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By J. Henry Harden

I desire to call the attention of the Institute to a new form of drawing-board trestle. With the ordinary four-legged trestle, commonly used, one has not the means of adjusting the height of the board to the draughtsman. To obviate this inconvenience, and at the same time to enable one to incline the board, I have devised an arrangement of curved and straight slots and thumb-screws, by means of which the hoard can be raised three or more inches, and placed at any desired angle of inclination on either side. Figures 2, 3 (Plate I) show side and end elevations of the trestle for a single board, and Figure 4 for two boards. The latter form is adapted for use in schools, or where it is desired to economize space.

By AIME AIME

T'HE Columbia Section of the A. 1. M. E. took charge of the Western Mining Convention on Oct. 3, and the meeting was held under their auspices. W. L. Zeigler, chairman of the Section, called the session to order. The first paper on the program, "Lead Refining Practice at Bunker Hill Smelter," was presented in per-son by the author, A. F. Beasley, superintendent of the smelter. He pointed out the differences in the refining practice at Bunker Hill from other American refineries. The Bunker Hill plant was the first to adopt the liquation process for silver skims as developed in Australia. Details were given of operating practice with results. F. F. Colcord questioned the author in regard to the kind of metal best suited for kettles, which was said to be cast iron.

Jan 1, 1929

By Robert B. McCormick

THE major use for quartz crystal is in the manufacture of radio oscillator plates and telephone resonator and filter crystals. Quartz crystal is also cut and polished as a semiprecious gem stone, particularly in the colored varieties (amethyst, Brazilian topaz, and others), and often is carved into various objects of art. Prisms, wedges, lenses and other optical parts often are made of quartz crystal, usually for special- purpose instruments. Chips and small clear crystals below 100 grams in weight, called “lascas” by the trade, are the raw material for fused quartz products. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The Greeks believed quartz to be permanently frozen water and therefore called it krustallos, which, literally translated, means clear ice; but ages before their civilization, prehistoric man had crudely cut and polished crystals for rough charms and ornaments. About 2000 B.C., the Egyptians brought the art of cutting quartz to a high level. While there are earlier examples of crystal art that have great value, working in crystal during that period became a means of artistic and religious expression that has endured through the ages. Art museums and private collections throughout the world contain many priceless pieces. They include findings from the tombs of the earliest Egyptian rulers, as well as magnificent art objects in both clear and colored crystal encrusted with silver, gold, enamel, and precious gems of oriental and European workmanship. Pierre Curie first measured the piezoelectric effect of quartz, in 188 1, by placing a weight on the surface of a quartz crystal and measuring the resulting electrical charge, which he found was proportional to the weight applied. The following year the inverse piezoelectric effect was proved by the Curies. By applying a voltage to a piece of quartz, a measurable physical displacement occurs. The first practical application of this effect was the construction of a bimorph unit to measure voltage by measuring the amount of the displacement of the end of the bimorph. The piezoelectric properties of quartz crystal remained largely a laboratory curiosity until World War I, when a supersonic device for

Jan 1, 1949

E. W. Parker, Washington, D. C.: In connection with Mr. Blauvelt's paper, a brief sketch of the development of by-product coke-making in the United States may prove of interest. The first radical departure from the prevalent beehive oven to the by-product retort oven was inaugurated in 1891 by the Solvay Process Company, at Syracuse, N. Y. In that year was begun the construction of 12 Semet-Solvay ovens, which were completed in 1893. During 1893 these ovens produced 12,850 tons of coke, an average.of a little over 1000 tons each. In the following year the production amounted to 16,500 tons, not quite 1400 tons per oven. These 12 ovens were in reality an experiment, the success of which was attested by the addition to the same plant of 13 more ovens, begun in 1895 and completed in 1896. They were followed by the construction in 1896 of 25 ovens of the same type at Sharon, Pa., and 50 more at Dunbar, Pa. These 100 ovens represented the total number of Semet-Solvay ovens completed and in operation up to the close of 1897. The construction of 180 more, however—120 at Ensley, Ala., and 60 at Benwood, near Wheeling, W. Va.—was begun in 1897. The plant for the latter is laid out for double the number stated. The 60 ovens begun in 1897 have now been completed. An initial plant of Otto-Hoffman ovens was built at Johnstown, Pa., in 1895, and began making coke in 1896. One hundred and twenty additional ovens of this type were begun in 1896 and completed in 1897 at Glassport, near McKeesport, Pa. During the present year 100 Otto-Hoffman ovens are being added to the plant at Johnstown, and 400 of the same type are in course of construction at Everett, near Boston, Mass. The plant at the latter place is laid out for a total of 1200 ovens.

