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By J. V. W. REYNDERS

FIRST of all let me express my affectionate gratitude for the cordiality and good will of your reception. On the part of the men I venture to interpret the character of your greeting, not only as a recognition of the position to which you have been good enough to elect me, but also as an expression of your friendly attitude. However, I cannot pass over the tribute of the ladies so casually: Nor does it seem possible to do justice to my sentiments in addressing them collectively. I would feel more equal to the task if I could have the opportunity to talk to them singly, in doing which I know I may count upon their good sportsmanship not to compare notes. There has been some discussion between Mr. Kelly and myself as to our respective duties on this occasion: The precedents are not clear as to whether the retiring or the incoming president is expected to speak at length. Mr. Kelly's argument was that as the incoming president confines himself to promises for the future his field is a broad one and his opportunities for extending his remarks correspondingly unlimited.

Jan 1, 1925

By J. H. Smith, H. W. Paxton

X HE recent investigation of Butler, McCabe, and paxton' on the vapor pressure of manganese gas in equilibrium with Mn-Fe alloys has been extended to include the iron-rich solutions and alloys in the two phase equilibrium region. The study of the phase equilibrium by Kurnakov and Troneva2 and the extensive reviews of the Mn-Fe system by Hansen,3 and Hellawe114 are not in agreement with regard to the location and extent of the equilibrium between the solid phases of fcc y and complex P in the temperature range above the eutectoid temperature of approximately 975Kwhere 0 decomposes to y and bcc a. An evaluation of the existing equilibrium data is confronted with the conflicting results presented by various investigators who used techniques requiring a quenching treatment to retain the high-temperature equilibrium or encountered temperature hysteresis during thermal analyses. The difficulty of suppressing the transformation of the manganese-rich concentrations of the y-solid solution during quenching has been well etablished.' To avoid this uncertainty the phase equilibrium was investigated at temperature by measuring the partial pressure of manganese gas in equilibrium

Jan 1, 1962

By AIME AIME

ON Thursday, Oct. 9, oil men from far and wide gathered at Beaumont, Texas to participate in a three-day celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the completion of the famous Lucas gusher well at Spindletop field just south of Beaumont, and to pay tribute to Anthony F. Lucas, for whom the Lucas Medal of the A.I.M.E. is named. In the afternoon the gathered host drove to the site of the discovery well to dedicate a 58-ft. granite monu¬ment erected on the spot where the original derrick stood. Representatives of the A.I.M.E. took a prominent part in the dedication ceremonies, giving the two principal addresses of the afternoon's program. Everette DeGolyer, past President, paid a personal tribute to Capt. Lucas, as a pioneer producer, an engineer, and a friend and well wisher of all young engineers. He gave a splendid picture of the useful and full life of Capt. Lucas who always took a great interest in the activities of the Petroleum Division of the Institute, from its inception to the time of his death.

