsequently, the behavior of material heat treated for 96 hr at 600°C and furnace cooled was tested at a variety of stresses from 200° to 500°C. Tests were also conducted at 200o and 400°C on material in the as-extruded condition for comparative purposes. With the AM503(S) alloy, only the effect of heat treatment at 565°C for 4 hr was examined. It has been shown1 that such a heat treatment produces marked strengthening in this alloy. Tests on this material were conducted at a variety of stresses at 200°, 300°, and 400oc with comparative tests on as-extruded material at 200o and 400°C. The creep tests were carried out on machines using dead-weight loading and direct micrometer strain measurements on specimens 5 in. long and 0.357 in. diameter. At temperatures of 400° C and below, the creep tests were conducted in air, but at higher temperatures an atmosphere of CO2 was used. Grain size measurements were made on ZA in the extruded and heat treated states and on each specimen after creep testing. This was done by a line count of a minimum of 20 grains in two or three random fields in the longitudinal and transverse directions. The same method was used for measuring the grain size of as-extruded AM503(S), but the grain size of the heat treated material was so large that this method could not be employed. For heat-treated AM503(S) the large grained characteristics (between 0.1 and 1 in.) were confirmed by the measurement of individual grains. In the case of the ZA alloy, specimens taken from various stages in the program were analysed for hydrogen by a combustion method. Material in various states was also analysed for the soluble and insoluble zirconium content by dissolving in dilute hydrochloric acid. This technique has been useda for the determination of amounts of zirconium present
Jan 1, 1962
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PART III - Resistivity and Structure of Sputtered Molybdenum FilmsBy F. M. d’Heurle
Films of molybdenum have been prepared by sputtering onto oxidized silicon substrates. The resistivity. lattice parameter, orientation, and grain size were studied as a function of substrate temperature and substrate bias. Under normal sputtering conditions, the resistivity of the films was found to be quite high (600 x 10 ohm-crn). However, with the use of the negative substrate bias of 100 v and a substrate temperature of 350°C, films weve produced with a resistivity of ahout twice that of bulk molybdenum. The lattice parameters measured in a direction nornzal to the surface of the films weve found to be gveatev than the bulk value. This was interpreted as being at least partly due to the presence of compressive stresses. The effects of annealing in an Ar-H atmosphere were studied in terms of diffraction line width, lattice parameter, and resistivity. BECAUSE of its relatively low bulk resistivity (5.6 x 106 ohm-cm)' molybdenum is potentially interesting as a thin-film conductor in integrated circuits. An additional feature which makes it attractive for this purpose is its low coefficient of expansion (5.6 x KT6 per "c),' which is fairly well matched to that of silicon (3.2 x 10 per c). It is possible to deposit molybdenum films by evaporation but generally films produced in this manner have a high resistivity. In order to achieve resistivities close to bulk value, Holmwood and Glang found it necessary to operate in a vacuum of about 107 Torr and to maintain the substrates at 600 C during film deposition. Sputtered molybdenum films have been examined by Belser et a1.7 and, recently, by Glang et al.' This paper describes the results of an attempt to extend some of that work and examine the effects of annealing and getter sputtering on the physical and structural properties of the films produced. SPUTTERING APPARATUS AND PROCEDURE The apparatus used for most of the film sputtering work described here consisted of two "fingers" serving as anode and cathode, respectively, which were mounted within an 18-in.-diam glass chamber. A liquid nitrogen-trapped 6-in. diffusion-pump system was used to achieve a vacuum of about 1 x 107 Torr within the chamber prior to sputtering. The essential features of the equipment are shown in Fig. 1. Cathode and anode fingers are stainless-steel tubes isolated from the top and bottom plates by Teflon collars. In order to limit the discharge to the space between anode and cathode, each finger is surrounded by an aluminum hield, at ground potential, having an internal diameter 18 in. larger than the outside diameter of the finger. The cathode and anode fingers are 6 and 4 in. in diam, respectively. A 116-in.-thick sheet of molybdenum is brazed with a 10 pct Pd, 58 pct Ag, 32 pct Cu alloy to a copper disc which is mounted by means of screws and a large 0 ring onto the lower end of the cathode finger. The disc is cooled during sputtering by water circulation inside the finger. The use of several feet of plastic tubing for the water input and outputg reduces leakage to ground to less than 1 ma when the cathode potential is raised to 5 kv. The upper end of the anode finger is terminated by a brazed-on copper block. A variety of specimen holders can be easily mounted on the upper face of this block. Substrate heating or cooling is achieved by use of an appropriate unit attached to the lower face of the same block. Heating is achieved by means of cartridge-type heaters and cooling by copper coils fed with forming gas under pressure. The inner chamber of the specimen finger constitutes a small vacuum chamber of its own which is evacuated by an auxiliary mechanical pump in order to limit heating element oxidation and heat transfer by convection currents. An advantage of the finger arrangement is the absence of cooling and heating coils and wires within the main chamber. The stain less-steel shutter is useful to establish a discharge for cleaning the cathode at the beginning of each sputtering run. Water cooling of the shutter reduces heating and the out-gassing of impurities which might condense on the nearby substrates. Unless otherwise specified, the substrates used in these experiments were 1-in.-diam oxidized silicon wafe:s, 0.007 in. thick, having an oxide thickness of 6000A. The substrate holders were large copper discs onto the surface of which a number of molybdenum discs, 116 in. thick and 78 in. in diam, were brazed. The wafers were clamped to the molybdenum discs
Jan 1, 1967
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Drilling-Equipment, Methods and Materials - Bit-Tooth Penetration Under Simulated Borehole ConditionsBy W. C. Maurer
A study of bit-tooth penetration, or crater forniation. under simulated borehole condirions has been made. Pressure conditions existing when drilling with air, water and mud have been sirnulated for depths of 0 to 20.000 ft. These crater tests showed that a threshold bit-tooth force must he exceeded before a crater is .formed. This thresh old force increased with both tooth dullness and diflerenrial pressure between the borehole and formalion fluids. At low differential pressures, the craters formed in a brittle manner and the cuttings were easily removed. At high differenlial pressures, the cunings were firmly held in the craters and the craters were formed by a pseudoplas-tic mechanism. With constant farce of 6,500 16 applied to the bit reeth, an increase in differential pressure (sitnulated mud drilling) from 0 to 5,000 psi reduced the crater volumes by 90 per cent. A comparable increase in hydrostatic fluid pressure (simulated water drilling) produced only a 50 per cent decrease in volutne while changes in overburden pressure (simulated air drilling) had no detectable effect on crater volume. Crater tests in unconsolidated sand subjected to differential pressure showed that high friction was present in the sand at high pressures. Similar friction belween the cuttings in craters produces the transition from brittle to pseudo plastic craters. INTRODUCTION The number of wells drilled below 15,000 ft increased from 5 in 1950 to 308 in 1964. Associated with these deep wells are low drilling rates and high costs. High bottom-hole pressures produce low drilling rates by increasing rock strength and by creating bottom-hole cleaning problems. This paper describes an experimental investigation of crater formation under bottom-hole conditions simulating air, water and mud drilling. Although numerous investigators have studied bit-tooth penetration (cratering) at atmospheric pressure conditions, only limited work has been done on cratering in rocks subjected to pressures existing in oil wells. Payne and Chippendale2 have studied cratering in rocks subjected to hydrostatic pressure using spherical penetrators. Garner et aLJ conducted crater tests in dry limestone by varying overburden pressure and borehole fluid pressure independently and using atmospheric formation-fluid pressure Gnirk and Cheathem4,5 have studied crater formation in several dry rocks subjected to equal overburden and borehole pressure and atmospheric formotion pressure. Podio and Gray studied the effect of pore fluid viscosity on crater formation using atmospheric borehole and formation-fluid pressurc and varying overburden pressure. Although these studies have provided useful information on crater formation under pressure, they were limited in that the three bottom-hole pressures could not be varied independently and, therefore, that many drilling conditions could not be simulated. The prersure chamber used in this study allowed visual observation of the cratering mechanism and independent control of the borehole, formation and confining pressures. By using different fluids in the chamber, pressure conditions existing in air, water and mud drilling to depths of 20,000 ft were simulated. The mechanisms involved in cratering at these different pressure conditions were studied for teeth of varying dullness and at different loadins rates. High-speed movies (8,000 frames/sec) and closed-circuit television were used to visually study the crater mechanism under pressure. EXPERIMENTAT PROCEDURE PRESSURE CHAMBER The Pressure chamber in Fig. I was used to simulate bottom-hole pressure conditions. This chamber has been pressure-tested to 22,500 psi and is normally operated at pressures up to 15,000 psi. The chamber contains four lucite windows' used for illuminating and observing the crater mechanism under pressurc. A closed-circuit television and a Fastax camera (8,000 frames/sec) have been used in these studies. Cylindrical rock specimens (8-in. diameter X 6-in. long) were subjected to three independently controlled pressures simulating overburden, borehole fluid and formation-fluid pressures. Overburden pressure, which corresponds to the stress induced by the overlying earth mass, was applied by exerting fluid pressure against a rubber sleeve surrounding the rock. Borehole pressure, which is the pressure exerted by the column of mud in the wellbore, was simulated by applying pressure to the fluid overlying the rock in the chamber. Formation pressure was simulated by applying pressure to the water saturating the rock. The borehole and formation pressures were equal except when mud was used in the chamber, in which case the differential pressure between these fluids acted across the mud filter cake.
