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By F. William Bloecher, William B. Plank

CURRENTLY 12,892 students are enrolled in the mineral engineering schools of the United States and Canada, marking an all-time record high for these schools. It shows a remarkably rapid recovery from the effects of World War II. Enrollment in all the other engineering branches has also increased but not so rapidly as in the mineral engineering branch. Almost all the data in this report are from the eighth questionnaire study of the mineral engineering schools made, as formerly, under the auspices of the Mineral Industry Education Division of the AIME. Every school is represented in the data, for which the authors thank the deans and professors who supplied the information. For this reason, the data of all the studies are comparable, an achievement not always possible in endeavors of this kind. For comparison with the general engineering enrollment situation, data are included from the January 1947 issue of the Journal of Engineering Education.

Jan 1, 1947

By E. S. Bardwell

DURING the period extending from May, 1922, to September, 1923, the copper-refining furnaces of the Great Falls Reduction Department of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. at Great Falls, Mont., were operated exclusively with pulverized coal as fuel. The installation was made first as an experiment. It proved successful from the start and was abandoned solely because fuel oil from the Sunburst field became available at a price sufficiently low to make its use desirable from an economic standpoint. The equipment required for pulverized coal has, however, been kept intact and is available for immediate use should the oil supply fail. Inasmuch as pulverized coal had been used on two large reverberatory smelting furnaces and was, at the time we were considering its application to the copper-refining furnaces, being used on the Wedge furnaces roasting zinc concentrate for the electrolytic zinc plant, we were equipped with a coal-pulverizing plant of ample capacity to supply pulverized coal for the furnace refinery. The only problem was to devise suitable means for transporting pulverized coal from the pulverizer plant, located in the smelter building, to the refinery about 1000 ft. distant and about 150 ft. above the level of the pulverizer plant. When studying this installation, it should be borne in mind that the layout represents an adaptation suited to the existing conditions at this particular plant. The installation was entirely satisfactory and uniformly dependable but might be modified to advantage from an operating point of view if an entirely new installation were being planned.

Jan 9, 1925

By R. F. Weber

The relation between the chemical composition and the refractoriness of fire-brick has long attracted the attention of manufacturers of fire-brick and others interested in their use, yet but little systematic work has been done along this line, especially in the United States. Analyses of fire-brick have been quoted for years, but fire-tests of brick, except those of durability in practical use, have usually been lacking. Although many tests and analyses of foreign fire-brick have been published, only a few have appeared in the United States; and even in the foreign literature, the references and facts are more or less scattered. The most elaborate foreign paper on the subject is that by Dr. Jochum.' One of the earliest, and perhaps the most detailed piece of work in the United States, is that of F. Platt, which was done for the Pennsylvania Geological Survey, in 1876.2 His investigation consisted of the analysis and heat-tests of 21 bricks, the testing being made in an experimental shaft-furnace at Har-risburg, Pa. All the bricks were more or less affected at the temperature reached, which was considerably higher than the melting-point of steel. The exact temperature at which individual bricks fused was not ascertained, hence the comparisons quoted in the paper are of value only for the bricks used in the test. The next comprehensive investigation, made by the New Jersey Geological Survey,³ deals chiefly with fire-clays; analyses and refractory tests having been made of 123 clays, kaolins, feldspars and fire-sands. Here; again, there was no accurate means of measuring the temperature, the only measurement of

