Search Documents

By A. Mitchell, M. Etienne

VARIOUS'-3 reports on the electroslag remelting process refer to the "thin skin of slag" existing around the slag pool and the solidifying ingot, but none considers the various mechanisms by which this layer forms and thus influences the surface quality of the ingot. A vertical section4,5 of the Cao-CaF2-Al2O3 diagram is shown in Fig. 1 between CaF2 and 6Al2.CaO3 From this, it is seen that a typical "70:30" CaF2:A1a3 slag will solidify to produce 6Al2O3.CaO primary phase in a eutectic matrix. The commercial slags contain sufficient CaO to produce* this composition by both the

Jan 1, 1969

By Robert C. Linares

Cubic zinc sulfide has been grown from molten salt solutions substantially below the hexagonal-cubic phase transition of 1020°C. Crystals free of birefringence have been grown from molten lead chloride at temperatures from 500° to 800°C. Factors affecting the optical transmission and the birefringence are discussed. CUBIC zinc sulfide is of interest for electrooptic devices and as an optical coating material. However, it cannot readily be produced as large crystals which are free of birefringence. The birefringence arises from the fact that the cubic ZnS is usually grown as the high-temperature hexagonal phase and is transformed to the lower cubic phase by annealing.' This results in stacking faults, stress, and birefringence. A requirement for the growth of cubic ZnS is that it be grown below the phase transition of 1020°C.2 Crystals of cubic ZnS have been grown below 1020°C by the hydrothermal,3 flux,4 and vapor transport5 techniques. However, these all appear to have limitations in size or quality of material produced. It was felt that a new flux method might have a good chance of overcoming some of the previous problems. Mita6 reported the growth of hexagonal ZnS from molten NaCl and wilke7 reported the growth of iron sulfides from molten lead chloride solution, indicating that molten chlorides make good solvents for sulfides. An investigation of a number of possible molten chlorides as solvents showed that molten PbCl2 has an appreciable solubility for zinc sulfide and that crystals can be grown at temperatures from 500° to 800°C. EXPERIMENTAL Crystal growth was performed in open or sealed Vycor or fused silica tubes, in an argon atmosphere or vacuum. There were no deleterious effects due to using vacuum; however, a sealed essentially isothermal system must be used to prevent vapor transport mechanisms from dominating. This will be discussed later in detail. Noble metal containers were not usable as they were severely attacked by these melts. The materials used were: reagent-grade PbC12, reagent-grade ZnS, optical-coating-grade ZnS, and Irtran 2 (ZnS). Crystal growth was accomplished by both slow cooling techniques and gradient growth techniques. In the slow cooling techniques, 15 g of ZnS and 100 g of PbCl2 were used. The components were placed in the silica tube, heated at 800°C for 2 hr, and then slowly cooled (l° to 10° C per hr) to 500°C. The furnace was constructed so that the tube could be inverted, thus allowing the liquid to drain off the crystals at the end of the run. The gradient runs were made by placing the above mixtures in a silica tube at 550° to 600°c, Fig. 1. A temperature gradient was maintained such that the floating mass of undissolved sulfide was 10° to 50°C warmer than the bottom of the tube. Growth occurred on spontaneously nucleated sites at the cooler bottom. RESULTS When using high cooling rates (5° to 10°C per hr), crystals form in thin sheets perpendicular to the {111} face. Crystals 5 by 5 by 1.2 mm, Fig. 2, have been ob-

Jan 1, 1969

After the close of the Revolution, settlers began to pour over the mountains, to settle in the western parts of Pennsylvania, of Virginia, to move down the Ohio into Kentucky, and in the late seventeen-eighties to settle on "the Indian side" of the river, now Ohio. With the growth of population the interest in coal increased and it was not long before the production of coal west of the mountains was larger than that east of them. Foreign nations, too, became interested in the young republic and in 1783, at the instance of the Swedish government S. A. Hermelin, an engineer, visited this country to investigate its iron industry. He made a very interesting report, not published until 1931, in which he gave many details of the iron plants in the eastern United States; apparently he was not west of the mountains, but was well informed about conditions there. He says, "that some coal near the first branches of the Schuylkill River has been mined and utilized by the blacksmiths," referring, of course, to anthracite; again that "coal mines have also been worked for several years near Pittsburg," and that "great supplies of iron ore are available at the Ohio Falls and further to the west, at Coney Creek, a part of the Green River, where there is also coal."' In 1788, Dr. Johann David Schoepf, who came to this country with the Hessian troops, visited Pittsburgh. He was an intelligent man and acquainted to some extent with minerals and methods of working them. In speaking of Coal Hill on the south side of the Monongahela he mentioned several strata of marble in the lower part and that

