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By P. N. Anyalebechi

The effects of solidification rate on the cast microstructures of aluminum alloys 6009 and 6016 have been investigated with directionally cooled laboratory-size ingots, at 0.2-10.1 K/s and 0.4- 23.1 K/s, respectively. These ranges of solidification rate are within those observed in commercial-size ingots. In both alloys, the average dendrite cell size and second phase particle size decreased with increase in average solidification rate and with a decrease in average local solidification time. However, at comparable solidification rates, the dendrite cells and second phase particles are finer in the shorter freezing range alloy 6009 than in the longer freezing range alloy 6016. This is provisionally attributed to the earlier formation of second phase intermetallics at higher temperatures during solidification and to the formation of greater amount of the relatively coarse plate-like ß -phase (Al9Fe2Si4) phases in alloy 6016. In general, in both alloys, the types and relative amounts of the second phase particles in both alloys are independent of solidification rate.

Jan 1, 2006

By Joël P. T. Kapusta

Although Peirce-Smith converting remains the workhorse in matte converting, the copper and nickel industries are still confronted with production hindrances such as tuyere blockage, excessive refractory wear and limits in the oxygen enrichment levels of the blast air. The knowledge acquired on high-pressure gas injection technology as well as the invention of the concentric tuyere for steelmaking led to the development of the Air Liquide Shrouded Injector (ALSI) technology for copper and nickel converting. Following a technology demonstration in 1997-98 with four shrouded injectors installed in a Peirce-Smith converter, Falconbridge Limited implemented ALSI Technology on a commercial scale in May 1999 as an integral part of its new Slag Make Converter at Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The paper presents the various aspects of commissioning ALSI Technology, as well as the operating changes and injector design modifications over the five years the shrouded injectors have been in operation.

Jan 1, 2005

By Sergio N. Monteiro

Jute fiber reinforced polymer composites are among the most investigated and applied natural composites. In this past decade the mechanical properties of these composites has been assessed for various types of test conditions. However, the reported results correspond mainly to short-cut jute fiber composites, which do not present the highest mechanical strength as compared to continuous fibers of the same kind. In order to complement these results, the present work evaluated the mechanical behavior, by means of flexural tests, of polyester matrix composites reinforced with continuous jute fibers. Bend tests were conducted in standard specimens with up to 40% of jute. Fracture analysis by SEM displayed the rupture mechanisms. The results showed an improvement in some flexural properties with incorporation of jute fiber. However, a low fiber/matrix interfacial stress was responsible for limitation in the values attained by some properties.

Jan 1, 2010

By WU Jian-hui

Keywords: metallic material; nickel powder; thermal decomposition; precursor; fibrillar powder; nanometer scale; passivation treatment The precursor thermal decomposition process of fibrillar nanometer scale nickel powder and passivation treatment of obtained powder are investigated, and the composition and morphology of the products are characterized by use of IR, TGA/DTA, XRD and SEM. The results show that the precursor morphology is a decisive factor to the product morphology of the nickel powder. The morphology of the product derived at low decomposing temperature is irregular. The nickel powders produced at the temperature higher than 480 coheres seriously. The product particles are reunited with the decomposition time prolong. The powder prepared under the optimal condition is fibrillar like woolen yarn; the grain diameter is less than 50nm.

Jan 1, 2005

By Olga Frank-Kamenetskaya

The experimental results of study of atmospheric corrosion processes on Saint-Petersburg bronze monuments surface, received in situ and by means of simulating experiments, have been discussed. Influence of the time factor on corrosion film (patina) mineral composition has been analyzed. Direct dependence between patina mineral composition and environmental conditions has been proved. The sequence of patina phases crystallization has been established. Effect of the chemical composition and heterogeneity of artistic bronze and also monument surface structure on the rate of corrosion process has been regarded. The time variations of mass of the crystallized in the hydrochloric acid vapor phases have been investigated. The kinetic laws of their development at the initial stage of formation, indicating simple (non chain) reactions, have been revealed.

Jan 1, 2006

The mineralogy of the platinum group metals is fairly complex, and it is therefore not surprising that the different minerals have variable responses to metallurgical processes, in particular, flotation and leaching. The PLATSOL® leach process was developed to extract simultaneously base metals, gold and platinum group metals from various materials. Extensive research has indicated that most PGM?s were amenable to the PLATSOL process, with the notable exception of cooperite PtS. Further work showed that a thermal pretreatment at 500-700ºC transformed the structure of the cooperite and similar refractory minerals (Pt,Pd)S into Pt metal and Pt-Pd alloys that responded well to the PLATSOL® process. Examples are presented of the mineralogy of PGM concentrates as produced, in the residue from the PLATSOL® leach and after thermal pretreatment.