Jan 1, 1905

By J. W. Halley, T. S. Washburn

Rimming steels derive their name from their action during solidification in the molds. As a result of incomplete deoxidation, gas is evolved during freezing, and the metal has a characteristic rolling action. The metal rises along the mold walls and descends in the center of the ingot. This action keeps the top of the ingot open and the advancing rim of solid metal can be seen. The rim grows until the rolling action is insufficient to prevent the top of the ingot from freezing or until the action is stopped by capping the ingot with a heavy plate. The violence of the reaction and its characteristics, such as growth or drop in the molds, are determined by the composition, the furnace practice, and the deoxidation in the ladle and in the molds. Though rimming steels represent a large proportion of the amount of plain carbon steel made, they have received comparatively little attention in the technical literature. The manufacture of rimming steels has been described by Hibbard,1,2 Fleming,3 Pierce4 and Jackson.5 The reactions occurring during rimming have been considered from the theoretical point of view by Chipman and Samarin.? The structure of rimmed-steel ingots has been discussed by Nead and one of the present authors6 Meyer: in studying segregation, investigated the distribution of carbon, sulphur and phosphorus in rimmed-steel ingots by analyzing the rim and core of blooms. In their studies of segregation, the Joint Committee of the Iron and Steel Institute and the British Iron and Steel Federation9 studied distribution in one billet and one ingot of rimmed steel. A detailed study of the distribution throughout the ingot has not been published. The present investigation was undertaken to determine accurately the distribution of carbon, manganese and sulphur in normal rimmed ingots and the general distribution of other common elements present. The study included some work on the effect of pouring conditions and furnace practice on the distribution, though there is still much to be done in this direction. The structure of a rimmed ingot that has been split by dynamiting and a schematic diagram of the zones in the ingot are illustrated in Fig. 1.

Jan 1, 1938

By J. W. Halley, T. S. Washburn

Rimming steels derive their name from their action during solidification in the molds. As a result of incomplete deoxidation, gas is evolved during freezing, and the metal has a characteristic rolling action. The metal rises along the mold walls and descends in the center of the ingot. This action keeps the top of the ingot open and the advancing rim of solid metal can be seen. The rim grows until the rolling action is insufficient to prevent the top of the ingot from freezing or until the action is stopped by capping the ingot with a heavy plate. The violence of the reaction and its characteristics, such as growth or drop in the molds, are determined by the composition, the furnace practice, and the deoxidation in the ladle and in the molds. Though rimming steels represent a large proportion of the amount of plain carbon steel made, they have received comparatively little attention in the technical literature. The manufacture of rimming steels has been described by Hibbard,1,2 Fleming,3 Pierce4 and Jackson.5 The reactions occurring during rimming have been considered from the theoretical point of view by Chipman and Samarin.? The structure of rimmed-steel ingots has been discussed by Nead and one of the present authors6 Meyer: in studying segregation, investigated the distribution of carbon, sulphur and phosphorus in rimmed-steel ingots by analyzing the rim and core of blooms. In their studies of segregation, the Joint Committee of the Iron and Steel Institute and the British Iron and Steel Federation9 studied distribution in one billet and one ingot of rimmed steel. A detailed study of the distribution throughout the ingot has not been published. The present investigation was undertaken to determine accurately the distribution of carbon, manganese and sulphur in normal rimmed ingots and the general distribution of other common elements present. The study included some work on the effect of pouring conditions and furnace practice on the distribution, though there is still much to be done in this direction. The structure of a rimmed ingot that has been split by dynamiting and a schematic diagram of the zones in the ingot are illustrated in Fig. 1.

Jan 1, 1938

By C. A. HEILANDG

THERE is a need for men well trained in geo- physical prospecting. Although the number of geophysicists required by the industry in the future cannot be expected to be very great, there will always be a demand for courses on the subject. A number of educational institutions are, therefore, interested in providing instruction in geophysical prospecting. Some institutions will be satisfied with courses in general geophysical prospecting designed to give the geologist fundamental concepts on the comparative merits of the methods and the interpretation of the results. Other institutions will want to give special instructions in theory, field procedure, and interpretation of any or all geophysical methods. In giving such special courses a number of problems will be faced, and it seems to me that such difficulties are easier to overcome in an engineering institution than in a university. A knowledge of basic engineering subjects, such as required of all students in an engineering school, seems to be the best foundation upon