Jan 1, 1942

By J. A. Collins

THE process of plastic extension of face-centered cubic single crystal-line rods is so well understood, since the notable studies of Taylor and Elam,1 that the change in orientation of any crystal by slip and rotation may be predicted from the measured elongation. It is customary to assume a very homogeneous deformation, wherein gliding lamellae are free to rotate so that their slip direction continually approaches the axis of the rod, until a second slip system comes into operation; whereupon conjugate slip proceeds quantitatively to an end adjustment with the [112] direction in the axis of the rod. This process has been checked in many face-centered cubic materials and readily permits the preparation of specimens that have been sub-jected to various determinable amounts of shearing action. It is clearly of interest to study in such measurably strained specimens the development of a recrystallized structure on annealing and if possible detect the source of nuclei from which the new crystals grow. Strain-annealing experiments of this character have been performed by others but not in detail sufficient to permit a study, for example, of the number of recrystallized grains vs, the amount of shear. In the experiments now reported, this was done with a wide variety of orientations covering nearly the entire range of slip on a single system and corresponding to amounts of shear (ratio of shearing distance to distance between lamellae) at the conclusion of a test of from 0.08 to 0.57. A particular point was made of determining the crystallite rotation, or small angular range assumed by the octahedral slip plane after these various amounts of shear. The mechanism of recrystallization and the magnitude and effect of recovery on the recrystallization process was investigated.

Jan 1, 1940

By AIME AIME

AWIDE variety of subjects was discussed at the Wednesday sessions on Non-metallic Minerals. W. M. Weigel as chairman, presided at the morning session, and W. M. Myers, vice-chairman, in the afternoon. In the morning session a paper by W. N. Logan on "Mineral Wool Resources of Indiana" was read by H. H. Hughes. Mr. Logan explained that as Indiana is the principal source of mineral wool, the paper might well he entitled "Mineral Wool Resources of the United States."

Jan 1, 1932

By John Wellington Finch

WHAT is an engineering opportunity? To the mining .engineer the natural assumption is that the first requisite 'is a mineral deposit, but, of course, it is not so simple as that. There are at various points on the earth really very great mineral deposits which, on account of geographic location, backwardness of the country, or hostility of its natives, are now, and for a long time to come will be, quite valueless. The mining engineer, and for that matter the civil engineer, is more dependent upon the decisions of capital than upon any other factor in his profession. Ordinarily it is to be assumed that money will go to any place where it is clear that an adequate return upon its investment can be secured, but for many years it has not been safe to depend upon this. ' As already stated, there are many places where local conditions are such that mining is not safe to engage in and there are still other places in which conditions have been so aggravated by the Great War and by the social unrest which has upset the Asiatic region that capital is naturally most reluctant to venture, even when engineering data makes the undertaking appear attractive. It will be evident, I. believe, that there are many factors vital to the success of a mining enterprise in some of the remote countries which we do not have to consider in the United States and which do not, in fact, exist here.

