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By Gordon G. Bentle, W. P. Fishel

GREINER, Marsh, and Stoughton1 have reviewed the literature in a monograph on the iron-silicon system. The lack of agreement among the various studies may be due to the difference in the purity of materials in some cases. The results of the X-ray method indicate only a general rather than a specific limit of the y loop. The iron-titanium system was investigated by Roe and Fishel,' whose results are used in determining the iron-silicon-titanium y loop. The literature indicates that no study has been made thus far of the iron-silicon-titanium system in the y loop region. Experimental Procedure The alloys were made from Armco iron, 99.86 pct Si, and 98.5 pct Ti. The titanium contains 1.07 pct Fe. The Armco iron contains 0.01 pct C, 0.005 pct Si, 0.02 pct Mn, 0.006 pct P, 0.01 pct S, and 0.04 pct Cu. A dilatation sample of Armco iron was prepared in the same manner as were the other samples. Several dilatation runs indicated that Ac3 begins at 905°C and ends at 910°C, which compares favorably with the study of Wells, Ackley, and Mehl' employing specially purified iron. All alloys were melted in an induction furnace in Alundum crucibles and were top poured into baked core sand molds. The ingots weighed about 600 g as cast. Dilatation samples of 4 in. by % in. diam were taken from the bottom end of the ingot, from which turnings for analysis were taken. Turnings from each end of two of the samples indicated that the alloys possessed uniform silicon content. A hole was drilled halfway through each end of a 4 in, dilatation sample. A chromel-alumel thermocouple was inserted in each hole and the surrounding metal peened in to hold the thermocouple in place. Fig. 1 represents the dilatation apparatus. The heating unit is an Alundum tube wound with resistance wire; the dilatation tube is a McDanel combustion tube; the push rod is zircon; the dial gage is graduated in 0.0001 in. and was vibrated to prevent sticking. A blank run over the temperature range of interest gave no significant dilatation. The thermocouples were attached to a multiple recording micromax which indicated the temperature at each end of the sample at 35 sec intervals. A Lindberg control unit governed the rate of heating of the furnace, and lowering or raising the

Jan 1, 1957

By Lawrence A. Soltis

Senior engineering or executive management positions are filled by engineers who are evaluated on their performance, knowledge, skill, and maturity. Not only is technical expertise required but a knowledge of sales and marketing, finance, law, industrial relations, and public affairs is necessary. The University of Wisconsin-Extension offers an innovative post-baccalaureate degree program blending technical and professional subjects the Professional Development Degree in engineering (PDD)-designed to bring various opportunities for learn-

Jan 4, 1978

By F. R. Hensel

THE absorption of oxygen by molten metals is a quick and convincing method to determine the metallurgical characteristics of various types of furnaces.1 The investigation was restricted to the use of coreless induction furnaces. A major variable in induction furnace practice is the frequency and its influence was studied by comparing melts made in a 5000-cycle and a 60-cycle induction furnace respectively.2 The authors are not aware that such a comparative study has been made before and therefore present this paper in the belief that the results will be of general interest. ANALYTICAL METHODS FOR DETERMINATION OF OXYGEN IN NICKEL An analytical procedure for determining NiO by a quick and simple, laboratory method has been worked out in collaboration with Dr. Herty, of the Pittsburgh Station of the Bureau of Mines. It was found that Dr. Herty's aluminum method as used for the. determination of FeO in iron and steel was very suitable for use with nickel if instead of hydrochloric acid a 10 per cent solution of nitric acid is used for bringing the metal into solution. Essentially this method involves deoxidizing the nickel-oxygen alloy with aluminum (2Al + 3NiO = Al203 + 3Ni) and determining the resulting Al203 by a residue analysis. The original oxygen content can then be calculated from the amount of Al-20,. The method as suggested by Dr. Herty3 is referred to in the present paper as method B. A slight modification of method Bled to the application of method A, a description of which is given below according to F. W. Beiter?:3

