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By L. J. M. Smits

A theoretical equation is developed describing membrane potentials of shaly sands as a function of the cation-exchange capacity per unit pore volume of the rock and saturating water salinity. This equation is based on the same simple physical model as that employed earlier7 describing the electrical conductivity of shaly sands. Experiments conducted with NaCl solutions showed that the equation is obeyed, except in the case of saturated salt solutions where minor deviations were observed. A possible explanation is given for this discrepancy. As the clay content and the porosity of shales may vary appreciably, shale membrane potentials also vary. It was found that membrane potentials of shales can be calculated accurately with the aid of the same theory. Consequently, changes in membrane potentials can be accounted for by simple measurement of cation-exchange capacities per unit pore volume of both shales and shaly sands. Charts are given to facilitate interpretation of the electrochemical part of the SP in terms of cation-exchange capacities and the salinities of mud filtrate and formation water. INTRODUCTION A spontaneous potential (SP) log is a record of the way in which the electrical potential of a sonde varies as it passes down a borehole. Such variations frequently reflect rock texture, e.g., permeable beds intercalated in an impermeable series often are indicated by a sharp change in potential. Nowadays it is recognized that SP logs may be interpreted in terms of formation-water salinity and formation shaliness. The four sources of the SP are illustrated in Fig. 1. El and E4 represent streaming potentials generated by the flow of mud filtrate through mud cake opposite permeable formations and through shale, respectively. An extensive review of the literature on the evaluation of these streaming potentials is given by Lynchl and will not be discussed here. The remaining part of the SP generally is called the electrochemical potential, which is divided into two parts: a membrane potential across the shale (E3, Fig. 1) and a membrane potential in the permeable sand at the diffusion boundary between formation water and mud filtrate (E2, Fig. 1). It was found by wyllie2 that the membrane potential across the shale, E3, is the most important contribution to the electrochemical potential, the shale acting as a semi permeable membrane. When the sand is clean it does not influence the diffusion process, so E2 equals the value of the so-called liquid-liquid junction potential observed when the two solutions diffuse freely into each other. When the sand contains clay, however, this interferes with the diffusion process and affects the diffusion potential generated. The greater the proportion of clay, the stronger this effect will be. Wyllie,3 Doll4 and Poupon et al.5 took this effect into account theoretically, starting from a physical

Jan 1, 1969

By A. R. Denison

To those who are unfamiliar with the nomenclature in common use among operators in the Mid-Continent, the Permian Basin is a term to cover several widely separated productive areas. It includes what is designated in trade journals as the Panhandle fields, the West Texas fields and Southeastern New Mexico fields. It is bounded roughly on the east by the 100th parallel, on the west by the 104th parallel, 011 thr south by the Rio Grande River and various mountain ranges and on the north by the north line of the Texas Panhandle. The name is derived from the location of these three widely scattered areas which are all in a broad geosyncline which is chiefly filled with sediments of Perrliian age. The oil fields as now known and the approximate limits of the Permian Basin are shown in Fig. 1. The major part of the production in these areas comes from liniestonc or dolomite of Permian age. Some granite wash and sandstone production has been developed but ordinarily does not yield as large initial production as the limestone or dolorliite. Introduction During 1926, Texas, exclusive of the Gulf Coast, produced 12G1SS-1,-952 bbl. of oil,' of which 40,727,877 bbl., or 32 per cent., was produccd in the West Texas Permian Basin. During 1927 the same area in Texas produced 167,176,000 bbl. %f oil, of which 89,779,000 bbL13 or 52 per cent., was produced in the West Texas Permian Basin. The increase in the total production of Texas is about equivalent to the increase in production in the Permian Basin. Since production in the Panliandle District declined during the entire year, the increase of production in the West Texas Permian Basin, and also the increase in Texas, is due to the enormous increase from the West Texas fields. Daily average pl-oduction in the West Texas fields increased from 68,211 bbl. on ,Jan. 8 to

Jan 1, 1928

By Jerome Alexander

The object of this paper is to show that many of the important phenomena of metals and alloys are due to the facts that, at some stage, metals and alloys, or some of their constituents, are in a colloidal state and that a portion of the metal or alloy tends to remain in this state. The so-called amorphous phase in pure metals is an isocolloid, consisting of colloidal groups of metal molecules that may be dispersed in still more finely subdivided metal; these colloidal particles are not truly amorphous, but may consist, in part, if not entirely, of ultramicroscopic crystals; as a result the expressions amorphous phase and amorphous theory might he replaced by the expressions colloidal phase and colloidal theory. Any substance is in the colloidal state when the constituent particles consist of molecular or atomic groups, whose size varies approximately from about 100 down to about 5pp, that is from just below the limit of microscopic resolvability to the dimensions commonly ascribed to the larger molecules. Colloidality involves no assumption as to the shape, internal structure, or orientation of the colloidal particles; size alone is the critical factor. A colloidal system may therefore contain crystalline groups, or amorphous groups (non-crystalline, random or haphazard clusters), or a mixture of the two. All colloids consist of at least two phases, the subdivided substance, or dispersed phase, and the substance into which this is subdivided, the dispersion medium. It is not necessary that there be any chemical difference between the dispersed phase and the dispersion medium. As molecular forces are extremely powerful, their application may produce marked changes in the physical properties of metals. It is doubtful whether metal in the interior, especially of large masses, possesses the same properties as that on or near the surface, which alone is open to inspection.