Jan 1, 1966
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Rock Mechanics - Effect of End Constraint on the Compressive Strength of Model Rock PillarsBy Clarence O. Babcock
Model pillars of limestone, marble, sandstone, and granite, with length-to-diameter (LID) ratios of 3, 2, 1, 0.5, and 0.25 (0.286 for granite), were broken in axial compression to determine to what extent an increase in end constraint increased compressive strength. Radial end constraints of 13 to 23% of the average axial stress in the pillar, produced by solid steel rings bonded with epoxy to the ends of dogbone-shaped specimens, increased compressive strength somewhat above that of cylindrical pillars without ring constraint. However, when the results were compared with those obtained by other investigators for straight specimens of several rock types taken collectively, with LID ratios greater than 0.5, the resulting strengths were not significantly different. Thus, the amount of end constraint produced by the solid steel rings was about the same as that produced by the friction from the steel end plates. In other tests, a radial prestress of 3000 or 5000 psi was applied prior to axial loading by adjustable hardened steel rings to increase the constraint above that obtained for the solid rings. The average radial constraint stress, expressed as a percentage of the average axial pillar stress at failure for the 3000 psi prestress, was 54.3% for limestone, 40.3% for marble, 44.7% for sandstone, and 23.4% for granite. The average radial constraint stress, expressed as a percentage of the average axial pillar stress at failure for the 5000 psi prestress, was 74.2% for limestone, 51.2% for marble, 61.6% for sandstone, and 29.7% for granite. These constraints increased the compressive strength significantly above the strength of straight specimens and solid-ring constrained specimens. These results suggest that large horizontal stresses in orebodies mined by the room-and-pillar method should increase the strength of the pillars and allow an increase in ore recovery by a reduction of pillar size when major structural defects are absent. One important objective of the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) mining research program is the rational design of mining systems. In the design of room-and-pillar mining operations, pillar strength is a fundamental variable. It is customary to estimate this strength from uniaxial compression tests of rock samples and to correct this value for the length-to-diameter (LID) ratio of the in-situ pillar. This method of estimating pillar strength corrects for pillar shape but does not consider the effect of a large horizontal in-situ stress field that sometimes exists in underground formations. The purpose of the work covered in this report was to determine to what extent the compressive strengths of model pillars of relatively brittle rock loaded in axial compression were affected by lateral end constraint. In previous work, Obert l used solid steel rings bonded to the ends of dogbone-shaped specimens to study the creep behavior of three quasi-plastic rocks -salt, trona, and potash ore - during a test period of 1000 hr. These rings provided radial constraint during the loading cycle of 20 to 50% of the axial stress for specimens with LID ratios of 2, 0.5, and 0.25. He concluded that (1) "for a quasi-plastic material the end constraint strongly affects the specimen strength, and (2) as D/L increases (length-to-diameter decreases), the specimens lose their brittle characteristics and tend to flow rather than fracture." He also concluded that model pillars constrained by rings were better for use in predicting the strength of mine pillars than either cylindrical or prismatic specimens. This conclusion appears to be valid where mine pillars, roof, and floor are a single structural element. In the present study, 460 specimens of four relatively brittle rocks — limestone, marble, sandstone, and granite - were tested to failure. The study consisted of two parts: (1) the effect on the compressive strength of end constraint produced during the axial loading cycle by solid steel rings bonded with epoxy to the ends of the specimens, and (2) the effect on the compressive strength of increased end constraint produced in part by a prestress applied prior to axial loading and in part by lateral expansion of the specimen during the loading cycle. The first part of this study was reported in some detail earlier.2 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE AND EQUIPMENT Model rock pillars of the sizes and shapes shown in Fig. 1 were broken in axial compression when the ends were constrained as shown in Fig. 2. he straight specimens were broken without ring constraint. The specimens of dogbone shape were broken with (1) solid
Jan 1, 1970
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Part III – March 1969 - Papers- Epitaxial Growth of GaAs1- x Px on Germanium SubstratesBy R. W. Regehr, R. A. Burmeister
Epitaxial growth of GaAs 1-xPx on germanium substrates was achieved using an open tube vapor transport system. The compositional range of 0.3 < x < 0.4 was examined. The best results were obtained with (311) orientation of the germanium substrate. The physical and chemical properties of the resulting layers were investigated using several techniques. Spectrographic analyses of the layers indicate substantial incorporation of germanium into the GaAs t-X Px layer. Evidence is presented which indicates that this incorporation occurs via a vapor phase transport process rather than by solid phase dijfu-sion. Electrical measurements suggest that the germanium thus incorporated behaves predominantly as a deep donor in the compositional range of 0.33 < x * 0.40 and has a deleterious effect upon the luminescent properties of GaAs1-x Px. The increasing technological importance of GaAs1-xPx for use in light-emitting devices has led to an evaluation of several aspects of existing growth processes. The method most commonly used to prepare GaAs1-xPx for electroluminescent device applications is vapor phase epitaxial growth on GaAs substrates.'-4 In a typical electroluminescent diode structure the active region of the diode is entirely within the epitaxial layer and thus the electrical properties of the substrate are relatively unimportant since it is effectively a simple series resistance (assuming hetero-junction effects to be negligible). The use of germanium rather than GaAs as the substrate material is of interest for several reasons. First, GaAs of reasonable structural quality has been epitaxially grown on germanium4-2 and it is reasonable to expect that GaAs1-xPx could subsequently be deposited on the GaAs layer. Second, germanium substrates are readily available with both lower dislocation densities and larger areas than GaAs. Finally, single crystals of germanium are more economical than GaAs single crystals. The principal objective of the present investigation was to test the feasibility of growing GaAs1-xPx epi-taxially on germanium substrates, and to evaluate the properties of such layers with regard to electroluminescent device requirements. The approach used was to a) demonstrate epitaxial growth of GaAs1-xPx on germanium, and b) characterize the relevant structural, electrical, and optical properties of the GaAs1-xPx layers. The possibility of germanium incorporation into the grown layers was of special interest since there was some indication of this in previous studies of GaAs growth on germanium.5'11,12 Although a study of the electrical properties of germanium in GaAs1-xPx was not an intent of this investigation, several features of the electrical properties of the layers grown in the present study which appear to be due to germanium are described. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The open-tube vapor transport system used for the epitaxial growth of GaAs1-xPx is illustrated in Fig. 1. This system utilizes the GaC1-GaC13 transport reaction and is similar in most respects to the larger system described elsewhere.' The germanium substrates were n-type, with a resistivity of 40 ohm-cm (Eagle-Picher Co.). These were cut to the orientations of {100), {111), and (3111, and were mechanically polished and chemically etched in CP-4 (5 min at 0°C) prior to growth. In some cases, a GaAs substrate was employed in addition to the germanium. The orientation of the latter was {loo}, and they were also mechanically polished and chemically etched prior to growth. The initial composition of the deposited layer was pure GaAs. After approximately 10 microns of GaAs was deposited on the germanium substrate, the phosphorus content of the layer was gradually increased over a distance of approximately 15 microns to the desired concentration and maintained at this value throughout the remainder of the growth. Typical operating parameters used during growth are given in Table I. Selenium was used as a n-type dopant in several runs to facilitate comparison of the electrical properties of the layers grown on germanium with those of layers grown on GaAs substrates, which are usually doped with selenium. The concentration of H2Se in the gas phase was adjusted to a value which would normally yield a carrier density of 1 to 5 x 101 7 at room temperature in layers grown on GaAs substrates. The terminal surfaces of the epitaxial layers were examined by optical microscopy for structural characteristics. Laue back-reflection photographs (Cu radi-ation) were also made on the terminal surface to verify the epitaxial nature of the deposit. After these steps
Jan 1, 1970
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Part X – October 1968 - Papers - Hydrogen Ernbrittlement of Stainless SteelBy R. K. Dann, L. W. Roberts, R. B. Benson
The mechanical properties of 300-series stainless steels were investigated in both high-pressure hydrogen and helium environments at ambient temperatures. An auslenitic steel which is unstable with respect to formation of strain-induced a (bee) and € (hcp) mar-tensile is embrittled when plastically strained in a hydrogen environment. A stable austenitic steel is not embriltled when tested under the same conditions. The presence of hydrogen causes embrittlement at the mar-lensitic structure and a definite change in the general fracture mode from a ductile to a quasicleavage type. The embrittled martensitic facets are surrounded by a more ductile type fracture which suggests that the presence of hydrogen initiates microcracks at the martensitic structure. If a steel is unstable with respecl to fortnation of strain induced martensile, plastic deformation in a hydrogen environment will produce rapid embrittlement of a notched specimen in comparison to an unnotched one. FERRITIC and martensitic steels can be embrittled by hydrogen that has been introduced into the alloys, either by thermal or cathodic charging prior to testing.1-5 However, conflicting reports exist as to whether austenitic steels that are stable or unstable with respect to formation of strain-induced martensite can be embrittled by hydrogen.8-12 A recent investigation has shown that cathodically-charged thin foils of a stable austenitic steel can be embrittled.13 An earlier investigation of a thermally charged 18-10 stainless steel revealed a significant decrease in the ductility only at the lowest test temperature of -78°C, although strain-induced bee martensite was shown to be present in one specimen tested at ambient temperatures.' When martensitic steels are tested in a hydrogen atmosphere, they are embrittled.'4-'7 It has been observed in this Laboratory that 304L steel, which is unstable with respect to formation of strain induced martensite, forms surface cracks when plastically strained in a high-pressure hydrogen environment. Work in progress elsewhere concurrent with this investigation has also established that 304L is embrittled when tested in a high-pressure hydrogen atmosphere." The objective of this investigation was to study the effect of a high-pressure hydrogen environment on the tensile properties of a stainless steel that contained strain-induced martensite (304L) and one that did not (310). EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES Notched and unnotched cylindrical specimens were machined from 304L* and 310 rods that were heat- treated at 1000°C in argon for 1 hr followed by a water quench. The chemical analyses of these steels are given in Table I. The unnotched specimens had a reduced section diameter of 0.184 & 0.001 in., a gage length of 0.7 in., and were threaded with a 0.5-in.-diam. thread on each end. The notched specimens had a reduced section diameter of 0.260 * 0.001 in. and a 0.75-in. gage length, with a 30 pct 60 deg v-notch at the center. The notch had a maximum root radius of 0.002 in. The tensile bars were fractured in a hydrogen or helium atmosphere of 104 psi at ambient temperatures. The system used for mechanically testing the specimens is to be described in detail elsewhere.19 Several specimens of each type were tested in air using an Instron testing machine. The same yield strength and ultimate tensile strength were obtained in 104 psi helium with the above system as with the conventional testing machine. Magnetic analysis was employed to determine that there was a (bee) martensite in plastically deformed 304L and that it was not present in plastically deformed 310. The magnetic technique depended on allowing the material being studied to serve as the core between a primary and secondary coil. Thus, any change in the amount of magnetic material present between the annealed and plastically deformed steels will be indicated by corresponding changes in the induced voltage in the secondary circuit." The ratio of the output signal of a nonmagnetic stainless steel to a completely magnetic maraging steel was 2000 to I. Several unnotched 304L bars tested in hydrogen were analyzed for hydrogen by vacuum fusion analysis. There was an increase in the hydrogen content to approximately 2 ppm for the specimens tested in hydrogen, as compared to less than 1 ppm for the as-received material. Several thin sections cut from notched areas of 304L specimens tested in hydrogen and containing the fracture surface contained approximately 1.5 ppm H. The accuracy of these determinations was estimated to be ± 50 pct.