Jan 1, 1932

The Institute conducts jointly with the American Society of Civil Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and American Institute of Electrical Engineers, certain activities as listed below, and is joint owner with them of certain properties. United Engineering Trustees, Inc. When Mr. Carnegie made his gift which made possible a home for the engineering societies, a separate corporation was organized to act as a holding company and to manage the common property. This was long known as the United Engineering Society, but the name has now been changed. to one which more nearly reflects the real function of the corporation. It holds title to the Engineering Societies Building and to various funds placed in its charge and is managed by a Board of Trustees, of which three are chosen by each of the four societies, American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Institute of Electrical Engineers and American Society of Civil Engineers, which have equal and undivided interests in the property. The land and building cost two million dollars. During the gear 1934, the constitution and By-laws of The United Engineering Trustees, Inc., were thoroughly revised and a better organization of its functions was affected: The Engineering Foundation and the Engineering Societies Library were made "departments? of the United

Jan 1, 1936

Foreword—H. Foster Bain........................ 7 Officers and Committees......................... 9 PAPERS Growth of Metallic Crystals. By C. H. Desch...............13 Aluminum Castings of High Strength. By R. S. Archer and Zay .Teffries (With Discussion).............................35 Constitution of Alloys of Aluminum, Zinc and Tin and Aluminum, Zinc and Cadmium. By V. Jares.......................65 Exudations on Brass and Bronze. By W. B. Price and A. J. Phillips (With Discussion)..................•..........80 Preparation of Metallic Single Crystals and Twinning in Zinc and Zinc Single Crystals. By 0. E. Romig (With Discussion).............90 Plastic Deformation of a Zinc Single Crystal. By S. L. Hoyt (With Discussion) 116 Plastic Deformation of Coarse-grained Zinc. By C. H. Mathewson and A. J. Phillips (With Discussion)......................143 The Solidus Line in the Lead-antimony System. By E. E. Schumacher and F. C. Nix (With Discussion)........................195 Note on the Distribution of Energy in Worked Metals and the Effect of Process Annealing Temperature on the Final Annealing Temperature of Fine Copper Wire. By L. Zickrick and R. S. Dean (With Discussion)........207 Note on the Relation of Annealing Temperature to Conductivity of Copper Wire. Ry J. C. Bradley (With Discussion)..................210 Beryllium-copper Alloys. By W. H. Bassett (With Discussion)........218 Some Comparative Properties of Tough Pitch and Phosphorized Copper. By W. R. Webster, J. L. Christie and R. S. Pratt (With Discussion).....233 A Study of the 470" C. Transition Point in Cast 60:40 Brass. By Frances Hurd Clark (With Discussion).......................253 Strldy of the Heat Treatment, Microstructure and Hardness of 60:40 Brass. By Frances Hurd Clark (With Discussion)...............276 Corrosion and Physical Properties of Some Alloys of Aluminurn, Zinc and Tin. By N. 0. Taylor (With Discussion)..................302 Equilibrium Relations in Al-Mn Alloys of High Purity. By E. H. Dix, Jr., and W. D. Iieith (With Discussion)....................315 Deformation of an Aluminum Alloy by a Constant Load. By C. B. Sadtler and J. L. Gregg (With Discussion)....................336 Still Casting of Metals. By P. H. G. Durville (With Discussion).......343

Jan 1, 1927

By W. F. Holbrock

IN a previous paper1 a method for the measurement of the compara-tive desulphurizing power of slags was described and data, were presented covering the range of likely slags containing up to 10 per cent MgO. In the present work the range is extended to include Tags containing up to 20 per cent MgO, and the effect of temperature on 5 per cent and 15 per cent MgO sings over the range 147.5° to 1525° C. is included. The method used was that described in the previous paper except that some of the temperature measurements were made with a noble-metal thermocouple instead of a tungsten-graphite thermocouple. Twelve-gram charges of 0.S per cent sulphur-metal and 5-gram charges of slag were subjected to heating for 30 min. at a prescribed temperature. The charges were analyzed for sulphur content. For purposes of comparison, desulphuriz-ing power is defined as the ratio of the percentage of sulphur found in the slag to that found in the metal. Six slag and metal charges were made coincidentally in holes in a section of all electrode graphite rod. One slag and metal charge was used as a control by means of which adjustment in the desulphurization value could be made for small varia-tions in temperature and other factors. For convenient presentation of the data, the slags are arranged in groups -in each of which one of the four main slag components is constant. Thus, the 15 per cent MgO slags are presented separately from those containing 20 per cent MgO.