Jan 1, 1941

By Eric R. Morgan, J. C. Shyne

STRAIN aging is the name given to time-dependent changes which occur in the properties of cold-worked metals and alloys during storage. These changes are best observed through a study of mechanical properties, as illustrated in Fig. I for low-carbon steel. The effects of strain aging are usually regarded as being detrimental, particularly in deep-drawing steels. For example, an increase in yield strength and loss in ductility lead to buckling and tearing during drawing. At the same time the return of the yield point results in the formation of Luders bands or stretcher strains during the pressing operation. As a result of these effects many attempts have been made to eliminate strain aging from low-carbon steel. The problem still remains, however, because all known methods of preventing strain aging result in a more costly steel. The present work is an assessment of the situation in terms of theoretical, practical, and economic factors and suggests a new solution to the problem. Previous Work According to the Cottrell theory,' strain aging in a-iron may be regarded as the migration of interstitial atoms to free dislocations and the anchoring of dislocations by the resulting atmospheres. It may be concluded that the important factors which will govern the degree of strain aging are the diffusivity, the effective amount of interstitial element in solution, and the time of aging. The diffusivities and effective amounts of carbon and nitrogen in solution in low-carbon rimming steel are such that significant aging occurs in a few hours' storage at room temperature. Strain aging in deep-drawing steels cannot be controlled by controlling the time of aging because in commercial practice this is determined by economic factors concerned with inventories and may be several weeks. The diffusivity of nitrogen is twice that of carbon at room temperature but the diffusivities can be controlled by controlling the storage temperature. The retardation produced by only a 25 °C drop in temperature is significant but the cold storage of large steel inventories is an impractical solution to Table I. Analysis of Base Materials Alloy Pet C Yet 0 Pet N Vac 0.0037 0.052 0.0003 H 0.0044 0.013 0.0008 C 0.06 0.0014 0.0001 the problem. By far the most simple and effective ways to control strain aging are through control of the amount of carbon and nitrogen in solution. This may be effected through alloying, controlled precipitation, or by eliminating the carbon and nitrogen. Consider first the control of the amount of carbon in solution. The simplest approach would be alloy -ing in which strong carbide-forming elements are added. Examples of this approach are the additions of titanium' and niobium9 0 steel. These elements also combine with nitrogen and oxygen and when added in sufficient quantity result in a completely killed and non-aging steel. They are, however, impractical additions because they result in a costly steel. Carbon and nitrogen are often removed from iron on a laboratory scale by annealing in wet hydrogen, but because of cost this process has never been adopted on a commercial scale. In practice the amount of carbon in solution is controlled by the rate of cooling from the annealing temperature (710°C or 1310°F). In commercial box

Jan 1, 1958

By E. R. Kaiser

COAL research during 1941 had a marked increase in activity on problems bearing directly on furthering the increased and improved use of coal in homes and industry. Coal producers and fuel engineers expressed a greater interest in its practical possibilities and the coal laboratories have shown an increased interest in applied research, of value at once or in the near future to industry and the public. A large volume of accomplishment in mining, coal analysis, and the fundamentals of coal constitution and coal chemistry also continued to fill the storehouse from which applied research and fuel engineering of the future can draw valuable data.

Jan 1, 1942

By HORACE V. WlNCHELL

Location. THE St. Helens mining-district, indicated in sketch-map, Fig. 1, is chiefly in Townships 9 and 10 North, Ranges 5 and 6 East, of the Willamette meridian, in Skamania county, Wash. There is no railroad or even a wagon-road at present connecting it with any base of supplies; access is usually by wagon-road for FIG. I.-SKETCH-MAP OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON. about 50 miles from the town of Castle Rock to Spirit lake, and from that point by pony-trail from 6 to 10 miles farther. History. Nearly 20 years ago two German farmers, totally inexperienced in prospecting, penetrated this region upon a hunting and fishing-trip. Their attention was drawn to numerous joints and crevices filled with black, glistening tourmaline, and con-