Jan 1, 1969
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Institute of Metals Division - Easy Glide and Grain Boundary Effects in Polycrystalline AluminumBy R. L. Fleischer, W. F. Hosford
Tensile data for coarse grained aluminum Polycrystals suggest that the "grain size" effect is not due to dislocations piled up at grain boundaries but rather is primarily a relative size effect due to surface crystals being weaker and less confined. STUDIES directed at interpreting hardening of poly-crystalline metals normally identify their strain hardening properties with those in some particular type of single crystal.1"4 The recent recognition in face centered-cubic metals of a nearly linear stage with rapid hardening occuring at comparable rates for both polycrystals and single crystals, suggested that the same process or processes determine both cases and hence that there exists some justification for the use of single crystals to understand polycrystals. Further evidence for the above view may be found by an approach initiated by Chalmers:5 By using bicrystals of controlled orientation it is possible to begin to assemble a polycrystal and also to study grain boundary effects in detail. In this way it has been found that a single grain boundary affects easy glide but not the subsequent stage II hardening.6 This result suggests that a sensitive way to observe grain boundary effects in polycrystals would be to vary grain size and measure easy glide. As will be seen, easy glide is only possible for coarse-grained samples, and hence the results will serve to fill in the gap in measurements between single crystals and bicrystals on one hand and fine-grained polycrystals on the other. One problem inherent in comparing single crystals with polycrystals is the uncertainty as to what slip systems are acting in a polycrystal. To compare the two types of samples, rates of shear hardeninn---L. on the acting -planes are needed. and these may be computed only if it is known what particular systems are active. The acting systems were examined for a coarse-grained polycrystal and it will be shown that the systems supplying the preponderance of slip can be determined with little ambiguity. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Twelve samples of aluminum were prepared by chill casting into a heated graphite mold, followed by annealing at 635° ± 5°C for 24 hr with an 8-hr fur- nace cool, and finally either etching7 or electropol-ishing.' The samples, with a 7 to 10 cm length between grips and 4.4 by 6.6 mm in cross section, were deformed at a strain rate of about 3 10 -3 . per min in a tensile device which has been described elsewhere.5 The composition was reported by Alcoa as 99.992 pct Al, 0.004 pct Zn, 0.002 pct Cu, 0.001 pct Fe, and 0.001 pct Si; nine samples were deformed while immersed in liquid helium and three in air at room temperature. The stress-strain curve for one of the samples (P-1) deformed at 4.2 "K has been reported previ~usl~.~ This sample was selected for determination of active slip systems. Eighteen of the crystals were examined by optical microscopy to determine the angles of slip line traces and by X-ray back reflection to determine orientation. By this means the slip planes were determined and the resolved shear stress factors for possible slip systems could be computed. Finally each sample was sectioned so that after etching, the number of crystals could be counted for each of ten newly exposed surfaces. The average of these ten values will be termed n, the number of crystals per cross section. Values of 11, varied from 1.9 (nearly bamboo structure) to 12.7. Sketches of typical cross sections appear in Fig. 1. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: SLIP SYSTEMS 1) Determination of Acting Slip Planes—The stress axis orientation and operative slip planes in eighteen crystals of sample P-1, as determined by slip line traces and crystal orientation, are summarized in Fig. 2. For one of the crystals two planes had a common trace. so that the traces alone did not distinguish which plane or planes were slipping. However it was found that the stress resolving factor for the primary system was 0.386, .while that for the most stressed system in the other plane (indicated bv the dotted arrow) is 0.138. It will be assumed tgerefore that only the primary plane acted. Since the orientations were determined after extending the samples 4 pct, the stress axes may be rotated from their original value by as much as 2 deg in some cases. It is interesting to note that in five crystals only one slip plane acted, in eight two acted, and in five three planes were observed—an average of two slip
Jan 1, 1962
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Institute of Metals Division - A Study of the Aluminum-Lithium System Between Aluminum and Al-LiBy E. J. Rapperport, E. D. Levine
The boundaries of the (a +ß) field in the Al-Li system were determined between 150°and 550°C utilizing quantitative metallography and lattice-parameter measurements. The solubility of lithium in aluminum decreases from 12.0at. pct Li at 550°C to 5.5 at. pct Li at 150°C. P Al-Li is saturated with aluminum at 45.8 at. pct Li and has this boundary value constant over the temperature range 150°to 550°C. THE solid solubility of lithium in aluminum has been determined by several investigators, 1-6 but, as shown in Fig. 1, there is little agreement among the various determinations. The earliest investiga-tions'-' are suspect because of the use of impure materials. Although high-purity materials were employed in more recent work,4'5 the experimental techniques may have led to contamination of the specimens. Probably the best work has been that of Costas and Marshall,6 who obtained close agreement between results obtained by two independent phase-boundary techniques: electrical resistivity and mi-crohardness. No detailed studies of the solubility of aluminum in the bcc ß phase, Al-Li, have been reported. Cursory investigations1,2,6 have indicated only that the (a+ß) -p boundary lies between 40 and 50 at. pct Li and is relatively independent of temperature. The present work was undertaken in order to provide an independent check on Costas and Marshall's determination of the solubility of lithium in aluminum, to extend knowledge of this solubility limit to temperatures below 225°C, and to make an accurate determination of the solubility of aluminum in Al-Li. EXPEFUMENTAL Alloy Preparation. In view of the difficulties encountered in previous investigations of the A1-Li system, close attention was paid to the use of methods of alloy preparation and treatment that would minimize contamination. Aluminum sheet (99.99 + pct Al) was vacuum-induction melted in a beryllia crucible to remove hydrogen. Lithium (99.9 pct Li) was charged with pre-melted aluminum into a beryllia crucible, in a helium-filled drybox. The crucible was sealed in a Vycor tube and transferred from the drybox to an induction furnace. Melting of alloys was performed by induction heating in a helium atmosphere. Solidification was accomplished by means of a suction apparatus, shown in Fig. 2, in which the alloy was forced by changes of pressure into a 3/16-in. inside diam closed-end beryllia tube. This technique produced rapid solidification of a small portion of the melt, resulting in alloys with a high degree of homogeneity. Typical lithium distributions are presented in Table I. Transverse sections 1/8 in. long were cut from the alloy rods, and each section was split in half longitudinally. One half of each section was analyzed for lithium, and the opposing halves were employed for phase-boundary determinations. Lithium contents were determined by flame photometry with an accuracy of 1 pct of the amount of lithium present. Thermal Treatments. Homogenization and equilibration heat treatments were performed in electrical-resistance furnaces with temperatures controlled to ± 2OC. Calibrated chromel-alumel thermocouples were employed to measure temperature. Homogenization was performed in helium-filled l?yrex tubes for 1 hr at 565°C. The encapsulated specimens were then transferred directly to furnaces maintained at lower temperatures for equilibration. Equilibration times were 2 hr at 550°C, 8 hr at 450°C, 27 hr at 350°c, 90 hr at 250°c, and 285 hr at 150"~. These times were chosen on the basis of conditions employed by previous investigators. Alloys were quenched from the equilibration temperatures by breaking the capsules into a silicone oil bath. By performing all possible operations either in sealed capsules or in a helium-filled drybox, the specimens were given minimum exposure to the atmosphere. Quantitative Metallography. Metallography of Al-Li alloys is difficult because of the atmospheric reactivity of the ß phase. It was found possible, however, to prepare surfaces of good metallographic quality by preventing contact with moisture during preparation. Grinding through 4/0 paper was performed in the drybox. The specimens were then transferred under kerosene to the polishing wheel. Three polishing stages were employed: 25-p alundum with kerosene lubricant on billiard cloth, 1-µ diamond paste on Microcloth, and 1/4-p diamond paste on Microcloth. Between stages the samples were cleaned by rinsing in trichloroethylene and buffing
Jan 1, 1963
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Symposium Review and SummaryBy Willard C. Lacy