Jan 1, 1938

By Jerome F. Kuzmick

Many investigations have been made on the effect of the variables of pressure, sintering temperature and sintering time on the physical and microstructural charactcristics of metal-powder compacts. Severa1 such investigations have indicatcd that pressure is the least important of these three factors in an attempt to secure a dense. strong compact by a simple coltl-pressing and sintering procedure. However, it was felt that a further study of the effect of pressure on pressed and sintered metal powder compacts might prove interesting, for the following reasons: In work done in the past on the effect of pressure, temperature. arid time, the, metal-powder compacts were subjected to long sintering periods, and temperatures right up to the melting point of the metal were applied. It was thought that pressure might exert a more profound effect under short-time simtering and within narrower ranges of temperature. such as normally would be applied in large-scale production of metal-powder parts. 2. It was hoped that something further might be learned of the nature of the bond in pressed and sintered metal-powder compacts. 3. It was thought that interesting infor mation concerning the work-hardening effect of pressure on the crystal structure. of sintered metal-powder compacts would be obtained. Procedure Rectangular bars, 2 by 1/2 by 1/4 in. were molded from the following metal powders: Atomizcd till powder, 325-mesh Atomized aluminum powder, 325-mesh Reduced copper powder, 100-mesh Electrolytic iron powder, 100-mesh Atomized 70-30 brass powder, l00-mesh The, till powder was molded at various pressures up to 40 tolls per sq. in. This was the maximum, because at higher molding pressures there was considerable extrusion of tin into the die wall, jamming the die plungers. The tin specimens were not -in tered, as this phase of the work was- done merely to see how much a very sold metal could be compressed. The aluminum powder was compressed at various pressures up to 50 lons per sq in. Higher pressures could not be used because of extrusion into the die wall The compacts were sintered one hour at 000 in pure dry hydrogen. The copper powder was molded at vari-ous pressures up to 96 tons per sq. in. One set was sintered at 750°C., another at 050 C. for one hour in pure dry hydrogen. The electrolytic iron powder was molded at various pressures up to 00 tons per sq. in. and sintered, one set at Soo°C and one set at 1300°C for one hour in pure dry hydrogen. Extra 325-mesh specimens were also prepared to study the effect of reduced particle size on grain structure. The brass powder was molded at various pressures up to 96 tolls per sq. in. and silltered for one hour. one set at 65o°C. and one set at 800°C, in pure dry hydrogeu.