Jan 1, 1924

By Ralph E. Esarey, G. F. Fix

The oil and gas industry in Indiana in 1938 showed considerable improvement over the preceding year. Most of the drilling and development during the year, as in the past several years, was in the Indiana portion of the Illinois Basin, but increasing interest was apparent in the old Trenton area, for possibilities of further production in the Trenton formation and the underlying St. Peter sandstone. Interest in all other portions of the state was at a new peak, since many areas have never been prospected. Natural gas production continued to drop during 1938, since new discoveries have not been able to keep pace with the rapid decline in older areas. Oil production increased considerably, chiefly through the discovery of new fields. Older fields contributed about the same quantity of oil during 1938 as during the preceding year. There were 159 wells completed in Indiana during 1938, an increase of 25 over the preceding year. Of these, 48 were oil wells, 41 were gas, and '70 failed to find commercial production. Forty-three, or about 20 per cent, were wildcat. Six of these were productive—three oil wells and three gas wells. Thirty-nine wells on which operations started during the year had riot been completed by Dec. 31. Fourteen others were temporarily abandoned, with the possibility that several will be drilled to completion in the near future. A new oil field (Heusler) was discovered in May 1938, in sees. 1 and 12, T. 7 S., R. 12 W., Posey County. Production was found in the Waltersburg (Upper (Chester) sandstone at a depth of approximately 1775 ft. At the close of the year, Heusler field had nine producing wells and two drilling. The Point township area, Posey County, near the confluence of the Wabash and Ohio Rivers, held promise of good production from the McClosky lime, but offsets to the, discovery well had only shows of oil. The discovery well declined rapidly in production arid was finally plugged. In the Oaktown field, Knox County, a wildcat came in with a good flow of gas, extending the field to the east, and proving considerably more acreage. A new gas area was discovered in Sullivan County, and four good wells were completed. The discovery well was in sec. 35, T. 8 N., R. 10 W., and had an initial

Jan 1, 1939

By Ralph E. Esarey, G. F. Fix

The oil and gas industry in Indiana in 1938 showed considerable improvement over the preceding year. Most of the drilling and development during the year, as in the past several years, was in the Indiana portion of the Illinois Basin, but increasing interest was apparent in the old Trenton area, for possibilities of further production in the Trenton formation and the underlying St. Peter sandstone. Interest in all other portions of the state was at a new peak, since many areas have never been prospected. Natural gas production continued to drop during 1938, since new discoveries have not been able to keep pace with the rapid decline in older areas. Oil production increased considerably, chiefly through the discovery of new fields. Older fields contributed about the same quantity of oil during 1938 as during the preceding year. There were 159 wells completed in Indiana during 1938, an increase of 25 over the preceding year. Of these, 48 were oil wells, 41 were gas, and '70 failed to find commercial production. Forty-three, or about 20 per cent, were wildcat. Six of these were productive—three oil wells and three gas wells. Thirty-nine wells on which operations started during the year had riot been completed by Dec. 31. Fourteen others were temporarily abandoned, with the possibility that several will be drilled to completion in the near future. A new oil field (Heusler) was discovered in May 1938, in sees. 1 and 12, T. 7 S., R. 12 W., Posey County. Production was found in the Waltersburg (Upper (Chester) sandstone at a depth of approximately 1775 ft. At the close of the year, Heusler field had nine producing wells and two drilling. The Point township area, Posey County, near the confluence of the Wabash and Ohio Rivers, held promise of good production from the McClosky lime, but offsets to the, discovery well had only shows of oil. The discovery well declined rapidly in production arid was finally plugged. In the Oaktown field, Knox County, a wildcat came in with a good flow of gas, extending the field to the east, and proving considerably more acreage. A new gas area was discovered in Sullivan County, and four good wells were completed. The discovery well was in sec. 35, T. 8 N., R. 10 W., and had an initial

Jan 1, 1939

INTRODUCTION It has been impossible for the student, the practicing engineer, and the geologist to find all of the essential elements of mineral appraisal and mineral economic analysis in a single text. Indeed, the most recent texts on mine evaluation are over 20 years old. Many of the basic principles of mine sampling and evaluation have not changed over the ensuing years, but with the advent of the digital computer the entire scope of mineral evaluation has been expanded to encompass superior techniques that heretofore were not possible when using manual methods. The old manual methods for ore reserve computations and the techniques for assignment of area of influence to drill-hole samples are now as antiquated as the Model-T Ford. With the computer making possible solutions that had not been practicable in terms of time and effort, it is important for the practicing explorationist and mining engineer to understand many of the new concepts and principles that can be applied with the resolving power of the computer. Many practicing mineral industry professionals have been disappointed by certain computer programs and thus have some reservations about computers being able to solve their very real problems. Often the gap between the practicing engineer and the ivory tower theoretician applying modern computer techniques is too broad to be bridged with scattered, fragmented publications. PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF TEXT It is the intent of this book to update and to unify a great many scattered reference works used in the mineral industry today. The ensuing pages are addressed both to the professional already working in the mineral industry who needs information on computerized methods as well as to the serious student seeking to grasp the fundamentals and modern techniques of mineral appraisal and feasibility. These techniques are based on sound mathematical principles and theory, with the computer as a tool-but a very essential tool-for the solution of the problems involved. The computer can be of value only if it is programmed by those having sufficient expertise to use its inherent problem-solving capability, and the output is interpreted by those who are sufficiently acquainted with its operation to understand the data it produces. In the pages that follow the author intends to outline in considerable detail all the essen-