Rather than attempting to present a summary of the many and highly varied papers that have been presented at this symposium on sampling and grade control, I will attempt to extract the general philosophy of analysis and approach, and attempt to identify the trend of future developments. First, the term "sampling" is used with its broadest connotations. A sample consists of a representative portion of a larger mass, and must represent the mass not only in the grade of contained metals or minerals, but also in all other respects in terms of mineralogy and mineral quality (1, 5), deleterious materials, recoverability of economic components, physical behavior, geophysical response (I), and even archaeological and environmental aspects (7, 11). The sample must be taken from a locality and in such a manner and quantity that it is representative of the larger rock mass. This calls for complete and accurate geological control and an understanding of the nature and distribution of the contained chemical and physical elements and a record of the effectiveness of the different sampling methods. Second, value of a given mass of ore material is based upon its profitability - the difference between recoverable value and costs to achieve recovery, beneficiation and sale. There is a strong movement in mining geology control toward more complete analysis in determining cutoff grades and in grade control, as illustrated by the kriging of metallurgical recovery factors as well as grade at the Mercur Mine (8). To achieve a "profit- ability factor" as a guide for economic mining practice requires further integration of: 1) the value of contained metal or mineral, 2) percentage recovery of values, 3) dilution of ore with waste rock, 4) addition to, or loss of value as a consequence of by-product materials or deleterious components, 5) cost of producing a saleable product plus mini- mum profit to justify the effort (cutoff), and 6) cost of land restoration (7, 11). All these parameters vary with the rock type, rock structure, mineralogy, depth, geometry, mining and metallurgical methods, but they must be sampled and analyzed if sampling and grade control are to reflect profitability. A wide variety of deposits has been presented at this symposium; each deposit with its own problems and special solutions. Deposits containing high unit-value components, e.g. precious metals and diamonds, present special problems in the obtaining of accurate samples and generally require statistical analysis control methods or may disregard or modify occasional high or occasional low values, based upon experience (12 ) Grade control may be accurate for the long term but may vary for the short term. Bulk sampling is always essential. Deposits containing metals or minerals with low unit value are very sensitive to transport costs, and they are often very sensitive to small amounts of deleterious components or differences in physical or chemical behavior. Problems of sampling and grade control change with the genetic type of deposit, with the stage of deposit development and with the size of the information base. Precious metal epithermal deposits (2, 6, 8), because of rapid vertical zonation and erratic lateral distribution of values, have always been difficult to evaluate and maintain grade control and ore reserves. On the other hand, evaluation and grade control are relatively easy in bulk-low- grade deposits (4, 13). However, these deposits generally have a low margin of profit and are sensitive to mining and beneficiaton costs, price fluctuations and political costs. Industrial mineral deposits (5) often must be evaluated on the basis of their behavior, rather than by chemical analysis. Environmental impact generally increases with the scale of the operation, but certain elements or minerals have especially high impact effects (7, 11). In the exploration phase there is no production control of sampling procedures and careful geological observations are particularly essential. The greatest number of problems is related to the oxidized outcrop where the chemical environment of the ore body has changed and the contained values may have been enriched, depleted or values left unchanged (2, 6). Present evidence suggests that gold values may be very mobile under certain conditions (2, 6) and stable under others. Everything must be sampled in detail. Principal values and by-product or deleterious elements may vary dependent upon their position within the soil profile. Such factors as geomorphic position, erosion rate, vegetation, climate, etc., may affect the interpretation (1, 3). During the development phase it is equally easy to overtest, to have "paralysis by analysis," as to undertest (3, 6). Bulk samplng and testing are
Jan 1, 1985
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Institute of Metals Division - The Zirconium-Hafnium-Hydrogen System at Pressures Less Than 1 Atm: Part II – A Structural InvestigationBy J. Alfred Berger, O. M. Katz
Selected samples of hydrided Zr-Hf alloys were rapidly quenched to voom temperature and exrtrnined metallographically, by X-ray diffraction, and through micro hardness studies to confirm high-temperutuve data Confirming experiments sllowed that there were five phases in this Lernary system: 1) hextrgonal with lattice parameters similar to that of the initia1 Zr-Hf alloy but slightly enlarged due to dissolved hydrogen; 2) fee with properties of a brittle, intermediate, hydride compound; 3) fct with c/a crvoltnd 1.07 and which appeared as a neetilelike precipitale; 4) hexagonal, designated ?, with c/a ratio of 2.37; and 5) orthorhombic, designated X, with a = 4.67, b = 4.49, and c = 5.093 and whose tnicro-st?ruct~ival nppetrl-nnce depcncled o/i, heat lvecrt~r~ent. The tetragonrrl phase never crppeal-erl witkorct the cubic hydricle. Abpecrrtrnce of 0 and A also tlependet on the hafnium content of the zirconium. A previous paper' on the Zr-Hf-H system described the thermochemical data obtained with a high-vacuum, high-sensitivity mirrogravimetric apparatus. This data presented a fairly complete picture of the phase relationships at elevated temperatures. However, it could not establish the actual crystal structures, lattice parameters, or metallographic disposition of the hydride phases. The present complementary study utilizes X-ray powder patterns along with light and electron microscopy to characterize completely the five hydrided phases found in Zr-Hf-H alloys quenched to room temperature. Crystallographic features of the zr-Hf,2,4 zr-H,5-7 and Hf-H8 systems have been summarized in Table I. Designations of a, ß, and ? were retained in the Zr-Hf-H system for the phase regions through which the pressure-composition isotherms always sloped. However, it was not firmly agreed that these were single-phase regions.' In fact, the region designated y always contained a cubic as well as a tetragonal phase after quenching to -196°C. MATERIALS Preparation of the high-purity Zr-Hf alloys has been described.' The four zirconium alloys which were hydrided contained 37 wt pct Hf (23 at. pct), 51 wt pct Hf (37 at. pct), 73 wt pct Hf (58 at. pct), and 91 wt pct Hf (82 at. pct), respectively. These were designated B-2, B-4, B-6, and B-8. Photomicrographs of the initial alloys showed the material to be quite clean as would be expected from the precautions exercised in producing them. However, there were a number of annealing twins but no other subgrain structure. In addition to the four original alloys, fifteen hydrided samples were observed at room temperature. Hydrogen compositions are given at the top of Tables I1 to V. APPARATUS The phases present at elevated temperatures were studied by quenching hydrided samples to room temperature by two different methods, both under vacuum: 1) fast cooling of the sample tubes of the microgravimetric apparatus1'9 with flowing air and 2) rapid quenching into liquid nitrogen. The cooling rate for 1) was 750° to 250°C in 30 sec. Since the microbalance chamber was not designed to permit very rapid cooling of a hydride sample, all liquid-nitrogen quenching was done in an auxiliary experiment. The auxiliary quenching apparatus consisted of a small-bore, high-temperature furnace, a sealed SiO2 tube containing the sample, and a dewar quenching flask filled with liquid nitrogen. The hydrided sample, previously quenched in the microgravimetric reaction chamber, was placed in a platinum boat in a vacuum-degassed SiO2 tube. A zirconium wire getter and degassed SiO2 rod, to reduce the internal volume, were also in the tube. After sealing the tube under vacuum the zirconium getter was heated to absorb the last traces of gas. Only the sample was heated at the reaction temperature for the desired length of time, and then the tube dropped through the opposite end of the furnace into the dewar. A quenching rate of 200" to 400° C per sec was estimated. Analyses of samples after the auxiliary experiment also showed practically no increase in oxygen or nitrogen content from heating in the SiO2 tube. All of the samples were examined at room temperature by the X-ray powder method. The majority of the powder patterns were obtained with double nickel-filtered CuKa radiation after 8- and 16-hr exposures in an 11.48-cm-diam camera. Cobalt and chromium radiation were also used to spread out the high d value end of the Pattern. Such patterns readily identified the minor phases. NO oxide or nitride lines were found. Where sharp back-reflection lines existed it was possible to reduce the
Jan 1, 1965
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Institute of Metals Division - Plastic Deformation of Rectangular Zinc MonocrystalsBy J. J. Gilman
The data presented indicate that the critical shear stress and strain-hardening Thedatapresentedrate of a zinc monocrystal depend on the orientation of its slip direction with respect to its external boundaries. The tendency of a crystal to form deformation bands also depends on its shape. THE plastic behavior of pairs of zinc monocrystals in which both members of the respective pairs had the same orientation with respect to the longitudinal axis, but each had different orientations with respect to their rectangular external shapes, were compared in this investigation. The purpose of the investigation was to see what influence the shape or surface of a zinc crystal has on its mechanical properties. In a previous investigation of triangular zinc monocrystals,1 anomalous axial twisting was observed which seemed to be related to the triangular shape of the crystals. Wolff,' in 400°C tensile tests of rectangular rock-salt crystals bounded by cubic cleavage planes, found that, of the four equivalent slip systems, the two with the "shorter" slip directions yielded and produced slip lines at lower stresses than the other two. This observation and the work of Dommerich³ as formulated by Smekal4 as a "new slip condition" for rock-salt: "among two or more slip systems permitted by the shear stress law, with reference to the formation of visible slip lines by large individual glides, that slip system is preferred which has the shortest effective slip direction." More recently, Wu and Smoluchowski5 reported essentially the same effect for ribbon-like (20x2x0.2 mm) aluminum crystals at room temperature. Experimental Chemically pure zinc (99.999 pct Zn), purchased from the New Jersey Zinc Co., was the raw material. Glass envelopes, containing graphite molds and zinc, were evacuated