Oct 1, 1912

By Frank C. Kelton

It is perhaps not widely realized that extraction and saturation processes carried out on oil well core samples alter the properties of these samples to varying degrees. On the other hand it is felt by some that quick-freezing of core samples increases their permeability and porosity significantly. Accordingly, laboratory tests were carried out on 49 pairs of horizontally adjacent samples in order to differentiate between the effect of quick-freezing per se on permeability and porosity of the samples, as distinguished from the effect of the identical saturation treatment on permeability and porosity of the companion samples. Also, additional field data were obtained on comparison of frozen vs unfrozen companion samples. LABORATORY INVESTIGATION OF FREEZING us SATURATION EFFECTS Procedure The samples used in these tests were two-cm cubes cut in horizontally adjacent pairs from cores from eight Gulf Coast and Mid-Continent wells, which cores had not previously been frozen. These samples were extracted with carbon tetrachloride, dried, and air permeabilities run in the conventional manner. They were then evacuated and saturated with brine of 25,000 ppm sodium chloride content, and porosities determined by gain in weight. The samples were partially desaturated by evaporation down to an average brine saturation of 68 per cent. One sample from each pair was quick-frozen by covering with dry ice after wrapping in a single layer of paper, and allowed to remain frozen for about two hours; the companion sample from each pair was not frozen. After thawing the frozen sample, all samples were immersed in tap water overnight in order to leach out most of the brine. Air permeabilities were re-run, and the samples were again saturated with brine to determine a second porosity value. For purposes of averaging of data, the samples were grouped according to four permeability ranges, from 0 to 10, 10 to 100, 100 to 1,000, and 1,000 to 3,840 md. Average permeability and porosity changes for the frozen vs the unfrozen adjacent samples are shown in Table 1. Discussion As may be seen from Table 1, the averages of the per cent permeability increases for the quick-frozen samples ranged from 3.8 to 12.9 per cent among the four permeability groups. The average changes among the four groups of unfrozen companion samples ranged from a decrease of 0.2 per cent to an increase of 9.3 per cent. There was no particular correlation of these changes with magnitude of permeability; however, the increase for each group of frozen samples paralleled the increase for the corresponding unfrozen samples. The differences between the two sets of values are believed to be a valid indication of the effect of the quick-freezing in itself, since the treatment of the two samples in each pair was identical except for freezing. The permeability changes which are strictly the result of the quick-freezing are shown in the sixth column of Table 1. These range from a decrease of 0.9 per cent to an increase of 4.0 per cent; the overall weighted average is 1.2 per cent, as compared to an average increase of 6.8 per cent caused by the saturation treatment of the samples not frozen. The average porosity changes are in general smaller than the changes in permeability, and range from a decrease of 2.3 per cent to an increase of 3.3 per cent. The overall weighted average change ascribed to the quick-freezing is 1.0 per cent of porosity. Many factors can contribute to the changes in permeability and porosity observed when subjecting cores to the simple processes used in these tests. Such are: hydration and swelling of clay, adsorption of ions, changes in surface structure and wettability, expansion and compression effects due to ice formation, shrinking and cracking, leaching of salts and colloids, displacement of particles resulting in either blocking or enlarging of pore openings. Whatever particular mechanisms are involved. however, it is apparent not only from this study but also from other investigations in the literature' not directly concerned with quick-freezing, that the effects produced by commonly used extraction, saturation and drying techniques may be of considerable magnitude The results of this study indicate that for the particular samples and techniques used, such effects are of the order of five to six times the effect of quick-freezing. insofar as changes in permeability are concerned. It may be argued that these samples might not include extremely shaly material where the effect of freezing upon permeability may be much greater. However, had such material been available for these tests, it would undoubtedly have been very susceptible also to alteration by the extraction and saturation treatment used. To investigate this point further, the individual sample data were re-grouped according to the magnitude of the average per cent permeability increases for the pairs of samples, irrespective of permeability. The results