Jan 1, 1921

By A. U. Seybolt

The solubility limit of oxygen in columbium has been determined in the range between 775' and 1100°C by means of lattice parameter measurements and microscopic examination. The solubility is a function of temperature and varies, in the range given above, from 0.25 to 1.0 pct O, respectively. BECAUSE of the marked deleterious effect of oxygen upon the mechanical properties of some of the transition metals, it is desirable to know something about the solubility of oxygen in these metals. The brittleness caused by oxygen in solution is particularly marked in the case of the group VA elements, vanadium, columbium, and tantalum. The solubility of oxygen in vanadium has already been reported in an earlier paper,' and Wasilewski2 has given a value (0.9 wt pct) for the solid solubility of oxygen in tantalum at 1050°C. Brauer3 in 1941 investigated the Cb-0 system up to Cb2O5, but made no real effort to investigate the extent of oxygen solubility in the metal. He made the observation, however, that this solubility must be less than 4.76 atom pct (0.86 wt pct) oxygen. This estimate was made from X-ray diffraction results on the alloys CbO, CbO, and CbO; all alloys consisted of the terminal (Cb) solid solution plus CbO, but the last alloy containing 4.76 atom pct 0 showed only three very weak CbO lines. It is surprising that Brauer, by examining only three alloys, arrived at an estimate of the solubility which agrees very well with the results to be reported herein. Experimental Procedure A columbium strip obtained from Fansteel Metallurgical Products was cut into strips, 0.020x1/2x2 in. Two holes, about 3/16 in. in diameter, were made near the ends of the strips in order to hold them against a flat steel block for mounting in a General Electric X-ray spectrometer for lattice parameter measurements. The same holes were used to hang the specimens inside a fused silica vacuum furnace tube which was part of a Sieverts' gas absorption apparatus. The apparatus and method of adding oxygen gas has been previously described.1 According to the supplier, the columbium obtained had the analysis given in Table I. After degreasing the samples, approximately 0.001 in. was etched from each side of the samples in order to remove possible surface impurities from the last rolling operation. For this purpose the following cold acid pickle was found satisfactory: 8 parts HNO3, 2 parts H2O2 and 1 part HF. Various Cb-O compositions were obtained up to 0.75 wt pct O by the gas absorption and diffusion technique. After the sample had absorbed all the oxygen gas added at 1000°C, an additional 24 hr was allowed for homogenization. This treatment appeared to be adequate, as shown by the linearity of the lattice parameter-composition plot. More concentrated alloys were prepared by arc melting mixtures of Cb and Cb2O5 since it was very time-consuming to make Cb-0 alloys in the neighborhood of 1 pct O, or over, by the diffusion method. When the flat strip specimens were used, they were ready for the X-ray spectrometer after cooling from the Sieverts' apparatus. The cooling rate obtained by merely allowing the hot fused silica furnace tube to radiate to the atmosphere (when the furnace was lowered) was sufficiently fast to keep the dissolved oxygen in solution. Arc-melted alloys were reduced to —200 mesh powder in a diamond mortar, wrapped in tantalum foil, sealed off in evacuated fused silica tubes, and then heat treated as indicated in Table 11. The fused silica tubes were quickly immersed in cold water without breaking the tubes after the heat treatments. The tantalum foil prevented reaction between the fused silica and the sample; there was no reaction between the powdered samples and the foil at 1000°C, but some trouble was experienced at 1100°C. At this temperature level a reaction between the sample and the foil was sometimes observed, which resulted in erroneous parameter values. Experimental Results Hardness Tests: Since most of the X-ray samples were in the form of flat strip, it was convenient to obtain Vickers hardness numbers as a function of oxygen content. Compared to the V-O case,' oxygen hardens columbium much more slowly, presumably because of the larger octahedral volume in colum-bium (about 12.0 compared to 9.3Å3 in vanadium), hence, requiring less lattice strain for solution. The plot of VHN vs wt pct O is shown in Fig. 1.