Jan 1, 1899

THROUGHOUT the Colonial era, Philadelphia was easily the leading city of North America, and it still held that position at the end of the period, with a population of about 25,000, though closely pressed by Boston, which had slightly over 20,000, and New York, which had nearly as many. It was the center of a region in which mineral industry was important. Thomas Rutter's bloomery, built in the Schuylkill valley in 1716, was quickly followed by many others, and during the Colonial period at least 20 blast furnaces, 45 forges, and iron- works of other types were built in eastern Pennsylvania, which easily led all the other colonies in iron manufacture. During the Revolutionary period others were erected as far west as Fort Loudon, in the Cumberland c alley.6 After 1800 the rapid development of the anthracite mining industry profoundly affected Philadelphia's development, since transportation of the coal was then necessarily by water,, and the streams of the anthracite regions mostly flowed into either the Schuylkill or the Delaware Rivers. With an abundant near-by supply of coal and iron, with the seat of government, which had been there since 1774, and with a national Bank established there in 1791, one would have seemed safe in prophesying, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, that Philadelphia would permanently remain the leading city of the United States. Education in Philadelphia was at first wholly in the hands of the Quakers, who had established a "Public School" there in 1689, but in November 1739 George Whitefield, who had created a sensation in England by his preaching, though only 24 years old, passed through Philadelphia on his way to Georgia to found an orphan school there. He preached a series of sermons in Christ Church that were so disturbing to the established church that on Nov. 25 the Rev. Richard Peters (who was also Provincial

Jan 1, 1941

By A. B. Kinzel

Since the exposition of the behavior of certain iron alloys by Sykesl involving the existence of an austenite loop and the discovery of such a loop in the chrome-iron system by Bain,2 there has been much conjecture both on his part and on the part of metallurgists in general as to the exact shape and location of this loop. In previous work commercial steel has been used and the microscope has been employed to locate the critical points so that the position of the loop has been quite approximate. Numerous attempts have been made to measure the critical points of the carbon-free alloys but all of these for one reason or another have failed. A satisfactory method for studying these phenomena is presented here. MateRial The first difficulty in this study was to obtain pure chromium-iron alloys. This has been overcome by melting in a vacuum electrolytic iron and chromium analyzing 99.84 Cr, Fe and C. A pure magnesite crucible was used and the melt allowed to solidify in the crucible. A typical analysis is chromium, 10.10 per cent., carbon, 0.006 per cent., silicon and manganese nil. To overcome the problem presented by segregation, ingots were made into wire 0.04 in. in diameter. This was accomplished by hand-forging the ingots into rods, using an oxyhydrogen flame for heating, in order to avoid carbon. Subsequently the rods were swaged to wire, the heating being carried out in hydrogen. Thus local segregation was eliminated although differences in analysis between portions 50 ft. apart were noted. An electric-resistance method was first tried to determine the critical points, but due to the physical defects in the wire this failed. Bain had previously shown the presence or absence of critical points in a qualitative way by observing the sag in a catenary. The author has devised the following method which gives an accurate determination of the critical points from expansion-temperature curves of suspended wire, a special telescopic dilatometer being used for the purpose.