Jan 1, 1953

By M. R. Geer, H. F. Yancey

0. R. LYONS*—I know that we are all interested in hearing about problems that other people have. To most of the people from the eastern part of the United States, this kind of coal preparation is completely different. It represents washing difficulties that most operators have never experienced, or, if they have, they have refused to consider them because there are coals that are much easier to wash and, therefore. they leave the more difficult ones alone for the time being. E. R. McMILLAN†—I think the au-thors have summarized the material very well. Dr. Yancey has spent a great many years in the study of washing coals, as has Mr. Geer. I might comment briefly on some of the plants that were mentioned, plants with which I have had some con-nection, particularly those of our own company, the Northwestern Improve-ment Co. I would like to point out this: that ill each case, a great deal of work was done in the way of preliminary studies of washability of the coal before plants were built. The first plant of any size built in Roslyn field was mentioned in the paper. This central cleaning plant was designed and built to handle coal from three different mines. I might say that prior to 1935, the year in which the plant was built, the coal was used largely as railway fuel, close to a million tons annually. But as mining increased in depth, it became increasingly difficult to separate and gob much of the impurities underground, with the result that the run-of-mine coal became so high in ash that the railroad eventually was forced to consider installing some kind of preparation plant at the mine. We spent about a year in preliminary studies in cooperation with the Bureau of Mines to find out the best type of plant that would clean the coal. The result, as Mr. Geer has explained to you, is a rather complicated plant, but it is doing a very satisfactory job. We have, however, made a number of changes and improve-n~euts since it was first built. The last addition was the, installation of a cen- trifugal drier to dewater the minus ¼ in. size. We are now contemplating installing heat driers for further drying of minus ¼ in. We use Vissac heat driers for drying the stoker coal, the ¾ to in. The demand for drier coal, for both railway and industrial use, is forcing us to further drying of the coal. The plant that was mentioned as having been built in Pierce County, during the war, was a government sponsored plant. I happen to have had some connection with its design, construction and initial operation. We did what we thought then, and still think, was a very thorough job of preliminary studies in cooperation with the Burea of Mines of the coal from that field. The plant was as good a plant as could be built with the equipment available at that time, 1943. The plant that was mentioned as having been built at Ravensdale for treating the McKay coal was rebuilt about two years ago, and in addition to the modified Elmore jig washer that was mentioned. we added a coucentrating table for re-cleaning the minus 3/32 in. Our object there was to produce a commercial

Jan 1, 1950

By AIME AIME

AS director of Battelle Memorial Institute and as Chairman of the important O.P.M. advisory committee on metals and minerals, Clyde E. Williams numbers his acquaintances in the mineral industries by the thousands and h because his principal hobby is liking human beings, most of his acquaintancs are also his friends. Clyde is one of the many outstanding metallurgist, in the United States who started as a chemist. After graduating from the University of Utah in 1915 he was successively chemist for U.S. Smelting Refining and Mining Co., and at the Bureau of Mines station at Ithaca, N.Y. He then got into, metallurgical work and in 1920 he was appointed superintendent of the Northwest Station of the Bureau of Mines at, Seattle. Subsequently he was assistant to H. Foster Bain in metallugical work for the

Jan 1, 1942

By E. T. Knight, John D. Gill

Much has been written and said concerning the alleged wasteful and uneconomic use of natural gas and petroleum. Espccially condemned has been the use of natural gas for the production of carbon black and the use of heavy fuel oil under steam boilers.' The critics of these usages of gas and oil have sought to make effective their verbal attacks on the industry by the repetitive expression of the words "inferior" and "superior" uses2 of petroleum. Thus, to employ natural gas for residential heating was to use it in a superior way; to use it for the production of carbon black was to use it in a wasteful and uneconomic way. To use petroleum for the production of automotive fuel was to use it in a superior way; to employ it as a residential fuel and as the prime source of power in an industrial plant was to use it in an inferior and uneconomic way. No doubt the objections to such employment of gaseous and liquid natural hydrocarbons originated in the belief that natural gas and petroleum are limited, nonregenerative mineral resources, and that the functions they perform can be just as well performed by other natural resources like coal13 of which practically unlimited reserves are known. The generations that have dominated each of the last four decades have counted reserves4 of petroleum in terms of a few years supply. Meanwhile, domestic demand for motor fuel rose spectacularly from a few million barrels in 1900 to more than 500,000,000 bbl. last year.5 The more imaginative and vocal critics drew startling word pictures of the catastrophe of 25,000,000 motor vehicles made useless and of the great automotive manufacturing and allied industries brought to an untimely end, and millions of workers left hopelessly unemployed by what they called the deplorably rapid depletion of the petroleum reserve. Many of the critics have been sincere advocates of the conservation of natural resources; many others, and in recent years probably the majority, have espoused the doctrine of conservation to promote their own self-interest rather than that of the public. The latest advocate of severe restriction in the use of petroleum for the alleged purpose of conserving the petroleum resource proposes to achieve that end by a bill,6 now before