Jan 1, 1980

By W. Geo. Waring

The winning of zinc and lead ores from the comparatively shallow deposits of the Joplin district presents few such problems for the mining engineer as are encountered in deep ore mining and in the handling of complex ores. However, for those who are interested in the origin and nature of ore deposits in general, there is much here to investigate, and upon studies in this direction will depend, in no small measure, the future of an industry that has produced during the year 1916, in southwest Missouri, lead and zinc ores to the value of $26,319,383; adding $46,022,164 to the metallic wealth of the nation. Including the adjacent mines in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, and Cherokee County, Kansas, which are really continuations of the Joplin district, the total value of ores produced reached the sum of $34,089,503, and that of the metals, $58,927,941.l The ores produced in the Joplin district are remarkable on account of their almost uniformly high metal content in both lead and zinc. Their superiority in this regard is unparalleled, and is doubtless due to certain geological conditions that are now possibly explicable, provided that the artesian circulation = ascension hypothesis of the origin of the ore deposits is proved beyond question to be the only tenable explanation of the facts. These, as well as other valuable zinc-ore deposits, are bound to be exhausted in time, for ordinary mining purposes, and it concerns the mining engineer that the conditions under which ores of this character were actually deposited in the form in which they occur, may, if possible, be ascertained, in order that he may learn where to look for similar deposits in other regions, or even how to reproduce artificially such condi-

Jan 1, 1918

NEW MEMBERS The following list comprises the names of those persons who became members during the period Feb. 10, 1916 to Mar. 10, 1916. ALLAN, FERGUS L., Min. Engr., Cons. Min. Engr., Mexico Mines of El Oro, El Oro, Mex. ARMSTRONG, EMERSON WARREN, Met.,. Mina Bibilonia, La Libertad, Nicaragua, C. A. BABB, P. A Blaisdell Coscotitlan Syndicate, Pachuca, Hgo., Mex. BANDY, PERCY J Fundicion Delicias, Calle Delicias, Mexico, D. F. BELLWALD, J. N Apartado 1488, Mexico, D. F. BILLICK, DON CARLOS, Min. Engr., Supt., Hess Gold Mines Co., Alturas, Modoc Co., Cal. BITLER, FRANK L., Cons. Min. Engr., Birkinbine Engineering Offices, Parkway Bldg., Broad and Cherry Sts.. Philadelphia. Pa.

Jan 4, 1916

By John Lohrenz

Consider an investor who, knowing future costs and revenues, can choose how rapidly to produce from a given mineral source. If the investor elects to make that choice to maximize present value of future profits, how do policies affect the choice? Various alternative policies are examined. Some, such as higher royalty rates, lead to slower production rates than would otherwise obtain. Clearly, the chosen rates of production are policy-dependent. One is wisely counseled to consider how mineral policies affect the rate of production from given sources when analyzing current and alternative policies.

Jan 1, 1982

By AIME AIME

THE Tuesday afternoon session", H. A. Bedworth chairman and T. S. Fuller, vice-chairman, was opened with D. J. McAdam, Jr.'s paper entitled "The Influence of Cyclic Stress on Corrosion." This paper dealt with the influence of cyclic stress on corrosion of alloy steels, corrosion-resisting steels, monel metal and aluminum alloys. The paper was discussed by T. S. Fuller, who pointed out that steels under stress corroded more than unstressed steels when subjected to steam.