By C. D. Starr

IT is well known that the martensite reaction can be induced to occur isothermally above the M, temperature by plastic deformation of an alloy in its austenitic state, and also that as the test temperature is increased above the M. temperature, plastic deformation under a given set of conditions merely causes additional slip with a corresponding tendency toward the formation of less martensite per unit of strain. Thus it appears that a maximum temperature exists above which martensite cannot be formed isothermally by plastic deformation. This temperature is commonly designated as the equilibrium temperature Te. Attempts to determine experimentally the equilibrium temperature have indicated that a critical temperature is observed, under a given set of conditions, above which martensite cannot be formed isothermally by plastic deformation. But the observation of a "so called" critical temperature, Te, should not be confused with the equilibrium temperature, Te. In order to clarify this anomaly, true stress-strain curves were obtained for a series of type 304 stainless steel specimens (manufacturer's analysis, 0.08 pct C, 18 to 20 pct Cr, 8 to 10 pct Ni, balance Fe) over the temperature range 67" to 300°K.' Since martensite is magnetic, a quantitative measure of the amount of martensite that was produced by plastic deformation was obtained by determining the magnetic permeability as a function of strain. The results of these tests are given in Fig. 1. They appear to indicate that a plastic critical point does exist at about 240°K for the stainless steel under investigation here. But that 240 °K is not the equilibrium temperature nor even a true plastic critical temperature can be seen from Fig. 2 wherein the permeability of the same material is shown to increase with cold rolling at 293 OK. Consequently the observation of a "so called" plastic critical temperature is dependent on the mode of deformation and has no theoretical significance. Acknowledgment This work was sponsored by the Office of Naval Research. Permission to publish this note is gratefully acknowledged.

Jan 1, 1954

Discussion of the paper of IRVING A. PALMER, presented at the Salt Lake meeting, August, 1914, and printed in Bulletin No. 91, July, 1914, pp. 1447 to 1460. L. S. AUSTIN, Salt Lake City, Utah.-With the union of the Guggenheim interests and the American Smelting& Refining Co. in 1900, competition among the lead-smelting companies appeared to have been largely eliminated. This condition prevailed for but a short time, owing to the erection of smelteries by competing companies. Naturally, as competitors, the older companies endeavored to keep improved methods to themselves, not realizing, it would appear, that such knowledge could never be bottled up, but would drift into the common field of practice. Of late it has begun to be felt that more is gained than lost by adopting a franker and more open policy. The line, however, is drawn in. giving details of costs, which, fully known, it is felt, would be taken advantage of by a rival. As Mr. Palmer says, steady and substantial progress has been made, and latterly, I may add, the improvements have been radical. Sintering by the Huntington-Heberlein method or with Dwight-Lloyd machines has effected an important saving over reverberatory roasting, the cost being, say, 50 to 75c., as compared With $2 per ton by the older method. Moreover, the .large use of a sintered product has resulted in doubling blast-furnace tonnage. However, the change has not been an unmixed blessing, as in the machine roasting little time can be given to the breaking up of the blende, and it has been impossible to decompose largely the zinc sulphide, so detrimental in later blast-furnace treatment. The satisfactory roasting of the blende is still an unsolved problem. Nor is this all. For the best reduction it has been found that a part of-the change should be crude (unsintered) ore, indicating that the already fused material is only too ready to change to slag, thus lessening the opportunity for better reduction.

Jan 11, 1914

By A. D. Hughes

C. W. MERRILL*—Mr. Hughes' paper not only is very well presented but is most timely in that it covers a subject of vital interest to the United States. Tin is one of the strategic metals which has not been found here in appreciable quantities. The total United States tin output since the first recorded production over 100 years ago would not supply current consumption for a fortnight. On the consumption side, tin is extremely important in national defense because of its use in tin plate which, in the form of tin cans, makes it possible to feed properly the armies that the United States recruits from its civilian population in emergencies. Moreover, the internal combustion engines so important in powering tanks, planes, and other war machines, require large quantities of tin alloys for bearings and for soldering. These considerations, along with the fact that Malaya, historically, has been the leading source of tin to the United States, make the kind of information that Mr. Hughes has presented so ably. a matter of vital interest. Your Chairman, Mr. Romanowitz, in his introduction, referred to the fact that I had been a member of the United States delegations to the three meetings of the International Tin Study Group. Some cominents on the Group's objectives and deliberations may be of interest. When it appeared that the International Tin Committee, the prewar producer's cartel, might soon revive its operations and extend its control agreement beyond the expiration date of Dec. 31, 1946, the United States Government became interested in some kind of an international trade organization concerned with tin which would give the consumers' interest equal representation with the producers' interests. An international meeting was called in London in October 1946 to consider this problem. I did not attend that meeting hut the result of the meeting was the organization of the International 'Tin Study Group which