Jan 1, 1938

By I. Iwasaki, K. Adam

During wet grinding the electrochemical interactions between grinding media and pyrrhotite not only accelerate media wear but also adversely affect the suede mineral's flotation response. A possible remedy of the adverse effects on floatability by applying electric potentials to grinding media was examined. Flotation tests, Auger electron spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to study pyrrhotite surface properties. Although anodic polarization of the steels increased metal loss by corrosion, pyrrhotite flotation recovery was increased. In the case of cathodic polarization, flotation recovery improved somewhat in a narrow range of overpotentials. At higher cathodic overpotentials, however, mineral floatability was progressively lowered although the corrosive wear of grinding media might be reduced.

Jan 1, 1985

By E. P. JENNINQS

(Cleveland meeting, October, 1912.) LARGE deposits of titaniferous iron-ore occur at Caribou, an old silver-mining camp in Boulder county, Colo., 17 miles west by south of Boulder, and a few miles northwest of the tungsten-mines. Professor Regis Chauvenet 1 published a part analysis of the ore many years ago, but gave no description of the wall-rock. Caribou hill, which contains both the silver-bearing veins and the iron-ore deposits, is a low dome of gabbro surrounded by the Archaean schists and gneisses of the Front range of the Rocky mountains, the peaks of which, a few miles west of Caribou, attain an elevation exceeding 12,000 ft. The gabbro stock is roughly elliptical in outline, with approximate diameters of 1 and 3 miles. The crest of the dome is 10,500 ft. above sea-level, and the town and ore-deposits are 500 ft. lower. Outcrops of the iron-ore occur in the town and extend NW. for 2,000 ft., where they disappear under the swampy meadows of Caribou park. Portions of the deposit are covered by drift, but one continuous outcrop is 900 ft. long and from 200 to 250 ft. wide. A second deposit is 0.25 mile south of the town along the eastern slope of the hill. It is not as well defined as the north bed, but is approximately 1,000 ft. long and from 100 to 200 ft. wide. The easily disintegrated ore does not form prominent outcrops, but the outlines of the deposits are readily traced by the large amount of ore fragments that cover the ground. Trenches and pits sunk on the outcrop expose a roughly banded magnetic iron-ore, with pyroxene as the principal gangue-mineral. The Gabbro. This rock was classified in the field as a gabbro from the presence of pyroxene and striated feldspars, and for convenience the field-name will be retained. 1 Chauvenet, Regis, Biennial Report of State School of Mines, Golden, Colo., p. 16 (1886).

Oct 1, 1912

By L. A. Willey

IN 1953, a method for filtering a liquid phase from solid phases while in equilibrium at elevated temperatures was devised at the Alcoa Aluminum Research Laboratories. Since then, it has been applied to the investigation of liquid-solid equilibrium in metallic systems. In application, the method simplifies the centrifuge filt.ration procedure as developed by Scheil and described by Gebhardt Fig. 1 shows a sketch of the filtering apparatus located within a thermal analysis furnace. It consists of a stainless steel filter crucible A, into the bottom of which a porous carbon filter disk B, 1 3/4 in. diam by 1/4 in. thick, is sealed to the shoulder and rim with carbonaceous cement. The base of the filter crucible, machined to an angle, fits into a tapered seat at the mouth of a stainless steel vacuum chamber C. A connecting tube from the vacuum chamber to a vacuum line also serves as a means for supporting the apparatus from the base of the furnace. An alundum crucible D of 25 ml capacity is placed with- in the vacuum chamber below the filter for collecting the filtrate. Two thermocouples E, in stainless steel protection tubes, which extend from 1/16 to in. above the center of the filter, are mounted on the rim of the filter crucible. One thermocouple is used in differential connection with the furnace control thermocouple to regulate rates of heating and cooling. The other serves as a means for recording the temperature of the alloy prior to filtering. A suitable mold coating is used on exposed surfaces of stainless steel parts to guard against attack upon these parts as well as to avoid contamination of the alloy samples. A mold wash prepared from precipitated CaCO, is suitable for aluminum alloys. The porous carbon for the filter disks and the carbonaceous cement, grade 200 (graphite base), were obtained from the National Carbon Co. Porous car-bon, grade Nos. 10 to 60, has been employed. Grade No. 40, however, appeared to give the optimum advantages in operation. In operation, an alloy sample is remelted and heated to about 50°C above its liquidus temperature. At the same time, the filter apparatus is preheated to about the same temperature. The alloy then is cast into the filter crucible.