Jan 1, 1930

By Paul E. Rosten

Introduction This papers describes some of the latest improvements that have been incorporated or planned by the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co. to reduce operating costs and improve pellet quality. The Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co. operates and manages mining, beneficiation, and pelletizing operations in Michigan, Canada, and western Australia. This paper deals with the grate-kiln pelletizing operations at Republic, Humboldt, Tilden, Empire, and Pioneer in Michigan, and the Adams and Sherman in Ontario, Canada. Table I characterizes each operation in regard to location, ore type, pellet capacity and date that pellets were first produced. All of the operations with the exception of Pioneer and Tilden, utilize downdraft-two-pass grate cycles of drying followed by preheating. Pioneer utilizes an all-downdraft, three-pass grate cycle which consists of three drying zones followed by the preheat zone. The Pioneer and Tilden cycles have been described previously (Lindroos and Koski, 1966; Villar and Dawe, 1975; Koski, 1977). Tilden utilizes a three-pass grate cycle with a stage of updraft drying, followed by two downdraft drying stages. Recuperation systems which supply hot gases to a drying zone from second stage cooling were designed and fur¬nished for Tilden I. Tilden II will be identical. Empire IV will also be furnished with a recuperation system. The Adams grate¬kiln system was retrofitted with a recuperation system. This paper will summarize some of the efforts that are in effect or planned for grate-kiln pelletizing systems to: (1) reduce operating and maintenance costs, (2) reduce energy requirements, (3) improve product quality, and (4) meet environmental standards.

Jan 1, 1981

By AIME AIME

BECAUSE of its unequalled skill, your country in- creased its production until, in 1913, it produced 40 per cent. of the world's consumption of coal, iron ore, and cast iron; 45 per cent. of the steel; and 60 per cent. of the copper. Your industrial effort, in a general manner and your mining effort in particular, has been tremendous. In the general economy of the world, you occupy an incomparable position of power and action. All your curves of production, mineralogical, metallurgical, financial, commercial, have taken terrific trigonometrical tangents and you will easily under- stand the sorry position of your competitors. I must, therefore, pay a tribute of homage arid admiration to you all who, each in his sphere, have been the artisans of such prosperity and my earnest wish is that you continue in this way.

Jan 1, 1920

Jan 1, 1934

By William B. Plank

ENROLMENT data given in this report of the seventh study of the schools by the Mineral Industry Education Division reveals the critical situation in the mineral engineering schools of the United States. Complete figures for the year 1942-43 show that at that time, about one year after Pearl Harbor, the enrollment of mineral engineers was 6385 or 30 per cent less than in 199441. By October 1943, however, enrollment had dropped to 2050, as reported in the Journal of Engineering Education of January 1944. This was a further reduction of 68 per cent in one year, or 77 per cent in three years. With accelerated programs in effect during the current year, with many graduations since last October, and with the military forces taking practically all the high school graduates, the present enrollment is, of course, much lower than the 2050 above given. There are no late data on the exact situation. In Canada, the same situation exists in the mineral engineering schools, only

Jan 1, 1944

By Arthur S. Dwight

THE professional career of Thomas Septimus Austin, who died at El Paso, Tex., August 23, 1906, was contemporaneous with the growth of the silver-lead smelting-industry of the Far West, to which his talents and zeal contributed in no small degree. Born at Stratford, Conn., December 7, 1853, he was the seventh son in a family of thirteen. His parents were well-to-do; and he received a thorough preliminary training at the Hopkins Grammar School, New Haven, Conn., passing thence to the Columbia School of Mines, in New York, where he was graduated in 1876. His first professional work was that of analytical chemist with a Cuban sugar company. In this position he spent a year, and, whatever else of benefit he may have acquired during that year in Cuba, he gained a facility of speech in the Spanish language which was of inestimable value in his subsequent work in Mexico and the southwestern United States. In 1877, he went to the Rocky Mountains, and, under the firm name of Murphy & Austin, opened an assay-office in Leadville, Colo., which was just then coming into public notice as a rich silver-lead camp. The next year, however, he entered the service of the Germania Smelting & Refining Co. at Salt Lake City, Utah, where he remained until 1882, first as assayer and chemist, and later as Assistant Superintendent. The Germanic bears the honorable distinction of being one of the first of the large " custom " lead-smelters erected in the West. Its founders may be called the pioneers of the modern lead-smelting practice, and the Germania served, to a large extent, as a model for the many plants that sprang into existence during the next few years in Utah, southern Idaho, Colorado and other lead-producing districts. The formulation, for the first