while hot enough to outgas the graphite but not melt the zinc. At a vacuum of about 0.2 micron the envelopes were sealed off and then lowered through a furnace at 1 in. per hr so as to melt and resolidify the zinc and produce mono-crystals. One-half of one of the molds is shown in Fig. la. Each mold consisted of four pieces from a cylindrical graphite rod that was split longitudinally and transversely at its midpoints. Rectangular milled grooves 0.050 in. deep and % in. wide formed the mold cavity when the split halves were assembled with twisted wires. Fig. lb shows the specimen shape obtained when the top and bottom mold-halves were rotated 90" with respect to each other. Good fits prevented leakage and excess zinc was necessary to provide enough liquid head to fill the mold completely. In removing soft crystals from the molds it was impossible to avoid small amounts of bending. However, manipulations were carried out whenever possible with the crystals protected by grooved brass blocks. All specimens were annealed prior to testing. From the top and bottom sections of each crystal, X-ray specimens and tensile specimens 7 to 8 cm long were sawed. The tensile specimens were annealed inside evacuated tubes for 1 hr at 375°C. Next the crystals were cleaned and polished by 2-min dips in a solution of 22 pct chromic acid, 74 pct water, 2.5 pct sulphuric acid, and 1.5 pct glacial acetic acid.' Cleaning was followed by a 10-sec dip in a 10 pct caustic solution, then washed in water and alcohol, and dried. This treatment results in a bright surface covered by an invisible oxide film. The testing grips were a slotted type with set screws and were supported in a V-block during the mounting operations in order to avoid bending the crystals. A schematic diagram of the recording tensile-testing machine is shown in Fig. 2. The machine has been described elsewhere.' The head speed was 0.3 mm per sec for all tests. The crystal orientations were determined by the Greninger X-ray back-reflection method with an estimated accuracy of 1. Description of Crystal Geometry A schematic picture of a rectangular zinc mono-crystal is shown in Fig. 3. ABD designates the front edge of a basal plane (0001) of the crystal, the only active slip plane for zinc at room temperature. Of the three possible (2110) slip directions, the active one is indicated by an arrow. Cartesian coordinates are taken parallel to the specimen edges. The normal, n, to the basal plane (n is parallel to the hexagonal axis) has the direction cosines a, ß and ?. X0 = 90 — y is the angle between the longitudinal axis and
Jan 1, 1954
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Iron and Steel Division - Effect of Rare-Earth Additions on Some Stainless Steel Melting VariablesBy R. H. Gautschi, F. C. Langenberg
Rare-earth additions were made to laboratory heats of Type 310 stainless to observe their effect on as-cast ingot structure, nitrogen and sulfur contents, and nonmetallic inclusions. Lanthanum had a grain-refining effect in 30-lb ingots, but results with 200-lb ingots were inconsistent. Cerium, lanthanum, and misch metal lowered the sulfur content when the sulfur exceeded 0.015 pct and the rare-earth addition was greater than 0.1 pct. The rare-eardh content in the metal dropped very rapidly within the first few minutes after the addition. The size, shape, and distribution of nonmetallic inclusions was not changed in 30-lb ingots, but changes were noticed in larger ingots. RARE-earth* additions have been made to austenitic Cr-Ni and Cr-Mn steels to improve their hot workability. The high alloy content of these steels often results in a considerable resistance to deformation and inherent hot shortness at rolling temperatures, particularly in larger ingots. Rare earths in the metallic, oxide, or halide form are usually added to the steel in the ladle after deoxidation although they can be added in the furnace prior to tap or in the molds during teeming. The literature- indicates that the effects of rare-earth treatments on these stainless steels are not consistent, and sometimes even contradictory. Since no mechanism has been presented which satisfactorily accounts for the claimed improvements, the effects of rare earths are a qualitative matter. The work described in this paper was initiated to expand the knowledge of the effects of rare-earth additions on melting variables such as ingot structure, chemical analysis, and nonmetallic inclusions. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Ingot Structure—Rare-earth additions to stainless steels have been reported to cause a change in primary ingot structure in that there are fewer coarse columnar grains. However, the results are inconsistent. While one investigation1 has shown a large reduction in coarse columnar crystals, another2 has been unable to observe this effect, particularly when small ingots were poured. Post and coworkers3 observed ingot structures for a number of years and found that the columnar type of structure is not definitely a cause of any particular trouble in rolling or hammering, provided the alloy is ductile. Knapp and Bolkcom4 found rare-earth additions to be quite effective in preventing grain coarsening in Type 310 stainless steel. Chemical Analysis—Many effects of rare-earth treatment on chemical analysis have been claimed in the literature. Russell5 observed that some sulfur is removed by rare-earth metals, and that a high initial sulfur content improved the efficiency of sulfur removal. Lillieqvist and Mickelson6 report that rare-earth treatment causes sulfur removal in basic open-hearth furnaces, but not in basic lined induction furnaces. Knapp and Bolkcom found no sulfur removal in acid open-hearth and acid electric furnaces, probably because the acid slag can not retain sul-fides. snellmann7 showed that sulfur could be lowered apprecfably with rare-earth additions; however, a sulfur reversion occurred with time. Langenberg and chipman8 studied the reaction CeS(s) = Ce(in Fe) + S(in Fe), and found the solubilit product [%Ce] [%S] equal to (1.5 + 0.5) X 10-3'at 1600°C. Results in 17 Cr-9 Ni stainless were about the same as those in iron. Beaver2 treated chromium-nickel steels with 0.3 pct misch metal and observed some reduction in the oxygen content. He also noted an inconsistent but beneficial effect of rare earths when tramp elements were present in amounts sufficient to cause difficulty in hot working. It is not known whether rare earths reduce the content of the tramp elements or change the form in which these elements appear in the final structure. No quantitative data are available concerning a possible effect of rare-earth treatment on hydrogen and nitrogen contents. However, Schwartzbart and sheehan9 stated that additions of rare earths had no effect on impact properties when the nitrogen content was low (0.006 pct), but served to counteract the adverse effects of high nitrogen content (0.030 pct) on these properties. Knapp and Bolkcom4 analyzed open-hearth heats in the treated and untreated conditions and found the nitrogen content (0.006 pct) to be unaffected. These two results lead to the speculation that rare-earth additions can reduce the nitrogen content to a certain level. Decker and coworkers10 have observed that small amounts of boron or zirconium, picked up from magnesia or zirconia crucibles, increased high-tem-
Jan 1, 1961
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Institute of Metals Division - The Zirconium-Hafnium-Hydrogen System at Pressures Less Than 1 Atm: Part I – A Thermochemical StudyBy J. Alfred Berger, O. M. Katz
The Zv-Hf-H ternary system was studied between 500° and 900°C at pressures less than 1 atm of hydrogen gas between 1 and 60 at. pct H. A new and unique microgravimentric apparatus was used. Cizanges of slope on pressure-hydrogen composition isothernis delineated phase boundaries. These boundaries separatecl the three regions, a, 0, and y—so designated to correspond to the regions of the Zr-H binary system—from the multiphased areas between them. A eutectoidal decomposition was found with the ß region phase or phases decornposing into a lamellar product on quenching to rool ter,zperatuve. Reproducible decomposition-pressure hysteresis occilrved lnainly at lower hydrogen cornpositions and at lower temperatures across multiplzase vegions between a and 0 and a and y. Tire effects of hqfniur7z on the hydriding charactevistics of zirconiurrz weYe as follows: 1) stabilization of the a and y vegions while destabilizing the 0 region; 2) a/?preciable elevation of the decomposition pressrkres in the multiphase region between the a and /3 field; 3) ~nouenzent of the eutectoid reaction to high te~nperatures; 4) reduction in the total qiiantity of hydrogen absorbed under one atmospheve of Hz p7-essure; and 5) introduction of a split deconzposilion at the eiitectoiclal poinl in pa?? of the ternavy. Assuru~ptions based on an ir-2terstitial vandonl-solulion rtioclel 0.f hydrogen in metals slzowed that the bindit~g energy between solute sites prednnzinatecl at low /i?!dvogen concentrations. However, at high hydrogen contents the entropy was the predorninatlt factor in determining the stability of the Zr-Hf-H al1o.s. This was interpreted to mean a scarcity of filrtlzer itltevslilinl solute sites caused by hydrogen-hydvogen intet-actions in the metal lattice. INTEREST in the reaction of hydrogen with metals has increased in the past few years for the following reasons: 1) the formation or use of high hydrogen potential environments in nuclear reactors; 2) the reaction of hydrogen with alloys in nuclear reactors with the accompanying deleterious effects on the mechanical and corrosion properties; 3) the theoretical implications of thermodynamic data on the theory and rules of alloy formation in the metal-hydrogen systems; 4) the use of hydrogen-containing fuels in rocket engines; 5) the need for a process of making fine metal powders of high-melting reactive metals; and 6) the beneficial impregnation of superconducting alloys with hydrogen. In nuclear pressurized-water reactors, the problem exists of limiting the hydrogen pickup of zirconium alloys which are utilized as fuel cladding, heat shields, and support members. In general, zirconium alloys have good mechanical and corrosion-resistant properties in high-temperature water. However, hydrogen is absorbed from the corrosion reaction between metal and water, greatly accelerating