Jan 1, 1957

By Hans Lundberg, Basil T. Wilson, H. Steuart Scott

FOR the benefit of those readers who may not be in close touch with present practices in the geophysical prospecting for ore, brief reference will fiat be made to the advantages and shortcomings of the methods to be discussed. Magnetic and electric methods are generally accepted as the most useful for ore prospecting. By magnetic methods, magnetic intensities that are not normal may be recorded and outlined. From these can he located concentrations of such highly magnetic minerals as magnetite or pyrrhotite, which sometimes occur in such large masses that they are of economic value in themselves. More often. however, these magnetic min¬erals are associated with others, such as copper, zinc, lead, gold, and silver, which, if existing in sufficient concentration and quantity, may constitute valuable ore bodies. It is therefore only when pyrrhotite and magnetite are present in these bodies that the magnetic method can be used to indicate their presence.

Jan 1, 1945

By Albert Sauveur

IN an important paper on The Critical Ranges of Pure Iron1 presented at the May, 1913, meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute, Professor Carpenter reports and illustrates the results obtained by him in determining the critical points of some very pure electrolytic iron sheet about 0.01 in. thick. The iron strip was rolled into the form of a cylinder 1; in. long and fn in. wide, weighing 42 g., the thermo-couple being inserted in a small hole in the center. The points Ac3 and Ar3 were readily detected, as well as the point Art, but the point Act was absent from every heating curve. The author concluded from this occurrence that the conception of A2 as an independent allotropic change must be abandoned. At the October, 1913, meeting of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, Dr. G. K. Burgess and J. J. Crowe read a paper on The Critical Ranges A2 and A3 of Pure Iron2 in which they described some extremely important experiments conducted by them at the Bureau of Standards, Washington, D. C. They tested Professor Carpenter's electrolytic iron and detected a sharp and well-defined absorption of heat corresponding to the point Act. Professor Carpenter's failure to detect this point is explained by them on the ground that unless the iron be in a single piece entirely surrounding and in contact with the thermo-couple junction, the thermo-couple will integrate the irregular progress of the heat through the sample and the curves will lose their sharpness. In discussing Messrs. Burgess and Crowe's paper, Professor Carpenter accepted this explanation as probably accounting for the absence of Act in his heating curves.

Jan 2, 1914

TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGICAL ENGINEERS GENTLEMEN: Submitted herewith are the report of the Treasurer for the year 1939 and reports for the same year of the following standing committees: Admissions, Membership, Papers and Publications, Mining and Metallurgy (Magazine), Library, Speakers for Local Sections and Student Societies, and Student Relations. These reports present additional details. Membership.-For the second year in Succession membership reached a new high level for all time, as indicated in the accompanying tabulation in which "Members" includes all categories except Student Associates. [END 1938 END 1939 NET GAIN Members9, 57 610, 163 587 Student Associates 2,898 3,760 862 12,474 13,923 1,449] Net gain in membership (aside from Student Associates) was 587 compared with 744 in 1938, despite the fact that applications received in 1939 exceeded those received in 1938 (1271 against 1162). The smaller net gain is accounted for in three ways: (1) A greater lag in enrollment of those elected in the last quarter of the year; (2) an increase in the number of applications involving change of status from Junior Member to Member; and (3) an increase of 167 in the loss by death by resignation and by suspension in 1939 as compared with 1938. Experience shows that at the end of a year of less prosperous conditions in the mineral industries, and, therefore, among engineers engaged in these industries, resignations and suspensions are more numerous. Business and industrial indexes all show 1938 to have been somewhat less prosperous than 1937; but the improvement in 1939 should be reflected in the record for 1940.