Jan 1, 1930

By E. R. Parker, R. H. Thielemann

The conventional short-time tensile test provides a reliable means of predicting the sustained load-carrying capacity of steels only when the temperature is such that continuous plastic flow does not occur. At elevated temperatures, stresses considerably less than the short-time rupture value may produce continuous flow, with fracture occurring only after long periods of time. The amount of flow or creep accompanying failure varies for different steels, and depends, to a large extent, on the temperature and the duration of the test. Service records of cracking stills, steam superheaters and high-temperature boilers have shown that brittle fractures sometimes occur with little or no warning. In installations of this type, localized stresses are often encountered, and steels must be capable of withstanding a certain amount of deformation without fracture. The sustained-load rupture test determines the expected life and corresponding ductility of steels at various stresses and temperatures. It also yields additional information regarding the effect of micro-structure and metallurgical stability on the high-temperature properties. Present Status of Sustained-load Rupture Test The sustained-load rupture test conducted at elevated temperatures is not entirely new. Dr. Zay Jeffriesl presented in 1919 the results of a large number of rupture tests made on copper, iron and tungsten. These tests were made with various strain rates and at temperatures ranging from the boiling point of liquid air to 1000° C. At that time he observed the interesting phenomenon characteristic of metals, that a temperature exists below which a metal is ductile and breaks with a transcrystalline fracture (through the grain) and above which the metal is brittle and breaks with an intergranular fracture (through the grain boundaries). He observed that this temperature varied with the testing speed, and that a minimum temperature, slightly above the recrystallization temperature, existed at which the cohesion of the grains themselves was

Jan 1, 1939

By R. H. Thielemann, E. R. Parker

The conventional short-time tensile test provides a reliable means of predicting the sustained load-carrying capacity of steels only when the temperature is such that continuous plastic flow does not occur. At elevated temperatures, stresses considerably less than the short-time rupture value may produce continuous flow, with fracture occurring only after long periods of time. The amount of flow or creep accompanying failure varies for different steels, and depends, to a large extent, on the temperature and the duration of the test. Service records of cracking stills, steam superheaters and high-temperature boilers have shown that brittle fractures sometimes occur with little or no warning. In installations of this type, localized stresses are often encountered, and steels must be capable of withstanding a certain amount of deformation without fracture. The sustained-load rupture test determines the expected life and corresponding ductility of steels at various stresses and temperatures. It also yields additional information regarding the effect of micro-structure and metallurgical stability on the high-temperature properties. Present Status of Sustained-load Rupture Test The sustained-load rupture test conducted at elevated temperatures is not entirely new. Dr. Zay Jeffriesl presented in 1919 the results of a large number of rupture tests made on copper, iron and tungsten. These tests were made with various strain rates and at temperatures ranging from the boiling point of liquid air to 1000° C. At that time he observed the interesting phenomenon characteristic of metals, that a temperature exists below which a metal is ductile and breaks with a transcrystalline fracture (through the grain) and above which the metal is brittle and breaks with an intergranular fracture (through the grain boundaries). He observed that this temperature varied with the testing speed, and that a minimum temperature, slightly above the recrystallization temperature, existed at which the cohesion of the grains themselves was

Jan 1, 1939

By J. L. Wyatt

THE smelting of ilmenite to produce a slag rich in titanium, with pig-iron as a byproduct, introduces new concepts in electric smelting metallurgy. Titanium slags are characterized by low electrical resistance, thereby requiring a different type of electric furnace operation, and power supply sources substantially different from those encountered in normal steel melting and siliceous ore smelting furnaces. This paper describes special apparatus for determining specific electrical resistivity of titanium slags, and reports the values obtained on slags encountered in the process of smelting ilmenite ores. In an induction furnace under conditions approximating normal furnacing operation, 25 general heats and 6 special standardization and comparison heats were run. Results indicate relatively low resistivity. Resistivity depends primarily on slag composition, and, to a lesser degree, on temperature. During the summer of 1947 a cooperative project between the National Lead Co. and the Bureau of Mines was conducted at Boulder City, Nevada, in the Electrometallurgical Laboratories of the Bureau. The project involved smelting of ilmenite ores in electric furnaces, and has been reported in detail.' The author participated as a member of the staff of the National Lead Co. during the entire campaign. One outstanding characteristic of the titaniferous slags, their apparently excellent and variable electrical conductivity, was considered sufficiently important to warrant further study. Although little electric smelting of iron ores has been done in the United States, a certain amount of information is available for comparative purposes. Personal experience in smelting siliceous iron ores in electric furnaces furnished further information for comparison. In general, silicate slags are relatively poor conductors of electricity. Current flow during smelting operations may be maintained through a floating layer of coke on top of the slag bath, or through a bath of molten iron, beneath the slag. Silicate slags are not sufficiently conductive to furnish a path for current passage when normal furnace voltages are used. Experimental smelting of a silicate iron ore was undertaken for comparative purposes. A fluid melt was not obtained until the FeO content was reduced to 15 pct. The resistivity increased as the FeO content decreased, FeO compounds being the most conductive of the various oxides in such a normal slag system. The converse appears to be true in slags containing large percentages of TiO2. It has been found that titanium slags become molten with FeO percentages in excess of 30 pct, and that the conductivity becomes generally better as the FeO con-tent of the slag diminishes. This phenomenon was demonstrated in the furnacing operations at Boulder City. During the initial smelting period furnace electrodes could be held immersed several inches in the slag, with tap selectors set for a no-load voltage of 70 v. As the FeO content decreased, the furnace electrodes would "walk up," until at one point in the process the tips would break the surface and arc on top of the slag. This was undesirable since direct arcing caused losses of important flux additions. The slag compositions under study at that time were such that losses due to surface arcing sometimes caused viscous slags to be formed. Forcing the electrodes into the slag bath by manual control to prevent surface arcing resulted in excessive power input and lack of control. Suitable low voltages were not available. Measurement of the electrical resistivity of titanium slags at various operating temperatures and slag compositions was undertaken. It was believed that this information would be of use in the design of electric furnaces suitable for smelting ilmenite, with voltages, electrode sizes, and electrode spacing adapted specifically to titanium slags.