the formation of the corrosion product ZrOz as well as mechanically embrittling the underlying metal. In addition, recent observations1 at zirconium to hafnium welds showed that secondary elements in zirconium can have an appreciable, and somewhat unexpected, effect on hydrogen absorption. This paper lists the thermochemical data in the range 500" to 900°C for the equilibrium reaction of four high-purity Zr-Hf alloys with hydrogen. Phase boundaries and thermodynamic functions are determined while the structural data will be presented in a future paper. In general, the Zr-Hf-H system approximates the well-known, eutectoidal, Zr-H diagram2,3 with modifications introduced through the behavior of hafnium.4,5 The Hf-H system,' published while this work was in progress, provided a consistent trend with the Zr-Hf-H data. PREPARATION OF Zr-Hf ALLOYS Table I presents a complete flow chart of the preparation procedure. The zirconium and hafnium crystal bars were completely immersed in high-purity kerosene and slowly cut into thin wafers. Wafers were then cold-sheared into approximately 1-g pieces, thoroughly cleaned, weighed, and inserted into the furnace. The alloys, B-2, B-4, B-6, and B-8, were then nonconsumable arc-melted under 500 mm of purified argon. Additional purification of the argon was accomplished by melting a large titanium button each time an alloy was re-melted or a different alloy melted. Each alloy button, which weighed 25 g, was remelted four times in an approach to complete homogeneity. Material losses were less than 0.02 wt pct. Alloy buttons were alternately cold-rolled and vacuum-annealed into 10- and 20-mil sheets. Table I1 gives the composition of the four alloys used. Very little elemental segregation existed be-
Jan 1, 1965
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Part X – October 1969 - Papers - Residual Structure and Mechanical Properties of Alpha Brass and Stainless Steel Following Deformation by Cold Rolling and Explosive Shock LoadingBy F. I. Grace, L. E. Murr
The mechanical responses and residual defect structures in 70/30 brass and type 304 stainless steel following explosive shock loading and cold reduction by rolling have been studied. A distinct relationship was observed to exist between the residual mechanical properties and micro structures observed by transmission electron microscopy. Shock-loaded brass deformed primarily by the formation of coplanar arrays of dislocations and stacking faults at lower pressures, and twin-faults (deformation twins and €-martensite bundles) at higher pressures (> 200 kbar). The micro -structures of cold-rolled brass were characterized by dense dislocation fields elongated in the rolling direction. Stainless steel was observed to deform by the formation of dense arrays of stacking faults at lower shock pressures and twin-faults at high shock pressures (>200 kbar). Lightly cold-rolled stainless steel deformed similar to low Pressure shock-loaded stainless steel, but transformed to a' martensite in heavily cold-rolled stainless steel. Discontinuous yielding was observed for the heavily cold-rolled stainless steel, and stress reluxution in the weyield region for cold-rolled and shock -loaded stainless steel was interpreted as an indication of the ability of twin-faults and stacking faults to act as effective barriers to dislocation motion. A simple model for the formation of the planar defects and a' martetnsite is presented based on the propagating of Shochley partial and half-partial dislocations. A considerable effort has been expended over the past decade in an attempt to elucidate the response of metallic-crystalline solids to the passage of a high velocity shock wave (e.g., smith,' Dieter,2 and zukas3). While it has been possible to obtain relevant information pertaining to the residual defect structures and mechanical properties, there have been few rigorous attempts to draw a direct comparison between these structures and properties. In addition, numerous investigators have recently observed the occurrence of deformation twinning in shock deformed fcc metals (e.g., Nolder and Thomas,4 and Johari and Thomas5), but little attempt has been made to elucidate the mechanisms of formation of these defects. Comparative data for metals deformed by shock-loading and the same metals deformed by more conventional modes of deformation such as cold-reduction by rolling is also generally lacking. The present investigation therefore has the following objectives: 1) to examine the mechanical properties of some explosively shock loaded and cold-rolled fcc metals of low stacking-fault energy as a function of their residual substructures; 2) to present a simple model for the formation twin-faults and related defect structures in the low stack-ing-fault energy materials of interest (70/30 brass, ySFg= 14 ergs per sq cm; and 304 stainless steel, ySF = 21 ergs per sq cm); 3) to make some deductions with regard to the residual characteristics of dislocation and planar defect substructures in cold rolled and shock loaded 70/30 brass and type 304 stainless steel. In particular, it was desirable to characterize the residual hardening effects of particular deformation substructures. I) EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Sheet samples of 70/30 brass (0.005 and 0.15 in. thick; annealed at 659°C for 2 hr) and type 304 stainless steel (0.007 in. thick; annealed 0.25 hr at 1060°C) of nominal compositions shown in Table I were cold-rolled in one direction only to produce reductions in thickness of 15, 30, 45, 60, and 75 pct in the brass; and 5, 15, 25, 35, and 45 pct in the stainless steel. Identical sheet samples in the annealed (unrolled) state were subjected to plane compressive shock waves to various peak pressures ranging from 0 to 400 kbar in the brass and 0 to 425 kbar in the stainless steel; and with a constant peak pressure duration of approximately 2 microseconds. A detailed description of the shock loading technique has been given previously.6 Tensile specimens 1.0 in. in length and 0.125 in. in width were cut from the cold-rolled sheets (tensile axis parallel to the rolling direction), and the shock-loaded sheet specimens. Stress (load)-strain (elongation) measurements on the tensile specimens were made on a Tinius-Olsen load-compensating tensile tester using a strain rate of 2.7 x 10-3 sec-1. Tensile tests were repeated at least twice, giving essentially the same results. Stress relaxation measurements in the preyield region were also made using an initial strain rate of 5.4 x 10-4 sec-1. In addition to tensile and stress relaxation measurements, Vickers microhardness measurements were made on all samples. A total of 100 microhard-ness readings were obtained for each specimen following a light electropolish to ensure uniform surface conditions for all tests. The hardness averages ob-
Jan 1, 1970
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Technical Papers and Notes - Institute of Metals Division - Effect of Hydrogen on the Fatigue Properties of Titanium and Ti-8 Pct Mn AlloyBy W. S. Hyler, L. W. Berger, R. I. Jaffee
Hydrogen additions of 390 ppm to A-55 titanium and 368 ppm to Ti-8 pet Mn have no deleterious Hydrogenadditionseffect on the unnotched and notched rotating-beam fatigue properties of these materials. 'These amounts of hydrogen, however, are sufficient to cause severe notch-impact thesematerials.embrittlement in A-55 titanium and pronounced loss of tensile ductility in Ti-8 pet Mn. The lack of embrittling effect in fatigue in the latter alloy is consistent with the postulated strain-aging mechanism of hydrogen embrittlement in a-ß alloys. There is a significant strain-agingincrease in the unnotched endurance limit of A-55 titanium with the addition of hydrogen. This increase may be explained as the result of internal heating effects which would dissolve the hydride and cause solid-solution strengthening. TITANIUM and its alloys may be seriously embrittled by relatively small amounts of hydrogen. The form which this embrittlement takes has been shown to vary with alloy type. The a alloys, for example, suffer most strongly from loss of notch-bend impact toughness' when sufficient hydrogen is added, and this effect has generally been associated with the presence of hydride phase in the micro-structure. In a-ß alloys, on the other hand, hydrogen is most detrimental to tensile ductility in slow-speed tests,2-1 and the embrittlement may be detected in a most convincing manner by means of rupture tests at room temperature. This particular kind of embrittlement has not been associated with a change in microstructure, but has been classified rather generally as associated with a strain-aging type of mechanism.' In the present paper, the effect of an embrittling amount of hydrogen on the rotating-beam fatigue properties of both an a and an a-ß titanium alloy is covered. For this study, annealed commercially pure (A-55) titanium was chosen as an a alloy, and equilibrated and stabilized Ti-8 pet Mn as representative of a typical a-ß alloy. Nominal hydrogen levels of 20 and 400 ppm were evaluated, the latter amount having been shown previously to be severely detrimental to the impact toughness of commercially pure titanium and to cause pronounced strain-aging embrittlement in the Ti-8 pet Mn alloy. The only report of the effect of hydrogen on the fatigue properties of titanium is given by Anderson et al.,° in which a push-pull type of fatigue test was conducted on as-received commercial-purity titanium sheet. Much scatter was found in the results, but generally the presence of hydrides slightly decreased the fatigue strength of unnotched specimens in the longitudinal direction. The results of notched tests were masked too greatly by scatter to be significant. Experimental Procedure Preparation of Materials—Analyses of the A-55 titanium and the Ti-8 pet Mn alloy used in this investigation are given in Table I, which indicates the 8 pet Mn alloy to be more nearly a 6 pet Mn alloy. This alloy will be referred to as Ti-8 pet Mn, however, since this is the commercially designated composition. Both alloys were received in the form of5/8-in. diam rod and, after suitable surface preparation, 5-in. lengths were vacuum annealed at 820°C. Half of the rods for each material were then hydrogenated at 820°C to a nominal hydrogen content of 400 ppm. The hydrogenated and vacuum-annealed A-55 rods were hot swaged at 700°C from 5/8-in. diam to 1/4-in. diam, and then annealed 1 hr at 800°C and air cooled prior to preparation into test specimens. Fabrication of the Ti-8 pet Mn alloy was by hot swaging to 3/8-in. diam at 760" and then 1/4-in. diam at 704°C. This material was then annealed 1 hr at 704", followed by furnace cooling to 593"C, and finally air cooling to room temperature. Evaluation—In order to examine more completely the effects of hydrogen on the particular materials studied, slow-speed tensile and notch-bend impact properties were determined in addition to fatigue data. Tensile specimens were of the standard ASTM type with a reduced section of 1/8-in. diam and a gage length of 1/2 in. A subsize cylindrical Izod specimen was used for impact tests. These specimens had a 45" notch with a 0.005-in. radius and a 0.150-in. root diam, and the stress concentration factor of this notch in bending was Kr = 3. Both the ten-