Jan 1, 1908

By O. W. Ellis

In view of the extensive use of the brasses and bronzes in engineering practice it is indeed surprising that so little scientific work has been done on the oxides in these alloys. Recognition of the ill effects of these compounds is universally accorded, both in foundry procedure and in such specifications as cover the melting of these useful mixtures. In the latter, limits, for example, are placed on the proportions of scrap metal In the charge, and clauses governing the use of fluxes are included, the addition of fluxes to the charge being made with the object of avoiding oxidation during the process of melting and of subducing and separating non-metal-lic matter from the melt.1 In the manufacture of brass it occasionally, though rarely, occurs that the virgin metals, copper and zinc, alone arc used. In the event of virgin metals being employed, that of the higher melting point is always melted first. If it is melted under suitable conditions, little or no oxidation will occur. Whether oxidation has occurred or not, however, can best be determined by microscopic examination of a sample taken from the melt. Avoidance of Oxidation in Furnace Practice When melting virgin copper in crucible practice, the avoidance of oxidation is not difficult, nor is it hard to forestall trouble in the electric furnace. In gas-fired furnaces of the barrel type, however, the avoidance of oxidation is almost impossible, no matter what the condition of the flame, the flux employed, or the amount of charcoal included in the charge. Copper melted in furnaces of this type is almost invariably so highly oxidized as to requirc very considerable additions of such deoxi-dizers as, for example, silicon copper to render it free from cuprous oxide. As a result,, the castings produced are decidedly inferior, on account of the. large amount of silica which is engendered in the metal as a result of the reaction, Cu2O + Si = SiO2 + 2Cu. The deoxidation of such oxidized copper could, of course, be effected by means of zinc with, however, even more disastrous results.

Jan 1, 1930

By R. M. Daelen

In recent years many new appliances have been introduced into German steel-works and rolling-mills for the purpose of improving working-methods, and of creating and maintaining increased production, and satisfying the ever-growing demand for metal of closely specified hardness, strength and form. One result of the improvements has been to aid very effectively in demonstrating the real superiority of ingot- over wrought-iron for almost every possible purpose, and in dispelling the last vestiges of prejudice unfavorable to the new metal. If, nevertheless, no marked decrease in the number of puddlingfurnaces has yet been noticed, the cause of their survival must be attributed to the greatly increased consumption of all kinds of ironmanufactures. Several large new works for the production of ingotiron are now, however, in course of erection in the Rhenish-Westphalian district, and upon their completion a rapidly diminishing output of wrought-iron may be anticipated. The present aim of all large works manufacturing ingot-iron is to work the molten blast-furnace pig into a finished product without any further fuel-consumption than is required to furnish steam for the rolling-mill. Though practice has established the feasibility of this principle, no works can yet point to its complete adoption, partly because of the limitations imposed by existing conditions and plant, and partly, also, on account of the highly-diversified character of the finished products. The Bessemer-works were the first to feel the influence of the basic process; but of recent years a similar influence has affected the open-hearth, and the owners of works possessing both a converterand an open-hearth plant are now seeking to arrange them for combined working, in charging as well as in casting. In small works the basic-lined reverberatory furnace is constantly gaining ground over the old puddling-furnace. The small basic converter, on the