Jan 1, 2006

By Nobuaki Sato

For the recovery of uranium from spent nuclear fuel, sulfide reprocessing process, which consists of voloxidation, selective sulfurization, and magnetic separation or selective dissolution steps, are proposed. In this paper selective sulfurization of rare-earth oxides in the presence of uranium oxides was studied by thermogravimetry and X-ray diffractometry. In case of the mixture with UO2, the rare earth oxides R2O3 (R=Nd, Eu, etc.) were preferentially sulfurized by CS2 formingoxysulfides and sulfides, while UO2 remained at temperatures lower than 500 °C. When R2O3was mixed with U3O8, first, the reduction of U3O8 to UO2 occurred at low temperatures followed by the sulfurization of R2O3. The separation of rare earth elements from UO2 in suspensionsolution by the use of permanent magnet was examined. The advantage of the proposed process was also discussed by compared with current process.

Jan 1, 2006

By Hui Lu

The structural changes in solutionized AA2618 during natural aging and their effects on subsequent artificial aging were investigated by hardness measurements, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and transmission electron microscopy. The changes in lattice parameter and hardness during natural aging indicate that copper-enriched clusters form in the earliest stage, followed by the formation of magnesium-enriched clusters and coppermagnesium co-clusters. Prior natural aging consistently weakened the hardening during subsequent artificial aging at 180, 200 and 230 °C but had no effects on artificial aging at 150 °C. The decreased age hardening was attributed to the reversion of small clusters/zones that formed during prior natural aging. The lattice parameter exhibited erratic changes with increasing artificial aging time, reflecting the complex sequence of the reversion and precipitation.

Jan 1, 2006

By Ovidiu Pasca

The Phelps Dodge Miami Smelter utilizes four Hoboken converters to process molten matte from the Isasmelt vessel. This paper presents past and present improvements in operation, maintenance and process optimization, based on data collection, which has led to increased converter campaign life and copper throughput.

Jan 1, 2005

By Jilai Xue

Experiments with various industrial cathodes ranging from 35 wt.% to 100 wt.% graphitic and fully graphitized carbons were carried out in a laboratory aluminum electrolysis cell. Sodium and cryolite bath penetration into the cathode samples was measured by XRD and SEM-EDS analysis. For a higher cryolite ratio in the bath, the cathodes with lower graphitic carbons exhibited more sodium penetration than the fully graphitized. The increased graphitization in the cathode materials can reduce Na, NaF and Na3AlF6 penetration. SEM-EDS inspection reveals that the sodium and fluorides penetration within the cathode samples has different patterns for varying graphitization of the carbon materials. XRD quantitative analysis indicates that there is a large percentage of Na3AlF6 in the penetrated bath. The results can provide useful information for quality evaluation of the industrial cathode products.

Jan 1, 2010

By A. Gibson

Most methods for the treatment of scrap printed circuit boards do not reclaim the components in working order as the boards are either fed to a copper smelter, to recover the valuable elements, or, simply landfilled. This work reports the dissolution of the solder in fluoroboric acid containing Ti4+ ions which was particularly selective for solder, allowing the components to be recovered. The solder was subsequently electrowon from the leachant. The boards were then shredded and the copper dissolved in ammonium sulfate and, then treated via solvent extraction to give an electrolyte suitable for electrowinning. The remainder of the metals were dissolved aqua regia, silver remained unattacked by the aqua regia, palladium precipitated as Pd(NH4)Cl6 in the presence of zinc and nickel, the gold was removed by solvent extraction and precipitated as nanoparticles. The aqua regia was then diluted and the zinc and nickel separated by solvent extraction.

Jan 1, 2009

By Bowen Li

Silicon Carbide is an excellent refractory material. Its physical properties make it extremely useful, particularly in applications where corrosion resistance and wear are important considerations. Commercial silicon carbide refractory is frequently manufactured by bonding silicon carbide particles with clay; however, clay may cause problems in the sintered products. This study investigates the potential of replacing a portion of the clay with andalusite powder. The results show that micron size andalusite powder can improve not only the strength of the refractory but also the sinterability. The mechanisms for these improvements are discussed.

Jan 1, 2006

By David B. George

Kennecott Utah Copper adopted Outokumpu Flash Smelting and Kennecott-Outokumpu Flash Converting in 1995, a process based on granulating high grade copper matte. While nickel mattes and very small quantities of copper matte had been commercially granulated for years, no large scale copper matte granulation system had been built. This paper summarizes the history and benefits of copper matte granulation, the Kennecott design basis, the successful operation for over 10 years and potential problems inherent in some matte granulation approaches.