Jan 1, 1959
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Minerals Beneficiation - Preconcentration of Primary Uranium Ores by FlotationBy B. C. Mariacher
EXTRACTION of uranium from ores is being ac-complished by processes which. for the most part, subject the entire ore to acid or carbonate leaching. Ore deposits with a U 3 O 8 content below 0.10 pct U 3 O 8 are seldom considered suitable for treatment by leaching. A preliminary concentration that would enrich the uranium content of an ore by a simple, low cost process based on physical properties of the ore might result in some low grade deposits becoming commercial ores. In addition, the process might be employed in existing operations to reduce transportation and leaching costs and to increase capacity of existing leaching plants. A study to attempt the development of a preliminary concentration process for primary uranium ores was undertaken by the Colorado School of Mines Research Foundation under sponsorship of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. The objective of this work was to produce concentrates containing 0.25 pct U3O8 from the low grade ores tested. Ores Tested: The main effort was devoted to the low grade primary uranium ores from northwestern Saskatchewan. Samples were obtained from the Beaverlodge operation of the Eldorado Mining & Refining Ltd. Additional primary ores, obtained from deposits in Gilpin County, Colo., contained from 0.07 to 0.10 pct U3O8. Summary of Concentration Tests: The Beaverlodge ore was tested to determine amenability of the ore to concentration by magnetic, electrostatic, gravity, and scrubbing processes. None of these produced satisfactory results. Both gravity and magnetic processes produced fairly good concentrates when closely sized fractions of the ore were treated, but on the basis of treating the total ore, recovery was poor. Preparation of sized fractions and the low capacity of equipment for suitable concentration made these methods impractical. As flotation offered the advantage of treating the total ore without intermediate sizing, the main effort was in this direction. A flotation process was developed that fulfilled the concentration objectives as set by the AEC. Pilot plant testing was used to verify results obtained from laboratory batch testing. Mineralogy: A petrographic examination of the Beaverlodge ore included a study of polished sur- faces and identification of the radioactive mineral by autoradiograph and X-ray diffraction. Approximate quantitative mineral identification was as follows: quartz, 60 pct; orthoclase feldspar, 20 pct; chlorite, 10 pct; carbonates, 5 pct; and miscellaneous minerals, 5 pct. Included in this last group were plagioclase feldspar, pyrite, mica, chalcopyrite, pyroxene, sericite, magnetite, galena, and uraninite. The most general occurrence of uraninite was in the form of crusts and thin coatings on limonite-stained grains of pyrite, quartz, and pyrite-quartz intergrowth. At least 90 pct of the uraninite was still attached to other minerals in a 100 by 200-mesh size fraction. The uraninite crusts were as small as 10 to 20 µ diam, and 5 to 10 µ thick. The Flotation Process Petrographic examinations of the Beaverlodge ore had indicated the impracticability of attempting to concentrate the uranium by floating individual grains of uraninite. Liberation of the uraninite required grinding to sizes below those suitable for flotation. However, there was preferential association of the uraninite with some minerals while others were free of uraninite attachment. The approach to the development of a flotation process was, therefore, based upon an attempt to concentrate the uraninite by floating carrier minerals. The following paragraphs discuss the various stages of the process with regard to the factors tested and the conditions under which best results were obtained. Grinding: The most effective size range for flotation was —150 mesh + 13 µ. The —13 µ material in the final concentrate had a higher U3O8 content than the total ore, but not as high as the average concentrate; however, rejection of slimes before flotation was prohibitive because of the loss in uranium carried in the —13 µ fraction. Grinding techniques which contributed to a minimum production of fines, such as stage grinding, were then employed. Quartz and Silicate Depression: These minerals represented approximately 80 pct of the ore and were free to a large degree of uraninite attachment. Significant improvement in the grade of the concentrate was obtained by depression of these minerals with hydrofluoric acid or sodium fluoride. Promoter: Selective stage flotation of uraninite carrier minerals was simplified by development of a single promoter mixture. The mixture consisted of an emulsion of a fatty acid, fuel oil, and a petroleum sulfonate and was selected after a comprehensive series of tests. It contained three parts by weight of an oleic and linoleic acid such as Emersol 300,
Jan 1, 1957
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Part XI – November 1969 - Papers - The Deformation and Fracture of Titanium/ Oxygen/Hydrogen AlloysBy D. V. Edmonds, C. J. Beevers
Tensile tests were carried out on a! titanium containing 850, 1250, and 2700 ppm 0, and up to -500 ppm H. The tests were performed at -196", -78", 20°, 150°, and 300°C at a strain rate of -1.0 x 10??3 sec-1. Increasing oxygen content, increasing grain size, and decreasing test temperature resulted in enhanced embrittlement of the a titanium by the hydrogen additions. Metallographic observations showed that this can be correlated with the influence of these parameters on the introduction of cracks into the a! titanium by fracture of titanium hydride precipitates. CRAIGHEAD et al.1 reported that the hydrogen content normally found in commercial-purity a! titanium (60 to 100 ppm) was sufficient to cause a substantial lowering of the impact strength, and they attributed this embrittling effect of hydrogen to the precipitation of titanium hydride. Lenning et al.' found that in commercial-purity a titanium there is an almost complete loss of impact strength at about 200 pprn H, which is approximately half the value needed to eliminate the impact strength of high-purity a titanium. They also showed that the presence of 3000 ppm hydrogen reduces the room-temperature tensile ductility of commercial-purity material to a value of the order of 10 pct; the corresponding hydrogen concentration for high-purity titanium is over 9000 ppm. It thus appears that the detrimental effect of hydrogen on the mechanical properties of commercial-purity titanium becomes evident at much lower hydrogen contents than for high-purity titanium. The main difference between the two types of a titanium might be expected to be the higher level of interstitial impurity in the commercial-purity grade. Jaffee et a1.3 studied the influence of temperature and strain rate on the hydrogen embrittlement of high-purity and commercial-purity ! titanium. In general, the behavior was the same for both materials; embrittlement was enhanced by decreasing temperature and increasing strain rate. Recent results from tests on commercial-purity a titanium containing 850 ppm O and varying amounts of hydrogen up to -500 ppm showed that the degree of embrittlement by hydrogen is intimately related to the fracture characteristics of titanium hydride precipitates.4 The present paper considers the interrelationship between the mechanical properties and micro-structural features of commercial-purity a! titanium containing 850, 1250, and 2700 ppm 0 and varying amounts of hydrogen up to -500 ppm. 1. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Three types of commercial-purity titanium supplied by IMI* were used in the investigation, and for the *Address: Witton, Birmingham 6, United Kingdom. purpose of this paper are designated Ti 115, Ti 130, and Ti 160. The principal impurity elements are given in Table I. The material was received in the form of 12.7 mm diam bars having a fully recrystallized structure. Tensile specimens with a round cross-section of 4.5 mm diam and a gage length of 15.2 mm were machined from the bars. In order to develop the same grain size (mean linear intercept of grain boundaries) in each of the three types the specimens were annealed under a dynamic vacuum of <10?5 mm Hg, Table 11. Specimen hydriding was carried out in a modified Sieverts apparatus;' hydrogen was taken into solution at 450°C and after holding the specimens at this temperature for 24 hr they were furnace-cooled to room temperature at an average rate of -100 C deg per hr. By this method nominal hydrogen contents of 0, 50, 100, 250, and 500 ppm were introduced into specimens of Ti 115, Ti 130, and Ti 160 (100 ppm (wt) -0.5 at. pct). The actual hydrogen contents were calculated from the weight differences obtained by weighing the specimens before and after the hydriding treatment. Tensile tests were carried out at temperatures of -196", -78", 20°, 150°, and 300°C on a 10,000 kg In-stron machine at a nominal strain rate of -1.0 x 10-3 sec-1. Fractured specimens were sectioned in planes parallel to the tensile axis, mechanically polished to 0.25 µm grade of diamond paste, and then attack polished using a solution containing by volume 99 parts H2O, 1 part HF, and 1 part HNO3. Although the latter treatment unavoidably opened out cracks and voids visible after mechanical polishing, it did reveal the grain structure, titanium hydride morphology, and deformation twinning structure.