Jan 1, 1891

By W. O. Philbrook, K. Natesan

The oxidation kinetics of spherical pellets of zinc sulfide made from Santander concentrates were studied using a thermogravimetric technique. The experiments covered a temperature range-. of 740" to 102O°C, 0-N mixtures varying from 20 to LOO pct O2, and pellet diameters between 0.4 and 1.6 cm. Mathematical models were formulated to Predict the reaction rate on the assumption that a single transport or interface reaction step was rate -controlling. Analysis of the data indicated that the process of oxidation was predominantly controlled by transport through the zinc oxide reaction-Product layer. ROASTING processes, which are reactions between solids and gases, are very important because they are employed in the production of a number of basic metals. These processes are highly complicated, and one needs to consider the transport phenomena of heat and mass between the solids and gases in addition to the kinetics of various chemical reactions involved. Because of such complications there is a lack of knowledge concerning the rate-limiting factors, which may strongly depend on temperature, particle size, gas composition, and solid structure. The oxidation of zinc sulfide, which is of commercial importance in zinc production, falls into this class of reactions. The major goal of this work was to elucidate the roles played by different process variables, such as reaction temperature, gas composition, pellet size, and pellet porosity, on the kinetics of oxidation of single pellets of zinc sulfide. Roasting of zinc sulfide single particles has been a subject of both experimental and theoretical investigations.&apos;-&apos; The reaction is exothermic and may be considered to be irreversible. Such a reaction has been found to proceed in a topochemical manner. In other words, as the reaction proceeds, a progressively thicker outer shell of zinc oxide is formed, while the inner core of unreacted sulfide decreases. It has been found experimentally, both in the present work and in the previous investigations,1-9 that the particle retains its original dimensions and the process requires transport of gaseous oxygen across the porous product layer for continued reaction. The reaction may be represented by ZnS(s) + 3/2 O2(g) = ZnO(s) + SO2(g) [1] The solid product considered here is only zinc oxide, since the diffraction patterns of zinc sulfide pellets oxidized partially at &apos;798" and 960°C showed K. NATESAN, Junior Member AIME, formerly St. Joseph Lead Fellow, Department of Metallurgy and Materials Science, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa., is now at Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Ill. W. 0. PHILBROOK, Member AIME, is Professor of Metallurgy and Materials Science, Carnegie-Mellon University. This paper is based on a them submitted by K. NATESAN in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree in Metallurgy and Materials Science at Carnegie-Mellon University. Manuscript submitted December 2, 1968. EMD lines corresponding to original zinc sulfide and the newly formed zinc oxide. OXIDATION MODEL The generalized model for gaseous oxidation of zinc sulfide is illustrated in Fig. 1. This depicts a partially oxidized sphere of zinc sulfide in a gas stream surrounded by a laminar film of gas. The spherical sample of zinc sulfide of unchanging external radius r0 is suspended in a flowing gas stream of total pressure PT and composition specified by the partial pressures of the individual components. Partial pressures of the gaseous species in the bulk gas phase, at the exterior surface of the pellet, at the ZnS/ZnO interface, and at equilibrium for Reaction [I] are identified by the superscripts b, o, i, and eq, respectively. The overall reaction involves the following ~te~s:&apos;~&apos;~&apos; Step 1. Transfer of reactant gas (oxygen) from the bulk gas stream across the gas boundary layer to the exterior surface of the pellet and the reverse transfer of the product gas (sulfur dioxide). Step 2. Diffusion and bulk flow of oxygen from the pellet surface through the product shell (ZnO) onto the ZnS/ZnO interface and the reverse transfer of sulfur dioxide. Step 3. Chemical reaction at the interface, which results in consumption of oxygen gas and generation of sulfur dioxide gas and heat; at the same time the _________ PARTICLE SURFACE / x^^^^n^X / MOVING INTERFACE core-----/ sJSNxy " /T^T^02 \ V\V$\ ^NWX/ "*/— GAS BOUNDARY x. \\ZnO SHELLV/ / \^ . / &apos; ^ BULK GAS --------N_______ _____,------p£ w \ P« / (f> \ / a \ <i) / <----------------- _(o) ^^--------------(b) °- pso, pso2 ro ri 0 ri ro RADIAL POSITION Fig. 1—Generalized model for oxidation of a sphere of zinc sulfide.

Jan 1, 1970

By J. W. Halley, T. S. Washburn

RIMMING steels derive their name from their action during solidification in the molds. As a result of incomplete deoxidation, gas is evolved during freezing, and the metal has a characteristic rolling action. The metal rises along the mold walls and descends in the center of the ingot. This action keeps the top of the ingot open and the advancing rim of solid metal can be seen. The rim grows until the rolling action is insufficient to prevent the top of the ingot from freezing or until the action is stopped by capping the ingot with a heavy plate. The violence of the reaction and its characteristics, such as growth or drop in the molds, are determined by the composition, the furnace practice, and the deoxidation in the ladle and in the molds. Though rimming steels represent a large proportion of the amount of plain carbon steel made, they have received comparatively little attention in the technical literature. The manufacture of rimming steels has been described by Hibbard, 1, 2 Fleming,3 Pierce4 and Jackson.5 The reactions occurring during rimming have been considered from the theoretical point of view by Chipman and Samarin.7 The structure of rimmed-steel ingots has been discussed by Nead and one of the present authors.6 Meyer,8 in studying segregation, investigated the distribution of carbon, sulphur and phosphorus in rimmed-steel ingots by analyzing the rim and core of blooms. In their studies of segregation, the Joint Committee of the Iron and Steel Institute and the British Iron and Steel Federations studied distribution in one billet and one ingot of rimmed steel.. A detailed study of the distribution throughout the ingot has not been published. The present investigation was undertaken to determine accurately the distribution of carbon, manganese and sulphur in normal rimmed ingots and the general distribution of other common elements present. The study included some work on the effect of pouring conditions and furnace practice on the distribution, though there is still much to be done in this direction. The structure of a rimmed ingot that has been split by dynamiting and a schematic diagram of the zones in the ingot are illustrated in Fig. 1.