Jan 1, 1950

By J. W. Whitlow, P. K. Theobald, W. C. Overstreet

Monazite placers in a region of the Carolinas ex- in 1951-1954 by the USGS are estimated to contain at least 53,000 short tons of thorium and 4600 short tons of uranium. None of these deposits is being mined. The 5200-sq mile area investigated extends northeast along the western Piedmont from the Savannah River in South Carolina to the Catawba River in North Carolina. Much of the region is 700 to 1100 ft above sea level. Gentle hills and broad interfluves give a local relief of 100 to 200 ft. This increases to 1700 ft at the west margin of the area where the east flank of the Blue Ridge is approached in South Carolina and the South Mts. are entered in North Carolina. This report is restricted to placers in the Piedmont. Monazite deposits in the Blue Ridge and coastal plain were not covered by the investigation. Monazite Mining in the Carolina Piedmont: Discovered in 1879 by W. E. Hidden,' the monazite placers in the Carolina Piedmont were first mined in 1886. The area was a major world source for thorium and the lanthanides until 1895, when Brazilian monazite entered the trade. Total output from the Carolina Piedmont has been nearly 5500 tons of monazite,2 but the placers have been idle since 1911, except for 48 tons produced between 1915 and 1917. Monazite mining was revived in the Carolinas in 1954 when a dredge operated by the Heavy Minerals CO. opened a fluviatile placer along Horse Creek in the coastal plain near Aiken, S. C. Geology and Mineralogy: Two recent papers",' have described the geology of the monazite placer district in the Piedmont between the Savannah and Catawba rivers; the general geology of the region has been reviewed by P. B. King.' These reports show that the placers are in locally derived alluvial sediments that cover the floors of shallow, narrow valleys in an area underlain by monazite-

Jan 1, 1960

Bill S.1431 for the creation of a Department of Natural Resources has received a propitious hearing before the Senate Committee on Government Operations. Interior Secretary Rogers C. B. Morton was one of the prominent witnesses who testified in favor. The department had been proposed, Morton said, with "the conviction that the development of all natural resources would be harmonized with the most practicable possible means to protect and preserve the environment, consistent with the social and economic needs of the Nation." Another opinion on the pro side came from Atomic Energy Commissioner Clarence E. Larson, who said that a "total picture" had become essential to the establishment of a policy for developing energy resources in the best public interest. Commissioner James T. Ramey, on the other hand, was one of the AEC dissenters. Ramey said he believed the reorganization of resource responsibilities would hinder efforts to deal with energy-environmental problems and prevent the use of AEC "expertise and facilities" to the greatest advantage. As Arnold Weber, associated director of the Office of Management and Budget, pointed out, however, retiring AEC Chairman Glenn T. Seaborg is in favor of the new department. Another supporter, and one who can cast a vote on the bill, is Sen. Frank E. Moss. Final Standards for emissions from new stationary sources will be published by the Environmental Protection Agency on October 27. The initial proposals, appearing in the Federal Register on August 17, called for limiting emissions per million Btu of heat input (maximum 2-hr average) to 0.2 lb of particulate matter, and, where solid fuel is burned, to 1.2 lb of sulfur dioxide and 0.7 lb of nitrogen dioxide. While the new rules are mainly for new plants, the EPA is also proposing them for "existing plants which are modified in such a way as to increase or alter. . . their emissions."

Jan 1, 1971

By K. E. N. Hanney

INTRODUCTION Slurry systems and mechanical conveying, represent the main methods of transporting solids from one area of a mineral processing plant to another. A well-designed slurry handling system can assist in lowering plant capital costs by reducing building size, simplifying plant layout and reducing operating costs by lowering maintenance and labour costs. This Paper has been prepared with the object of providing a practical approach to designing slurry systems. SLURRY CHARACTERISTICS Slurry is a mixture of crushed or ground rock mixed with water or a chemical solution, and can flow under several different conditions: (a) As a homogeneous suspension; (b) As a heterogeneous suspension; (c) With a moving bed (saltation); (d) With a stationary bed. Homogeneous flow takes place when the solids are uniformly distributed throughout a pipe and when particle sizes are smaller than 325 mesh. Heterogeneous is the most common slurry suspension. In this system, there is a gradual increase in concentration of solid particles towards the bottom of a pipe. There is a fairly wide range of velocities that fall within this system. In moving bed systems, the coarse particles settle out and bounce along the bottom of a pipe. Operating under these conditions tends to minimize wear and power requirements, but because this system operates within narrow velocity limits, pipelines frequently plug. Stationary bed conditions exist when coarse material has settled in the bottom of the pipe restricting the available area. These conditions should be avoided. DESIGNING A SLURRY SYSTEM Slurry can be transported either by pumping through a pipeline or by developing a gravity head and flowing through a pipe or along a launder. When considering any slurry system, whether for the design of a new plant or to make modifications to an existing operating plant, design criteria are required. The design criteria provide the information for calculating the material balance and sizing the equipment. The quantities on the material balance can then be assigned to the flowsheet for reference. The equipment can then be laid