Jan 1, 1970
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Part X – October 1968 - Papers - Segregation and Constitutional Supercooling in Alloys Solidifying with a Cellular Solid-Liquid InterfaceBy K. G. Davis
Dilute alloys of silver and of thallium in tin have been solidijzed unidirectionally under controlled conditions, to study the segregation associated with a cellular interface under conditions where both thermal and solute convection are present. Autoradiography and radioactive tracer counting techniques were combined with electron-probe microanalysis to study both macro- and microsegregation. It was found that, for concentrations giving only small amounts of constitutional supercooling, cell formation had little effect on the macroscopic distribution of solute along the specimen. At higher concentrations the effective distribution coefficient was higher than that expected for a smooth interface. Node spacing was independent of initial solute content at lower concentrations, becoming greater as keff increased. Silver content at the segregation nodes of silver in tin alloys was independent of initial concentration and considerably in excess of the eutectic composition. SINCE the investigation of cell formation at advancing solid-liquid interfaces by Rutter and Chalmers,' a large volume of work has been dedicated to the determination of solidification conditions under which a planar interface will break down into cellular form. Early experiments were explained satisfactorily by the concept of constitutional supercooling,2 but, due to poor measurement of temperature gradients in the liquid, lack of accurate data on liquid diffusion and equilibrium distribution coefficients, and uncertainty about the effects of thermal and solute convection, these experiments cannot be used as proof for the theory. More recent work, however, has shown that under conditions where convection is eliminated or can be ignored good correlation is observed.3,4 Investigations into segregation at cell caps5 and at cell nodes6-'' have been made, but no measurements appear to have been done on the overall, macroscopic segregation down a unidirectionally solidified rod of material which has solidified with a cellular substructure. This has practical importance in casting, where regions of material with cellular substructure are often encountered, and also in zone refining where the thermal conditions necessary for a planar interface are unattainable. Further, as will be shown, the macroscopic segregation can give information on the following question. Granted that a cellular solid-liquid interface develops from a planar one when the conditions for constitutional supercooling are exceeded, how much supercooling is present after the cells have formed? EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE AND RESULTS Specimen Preparation. Specimens 25 cm long with a square cross section 0.6 by 0.6 cm were grown in graphite boats by solidification from one end. Alloy compositions are given in Table I. Two specimens of each composition were grown. The tin was 5-9 grade and the silver and thallium both 4-9 grade. Ag110 and Tl204 were used as tracers. Each composition had the same quantity of tracer so that auto radiographs of specimens containing different concentrations of the same element could be easily compared. Thermocouples inserted through the lid of the boat into a dummy specimen showed that, over the first 10 cm of growth, thermal conditions were quite steady, with a rate of interface advance of 5.8 cm per hr and a temperature gradient in the melt ahead of the interface of 3.0°C per cm. The specimens were seeded from tin crystals of a common orientation to eliminate orientation effects. Dilution of the specimen by seed material was minimized by the provision of a narrow neck between specimen and seed crystal. Macrosegregation. After growth, the specimens were sectioned with a spark cutter. The rods of silver alloy were cut into 1-cm lengths and analyzed for Ag110 using a y -ray counter with fixed geometry. The specimens containing thallium were cut into 2-cm lengths and analyzed for T1 204 by taking 13 counts from each end of the cut lengths through an aperture in lead sheet approximately 0.4 cm square. The results are summarized in Figs. 1 and 2. To find the effective distribution coefficient for the silver in tin alloys under smooth interface conditions, the region of substructure at the bottom surface of one of the 10 ppm specimens, see Fig. 3, was removed by spark machining before counting. Autoradiography. For both alloy systems the samples were polished on sections taken alternately parallel and perpendicular to the growth direction, and autoradiographed by placing the polished surfaces in contact with Kodak "Process Ortho" film. Figs. 3 and 4 show the structures revealed. The alloy containing 10 ppm Ag showed substructure only after a few centimeters of growth, and then substructure was limited to a narrow layer at the base. The "speckled" substructure reported previously in this system4 is here clearly seen to be an intermediate stage between planar and cellular interface conditions. The other samples show a remarkable similarity considering
Jan 1, 1969
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The Economic Production of Uranium by In-Situ LeachingBy Kim C. Harden
INTRODUCTION The purpose of the following discussion is to present the state of the art of solution mining. Since the economics of a mining method ultimately determines its applicability and viability this presentation shall revolve around the costs of in- situ solution mining. First the assumed physical characteristics of the hypothetical ore body are described, followed by the appropriate operating assumptions. Then after a brief discussion on the type of surface plant to be used, the assumed project time tables and costs for Texas and Wyoming are presented. Finally, the economics of in-situ uranium leaching are analyzed through the use of discounted cash flow rate of return analysis. ORE BODY CHARACTERISTICS The assumption of the ore body characteristics is probably the most variable portion of this discussion. The characteristics that have been used are based mainly on state of the art technology, however, consideration of the most common depths of ore, ore thicknesses, and permeabilities also influenced these assumptions. In addition, it is assumed that these assumptions are equally applicable to Texas and Wyoming. The average grade of the ore is assumed to be .09% U308 with no apparent disequilibrium. The average thickness of ore is 2.29 m (7.5 ft) which results in an average grade-thickness (GT) of .675. The assumed depth to the top of the ore is 121.92 m (400 ft), the ore density is placed at 1.78 gm/cc (18 cu ft/ton), the porosity is estimated to be 28% and the permeability 1 darcy. These assumed ore body characteristics are shown in Table I. In addition, it is specified that the costs to be later discussed are based on a minimum GT cut-off of 0.15. It is more common to use GT cut-offs of 0.30 to 0.50 but GT cut-offs as low as 0.15 in conjunction with a minimum grade of 0.05% U308 have been used in the past with success and is considered state of the art. The ultimate percentage of uranium recovered from the ore is left to the discretion of the reader since the costs and economics are based on pounds recovered by the surface plant. OPERATING AS.SUMPTIONS An annual production rate of 200,000 lbs U308!yr was chosen for this example. In order to maintain this production rate, based on the ore body characterized above, a flow of 4731 liter/min (1250 GPM) with a recovery solution grade averaging .039 gm U308/liter is assumed. A regular 5 spot well field pattern is used with a well spacing of 21.5 m (70.7 ft) between like wells and 15.24 m (50 ft) between unlike wells. This well spacing gives each well an area of influence equal to 232.25 sq m (2500 sq ftl. An excess wells factor of 1.17 is used to estimate additional monitor wells and well field boundary wells. Each production well is expected to yield an average flow rate of 37.85 liter/min (10 GPM). In addition it is assumed that the ore body has a good shape in that it is not tenuous and narrow but has at least an average width of 200 ft. The process chemistry required for this ore body is assumed to be based on the sodium carbonate System- Oxygen is the chosen oxidant. Sodium chloride elution followed by precipitation with hydrogen peroxide makes up the remaining portion of the process. A fluidized up-flow ion exchange system is specified. The operating assumptions are listed in Table II. Restoration of the ore body shall be assumed to be accomplished through the use of ground water flush. Other methods may be considered as having to fall within the costs estimated for a ground water flush in order to be economic. In Texas it is assumed that a high capacity disposal well (200 GPM +I is required and in Wyoming evaporation ponds covering approximately 35 acres are to be used. No specific cost has been given to restoration. Instead only the additional capital investment for restoration equipment is given. Then, one year of restoration operating expense is estimated and included as the operating expense for one year beyond the last pound of U308 produced. It is also assumed that restoration will be pursued in the mined out areas of the ore body contiguous with ongoing production.
Jan 1, 1980
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Extractive Metallurgy Division - Free Energy of Formation of CdSbBy Richard J. Borg
The vapor pressure of Cd in equilibrium with CdSb in the presence of excess Sb has been measured using the Knudsen effusion method over the temperature range 276° to 379°C. The free energy of formation of CdSb is given by AF° = -1.58 + 1.53 x l0-4 T, kcal per mole. The enthalpy and entropy are obtained from the temperature coefficient of the .free energy. CADMIUM and antimony have almost imperceptible mutual solid solubility but form a single stable intermediate phase, CdSb. This phase, according to Han-sen,l extends from about 49.5 at. pct to 50 at. pct Cd at 300°C and has the orthorhombic structure. The free energy of formation of CdSb can be calculated from the vapor pressure of Cd for compositions which contain less than 49 at. pct Cd. The appropriate reaction and formulae are given by Eqs. [I] and [2]- CdSb(s, ~ Cd(g)-, +Sb(s) [1] Since Sb is in its standard state, Af - N,,AF'-,, = NcdRT In a,, = NcdRT InP/PO [2] In Eq. [2], P, is the vapor pressure of Cd in equilibrium with the alloy, and Po is the vapor pressure in equilibrium with pure solid Cd. It is implicit in this calculation that the free energy only slightly changes within the narrow limits of the single phase field. Thus, the value obtained from the antimony-rich boundary is truly representative of the stoi-chiometric compound. The results reported herein are obtained from a mixture near the eutectic composition, i.e. 59 at. pct Sb. Only two previous investigations" of the free energy of formation of CdSb have been made. Both relied upon the electromotive force method, and measurements were made over relatively narrow temperature ranges which strongly influences the reliability of the values of AH and aS. EXPERIMENTAL The eutectic composition is prepared by fusing reagent grade Cd and Sb by induction heating in vacuo with the starting materials held in a graphite crucible having a threaded lid. The material obtained from the initial melt is pulverized, sealed under high vacuum in a pyrex capsule, and annealed at 420°C for two weeks. X-ray analysis"gives the following lattize parameters: a = 6.436A, b = 8.230& and c = 8.498A using Cu Ka radiation with A = 1.54056. These values are in fair agreement with the result? previously reported by Al~in:4 i.e. a = 6.471A, b = 8.253A, and c = 8.526A. Vapor pressures are measured using an apparatus which has been described elsewhere,= however, with a single important modification. Knudsen effusion cells are made of pyrex with knife-edged orifices made by grinding the convex surface of the lid on #600 emery paper. Photographs taken at known magnifications using a Leitz metallograph enable the determination of the orifice area. Numerous calibration measurements of the vapor pressure of pure Cd give close agreement with values previously reported5,= thus indicating that no significant error can be ascribed to the substitution of glass cells for metal cells used in previous work. Because the vapor pressure of Cd is reliably established and because it is difficult to obtain Clausing factors for the glass cells, the final values used for the orifice areas are calculated from the calibration measurements of the vapor pressure of pure Cd. Effusion runs are started in an atmosphere of purified helium which is quickly evacuated as soon as the cell attains thermal equilibrium. Less than one minute is necessary to obtain high vacuum after evacuation begins, and the temperature seldom varies by more than 0.5oC from the value obtained prior to pumping out the helium. RESULTS The results of this investigation along with other pertinent data are tabulated in Table I. Fig. 2 is the familiar graph of log P against T-10 K. At least mean squares analysis of the data presented in Table I yields the following equation: log1DJP = 8.790 - 6472 x T"1 [3] The deviations of the individual measurements from the values calculated with Eq. 131 are given in column six of Table I; the average deviation is 4.0% of the calculated value. Although the partial molal properties change significantly with composition within the single phase region, the integral thermodynamic value should remain relatively constant. Hence the results of the following calculations, which use the data obtained for the eutectic composition, are probably representative of the equi-atomic compound. Eq. [4] describes the vapor pressure of pure Cd as a function of temperature and may be combined with Eq. [3] to
Jan 1, 1962