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By D. L. Harris, A. M. Gaudin

Observations were made of the distribution of mercaptan containing S35 between aqueous solution and mineral and between aqueous solution and the gaseous phase. Although equilibrium may not have been attained, adsorption of the reagent was shown to occur reasily from air or aqueous solution on sphalerite, zincite, and willem-ite and to correspond to flotation. Adsorption on quartz did not similarly occur. THE following results, presented here in condensed form,' were obtained in a preliminary study of the adsorption of n-hexane thiol, hexyl mercaptan, on sphalerite, zincite, willemite, and quartz, from aqueous solution and from a gas. Interest in this subject was aroused by a Belgian report' of effective use of hexyl mercaptan for flotation collection of oxidized zinc minerals. The relatively low boiling point, 149°C, of the mercaptan3 suggested the desirability of extending the usual measurements of partition of collector between aqueous solution and gas and between gas and mineral. It is believed that this paper presents the first measurements of this type on a flotation system. Attempts were made to carry out the measurements at equilibrium, but as the work progressed it became increasingly doubtful that this desirable condition had been achieved. To control composition and extent of the gas phase, the apparatus was a wholly-enclosed thermally-controlled glass system. Because of these constraints and the desirability of dealing with pure minerals, a scale of operations was chosen in which a few grams of deslimed mineral were used in each test. It was also necessary to choose a particularly sensitive method for mercaptan analysis, and in fact a method that would permit the experimenters to follow the approach to equilibrium. For these reasons mercaptan marked by radiosulphur 35 was used. An analysis was made for the radiosulphur by a modification of the method of Gaudin and Carr. Coarsely-crystallized sphalerite was handpicked, stage-crushed in the dry state, wet-screened on a 200-mesh sieve, and deslimed in water at about 5 microns. Further treatment consisted of a wash in dilute aqueous hydrogen peroxide, drying, removal of the dark-colored fraction in a Frantz magnetic separator, washing in very dilute hydrochloric acid, repeated washing in distilled and conductivity water, and drying. The last washings showed a conductivity equivalent to a few ppm NaC1, that is, much more than would be provided, theoretically, by a saturated ZnS solution. The material was stored dry in sealed bottles. Analyses were as follows: Zn, 62.3 pct; Fe, 0.43 pct; Cd, 0.44 pct; S, 31.2 pct; Mn, 0.001 pct. The specific surface (BET method) was 2000 cm2/g. Zincite from Franklin furnace of the New Jersey Zinc Co. was hand-picked, dry-crushed, wet-screened at 100 mesh, and deslimed at about 10 microns. After drying, the associated zinc, manganese, calcium, and silicate minerals were removed in a Frantz magnetic separator. The purified zincite was washed in distilled water and conductivity water to a conductance of less than 2 ppm equivalent NaC1, dried, and stored. Analyses were as follows: Zn, 75.1 pct; Fe, 0.9 pct; Mn, 2.78 pct. The specific surface (BET method) was 1740 cm 2/g. Willemite, also from Franklin furnace, was purified similarly. Analyses were as follows: Zn, 52.5 pct; Fe, 0.12 pct; SiO², 27.3 pct; loss on ignition, 0.13 pct. The specific surface was 1760 cm 2/g. Conductivity water (double-distilled) and demin-eralized-distilled water were used in most of the tests. The specific resistance was not less than 600, 000 ohms, and usually above 1,000,000. Radiosulphur-marked hexyl mercaptan (1-hexane thiol) was synthesized by Tracerlab, Inc., Boston. Two lots were secured several months apart. The last lot, consisting of about 0.5 g of the mercaptan, had a total activity of about 10 millicuries. Tracerlab Co. guaranteed only the activity; hence a quasi -vapor pressure determination (based upon an S analysis) of the mercaptan was made. The calculated value, 4.2 mm of mercury at 25.5' C, has been compared with that of a sample of Highest Purity 1-hexane thiol from Fisher Scientific Co. The latter had a vapor pressure of 4.5 mm of mercury at 2.5 C. Analytical Procedures The sample containing radiosulphur-marked mercaptan was oxidized to convert the mercaptan sulphur to sulphate, carrier barium sulphate being added to provide a suitable quantity of total barium sulphate in a filter cake. The precipitate was filtered and dried, and counting was carried out either in a streaming-gas (Q-gas) counter for high sensitivity or with an end-window G-M counter for convenience. The oxidized and precipitated mercaptan gave a radioactive count of 65 counts per minute per microgram in the end-window Geiger-Mueller counter and 1100 counts per minute per microgram in a Q-gas counter. For standardization of the mercaptan solution, 15 replicate analyses were made. The average deviation per measurement was about 1600 cpm in 65,000 cpm, the probable error in the mean being 275 cpm. It