Jan 1, 1951

By J. E. House, J. L. Drobnick, R. R. Swanson, D. W. Agers

Since the commercial acceptance of the liquid ion exchange process in the mineral processing industry, it has been predicted that eventually the hydrometallurgist would have a wide selection of commercially available chemical reagents to make separations efficiently and economically of virtually all metals in solution under a wide range of conditions. Several years ago, General Mills began a research and development program to determine if it were possible to develop a reagent to extract a specific metallic ion from solution at a cost that would allow large scale commercial application. A giant step toward reaching this objective was announced in late 1963, when development quantities of LIX®-63 reagent, a highly selective reagent for the extraction of copper, were first offered to industry. The properties of this reagent were de- scribed in a previous paper.1

Jan 12, 1965

By P. E. Busby, C. Wells

FURTHER study of data used in determinations of 1—rates of diffusion of boron in austenite and 2—solubilities of boron in the a and phases of iron and steel' has provided an equation for the diffusion of boron in a iron. In brief, the previously published data were accumulated from the results of deboron-izing (and decarburizing) experiments carried out in the range of 700° to 1300°C. Diffusion coefficients (D?) for boron in austenite were calculated using the Grube solution of Fick's law. However, only solubility values were estimated from the discontinuous concentration-penetration curves, Fig. 1, which are characteristic of diffusion in two phases. Dr. Carl Wagner' has recently provided a solution for calculating D values from penetration curves of this type as follows: Cl1.1 —C8/C8- C11.1 = vp ? e ? erf (?) and D = ?/4?2 t where C11,12, C8, C11, and E have the values shown in Fig. 1. D is the diffusion coefficient, sq cm per sec; t is time of deboronizing anneal, see; and ? is a di-mensionless parameter. For a given diffusion experiment, the value of ? can be readily obtained by graphical solution from a plot of y vs the right-hand part of Eq. 1. D may then be evaluated from Eq. 2. The avplication of this solution to previously re-ported results, of which excerpts are given in Table I, permits the calculation of diffusion coefficients for boron in a iron. On the basis of these meager data, it is tentatively concluded that the diffusion of boron in a may be represented by the equation Da = 1011 e-92,900/RT where R is the gas constant, cal X 0C-1 X mol-1; and T is the absolute temperature, OK. Although the frequency factor, 106 sq cm per sec, is admittedly several orders of magnitude higher than expected, the value of Q, 62,000 cal per mol, appears reasonable and is, in fact, very similar to that for the self-diffusion of iron. It is pertinent to mention at this point that the value of Q obtained for the diffusion of boron in austenite by means of the Wagner solution is 19,000 cal per mol and is in excellent agreement with the value previously reported1 in the equation DT = 2xl0-3 e-21,000/RT [4] which was determined by the application of the Grube solution to other data. The fact that determined constants A and Q in the equation D? = A e-Q/RT were practically the same, independent of whether the Wagner or Grube solutions were used in determinations of D values, strengthened the authors' belief that the computed values of D (Table I) using the Wagner solution are reliable. The relative values in Eqs. 3 and 4 for the diffusion of boron in the a and ? phases, respectively, suggest that boron forms a substitutional solid solution in a iron and an interstitial solid solution in ? iron. The same tentative conclusion has been reached by McBride et al.3 on the basis of relative solubilities, atom diameter, and the size of the interstitial hole in a and ? iron. In connection with the data for test 14 listed in Table I, it is of interest to calculate the solubility of boron in a iron using the D value given by Eq. 3. As might be anticipated from the small movement of the interface in test 14, proper substitutions in Eqs. 2 and 1 give a low value, approximately 0.0004 pct B, at 850°C. Apparently at 835°C (test 13) it is possible to obtain 0.0018 pct B, and at 850°C only 0.0004 pct B into solution in the a phase before a second phase appears. These observations are consistent with the Fe-B constitution diagram proposed by McBride, Spretnak, and Speiser.3 References P. E. Busby, M. E. Warga, and C. Wells: Diffusion and Solubility of Boron in Iron and Steel. Trans. AIME (1953) 197, p. 1463; Journal of Metals (November 1953). 'W. Jost: Diffusion in Solids, Liquids, Gases. (1952) pp. 69-71. New York. Academic Press Inc. "C. C. McBride, J. W. Spretnak, and R. Speiser: A Study of the Fe-Fe2B System. Trans. ASM (1954) 46, p. 499.