Jan 1, 1955

By H. W. Mead, C. E. Birchenall

The rates of growth of graphite nodules in cast irons are calculated for a model of a growing graphite sphere surrounded by a shell of austenite through which carbon and iron are diffusing. The carbon is supplied by a cementite-austenite mixture at the outer edge of the shell. The calculated rates from carbon diffusion agree fairly well with the measured values, but the rates based on iron self-diffusion are much too low. Because the iron must be removed for the process to continue, o plastic deformation mechanism is suggested. THERE has been an unfortunate tendency in the literature of growth and dissolution reactions to identify the slope of a plot of the logarithm of the growth or dissolution rate vs reciprocal of temperature with the activation energies determined by diffusion measurements in chemically similar systems. If the solubility limits at the growing or dissolving phase interfaces change appreciably with temperature, such procedures may lead to serious errors in specifying the mechanisms controlling the rates of these processes. A reaction involving the simultaneous growth of graphite from and dissolution of cementite in austenite will be discussed here to show that substantial oversimplifications have been made in earlier studies of this process. From a dilatometric study of the overall y-range graphitization process, Bunin and Danil'chenko' found an apparent activation energy of 90 kcal per g-atom. They concluded that, since this value was much nearer the approximately 68 kcal per g-atom observed for self-diffusion in pure iron than it was to 32 kcal per g-atom for diffusion of carbon in iron, the rate-controlling process must be the diffusion of iron away from the growth interface to provide space for graphite to grow. Bunin and Salli' bolstered this agreement with the observation that graphite forms preferentially at surfaces, cracks, and pores where free volume is present initially. Ziegler, Meinhart, and DeaconQ ad found an apparent activation energy for graphitization of 98 kcal per g-atom. This value, like that of Bunin and Danil'chenko, applies to nucleation and growth occurring simultaneously. It is not generally assumed that nucleation is entirely diffusion-controlled. Treatments such as prior cold-working and prequenching, which strongly affect the rate of graphitization, would be expected to have little effect on diffusion processes occurring at the graphitization temperature. In any case 90 kcal per g-atom is not particularly close to the 54 kcal or lower to be expected for diffusion of iron which is carbon-saturated.' The presence of silicon in iron is said to reduce the activation energy for diffusion,' so its presence in cast irons would be expected to have a similar effect. The growth rates of nearly spherical graphite nodules have been studied by Brown and Hawkes." The initial rate of growth before impingement of adjacent carbon-depleted areas was found to be parabolic, and rate constants were measured at several temperatures. Their apparent activation energy for the growth process only was roughly 45 kcal per mol. Burke and Owen' made growth-rate measurements on several alloys, recording appreciable induction periods, initial nucleation rates, and average radial growth rates based on an assumed linear rate of radial growth. They found that increased silicon content increases the ovel-all reaction rate and the initial rate of nucleation, and decreases the induction period. Assuming 1) spherical nodules. 2) constant volume rate of nucleation, 3) austenite in equilibrium with cementite at positions where the cementite is not depleted, and 4) a constant diffusion distance during the growth of a nodule, they calculated an apparent overall activation energy of 68 kcal per mol, which was related to an activation energy for nucleation of 79 kcal per mol and activation energy

Jan 1, 1957

By N. Lilienberg

Refractory materials play much the same part in the producion of metals as houses and shelter for men, and it therefore seems useful to discuss sometimes the ways of manufacturing them. In fact, it appears to me that too little has been said on this important matter, probably because the manufacturers of fire-brick do not care to publish details for the benefit of competitors, but perhaps, also, by reason of the indulgent indifference of consumers. Judging from the revolutions in the manafacture of iron and steel caused by using calcareous materials for the furnace-bottoms, it does not seem improbable that in the future basic bricks may be produced suffciently strong for building also side-walls and arches, and perhaps, also, for use in blast-furnaces. But the existence of the present difficulties of great shrinkage in burning and small strength against compression, which limit the possibility of using basic bricks to Bessemer converters and such open-hearth furnaces as permit the bottom to be separated from the superstructure, seems to indicate still a long and extensive use of silica fire-bricks. I am not prepared to say anything about American fire-brick making, but knowing that industries abroad are watched with increasing interest by American manufacturers, I have imagined that this association would like to hear some facts about the way firebricks arc made in my country—Sweden. Well-known as it is that Sweden produces a high quality of iron, it is perhaps not so universally known that the same country produces a very high grade of silica fire-brick, whereby most of its own wants are supplied. In giving the following sketch I can, of course, not claim that all the facts are entirely new, but shall consider my object attained if American manufacturers can derive some benefit from the comparison of the following methods with their own, and if some discussion on this important subject can be aroused which will contribute to further progress. In order to show the extensive use of domestic fire-bricks in Sweden, where English bricks are easily obtainable, I mention the fact that about twelve millions of all kinds of fire-bricks (reduced to