Jan 1, 1938

By Arthur Taggart

FOREWORD THE tests herein described are part of an extended series of experiments, performed by the authors together with J. F. McClelland and L. W. Bahney, on the reclamation of metallics from foundry and manufacturing-plant scrap. The most obstinate problem encountered was the proper cleaning of the metal. INTRODUCTION In the manufacture of brass and brass products the weight of the finished product leaving the plant is much less than the total weight of copper and zinc entering. A small part of this discrepancy is due to the unavoidable oxidation of the metals in melting, but by far the largest part of the loss is in the form of metallic particles of copper, zinc, and brass. These losses occur principally at three points in the process: (a) in the casting-shop ashes; (b) in the slags from furnaces melting scrap brass; (c) in material spilled on the floor throughout the manufacturing process. The amount of these products in some plants is nearly 100 tons per 24 hours. Casting-shop ashes contain the metal spilled from the crucibles during melting and pouring, and the metal included in the slags formed in the melting process. The ashes also contain pieces of broken crucibles with adhering metal; 20 to 30 per cent. of unburned coal is also present. The metal in casting-shop ashes contains clean pieces of zinc or copper ingots weighing 1 to 2 lb., jagged pieces of metal of all shapes ranging in size from several inches down to the finest dust, and shot and botryoidal shapes ranging in size from 2 or 3 in. down to 0.01 mm. or less in diameter. Slags from furnaces melting scrap brass contain metal in the form of small shot.

Jan 2, 1916

By H. L. Hopkins, L. W. Kempf

Aluminum alloys, in common with most other metallic alloys exhibit slight density changes with variations in temper achieved by heat-treatment, which usually are the result of the variation with temperature of the solid solubility of the various alloy constituents in the solvent metal. Changes in density are, of course, most marked in conditions that exhibit the maximum variation in solid solubility of the constituents. In aluminum alloys these conditions usually prevail when alloys are quenched from just below the melting point and are subsequently reheated to some lower temperature. Since commercial heat-treatments may be of this type, the density changes, although small (of the order of 0.3 per cent which may be compared with the density change of about 1.5 per cent involved in the transformation, at ordinary temperatures, of gamma to alpha iron during the hardening of steel), may in some specific applications necessitate quantitative consideration. This phenomenon has been investigated extensively in the laboratories of the Aluminum Company of America over a period of years. A number of investigators &apos;-5t have observed and measured the density changes accompanying the heat-treatment of aluminum alloys. In general, these changes have not been directly translated to dimensional changes and their significance has been overlooked to some extent by the practical user of aluminum alloys. It is the purpose of this paper to consider some practical aspects of these density and dimensional changes. These density changes were given some consideration in 1917 in connection with the use of aluminum-alloy pistons for aircraft engines. Investigations by Lea and Shakespear were reported in some confidential reports of the British Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, Light Alloys Subcommittee, during 1917 and 1918, which are not generally available in published form. In these reports the term "permanent growth" was applied to the dimensional changes occurring in the pistons at the tem-