Jan 1, 1982

By H. C. Kenny

The annealing or softening temperature of cold-worked copper is appreciably increased by almost unbelievably small amounts of silver. As indicated by some data in this paper, the softening temperature of high-conductivity, tough-pitch copper may be increased from 200" to 350" C. by the addition of only 15 oz. per ton (0.052 per cent) of that element. Because it has this higher annealing temperature as compared with the silver-free metal, silver-bearing copper finds considerable use in industry. For example, when hard-rolled copper is used in operations that involve soldering or tinning, silver-bearing copper insures against loss of strength, whereas silver-free copper becomes "dead soft." Yet—though several investigators, beginning with Caesar and Gernerl in 1916, have shown that small amounts of silver do definitely raise the softening temperature of copper—data are lacking on the problem: What is the specific influence of different amounts of silver on this temperature? It was to help in filling this gap in the knowledge of what might be termed "alloy coppers" that the data given herein were obtained. The softening of cold-worked copper depends, of course, on a number of factors, of which the composition of the material is only one. Other highly important factors are the degree to which the material is cold-worked and the time it is held at the annealing temperature. The method of cold working and the grain size of the metal produced are also significant. All these variables were taken into account in the investigation reported here, and the influence of silver on the electrical conductivity and on the working was also considered. The coppers used in the softening tests were Lake coppers melted and cast by the Calumet and Hecla Consolidated Copper Co. The ires were fabricated by the Roebling Wire Co. and the sheets were rolled at the Battelle Memorial Institute. Partial analyses of some of the coppers are listed in Table 1, with their electrical conductivities.

Jan 1, 1934

By C. T. Van Winkle

MINE fires are always dangerous and are frequently accompanied by loss of life during the period of confusion which is apt to follow their discovery. In metal mines, fires may result from the accidental ignition of some combustible material, or they may be of spontaneous origin resulting from the rapid decomposition of sulphide. They occur frequently enough to demonstrate the need of some special equipment and a general plan for controlling them, in addition to measures for their prevention. Nearly all the large copper mines have had fires, and the methods of fighting them have been well described in recent papers, notably-by C. L. Berrien,1 R.. E. Tally,2 and others in discussion. The Copper Queen mine has many shafts, which are connected by underground workings. The deeper parts are ventilated by fans, but in the shallower portions natural ventilation through numerous connecting raises or shafts is sufficient. There have been several fires in the past few years, of which all are extinguished but one, and that is under control. These notes cover particularly the preparations that are being made-to check a new fire, partially or temporarily, and to facilitate the escape of workmen in the interval before a definite plan of fighting it can be established. A fire may occur in a shaft or station, or in some working father away. In case of fire in an upcast shaft, the gas would escape to the surface and the immediate result would probably not be dangerous to workmen, as they could escape by other shafts. In a downcast shaft, however, the gas would be distributed very rapidly throughout a large portion of the mine, and men might easily be trapped and asphyxiated. A fire in mine workings, drift, raise, or stope, would be dangerous in a degree, but the draft there is likely to be less strong than in a shaft and probably a smaller area would be invaded by the fire gases.

Jan 1, 1918

On Dec. 8, 1916, at a meeting held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the John Fritz Medal was presented to Professor Elihu, Thomson, "for his achievements in electrical invention, in electrical engineering, in industrial development and,in scientific research." Professor Albert Sauveur presided. John J. Carty, chairman of the Presentation Committee of the Board of Award, made a short address-on the history and significance of the medal. He was followed by E. W. Rice, Jr., president of the General Electric Co., who spoke at length of the achievements of Dr. Thomson, whom he called "one of the world's most prolific and industrious inventors and scientists." Among other things, he said: "In the, field of electrical inventions alone, Professor Thomson has been awarded something over 550 United States patents, and in other fields; notably mechanical work, about 150 patent.,. he has made contributions to the world's scientific, and technical literature, in several hundred articles describing not only his own dis-coveries and inventions but making remarkably interesting contributions to scientific speculation and thought. "A skilled workman, he is always able himself to do the work which he asks others to perform. "His inventions are the result of such profound and accurate knowledge,. and developed with such skill, that they almost invariably work on the first, trial in accordance with expectation." Dr. Richard C. Maclaurin, President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, spoke of the personality of the man as well as of his accomplishments, as follows: "He has not only clone great things himself, but has shown ,in intense desire to help all who are struggling earnestly with scientific problems. He has proved an inspiration to an ever-widening circle of engineers and others who have entrusted him with their secrets and sought his help in overcoming their difficulties. They have done this knowing. that they had only to ask in order to get the full benefit of his