Jan 1, 1885

By Amos P. Brown

PYRITE, the bisulphide of iron, FeS2, is found more or less in all coal-beds: but, as a rule, in certain definite forms. More than any other impurity, it detracts from the commercial value of a coal-deposit, and yet its presence is so universal that it might almost be said that there is no coal entirely free from pyrite. My observation has been confined to the Pennsylvania bituminous and semi-bituminous coals, and to them, therefore, my remarks will be confined. Certain generalizations which I may make, however, will be found of universsl application. The lowest members of the coal-formation, No. XIII. of the Pennsylvania bituminous region, are nearly always pyritiferous, and in many cases highly so. In Cambria county, for instance, coalbed A, the Brookville, is locally known as the " Sulphur seam." The Lower Kittanning, in parts of Clearfield county, is so sulphury as to be almost unmarketable, though otherwise it is a strong locomohive coal. In Mercer county the Pardoe bed, so extensively mined there, carries great quantities of sulphur in the form of pyrite, though usually this can be separated in such a way as to detract little from the market-value of the coal. The other coal-beds of the Lower

Jan 1, 1888

By Arthur C. Spencer

HAVING suggested magmatic waters as the probable agents of vein- and ore-deposition in southeastern Alaska in a paper entitled, The Geology of the Treadwell Ore-Deposits,1 it is with particular interest that I note W. Lindgren's application of the hypothesis of igneous emanations to the gold-quartz veins of Victoria and of California.2 Mr. Lindgren says: "In the above paragraphs I have repeatedly called attention to remarkable similarities in vein-filling and metasomatic action between the Victorian quartz veins and those of Sierra Nevada. Another striking similarity is that in both of these regions the veins were formed just after the intrusions of vast masses of granite or dioritic magma into crumpled and compressed sediments. I am convinced that these similarities are due to closely similar modes of formation. With some confidence, I would formulate the hypothesis that the gold and the quartz in this type of veins have been deposited chiefly by `eruptive after-effects;' in other words, chiefly by hot ascending waters originally contained in the granitic magma and released from it by decreasing pressure, due to its eruption into the upper parts of the lithosphere. It is quite possible that atmospheric waters may have played a certain part by aiding the precipitation and by effecting certain forms of concentration in the deposits." There are many reasons for extending this hypothesis to southeastern Alaska. This region and the Sierra Nevada belt of California are undoubtedly parts of one geologic province, throughout which the main events of geologic time are evidenced by identical or closely similar records in the rocks. Our knowledge of the former region is still fragmentary, to be sure, but the origin-dates of the most prominent features of

Jan 1, 1913

By R. B. Snow

Inclusions revealed by the ultrasonic inspection of forgings, slabs, and blooms cause costly diversion or rejection of the product. Most of those inclusions are so large that they should have floated out of the liquid steel soon after teeming and been removed when the top discard was taken from the ingot. To investigate the source of the relatively large inclusions found in the body portions of ingots, a large forging ingot was examined from top to bottom along the centerline, and special studies were made of open-hearth and BOP ingots. A study of the inclusion distribution in the as-cast 134-inch-diameter forging ingot revealed only a few inclusions larger than 15 microns in the body of the ingot. Larger inclusions may be formed by entrapment of rising inclusions in large falling dendrites rather than by the precipitation and agglomeration of oxides from the liquid steel-dendrite interface during solidification. The original top crust of the ingot investigated broke away from the hot top and sank to the bottom during the solidification process, as indicated by entrapped inclusions found in a band 12-1/2 inches above the stool. A change in the hot-top insulation practice on subsequent ingots to insure the integrity of the top crust has produced clean ingots. A ZrO2 tracer was added to the hot-topping compound and to the top surface of open-hearth and BOP ingots after teeming. The tracer was found in large inclusions in slabs and blooms from these ingots. Large inclusions in the body of ingots appear to be related to disturbances of the natural freezing and shrinkage processes in the hot- top region of the ingot.

Jan 1, 1972

By W. R. Ingalls

ThE following chronology presents the history of lead-mining in the United States in a brief form and is a useful reference in connection with the statistics of production: 1621.. Lead was mined and smelted near Falling Creek, Va., to supply the local demand for bullets and shot. This was the first mining and .smelting of lead in what is now the United States. 1632. In a report made on the minerals of New England, lead-ore is mentioned. (Bishop, I., 470.) 1650. Supposed beginning of mining by Jesuits in Pima county, Ariz. 1651. Grant of lead-mine at Middletown, Conn., to Gov. John Winthrop. 1682. Lead-ore supposed to have been discovered in Wisconsin by Nicholas Perrot. (K. D. Irving, Mineral Resources of Wisconsin, Trans., viii., 498.) 1700 Discovery of lead in Missouri by Penicaut, one of Le Sueur's party. Tile same expedition discovered lead near the southern boundary of Wisconsin in August of the same year. 1712. Grant by Louis XIV. of the Crozat patents, with special privileges respecting the discovery and operation of mines in the then territory of Louisiana. Little or no mining was done under this patent until about 1720. 1717. Transfer of Crozat patents to the Mississippi Co., promoted by John Law, which prepared for active mining. 1719. First attempt to mine and smelt lead in Missouri, made by Sieur de Lochon, in behalf of the Mississippi Co., near Meramec river. Results unsuccessful.