Jan 1, 1955

Discussion of the paper of L. C. Graton and Joseph Murdoch, presented at the New York Meeting, February, 1913, and printed in Bulletin No. 77, May, 1913, pp. 741 to 797. THOMAS T. READ, New York, N. Y. (communication to the Secretary *) :-At the meetings of English technical societies it not infrequently happens that, during the discussion of a paper, someone will arise to say that although he highly appreciated the material presented, nevertheless he believed it would have been better if some other phase of the question had been more highly emphasized. Assuming that this form of discussion is permissible in the Institute, I should like to reiterate the point made by Prof. A. J. Moses that conclusive proof of the identity of the minerals in question is an essential feature of the study of ores in this way. This is also expressed by Paul Krusch in his recent valuable paper 1 on the sulphide ores (in which he arrives at conclusions diametrically opposed to those of Mr. Graton), as follows : ?The diagnostic properties of the various ore minerals are known to but a limited circle of investigators." Many earlier investigators began the study of ores beneath the microscope by reflected light, but discontinued their work, in most cases, because they were unwilling to undertake the great amount of preliminary work necessary to securely establish a basis for their inferences. It is evident that Messrs. Graton and Murdoch realize that the promised later paper on diagnostic characters will be the more important of the two, but the point should be emphasized to forestall a flood of literature from other investigators who may gain the impression that the brief survey of polished specimens is a wade mecum to incontrovertible conclusions as to any given ore deposit.

Jan 10, 1913

By W. Geo. Waring

Introduction THE winning of zinc and lead ores from the comparatively shallow deposits of the Joplin district, presents, few such problems for the mining engineer as are encountered in deep ore mining and in the handling of complex ores. However, for those who are interested in the origin and nature of ore deposits in general, there is much here to investigate, and upon studies in this direction will depend in no small measure the future of an industry that has produced during the year 1916, in southwest Missouri, lead and zinc ores to the value of $26,319,383; adding $46,022,164 to the metallic wealth of the nation. Including the adjacent mines in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, and Cherokee County, Kansas, which are, really continuations of the Joplin district, the total value of ores produced reached the sums of $34,089,503, and that of the metals, $58,927,941.1 The ores produced in the Joplin district are remarkable on account of their almost uniformly high" metal content in both lead and zinc. Their superiority in this regard is unparalleled, and is doubtless clue to certain geological conditions that are now possibly explicable, provided that the artesian circulation = ascension hypothesis of the origin of the ore deposits is proven beyond question to be the only tenable explanation of the facts. These, as well as other valuable zinc-ore deposits, are bound to he exhausted in time, for ordinary mining purposes, acid it concerns the mining engineer that the conditions under which ores of this character were actually deposited in the form in which they occur, may, if possible, be ascertained, in order that he may learn where to look for similar deposits in other regions, or even how to reproduce artificially such condi-

Jan 9, 1917