Jan 1, 1945

By R. S. Goodrich, G. S. Ansell

The microstructure of three Al-Al2O3 SAP-Type alloys (containing 2.0, 3.0, and 5.7 wt pct alumina, respectively) was studied utilizing transmission electron microscopy. These alloys were fabricated from aluminum powders by powder-metallurgical techniques, cold-rolled into thin strips, and recrys -tallized. Thin foils suitable for an electron-transmission study were then prepared from the strip material by electropolishing. The microstructure of these alloys is shown to consist of small (0.1 mean diameter) plate -shaped alumina particles finely distributed in an aluminum matrix. In the higher-oxide content alloys the platelets are somewhat larger and more irregular in shape. The distribution of oxide particles is not uniform and there is an increasing tendency toward clumping SINCE the discovery by Irmann1 that aluminum alloys produced by compacting, hot pressing, and extruding fine aluminum powders possess remarkable high-temperature mechanical properties, the Al-A12O3 SAP-Type alloys have been utilized extensively as model dispersion-strengthened alloys in both experimental and theoretical invest igations.2-8 The use of the SAP-Type alloys as model dispersion-strengthened alloys implicitly assumes that their microstructure has been completely delineated. This is, however, not the case. with increasing oxide content. In all the alloys studied, the mean center-to-center spacing of particles was quite small (0.2 u) due to the very fine oxide debris present. Selected-area diffraction of the specimen identified the oxide as either y Al2O3 or y' Al2o3. The re crystallized MD-5100 alloy exhibited a mean grain diameter of only 0.7u, while the grain size of the other alloys was several hundred microns. Severe pinning of the grain boundaries by oxide particles was rarely observed, and the grain boundary triple points in the small-grained MD-5100 alloy were often particle -free. Diffraction contrasts visible around the particles are attributed to elastic strain fields set up by differential thermal contraction during cooling from the recrystallization anneal. Early investigation demonstrated that optical metallography did not possess sufficient resolution to observe the microstructure of the SAP-Type alloys.' Later, extensive use was made of replication techniques to study the microstructure by means of electron microscopy.7-9 These studies indicated that the SAP-Type alloys consist of a dispertion of irregular Al2O3 platelets, approximately 150A thick 9 and a micron or so on edge,9 distributed in a matrix of commercial-purity aluminum. These oxide platelets tend to be oriented in the aluminum matrix, with their largest dimension parallel to the extrusion direction. 8,9 A study employing polarized-light techniques1' indicated that the grain size of a series of as-extruded SAP-Type alloys was several microns in diameter, while the grain size after re-crystallization was several millimeters in diameter. A more recent study 12 utilizing surface-replication techniques examined the particle morphology,

Jan 1, 1964

By G. T. Higgins

PREVIOUS workers1,2 have found evidence of exaggerated grain growth or secondary recrystallization on annealing sponge zirconium at temperatures high in the a, phase field, but no details of the orientation relationship between the secondary grains and "as-recrystallized" matrix were reported. In other hexagonal metals, namely dilute Mg-A13 and Cd-zn4 alloys, secondary recrystallization has been observed in which the secondary grains are related to the primary recrystallized structure by rotations about the c axis. These rotations are thus comparable with the rotations about the (111) axis observed in the secondary recrystallization of fcc metals. In the current work secondary recrystallization has been observed on annealing iodide zirconium at 800°C and the associated changes in crystallographic texture have been examined. The material employed was arc-melted iodide zirconium of the following composition: Impurity O H Fe Hf Pb I Ni C1 A1 ppm by wt 130 5 230 98 23 28 200 39 30 This was received as 0.25-in. plate, and, prior to the annealing studies, was cold-rolled to 0.040 in. Specimens 1 in. sq were chemically polished and annealed for various times at 800°C in a vacuum better than 5x 10-6 Torr. For metallographic examination specimens were first chemically polished and then anodized8 to enhance contrast between the grains when examined under polarized light. Changes in crystallographic orientation associated with the development of secondary grains were followed by (1011) and (0002) pole-figure determinations using a conventional Schulz goniometer in reflection. Filtered Cr Ka radiation was employed and great care was taken to avoid spurious re- sults due to the close proximity of the Bragg angles for the (1011) and (0002) reflections. Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate the change in grain structure on annealing at 800°C. After 24 hr the structure has ceased to be equiaxed due to the development of certain grains in preference to others. It is notable that the secondary grains do not grow to the extent observed in sponge zirconium.1,2 This appears to be due in part to the fact that normal grain growth is inhibited in the less pure sponge zirconium, with the result that the driving force for secondary recrystallization remains high, while at the same time the number of grains able to develop in the presence of the impurities is also smaller. As a consequence, in sponge zirconium those grains that do develop preferentially are able to grow into the fine -grained matrix without impingement, while in iodide zirconium the preferential growth of many grains leads to early impingement. The pole figures determined for specimens annealed for 5 min and 24 hr at 800°C are illustrated respectively in Figs. 3 and 4. These indicate that the dominant feature of the initial recrystallized texture consists of basal planes at an angle of 321/2 deg to the sheet surface, with a (1120) axis lying parallel to the