Jan 1, 1955

By B. M. Larsen, T. E. Brower

In an earlier paper1 we discussed a simple, rapid method of taking samples of liquid steel and analyzing them for oxygen, which, though possibly not absolutely accurate (as is likewise true of all other methods), certainly yields results that are satisfactorily consistent. Accordingly, samples from hundreds of heats ill different shops were analyzed for oxygen, with results sufficient in number to be handled statistically and permit estimation of some general trends. Measurements were made in acid as well as in basic open hearths, throughout the refining period, to learn how stirring, blocking, adding ore or lime or sand, affects the oxygen content of the bath; we also followed the changes brought about by tapping, teeming, and deoxidizing. Some of these results, discussed in an earlier paper,2 bring out the dominant role of the carbon-oxygen reaction in regulating degree of oxidation both of metal and of slag, also the marked variability of concentration of dissolved oxygen [0] in excess of that which would be in equilibrium with carbon and with carbon monoxide at a partial pressure of one atmosphere. As a logical beginning on this complex problem, we take up in the present paper the variability of this excess oxygen, A[O], when other factors are as constant as they ever are in open-hearth operation; namely, toward the end of the refining period, when the bath may be regarded as in the comparatively steady state it approaches in absence of disturbing factors. This condition was chosen because by that time the significant reactions, except carbon oxidation, between slag and metal have come to substantial equilibrium; this facilitates interpretation of the complex situation and thus perinits more definite conclusions to be drawn. This excess concentration of oxygen, A[O], in the metal is needed, of course, to make the steelmaking process go at a reasonable rate; alternatively it may be regarded as a measure of the virtual pressure increment above one atmosphere, or of the degree of supersaturation, of carbon monoxide in the metal. According to our measurements, the excess concentration A[0] in liquid steel varies from about 0.009 to 0,035 per cent oxygen by weight. It is quite sensitive to change of conditions, being altered temporarily by operations such as stirring with green poles, additions of ore, lime, or sand; but as the disturbance works itself out, it resumes a level within the intermediate range characteristic of the steady state. The conditions most common in average furnace practice are covered by the following: i[O] Usual Per Cent Oxygen by Conditions Weight 1. Vigorous lime boil........... o.oog-0.01s 2. Steady state................ o.or;-0.025 3. Working of ore.............. o.023-0.035 Thus when the bath can be regarded as in a reasonably steady state—that is, when it is boiling normally, is at proper temperature with a well-shaped slag, and has been free from disturbing effects during the preceding half hour—A[0] returns from