Jan 1, 1908

By Theron Wasson

The discovery of eight new oil fields, two of which may be of major importance, was the outstanding record in Michigan this year. These new fields have helped to support the declining production from old areas and place the total of 18,559,000 bbl. in line with the past six or seven years. Thus, it appears that Michigan is doing its part in maintaining the production of the country in the third year of the war. The new fields are in the central basin area where oil was first discovered in Michigan, thus tending to focus attention on the deeper part of the lower peninsula of the state. Through 1944 the state of Michigan has produced a total of 222,-641,580 bbl. of crude oil from 100 pools, many of which arc relatively small. Among the previous1y discovered fields Reed City is still the outstanding producer, with Fork, Headquarters, and Adams following in the order named. The Reed City pool produced a little over 5,000,00 bbl., which was more than one third of the state's total for the year. Almost two thirds of the year's total oil production came from fields discovered in the past five years. Maps A map of the oil and gas fields of Michigan in 1943, published in the A.I.M.E. report for 1944,* shows the main producing areas and should be referred to if information in regard to their location is desired. The producing zones are shown in the columnar section in the same publi- cation." The data in Tables I and 2 have been carefully ' checked and every effort has been made to show as complcte information as possible. New Discoveries and New Developments Eight new producing areas were discovered during 1944 which, in order of importance, are: Deep River Field.—The discovery well in the Deep River field was drilled by Don Rayburn and others, and should be listed as a chance discovery, as, from a geological standpoint, it was not considered favorable until oil was found at a depth of 2838 ft. in a dolomitic layer in the top of the Dundee limestone. The first well was completed in January 1944, with an initial production of 2500 bbl. By the end of the year 15 wells had been completed, proying an area 2 1/2 miles long and 1/2 mile wide. Coldttater Field.-The Coldwater field was discovered in August 1944, by the Sohio Oil Co. Production is from secondary dolomite at the top of the Dundee at a depth of 3703 ft. To the end of 1944 nine wells had been drilled on 40-acre spacing. Essexville Field.—Essexville field was discovered by United Drillers and Producers, Inc. Eight wells had been completed to the Dundee lime by the end of 1944, and prospects were good for further development during 1945. Hilliards Field.—Hilliards field was discovered by Cook and Fortney. Production is from the Traverse lime at an average depth of 1588 feet,

Jan 1, 1945

By Herbert K. Kutter

This paper is concerned with the physical phenomena in the fracture process of presplitting and only indirectly with the establishment of the optimum presplitting parameters. Its nature is therefore qualitative, rather than quantitative. Before examining the problem of presplitting, it is first necessary to study the phenomena which occur when an explosive charge is detonated in a borehole. To do this it is desirable to consider the action of the explosion wave separately from that of the expanding gases.l In the theoretical analysis such a separation poses no problems. Experimentally this was accomplished by use of an underwater-spark discharge to generate the stress wave and by pressurized oil to simulate the pressure of the explosion products. The main role of the wave is to generate a densely radially fractured zone around the borehole. The subsequent gas pressure, exerted against the walls of a highly (radially) fractured cavity, generates a quasi-static stress field (henceforth referred to as static stress field). This stress field was found to be the same as that of a pressurized cylindrical "equivalent cavity" with a radius equal to that of the crack tips. Under these conditions the quasi-static stresses become appreciable and cause further extension of the radial cracks. It was further found that, under gas pressure, the longest of the radial cracks would extend first, and extension of two diametrically opposed radial cracks requires the least pressure. From these observations concerning the single shot the transition to a whole series of more or less simultaneous shots, as in presplitting, can readily be made. In the case of multiple shots, as in presplitting, exactly the same effects occur, but at numerous locations and sufficiently close in time that they interfere with