Jan 1, 1967

By Edward Thomas

THE late George S. Rice was active in the investigation of bumps, particularly in the last ten years of his career as chief mining engineer of the U. S. Bureau of Mines. Since most of his investigation was carried out in Great Britain, continental Europe, and-to a lesser extent-Canada, his thinking on prevention was influenced considerably by the experience of those countries. It is not surprising, therefore, that when he was called upon a few years before his retirement to investigate bumps in the U. S. and suggest ways to prevent them, he turned to longwall mining. A longwall method had been most successful in combating the bump hazard in mining coal under deep cover, especially in Great Britain, but the prevailing method there at the time was advancing longwall mining, which he knew was uneconomical under U. S. mining conditions. For this reason he proposed a modified retreating longwall system that he believed included the best features of the advancing method. As brought out by Rice,1 if the cover is 2000 ft and 50 pct of the coal is extracted, the static load on the remaining pillars will be about 4000 psi, which exceeds the ultimate crushing strength2 in most instances. If the pillar coal is overloaded before a pillar line is established, then the abutment zone preceding a line of extraction is no place to split pillars or extract them by any method other than an open-end system. Rice therefore advocated open-end mining, preferably by longwall, but he was willing to compromise with long-face mining if the longwall method was not acceptable.

Jan 8, 1958

By B. Silliman

THESE ores occur in the Laurentian rocks in the town of Clifton, St. Lawrence County, New York. The Clifton Mining Company have opened these magnetites upon their estate of 23,000 acres, on the waters of the Grasse River, an affluent of the St. Lawrence, which flows for about nine miles across the estate, exposing a section of the formation, and affording ample water-power at numerous points. In approaching this district from De Kalb Junction, upon the Watertown and Ogdensburg Railway, the observer passes from the zone of the specular ores, which abound to a great extent in Jefferson County, across a belt of non-metal-liferous limestones, continuing for some miles intermingled with metamorphic rocks, and gradually giving place to heavy beds of granitic and porphyritic gneiss, the weathered surfaces of which present a gray and rough appearance, from the washing out of the feldspar; leaving the quartz very prominent, and completely disguising the real character of the rock, which, when freshly broken, has a lively reddish appearance from the predominance of flesh-colored and red feldspar. Beds of fine-grained quartzite appear also intercalated in the granitic gneiss. These are the dominating rocks of the magnetite region, but the magnetite is always found, so far as the speaker's observation extended, associated with beds of calcite, carrying hornblende, black and green, biotite, and brown garnet interspersed with yellow and magnetic pyrites. The strike of these rocks is about northeast, and their dip about 40° to 45° southeast.

Jan 1, 1873

By J. A. Kitchener, J. P. Anfruns

Measurements have been made of the rate of capture of single particles of strongly hydrophobic, surface-methylated, quartz, of sizes ranging from 12 to 40 µm diam., by single rising bubbles of diam. 0.5 to 1.1mm. The results agree closely with the theoretically calculated hydrodynamic collision rates, indicating that, in this system, every collision results in capture and retention of a particle.