Jan 1, 2006

The effect of rare earth element Y (0-2.0at.%) on the microstructure of TiAl alloys at the as cast and rapidly solidified conditions has been investigated. The results show that the addition of Y greatly refined the microstructure of TiAl alloys at both conditions. The refinement is more significantly with higher Y content. The refinement of Y in the cast alloys is attributed to that the strip-shaped Y-rich phase locating on the grain boundaries impedes the grain growth during solidification. In the rapidly solidified alloys, Y-rich phase dispersing uniformly as spherical particles in the matrix acts as heterogeneous nucleation sites which increases the nucleation rate of ??phase during the ????phase transformation, and produces a refined initial microstructure during solidification. Higher cooling rate restricts the grain growth during subsequent cooling.

Jan 1, 2010

By Huang Kai

By adding the solid oxalate acid powder into the solution of nickel chloride or its ammonia coordinated solution, the uniform compound particles were prepared and the precipitated particles were transferred to the mono-dispersed NiO particles by calcination. In this study, the various experimental conditions were investigated, the characteristics of the corresponding obtained particles were analyzed, and the formation mechanism of the particles was elucidated. It was found that the solid oxalate acid provided the solid-solution interface for the precipitation and induced the nucleation and growth of the product particles.

Jan 1, 2005

By Linli Wu

During the measurement of contact angle, a misty band was observed near the substrate. Hsien-Nan Ho and Shinn-Tyan Wu thought this was because the oxygen atoms on the interface migrate to the droplet surface to form an oxide band near the substrate. But from our experiments misty band appeared before the drop reach to the substrate. Theoretically speaking, the oxygen partial was the same everywhere in the vacuum furnace. So there was no condition to provide enough oxygen forming oxide. This appearance would be explained more reasonably with the optics principle. Most reflected light would be absorbed by the substrate and the light cannot reach the observation area, so the misty band formed.

Jan 1, 2006

By Jilai Xue

Oxygen gas bubbles generate on anode during Pb electro-deposition process in PbSiF6-H2SiF6 aqueous solutions at room temperature. Cell voltage varies as the bubbles formed on the anodes surface. The bubble layer on the anode makes a voltage drop that consumes energy in the Pb process, which can be reduced by applying ultrasound on the anode. The effects of ultrasound frequency and anodic current density were investigated with ultrasound on and off, alternatively during the Pb electrode-position process. The removing of the gas bubbles were recorded in association with a drop in the cell voltage. The cell voltage can be lowered by 4% - 6% with ultrasound, which has potential for energy saving in Pb production.

Jan 1, 2010

By Fumito Tanaka

The Mitsubishi Process is the sole pyrometallurgical process for the continuous production of blister copper from copper concentrates. Continuous converting originates from the application of the proven technology of a lime-ferrite slag (CaO-FeOX-Cu2O) on the Converting Furnace (C-furnace). Recent improvements on the C-furnace operation have included increasing the processing of recycled materials and the investigation of alternative fluxing agents. However, some minor oxides adversely affect C-furnace operation, with respect to magnetite behavior of the slag, with the most significant impact having been observed with the silica content of the slag. This paper will quantify the impact of silica on the lime-based slag, and discusses the controls that have been identified to sustain continuous converting operation.

Jan 1, 2005

By Murat Alkan

In this study, a self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) and following acid leaching techniques were carried out to produce boron carbide (B4C) powder. First, B2O3 was obtained through calcinations of H3BO3 at 1073 K for 2 hours. Then, the glassy B2O3 obtained was crushed and sieved. In the SHS experiments, different amounts of B2O3, Mg and C black were used. The SHS product was obtained in the form of black, spongy solid. In the leaching step, the SHS product was leached in a HCl solution to eliminate the MgO and Mg3B2O6. The effect of acid concentration on the selective leaching was studied at different concentration range, solid/liquid (S/L) ratio, and temperature. The products obtained were characterized by using X-ray diffraction, chemical analysis and SEM techniques.

Jan 1, 2009

By Victor Raul Alarcon

The Ilo Refinery was commissioned in 1975, with a cathode production capacity of 150,000 tpy. In 1994, Southern Perú Copper Corporation (SPCC) purchased the Refinery from Minero Perú SA. Subsequently, in November 1999, Grupo Mexico acquired control of Southern Perú. The anode production facility is located at the Ilo Refinery. A number of effective operating and quality control practices have been developed that have improved anode quality, as well as increasing anode production capacity to 350,000 tpy. These, and other optimization actions have allowed for a current density increase from 213 A/m2 to 275 A/m2, while maintaining current efficiency at 98% and sustaining the high quality of the cathode. The paper will outline the scope of operational practices in the Anode Plant and provide some discussion on the Ilo Smelter modernization project, and the resulting impact on the existing anode plant.

Jan 1, 2005