Jan 2, 1917

By Otto W. Nuttli

THE magnetic method of prospecting is well suited to determination of faulting in the basement rock. In addition to establishing the horizontal position of the fault, it often furnishes valuable information concerning the depth and amount of faulting. Consider a simple case of a vertical fault, represented in cross-section in Fig. 1. Let A A' represent the plane of observation (ordinarily the surface of the earth), and BB'B"B"' the upper surface of the basement. Assume that the sedimentary rocks are nonmagnetic, so that the magnetic susceptibility of the material above the basement is zero. Let k indicate the susceptibility of the basement rock, c the density contrast between it and the neighboring sedimentary rocks, and the amount of vertical displacement. Fig. 1 shows the material, indicated by cross- hatching, which gives rise to the magnetic anomaly. In most cases it can be assumed that is small compared to the thickness of the sedimentary rocks. The semi-infinite, rectangular slab of rock of susceptibility k, density contrast , and thickness t may then be replaced by a semi-infinite sheet CC' of mass t per unit area at depth 2 (the mean depth of the slab). Nettleton 1 states that this approximation results in an error of less than 2 pct for the computed gravitational field intensity when t is as great as 2/2 and decreases rapidly for smaller values of t. By a theorem of Poisson, the magnetic field intensity can be determined readily from the gravitational field. The theorem states that W = (I/) • (U/i) i1 [1] where W is the magnetic potential associated with the structure, I is the intensity of magnetization which is assumed to have the direction of the inducing field, ? is the constant of gravitation, the density contrast, U the gravitational potential associated with the structure, i the direction of the inducing magnetic field, and i1 a unit vector in that direction. The multiplication indicated in Eq. 1 is

Jan 1, 1956

By O. W. Rees, Gilbert H. Cady

Unit coal calorific values represent a close approach to pure coal values; they possess characteristics theoretically inherent in the latter values. They are essentially uniform in the same seam for areas possessing essentially uniform geological environment. They are higher in older than in younger coals in most cases, and in deeper than in shallower coals. In general, they display characteristics closely in accordance with expectation assuming that they are essentially indices of rank. Because it possesses these characteristics, the unit coal value is essentially a standard value, characteristic of each bed in each local region. Hence it can be used as a basis for determining the accuracy of results in newly established laboratories, or when new equipment is installed, or in checking the results of different laboratories, or even in determining the character of coal as mined or prepared if ash, moisture and sulfur values are known. DISCUSSION (A. C. Callen presiding) R. P. Hunson,§ Wayland, Ky. (written discussion).—One of the interesting observatioris made by the authors is that there is a more or less definite correlation between unit coal calorific values and the geological environment of the coal bed. It is very interesting to note that, in general, the unit B.t.u. value increases with the increase in the probable original depth of burial, and that each seam tends to increase in calorific value toward the areas of diastrophic instability. It is generally conceded that Parr's formula, for determining unit coal values, is about as accurate as any formula subsequently proposed for the same purpose. In his formula, Professor Parr did not differentiate between the sulfur present as iron pyrites and that present as organic sulfur. However, the practical application of the formula has shown that this is of little consequence. I agree with the authors that unit coal calorific values are useful ill determining the accuracy of calorimetric determinations, and in determining the character of the