Jan 1, 1976

By R. A. Liddle

Intermitt'en'I'ly during the past 10 years showings of oil and gas in tests drilled in the eastern part of Texas have stimulated the search for production. Tests on the flanks of the long-known salt domes, principally Keechi and Butler, have found oil in small quantity in the Woodbine formation of the basal part of the Upper Cretacrous. In the central part of Cherokee County, Colliton et all in 1926, in their Clapp No. 2 found a good showing of 37" B6. oil at about 3500 ft. Several wells were drilled in 1926 and 1927 as a result of this showing. On Jan. 22, 1927, Humble Oil & Refining Co. wildcatting on Carey Lake salt dome, obtained commercial production in its Clark No. 1. This inaugurated intensive exploration both for salt domes and for other types of structure. As a result several new domes and a few promising structures of other types have been discovered. Development in East Texas durinG 1927 Carey Lake Dome Location.—On the Neches River in Anderson and Cherokree counties, 10 miles west of Jacksonville, Cherokec (lounty. (Fig. 1.) date of Discovery.—During 1925 geologisls of the Humble Oil & Refining Co. working in the Neches River valley discovered slight surface fracturexs, cratic dips, and slickensided clays and sands in green-sands of the Mount Selman formation north of Carey Lake. A number of core tests were drilled by the Humble Oil & Refining C'o. during 1925 and 1926, some more than 1500 ft. deep, to check their surface obsuvations of faulting, and the possibilities of a salt dome. On May 16, 1927, solid rock salt was reached at 2142ft. in the first deep test on the prospect. Surfacc Indications.—Surface indications of the Carey Lake dome, though not as evident as manifestations at the previously known domes of Palestine, Keechi, Butler, Grand Saline, Steen and Brooks, are more noticeable than on any of the domes discovered in 1927. F. E. Poulsen, of the Pure Oil Co., who examined the area before the deep tests were drilled, noted the alignment of erratic surface dips which suggested faulting, especially in conjunction with slickensiding, and the local deflec-

Jan 1, 1928

By T. T. Read

JAPAN'S iron and steel industry has always been closely connected with military strategy. Many years ago it became evident that the country's iron-ore resources were too small to support any extensive industry. As a result a belief in the imperative necessity of securing such resources has influenced Japan's political and economic policy in the Far East. Iron-ore developments in China are too well known to need repeating except to note that they have been rather unsatisfactory to both China and Japan. The ore deposit at Tayeh, in China, is not as large as was first believed and, though that and other sources of supply in China proper are now furnishing Japan a little more than a million tons of ore yearly, it cannot be counted upon as a large permanent source of supply. The deposit in Shantung proved so disappointing on further exploration that operations there have, so far as I know, long since ended. The operations at Pen-bsi-hu, in South Manchuria, which C. F. Wang de¬scribed in the A.I.M.E. TRANSACTIONS for 1918, Vol. 59, were reported to have yielded 84,000 tons of pig iron in 1928 and about 50,000 in 1935, so they seem to be going back.

Jan 1, 1937

By Heinrich Ries

Fullers' earth is a clay-like substance, which has the property of decolorizing or clarifying oils. An ultimate chemical analysis shows it to differ from most ordinary clays in having usually a high percentage of combined water and a low amount of alumina. There is probably a large amount of hydrous silica present. Fullers' earth possesses little or no plasticity, and in order to work properly has to be ground very fine. A chemical analysis is of little value at present in determining its quality; only a practical test suffices. Up to about two years ago all of the fullers' earth used in this country was imported from England; but about that time deposits were discovered in Florida, "† and since then rumors of its occurrence have been coming from all parts of the country. Next to the Florida deposits of fullers' earth, those of South Dakota are the most extensive thus far discovered in this country. The earth was first discovered near Fairburn, Custer county, and other deposits have since been prospected at Argyle, Minnekahta and other localities. Fairburn.—One of the first deposits located and opened up is five miles southeast of Fairburn, Custer county. The mine is a mile from the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad, and the section exposed shows, beginning at the top: Feet. Micaceous sandy clay,......... 6 Fullers' earth,..........9 Micaceous sandstone,......... The fullers' earth passes upwards into the sandy clay, but in its purer portions it is a yellowish, gritty clay, with a somewhat