Jan 1, 1968

By J. B. Hess, R. L. Dietrich

IN the mechanical twinning of magnesium on the {1012} planes the crystallographic deformation is such that, in the direction of the hexagonal axis [0001], twinning is possible only under tension stress, while in the directions perpendicular to the hexagonal axis, twinning is possible only under applied compression. Thus in extruded magnesium and magnesium alloys where the extruded textures are best described as either [1010] or [ 1120] fibers,1 the basal planes are all nearly parallel to the extrusion axis and such material is susceptible to {1012 } twinning by compression in the direction of the extrusion axis. In order to explain the results of cyclic stressing in alternate tension and compression upon the tangent elastic modulus in such material, Dorn and Thomsen2 have postulated that, following twinning under applied compression, a retwinning or untwinning occurs as a result of residual microtensile stresses immediately upon removal of the applied compressive force. Recently, Carapella and Shaw3,4 have used this supposition of untwinning in magnesium in discussing their results on indentation hardness and on cold drawing of MI sheet. In trying to confirm this hypothesis by suitable direct experiments, the authors have been unsuccessful in detecting any evidence whatsoever that untwinning follows the release of applied compression and are forced to conclude that this hypothesis is improbable or, at least, that the quantity of material involved is small. For the experiments, small cylindrical specimens 0.040-in. diam. X 0.120- to 0.140-in. long were etched from 0.0625-in. extruded rod. The ends of the specimens were accurately faced off parallel in a jeweler's lathe. The compression jig was simply an ordinary set of micrometer calipers with an anvil interposed between the spindle and the specimen. The anvil was free to move axially but restrained from rotating so that the rotation of the spindle would not introduce a twisting stress on the specimen. With this arrangement the compressive strains could be estimated to 0.0001 in. and X ray pinhole photographs could be taken with or without load as required. Fig 1 is the pattern of an uncompressed specimen of AZ31 alloy, showing the approximate [1010] extrusion fiber. The X ray beam is normal to the extrusion axis; in this position it is particularly sensitive in detecting twinning if one directs his attention to the diffraction ring from the basal plane. Since twinning on {1012} planes produced an 86° reorientation of the crystal lattice, the original basal reflections occur at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions while the (0002) reflections from any twinned material will occur at the 6 and 12 o'clock positions. Fig 2 shows the same specimen compressed 3.0 pct, photographed while still under load. This strain has been just enough to produce a detectible amount of twinning and the sensitivity is roughly indicated by the fact that no alterations were produced in the intensities or maxima of the other diffraction rings. A strain of

Jan 1, 1948

By Frederick M. Becket, Russell Franks

In a recent article,l which described the softening effect of columbium in plain high-chromium steels, the authors stated that their investigations had shown columbium to be also a particularly valuable inhibitor of intergranular corrosion in steels of the 18 per cent chromium, 8 per cent nickel type. It is the purpose of the present paper to record some of the results obtained through the introduction of columbium to the austenitic chromium-nickel steels. The damaging effects of this type of corrosion have become so widely known as to restrict considerably the applications of the steels under consideration, and therefore there is little question of the importance of the goal to be attained. Numerous contributions concerning the susceptibility of the austenitic chromium-nickel steels to intergranular corrosion have appeared during the past few years, and among others who have dealt constructively with the subject are such well-known authors as Strauss and Houdremont of Germany, Hatfield of England, and Bain in the United States. Different theories have been propounded as to the cause of intergranular corrosion, and various remedial measures have been proposed, the majority of which involve the use of addition agents. Titanium is the addition agent at present most generally employed, as suggested by Houdremont and modified as described by Bain, Aborn and Rutherford. Little has been published on the effects of holding these steels for long periods at the relatively lower temperatures in the presence of corroding media, and the effects have mot been fully realized by producer and consumer.

Jan 1, 1934

By E. C. Wright

FOR many years the cost of making pig iron and steel in the Birmingham district has been about the lowest in the United States. The close proximity of the important raw materials such as coal, iron ore, limestone, and the large available scrap supply made it possible to assemble all of the important ingredients necessary for steel-making with only nominal costs for transportation. Both iron ore and coal were being mined in this district at one time for about $1 per ton from underground operations. At that time mining wages were low everywhere and the labor rate in the South was considerably below that of other mining districts. This situation persisted until the emergence of labor unions as an economic and political force, emigation of southern labor to northern plants, and continued growth of industry in the South in the years following the depression of 1932. Since that time union organizing of miners and steel workers throughout the nation has increased labor costs in mining and steelmaking. This influence has been felt particularly in underground mining operations since the proportion of labor cost to total cost is still high. The previous advantage in basic labor rate in the South has been almost entirely eliminated by the equalization of labor rates in basic industries by national unions.