Jan 1, 1948

By B. M. Larsen, T. E. Brower

In an earlier paper1 we discussed a simple, rapid method of taking samples of liquid steel and analyzing them for oxygen, which, though possibly not absolutely accurate (as is likewise true of all other methods), certainly yields results that are satisfactorily consistent. Accordingly, samples from hundreds of heats ill different shops were analyzed for oxygen, with results sufficient in number to be handled statistically and permit estimation of some general trends. Measurements were made in acid as well as in basic open hearths, throughout the refining period, to learn how stirring, blocking, adding ore or lime or sand, affects the oxygen content of the bath; we also followed the changes brought about by tapping, teeming, and deoxidizing. Some of these results, discussed in an earlier paper,2 bring out the dominant role of the carbon-oxygen reaction in regulating degree of oxidation both of metal and of slag, also the marked variability of concentration of dissolved oxygen [0] in excess of that which would be in equilibrium with carbon and with carbon monoxide at a partial pressure of one atmosphere. As a logical beginning on this complex problem, we take up in the present paper the variability of this excess oxygen, A[O], when other factors are as constant as they ever are in open-hearth operation; namely, toward the end of the refining period, when the bath may be regarded as in the comparatively steady state it approaches in absence of disturbing factors. This condition was chosen because by that time the significant reactions, except carbon oxidation, between slag and metal have come to substantial equilibrium; this facilitates interpretation of the complex situation and thus perinits more definite conclusions to be drawn. This excess concentration of oxygen, A[O], in the metal is needed, of course, to make the steelmaking process go at a reasonable rate; alternatively it may be regarded as a measure of the virtual pressure increment above one atmosphere, or of the degree of supersaturation, of carbon monoxide in the metal. According to our measurements, the excess concentration A[0] in liquid steel varies from about 0.009 to 0,035 per cent oxygen by weight. It is quite sensitive to change of conditions, being altered temporarily by operations such as stirring with green poles, additions of ore, lime, or sand; but as the disturbance works itself out, it resumes a level within the intermediate range characteristic of the steady state. The conditions most common in average furnace practice are covered by the following: i[O] Usual Per Cent Oxygen by Conditions Weight 1. Vigorous lime boil........... o.oog-0.01s 2. Steady state................ o.or;-0.025 3. Working of ore.............. o.023-0.035 Thus when the bath can be regarded as in a reasonably steady state—that is, when it is boiling normally, is at proper temperature with a well-shaped slag, and has been free from disturbing effects during the preceding half hour—A[0] returns from

Jan 1, 1948

By E. A. Slover

THE usual reverberatory system of smelting cop--1- per concentrate or calcine has for its component parts a furnace and one or two waste heat boilers. These parts are operated on a basis of compromise, since the furnace can send gas to the boilers at too high a temperature and the boilers by plugging, due to dust or slag, can place a definite limit on the amount of fuel the furnace can burn. Over the years the copper concentrate smelting furnace has had few advances in design. The simple rules of design such as the flame should wipe the bath and the speed of the gases should be reasonably low for dust carrying purposes seem to cover the main features. In the construction of the individual furnaces some innovations are always being introduced. Among these are charging so that the work of smelting is a complete bath process, the use of suspended brick arches in place of sprung arches, the use of basic brick, not only in the crucible, but also in roof and sidewalls, the use of various means to feed the charge, the use of magnetite or other heavy material to construct the hearth, water cooling of bridgewall and slag skimming bay, the smelting of raw charge instead of calcine, the use of preheated air, and possibly the use of oxygen-enriched air for combustion. But the general outlines of the furnaces have not changed much except as to size. Furnaces at Hurley As shown on Fig. 1, the furnace at Hurley is 126 ft long between the longitudinal buckstays and 32 ft wide at the skewback plates. The foundation is a concrete retaining wall with piers at intervals that go deeper into the earth. Purposely the wall at the burner end of the furnace is not backed-up as tightly as the other parts of the foundation so that movement due to expansion may take place here rather than into the boiler foundations. Within these foundation retaining walls of concrete, the earth has been removed to allow the placement of the crucible brick base inside of which a silica hearth is laid 4 ft 6 in. in depth. No expansion is left in the brick base and crucible where they are in contact with the hearth. The hearth itself is of quartzite crushed to 1 in. size with fines left in the product. An 8 in. layer is laid and tamped with paving tampers to about 6 in. in thickness. Then a layer of silica flour is spread and vibrated into the hearth. This operation is repeated until a depth of 4 ft 6 in. is occupied by the silica mass onion-skinned in layers of approximately 6 in. Before firing the entire hearth is covered with broken slag to a depth of 4 in. so that a seal may be formed on the hearth. The crucible is completely faced with magnesite chemically bonded brick while the outside, against the foundation, is made of silica brick. The side-walls are carried up with silica brick in which expansion joints are left at intervals. Above the crucible the sidewall is corbelled to form a shelf on which the charge may build up along the side-walls, see Fig. 2. The arch of the furnace is sprung 20 in. silica brick, with the longitudinal centerline horizontal the length of the furnace, and some 9 ft in the center above the bath. Both straight and wedge brick are used in the construction and a thin silica mortar is troweled for joints. After the arch under heat has assumed its permanent shape, a silica slurry is spread over the arch to fill any cracks that have formed, thus giving bearing surface to the brick and preventing dust from entering the body of the arch to act as a future fluxing agent. The uptake of the furnace slopes up to the boiler entrance where a brick pilaster divides the gas stream for the two boilers. Over this flared uptake is a suspended flat arch of firebrick. The pilaster and sidewalls are constructed of firebrick but the bottom of the uptake is lined with silica brick and fettled through holes in the roof with siliceous fettling. Close to the entrance of each boiler is a brick covered slot through which water-cooled dampers may be lowered in event of boiler trouble. These water-cooled dampers are hung permanently in position ready to be lowered when needed. Flexible hoses to follow the dampers as they are lowered are connected at all times and individual chain blocks are used to lower the dampers. A pump supplying water is started before the dampers enter the heat. Charging of the furnace along the sidewalls for some 80 ft from the bridgewall is accomplished by electric vibrating conveyors fed by belt from charge storage bins above the furnace. These conveyors