Jan 1, 1898

By William P. Shinn

Jan 1, 1880

By Arthur L. Bishop

INTRODUCTION Purpose The in-situ leach method for uranium extraction is a relatively new and innovative method of uranium mining. In 1975, the first commercial in-situ facility began operation in south Texas. Since that time numerous other operations have been initiated as either pilot or commercial ventures. Considerable literature has been published that deals primarily with generalities of the process or environmental concerns. Several federal agencies have published documents which do not reflect the true operating or environmental nature of the in-situ leach method of uranium extraction. From an environmental standpoint, this is also evident in the promulgation of rules and regulations. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to present experience with an environmental concern--non- production zone excursions--such that the industry and the regulatory agencies will gain greater insight devoid of preconceived ideas and misconceptions. General Process Description In south Texas, in-situ leach mining is utilized to extract uranium from permeable sandstone ore deposits 61 to 213 meters (200 to 700 feet) below the surface. Uranium is present as an insoluble uranium oxide. In the in-situ or solution mining technique, anoxidizing lixiviant is injected into the formation through injection wells. The solution reacts with the insol uble carbonate complex. This soluble uranium complex is produced at recovery wells, each containing a submersible pump. During production there is a constant sweeping of lixiviant through the formation from the injection wells to the recovery wells. Injection and recovery wells can be arranged in any of a number of geometric patterns dependent upon ore body configuration, aquifer permeability, and operator preference. Submersible pumps in the recovery wells pump the uranium rich pregnant solution to the initial processing facility. Monitor wells surrcsund the pattern area and are screened in appropriate stratigraphic horizons (production and non-production zones) to detect any lixiviant migration that may occur (Fig. 1).

Jan 1, 1980

By A. A. Burr, D. Caplan

IN carrying out experiments in metal-gas systems, it is often difficult to estimate how long a reaction period must be allowed for equilibration. This is especially true in systems for which the diffusion coefficient is not known. In an investigation of the Cr-O system, the necessary information was obtained in the way described subsequently. Two pieces of chromium sheet of different thicknesses were packed in mixed powders of chromium and Cr2O3 and sealed into an evacuated metal capsule by welding. Austenitic stainless steel proved suitable as a capsule material up to 1350°C and molybdenum at higher temperatures. The capsule then was heated at a specific temperature for a time sufficient to saturate with oxygen the thinner but not the thicker specimen. The time is readily estimated from a preliminary experiment if a sufficient thickness differential is chosen. Under these experimental conditions, the metal sheet is exposed to a partial pressure of oxygen equal to that of the dissociation pressure of the oxide and hence can become saturated with oxygen without developing any second phase. After cooling, both samples were analyzed for oxygen by the vacuum fusion technique. Assuming that the surface of the specimens is kept saturated with oxygen throughout the experiment, the diffusivity can be calculated by application of the appropriate solution to Fick's second law. This is most conveniently accomplished by use of a plot of mean fractional saturation (Cm-Co) / (Cs-Co) vs (Dt) ½/L as given by Darken,' where t is time, L the half-thickness of the sheet, and D the diffusion coefficient. Cm, the mean concentration at time t, is given by the oxygen percentage in the thicker specimen; Cs, the constant surface concentration, is the oxygen percentage in the thinner specimen; Co is the oxygen content of the original chromium sheet. (Cm-Co) / (Cs-Co) is calculated and the corresponding (Dt) ½/L is read from the graph and D thereby calculated. By performing the experiment at two temperatures and plotting log D vs 1/T, the D for any temperature is established. (The activation energy for diffusion may be obtained from the slope of the line.) Once D is known as a function of temperature, it is a simple matter to estimate the correct reaction time for experiments with single specimens at other temperatures by equating (Dt) ½/L to its value for effective saturation. Darken' points out that this is approximately unity. The solubility of oxygen in chromium, as determined from the thin samples at each temperature, proved to be approximately 0.03 pct at 1350°C and less at lower temperatures. Due to low solubility and to the known difficulties of the vacuum fusion method in this low range, the values obtained for D (5x10-0 sq cm per sec at 1350°C) are estimated to be correct only within an order of magnitude. Nevertheless, the method has proved useful in estimating reaction times. Its usefulness will be greater in metal-gas systems where the solubility is appreciable. A second function of the method is to permit the determination of diffusion coefficients in systems for which the conventional techniques are experimentally difficult or impossible.