Jan 12, 1950

By A. F. Daily

Free World consumption of diamonds of all types closely follows the fluctuations of the business cycles in the large industrialized countries, particularly the U.S. Sustained purchasing by this country for stockpiling purposes has been a major factor in Free World demand for crushing bort and industrial diamonds, and it has been for this reason that investments in larger plants have been made by all major diamond mining companies during the past few years. For the purposes of this study, the diamonds produced in the Congo and elsewhere in the Free World are divided into three types:

Jan 5, 1961

By G. D. Just

INTRODUCTION Large scale underground mining involves the bulk handling of fragmented material. The cost and efficiency of the mining systems is there- fore significantly influenced by material flow characteristics. Flow problems may occur in the form of ore pass blockages which interrupt the free flow at extraction openings. The costs of such delays can be readily assessed and compared to the costs incurred in reducing blockages by improved fragmentation or larger ore passes. In practice the problem is more complex than this statement suggests because it is generally un- economic to design for zero ore blockages. Another major flow problem occurs in the form of relative movement of ore and waste as the fragmented material is extracted. This produces waste dilution in the recovered ore and influences total ore recovery. This flow problem is much more complex than the ore block- age phenomena. Many questions concerning the precise flow characteristics remain unanswered because of the variability of size distributions, particle shapes, material properties and the total extraction layout and design. Model studies can provide a visual and quantitative illustration of probable flow characteristics but full scale data collection is necessary to evaluate the precision of such information. The methods and types of data obtained must be carefully selected to recover the maximum volume of useful information for operational control and future design. It is essential that honest precision levels are assigned to the data and any subsequent analyses. Grade control data may give misleading short term information on flow characteristics because of the difficulty in knowing the true grade of the mass of material before extraction commences. However, in the long term control of extraction grades is vital to the profitable operation of the mining system. The most efficient extraction design and operational schedule can only be determined after all of the facts and variables are known. This is usually only possible after the orebody has been completely extracted. However, if design and operational personnel have a full appreciation of the nature and variability of material flow under different conditions the best possible results should be achieved. The most significant features of material flow are out- lined in this paper in order to provide mine planning and mine management personnel with some of the necessary information relating to material flow. Available facts and reliable figures from selected publications are noted in association with unbiased and hopefully accurate opinions of the relevance of the data to mine design and mine system control. Possible future developments and profitable areas for research into material flow problems are also detailed. MATERIAL FLOW AND MINING METHODS The effects of material flow on the design and operation of an integrated underground ore handling system is one factor which is common to most mining methods. Analysis of the system as detailed by Just, 1980, permits the identification of unit process objectives. For example, a typical underground ore handling system as illustrated in Figure 1, involves the following unit operations:- (i) Gravity flow of ore in stope (ii) Ore extraction at base of stope (iii) Ore haulage on the production level (iv) Dumping of ore into ore pass system (v) Gravity flow of ore in the ore pass (vi) Underground crushing of ore (vii) Haulage of crushed ore to shaft (viii) Hoisting of ore to the surface. Average flow rates in each of these unit operations can be misleading due to variability in incremental capacity caused by flow blockages and machine delays. Thus to effectively analyse the probable performance of the system, it is necessary to have a measure of the flow loading and haulage rate variability. Mechanical equipment performance specifications can be used to provide such information for loading, haulage and crushing; however, in the case of the gravity flow of material field measurements are required to relate the probability of "hang-ups" to the degree of fragmentation. Factors affecting the frequency of flow stoppages are, size, distribution and cohesiveness of broken material and the geometry and size of the flow channel. Ore pass channel design is relatively simple since regular cross-sectional shapes are used

Jan 1, 1981

By Huey-Lin Luo, T. R. Anantharaman, William Klement

Two new metastable phases have been obtained in Au-Ge alloys by rapid cooling from the melt. One is of the hep structure with near-ideal axial ratio and may be considered a Hume-Rothery phase. The other has a complex tetragonal structure (a = 11.627Å and c = 22.191Å for the Au60Ge40 alloy) and may be looked upon as a superlattice made up of forty-four fee unit cells. Alloys with the tetragonal phase are charactevized by marked preferred orientation. The metastable constitution of the Au-Ge alloys is discussed with reference to the rate of cooling from the melt. THE Au-Ge equilibrium diagram features a rather deep eutectic near 27 at. pet Ge with a maximum solid solubility of 3.2 at. pet Ge in gold and is similar to the Ag-Ge, Ag-Si, and Au-Si diagrams.' The present study of the effects of rapid cooling from the melt on the structure of Au-Ge alloys constitutes an extension of similar investigations2-8 in this laboratory on alloys of noble metals with germanium and silicon. Nonequilibrium hep structures have so far been obtained by quenching Ag-Ge2, 3 and Ag-Si4, 5 alloys from the melt; an Au-Si alloy of approximately eutectic composition has been found6 to solidify in a noncrystalline state. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES Twenty-nine alloys prepared from gold of 99.9+ pet and germaium of 99.999 + pet purity were investigated. The method of alloy preparation, the technique of rapid quenching from the melt, and the X-ray diffraction procedures were similar to those described previously.3, 4 Essentially, small sections (-20 mg) of thin alloy rods (-1 mm diam) were rapidly heated up to 1200°C in a graphite crucible under argon and the liquid alloy ejected by a helium blast onto a polished copper strip held on the inner periphery of a rotating wheel. The resulting thin foils were examined with or without the copper substrate in a G.E. X-ray Diffractometer or in a 114.6-cm-diam Debye-Scherrer camera. RESULTS Table I gives the constitution of liquid-quenched Au-Ge alloys, as estimated from intensities of X-ray reflections from the corresponding phases, viz., a (fee solid solution), ß (hep phase), ? (tetragonal phase), and diamond-cubic (dc) germanium. Despite unavoidable variations in the quenching rates, the proportions of the phases in different alloys were generally reproducible and stable at room temperature. There was no evidence of quenching strain, since the a doublets were well-resolved in high-angle Debye-Scherrer reflections in all cases except where stacking faults in the a fee and ß hep structures contributed to X-ray line broadening. The ß and ? metastable phases showed signs of decomposition to the equilibrium a phase and germanium only after a few hours annealing above 100°C. A few alloys around the eutectic composi-