Jan 1, 1940

By F. C. Hull

The grain size of a metal or alloy is one of the most important factors determining its properties. In steels, for example, grain size affects hardenability, toughness and machinability; in brasses, grain size is related to hardness and deep-drawing quality. In the field of heat-resistant alloys, grain size has a marked effect on ductility, creep and endurance strength. In order to determine these effects, as well as to control the properties of materials, many accurate and rapid measurements of grain size must be made. This paper presents a new and improved method for the estimation of grain size. Usual Methods OF EvaluatiNg Grain Size A frequetly used method of estimating grain size is that of comparing the image of a polished and etched specimen on the ground-glass screen of a metallographic microscope with standard grain-size charts. Several types of standards are available for use with different classes of microstructures. Geometric Grids.—The Metals Handbook' has a series of hexagonal grids ranging in size from ASTM No. I to 8. Idealized Grain Networks.—Idealized grain.boundary networks for ASTM grain sizes I to 8 are included in the American Society for Testing Materials Tentative Standard E 19 - 39 T, standard Micrographs & Metals Handbook and ASTM Tentative Standard E19-3gT contain micrographs of hypo-eutectoid and hypereutectoid steels ranging in grain size from No. I to 8. The grain size of annealed brass (diameter of the average grain in millimeters) is obtained by comparison with 10 micrographs of varying. grain size in ASTM Tentative Standard E 2-39 T. A handicap to accurate evaluation of grain size by this method is the fact that it is difficult to compare photographs in a dimly lighted room with the image on the ground-glass screen, or, if the general illumination is increased so that the printed standards may be clearly seen, the contrast of the image of the unknown is decreased. It is easier to estimate grain size by comparing a micrograph of the unknown with the grain-size standards. However, photographing every specimen on which the grain size is desired is too costly in time and materials to be practicable. For hardened steels, the Shepherd or Jernkontoret fracture grain-size standards are very accurate and useful, but this method obviously cannot be applied to ductile alloys such as brass, stainless steels and austenitic heat-resistant alloys. Jeffries' method for grain-size measurements consists of counting the number

Jan 1, 1948

By F. C. Hull

The grain size of a metal or alloy is one of the most important factors determining its properties. In steels, for example, grain size affects hardenability, toughness and machinability; in brasses, grain size is related to hardness and deep-drawing quality. In the field of heat-resistant alloys, grain size has a marked effect on ductility, creep and endurance strength. In order to determine these effects, as well as to control the properties of materials, many accurate and rapid measurements of grain size must be made. This paper presents a new and improved method for the estimation of grain size. Usual Methods OF EvaluatiNg Grain Size A frequetly used method of estimating grain size is that of comparing the image of a polished and etched specimen on the ground-glass screen of a metallographic microscope with standard grain-size charts. Several types of standards are available for use with different classes of microstructures. Geometric Grids.—The Metals Handbook' has a series of hexagonal grids ranging in size from ASTM No. I to 8. Idealized Grain Networks.—Idealized grain.boundary networks for ASTM grain sizes I to 8 are included in the American Society for Testing Materials Tentative Standard E 19 - 39 T, standard Micrographs & Metals Handbook and ASTM Tentative Standard E19-3gT contain micrographs of hypo-eutectoid and hypereutectoid steels ranging in grain size from No. I to 8. The grain size of annealed brass (diameter of the average grain in millimeters) is obtained by comparison with 10 micrographs of varying. grain size in ASTM Tentative Standard E 2-39 T. A handicap to accurate evaluation of grain size by this method is the fact that it is difficult to compare photographs in a dimly lighted room with the image on the ground-glass screen, or, if the general illumination is increased so that the printed standards may be clearly seen, the contrast of the image of the unknown is decreased. It is easier to estimate grain size by comparing a micrograph of the unknown with the grain-size standards. However, photographing every specimen on which the grain size is desired is too costly in time and materials to be practicable. For hardened steels, the Shepherd or Jernkontoret fracture grain-size standards are very accurate and useful, but this method obviously cannot be applied to ductile alloys such as brass, stainless steels and austenitic heat-resistant alloys. Jeffries' method for grain-size measurements consists of counting the number