Jan 1, 1956

Philip Argall, Denver, Colo. (communication to the Secretary) : Mr. Rickard expresses regret that I have not given more extracts " from the fresh leaves of nature's open book." The quotations used by me in argument were all from nature's open book, and by authorities recognized in the scientific world as being able to decipher nature's unwritten pages, if not lay bare her inmost secrets. The study of -nature should be preceded by a knowledge of her laws. Natural science is but the summary of the observations of the past or an organized and accurate knowledge of the order in which things have been observed to happen. One who ignores the 'knowledge of the past or despises that of the present and approaches nature's open book with a virgin mind but too often finds her

Jan 1, 1895

By Ronald K. Linde

Metastable Ag-Cu solid solutions at two compositions beyond the maximum limits of solubility obtainable by quenching from the solid state were obtained by rapid quenching from the liquid state. The process of transformation of the metastable solid solutions into the equilibrium phases was studied by means of X-ray diffraction intensity measurements and electrical-resistance measurements; metallographic examination was also performed. Results are compared with those for an alloy quenched from the solid state at a composition which exists as a solid solution at elevated temperatures. Activation energies for the trans-formation were computed to be 33,600 * 2500 and 33,100 * 2000 cal per g mole for the 60.1 and 75.0 at. pct Ag;Cu compositions, respectively THE kinetics of precipitation in supersaturated solid solutions obtained by quenching from high temperature has been thoroughly studied in many alloys, and detailed investigations of the early stages of nucleation and subsequent growth of the equilibrium phases have been carried out. All of these studies have been made on alloys quenched from the solid state, however, and it is the purpose of this paper to present some of the results on the kinetics of transformation of metastable solid solutions in Ag-Cu binary alloys whose compositions lie outside of the solid-state limits of solubility. Limits of solubility in the solid state can be increased by rapid quenching from the liquid state. This was first demonstrated by Falkenhagen and Hofmann, who obtained appreciable increases in solubility limits of the elements of the first transition series in aluminum by rapid cooling of liquid alloys through contact with a copper mold maintained at liquid nitrogen temperature.' The same basic idea of cooling a liquid alloy by conduction onto a substrate rather than by convection of a gas or liquid (conventional quenching) has been recently revived and extended to very high rates of cooling by Duwez and his collaborators. The new technique was first applied to Ag-Cu alloys because the existence of a eutectic in this system is not predicted by the Hume-Rothery rules of alloy phase formation. Rapid quenching from the liquid state resulted in metastable solid solutions at all concentrations. The kinetics of decomposition of these metastable solid solutions containing 60.1 at. pct Ag;Cu (eutectic composition) and 75.0 at. pct Ag;Cu is the subject of the present paper. EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES Alloys were made in 10- to 20-g heats using silver of purity 99.99 pet and copper of purity >99.999 pct. Components were weighed accurately to 0.1 mg and melted by induction heating in an alumina crucible under an atmosphere of hydrogen. Weight losses amounted to less than 0.02 ~ct in all cases. Rapid cooling from the liquid state was achieved in an apparatus of the type described by Pietrokowsky. 3 In this technique a freely falling drop of molten alloy is caught between a stationary anvil and a fast moving piston, both anvil and piston being lined with copper. The resulting foils were approximately circular (about 2 cm in diam) and from about 50 to 150 u in thickness, depending on the pressure driving the piston. Metallographic samples were prepared for polishing by edge-mounting foils in Quickmount. The mostef-fective etching procedure was found to be: 10 parts NH4OH (concentrated), 1 part H2O2 (30 pct), 5 parts H2O, swab for 5 to 10 sec. The transformation of the metastable alloys to equilibrium was followed by X-ray diffraction and electrical-resistivity measurements. The peak intensity and the integrated intensity of suitable Bragg reflections of the metastable and stable solid solutions were studied with a Norelco dif-fractometer, using nickel-filtered copper KO radiation. The peaks were step-scanned at intervals of 0.05 deg. Using either a Kelvin bridge or a null circuit with a Leeds and Northrup K-2 potentiometer, the changes in electrical resistance due to phase transformation were measured for specimens cut into strips about 20 mm long and 4 mm wide. All resistivity measurements were carried out at liquid-nitrogen temperature. The isothermal heat treatment was accomplished by sealing the samples in argon-filled aluminum containers with stainless-steel O-rings. Containers were then suspended in wax baths with temperatures in the

Jan 1, 1967