Jan 1, 1936

By C. W. Spencer, F. N. Rhines, R. J. Knight

Ametallographic study has been made of the peritectoid transformation as it occurs in two Ag-A1 alloys, containing 6.0 and 6.9 wt pct Al, respectively. After equilibrating at 475°C, these alloys were transformed isothermally just below the peritectoid temperature which lies at about 450°C.1-3 Peritectoid transformation in this alloy system consists in the reaction of a and 5 to form µ. The crystal structures of the a, µ, and 5 phases have been determined as face-centered-cubic, 6 manganese, and hexagonal-close-packed, respectively. At the peritectoid temperature their equilibrium compositions are approximately 5.85, 7.02, and 7.24 wt pct (19.92, 23.2, and 23.8 atomic pct) aluminum."" The transformation might be expected to occur principally at the interface between the a and 5, but such is not the case. Instead, the major part of the transformation occurs by the direct (and perhaps initially diffusionless) conversion of 5 to µ. The composition range of the forming µ nearly overlaps that of the parent at the temperature of transformation" so that little, if any, composition change is required. Transformation proceeds by the nucleation of µ at points upon the external surface of the sample and sweeps through the 5 phase, leaving the a initially almost undisturbed. Subsequently, the a phase participates in the transformation by being partly or totally converted to µ. Specimens approximately 1/4 x 1/4 x 1/16 in. were cut from cast ingots, previously equilibrated 68 hr at 588°C. The specimens were held for 3 hr at

Jan 1, 1958

By A. M. Hall

Sulphur, even in small amounts, may often be harmful to nickel and high-nickel alloys, causing impairment of mechanical strength and destruction of malleability and ductility, as shown by Merica and Waltenberg.l,2 It may act either in the form of nonmetallic inclusions produced in the liquid state during furnacing or as reaction products resulting from its diffusion into the solid metal. In recognizing the action of this element, ability to identify its various forms by means of the microscope is often of considerable importance, especially when direct quantitative methods are inapplicable. Of the sulphur compounds associated with nickel and high-nickel alloys, the sulphides that may be found in malleable nickel, Monelt and Inconel are an important group. These sulphides were investi- gated by metallographic methods in order to provide descriptive data by which to identify them. The nominal compositions of malleable nickel, Monel and Inconel are given in Table I. The term "sulphide" is employed here in a very general sense, to designate a substance in which sulphur and one or more metallic elements are combined. The term includes any combinations of compounds and solid solutions. Method of Investigation Three groups of small laboratory melts were made, one group to represent each of the three types of alloy under investigation. Within each group, a number of ingots with a sufficient variety of chemical analyses were prepared so that the effect of each of the elements entering the complete commercial alloy could be isolated and observed. In most cases, to facilitate metallographic study by exaggerating the number and size of the resulting sulphides, somewhat greater amounts of the minor elements were added than are present in the commercial alloys. Likewise, considerably more sulphur was added than is normal, but not enough to complicate the system. Transverse sections were cut at a point one third of the distance from the butt to the head of each ingot, polished and examined with an inverted stage metallo-graph equipped with a combination polar -izing-analyzing vertical illuminator. The light source was a tungsten-mercury vapor arc lamp.

Jan 1, 1943

By A. M. Hall

Sulphur, even in small amounts, may often be harmful to nickel and high-nickel alloys, causing impairment of mechanical strength and destruction of malleability and ductility, as shown by Merica and Waltenberg.l,2 It may act either in the form of nonmetallic inclusions produced in the liquid state during furnacing or as reaction products resulting from its diffusion into the solid metal. In recognizing the action of this element, ability to identify its various forms by means of the microscope is often of considerable importance, especially when direct quantitative methods are inapplicable. Of the sulphur compounds associated with nickel and high-nickel alloys, the sulphides that may be found in malleable nickel, Monelt and Inconel are an important group. These sulphides were investi- gated by metallographic methods in order to provide descriptive data by which to identify them. The nominal compositions of malleable nickel, Monel and Inconel are given in Table I. The term "sulphide" is employed here in a very general sense, to designate a substance in which sulphur and one or more metallic elements are combined. The term includes any combinations of compounds and solid solutions. Method of Investigation Three groups of small laboratory melts were made, one group to represent each of the three types of alloy under investigation. Within each group, a number of ingots with a sufficient variety of chemical analyses were prepared so that the effect of each of the elements entering the complete commercial alloy could be isolated and observed. In most cases, to facilitate metallographic study by exaggerating the number and size of the resulting sulphides, somewhat greater amounts of the minor elements were added than are present in the commercial alloys. Likewise, considerably more sulphur was added than is normal, but not enough to complicate the system. Transverse sections were cut at a point one third of the distance from the butt to the head of each ingot, polished and examined with an inverted stage metallo-graph equipped with a combination polar -izing-analyzing vertical illuminator. The light source was a tungsten-mercury vapor arc lamp.

Jan 1, 1943