Jan 1, 1948

By P. P. Gregory

Natural petroleum gas occurring in the oil-bearing reservoirs is found to exist either as free gas associated with the oil and/or in solution in the oil. In some virgin fields practically no free gas is encountered under the reservoir conditions of pressure and temperature, although in other fields a considerable section of the "pay" horizon is occupied by free gas. In other words, a given oil field may or may not have a gas cap before the exploitation takes place. However, when the reservoir pressure is reduced to a point below the critical saturation pressure by withdrawals of fluids from the producing formation, the gas dissolved in the oil inevitably begins to come out of solution and becomes free gas. Under the controlled methods of production and drilling, a portion of this gas is produced with the oil to the surface and a portion of it remains within the reservoir to accumulate at higher structural levels toward which it migrates by virtue of its low specific gravity. The rate of growth of a gas cap in a given structure depends primarily upon the rate of decline in the reservoir pressure. If the rate of pressure decline is rapid, the gas cap likewise will grow rapidly. On the other hand, shrinkage in the gas-cap area was noted in some fields in which reservoir pressures wereincreasing. Determination of Gas-oil Contact and Thickness of Gas Cap The gas-oil contact can be conveniently located in the process of drilling a well and by electrical logging. However, very little can be found in the petroleum literature concerning methods of predetermining gas-oil contacts in producing reservoirs. Therefore, the writer feels justified in describing briefly a simple, workable, and inexpensive method of determining gas-oil contacts and outlining the limits of gas-cap areas in a field where such knowledge may be essential for efficient production and development operations. The method involves the determination of the following data: (I) Structural data, such as the depth or elevation of the top' of "pay" horizon; (2) reservoir pressures; (3) tubing and casing pressures at the well head; (4) static oil-pressure gradient; (5) static gas-pressure gradient. These data can be secured with a minimum of expense, inasmuch as the

Jan 1, 1938

By Fred W. Gordon

Apart from the character of pig-iron to be manufactured, other than that it shall be well reduced and open-grained, the selection of the materials should be such as to produce it at the lowest cost. As a rule, the sources of fuels and limestones are not so extensively varied as those of the ores. Many Eastern furnaces are now using Lake Superior ores, and but recently a part of the supply came from foreign ports. It is, however, of the highest importance that the character of fuels and limestones, as well as ores, should be carefully considered in determining their value and making judicious selection among those available. The formulas here offered are based upon the assumption that the heat-requirements for a given mixture are measured by a constant required by the oxide of iron, added to that required for a unit of slag, multiplied by the weight of that slag per unit of iron. The heat-requirements for oxide of iron per unit of pig-iron made are assumed to be 2854 centigrade units. This is taken from the careful analysis of Sir Lowthian Bell, and, so far as the writer is able to determine, is very nearly correct. Dividing this by the quantity of heat that may be evolved and utilized within the furnace per unit of carbon, determines the quantity of carbon required per unit of pigiron ; and if to this be added the quantity of carbon absorbed by the pig-iron, the total requirements in carbon are determined, on the assumption that pure oxide of iron is reduced with pure carbon by the ordinary process of the blast-furnace. Calculating the quantity of slag that would be made from a given mixture of ores, smelted with a given impure fuel and fluxed with a given impure limestone, multiplying this weight of slag by the heat-requirements of its unit (taken at 1050 C. H. U.), and dividing the product by the heat-units evolved and utilized within the furnace per unit of carbon, will determine the quantity of carbon required per unit of pig-iron for the slag.

Jan 1, 1893