Jan 1, 1965

By H. R. Collins

The purpose of pulverizing coal before burning it is to make available every heat unit it contains. Machinery has been developed which will pulverize coal in one operation, delivering it to bins in front of the furnaces at an expenditure of about 17 hp.-hr. per ton, in a medium-sized plant. The cost of the operation depends upon the amount of moisture that must be expelled before pulverizing, the cost of labor, and the cost of coal delivered at the plant. At a small plant, requiring a pulverizer with a capacity of only 1/2 ton per hour, the cost per ton pulverized will naturally be greater than at a plant requiring the largest pulverizer, with a capacity of 7 tons per hour. :The first step is to reduce large lumps to a size suitable for drying uniformly, before passing to the pulverizing mills; this is done in rolls, at a single pass. The second step is the elimination of moisture, in order to facilitate pulverizing to great fineness, while also increasing the heating effect and the temperature attainable when the coal is burned. There are other mechanical advantages in the handling of dried coal. Driers are now manufactured which are able to eliminate moisture without distilling any of the volatile combustible matter in the coal; they are fired by hand or with pulverized fuel. The heat first surrounds the shell of the drier, being confined within a chamber where complete combustion takes place; the heated gases are then led through a duct to the discharge end of the drier and enter the inside of the shell at a temperature not exceeding 300" F. This temperature is maintained by the operator and is indicated by a pyrometer. Volatile combustible matter is not likely to be distilled until the temperature rises above 400" F. On discharging from the drier, the coal is usually passed over a magnetic separator in order to prevent pieces of iron from going to the pulverizer. Two types are used: a magnetic pulley which automatically discharges its collection of iron, and a lifting type, from which the iron is removed by hand when convenient. In the operation of pulverizing, the coal should preferably be reduced until 95 per cent. will pass through a 100-mesh and 70 per cent. through a 300-mesh sieve. Such a product is obviously an almost impalpable powder.

Jan 1, 1920

By E. W. Wagy

The year 1927 witnessed numerous developments of significance in California. The State's shut-in production increased from an average of 58,000 bbl. daily in January to a maximum of 93,000 bbl. daily in August, and a total of about 25,000,000 bbl. was withheld from the market during the year. This not only lessened the effect of large production at Hunt-ington Beach, Seal Beach and Alamitos Heights, but also was a most effective conservation move. Since 1922, it is estimated that approximately 100,000,000 bbl. of oil that would otherwise have been produced have been held in the ground. I. Outstanding Field Developments of 19271 1. Long Beach Deep Sand. 2. Rincon (Seac1iff)Discovery. 3. Alamitos Heights Discovery. 4. Ventura Avenue Extension. 5. Round Mountain Discovery. 6. Mt. Poso Extension. 7. Potrero (Cypress) Discovery. 8. Buttonwillow Gas Development. 9. Goleta Discovery. 10. Union Avenue, Edison and Fruitvale Areas. (See Fig. 1.) II. Crude Production The most important factor in new crude production in 1927 was the Seal Reach field with its adjacent Alamitos Heights townlot area. Production increased from about 10,000 bbl. daily in January, to a peak of 66,000 bbl. in June. Huntington Beach finished the year 1926 with a production of 102,000 bbl. daily, which declined to 60,000 bbl. by the end of 1927. Due to production in these three areas and the tempering effect of shutting in numerous wells, the California production curve for 1927 was held at a fairly even level. Fig. 2, shows the State's production in 1927 and 1926 as compared with 1923, which was the year of excessive

Jan 1, 1928