Jan 1, 1934

By A. B. Kinzel

SINCE the exposition of the behavior of certain iron alloys by Sykes1 involving the existence of an austenite loop and the discovery of such a loop in the chrome iron system by Bain,2 there has been much conjecture both on his part and on the part of metallurgists in general as to the exact shape and location of this loop. In previous work commercial steel has been used and the microscope has been employed to locate the critical points so that the position of the loop has been quite approximate. Numerous attempts have been made to measure the critical points of the carbon-free alloys but all of these for one reason or another have failed. A satisfactory method for studying these phenomena is presented here. MATERIAL The first difficulty in this study was to obtain pure chromium-iron alloys. This has been overcome by melting in a vacuum electrolytic Eton and chromium analyzing 99.84 Cr, Fe and C. A pure magnesite crucible was used and the melt allowed to solidify in the crucible. A typical analysis is chromium, 10.10 per cent., carbon, 0.006 per cent., silicon and manganese nil. To overcome the problem presented by segregation, ingots were made into wire 0.04 in, in diameter. This was accomplished by hand-forging the ingots into rods, using an oxyhydrogen flame for heating, in order to avoid carbon. Subsequently the rods were swaged to wire, the heating being carried out in hydrogen. Thus local segregation was eliminated although differences in analysis between portions 50 ft. apart were noted. An electric-resistance method was first tried to determine the critical points, but due to the physical defects in the wire this failed. Bain had previously shown the presence or absence of critical points in a qualitative way by observing the sag in a catenary. The author has devised the following method which gives an accurate determination of the critical points from expansion-temperature curves of suspended wire, a special telescopic dilatometer being used for the purpose.

Jan 1, 1928

By Charles Hawes

WHEN sulfur is encountered in objectionable amounts, it is regarded as the most trouble-some element for the mine operator to control. It exists in two conditions in iron ores, as sulfide in iron pyrites and as sulfate in gypsum and barite. The sulfate radical (SO,) may also be linked to one or more of the several other elements found in the iron ore compound. The only dependable method for the de-termination of sulfur, particularly when found in the insoluble residue, has been the so-called fusion method. This is a long and tedious process involving several hours for its completion. In looking for a more rapid method which would be .applicable to all iron ores, the writer investigated the work of M. Groger1 who in 1881 showed that by heating pyrite with iron out of contact with air, the pyrite is reduced to iron sulfide and from the latter all of the sulfur will be given off as hydrogen sulfide gas on treat-ment with hydrochloric acid. FeS2 + Fe = 2 FeS FeS + 2 HCl = FeC12 + H2S In 1891 F. P. Treadwell2 not only confirmed the results of M. Groger but also found that iron powder would reduce to sulfide the sulfate radical of any substance, including barite, if not found in excessive quantities. The writer found this to be true and developed a method, in cooperation with F. J. Baker, chief chemist, mining department, of the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co., Ishpeming, Mich., for the determination of sulfur in iron ores which is not only very rapid but also accurate. Pure iron ore powder, reduced by hydrogen, gave good results but was found to be very slow in reacting. A high silicon iron with a low sulfur content of 0.012 per cent was found to be. much more active than the pure iron and gave excellent results.

Jan 11, 1927

By George Ross Green

[In discussion of the paper of Mr. J. C. Bayles, read at the New York meeting of September, 1890, Trans., xix., p. 18.1 It is often so difficult to locate the causes of failures of machinery and apparatus which can be examined and studied at leisure, that it is not surprising that the causes of explosions should escape detection. Usually the explosion is the first evidence that anything is amiss, and the time for observing the conditions is necessarily brief. An incident in a welding-works near Essen, Germany, might be cited as exemplifying what trifling causes may lead to disaster, and how difficult, under the most favorable conditions, it may be to discover them. A blowing-engine was arranged with two suction-pipes at each end of the blowing-cylinder—one leading to the air, and the other to the gas-holder. Each pipe was provided with a valve, and all were so adjusted that the cylinder drew in gas and air in the proportions found most advantageous. The gases from the cylinder were carried directly to the furnace through suitable pipes, and while the cylinder was provided with relief-valves, every effort was made to prevent explosions, principally by compressing the gases to a point where the rate of efflux of the mixture was greater than the velocity of combustion, if the expression is here allowable. It was found that the apparatus would work satisfactorily for some time, and then the relative proportions of the mixture would change, and an explosion might have been the result. Experiments consuming days were made to discover a method of averting this danger, but they were unsuccessful, until it was observed that the change in the composition of the mixture of gas and air took place when the gasometer began to rise or fall—the back-pressure due to friction when the holder was rising or its absence when falling being sufficient to change the conditions. As soon as this was discovered,

Jan 1, 1892