Jan 1, 1954

By J. J. Scott

This investigation utilizes three dimensional photo-elastic techniques to determine the stress distributions in the pillars and the roof of a room and pillar mine model. Castolite plastic was used for the construction of the model in which a stress pattern was developed by the stress freezing process. Analysis of the stress pattern was accomplished by observation of points in slices from the model with a polariscope and solving the data thus obtained by the shear-difference method. Slices through the centerline, edge of pillar and centerline of span were investigated. The results of this work provide information on the overall stress distribution in points of stress concentration in compression, shear and tension, show relative magnitude of stress throughout the model and indicate directions of the most important stress values. A generalized roof bolt pattern is developed for room and pillar mines based on the stress distribution. A digital computer was used in the reduction of data and proved to be extremely useful for investigation of this type. Underground excavations disturb the equilibrium of the earth's crust and a core of fracture, or altered stress distributions exists around the openings. This fact is well known by mining operators and investigators in the rock mechanics field. Analysis of the stress distribution in the areas around mine workings is a most difficult problem and one which has no simple and direct solution. Some of the approaches used by investigators in attempts to study stress distribution around mine openings involve mathematical analysis, photoelastic techniques, statistical analysis, model studies on brittle materials and observation of fracture patterns. Models involving imbedded strain gauges, gelatin models using imbedded strings to show internal movement, and many other unique laboratory techniques are employed. Work is also being done in mining operations where load cells, strain gauges, photostress material, convergence plugs, dynamic plugs, etc., are used to measure strain which can in turn be used to obtain stress. Some of these devices measure strain from which stress may be derived. All approaches to the solution of stress distribution are hampered by the fact that the earth is not a homogeneous, isotropic and elastic media. Geologic faults, fractures, bedding planes, vugs, variations in material composition, variations in grain size and structure, etc., make it extremely difficult to obtain results which can be universally applied to mining operations. The purpose of this investigation will be to demonstrate the use of three-dimensional photoelastic techniques to obtain the stress distribution in the pillars and roof of a room and pillar mining operation. This method utilizes full analysis of interior points, and thus it may be that small tensile or shear stresses found in the investigation will prove to be of greater significance than the more obvious points of stress concentration found by two-dimensional techniques. A digital computer was employed to simplify and to shorten the time necessary to obtain final results. Application of the computer to problems of this type may enable future investigators to attempt more elaborate analyses than have been previously considered feasible. THEORY Three Dimensional Stress Analysis-Shear Difference Solution:' Photoelastic studies are based on the fact that an optically isotropic transparent solid becomes optically anisotropic when subjected to forced deformation; the degree of optical anisotropy being proportional to the deformation of the material. There are two fundamental laws which govern photoelasticity: 1) Light is polarized in the directions of the principal stress axes, and is transmitted only on planes of principal stress. 2) The difference in principal stresses is proportional to the difference in the indices of refraction along the planes of principal stress. One method used in three-dimensional photoelastic work is to examine a slice of the object by normal incidence and oblique incidence. In normal incidence,

Jan 1, 1964

By A. W. Doepke

CLIMAX is situated in the heart of the high Rockies at Fremont Pass on the Continental Divide. This setting naturally throws some of the romantic aura of the old mining camps around the town. In its early days it was much like them, even to its air of impermanence. Its founders had faith in the future-as did every adventurer who started a hole in the ground and called it a mine. In those days, however, all available money was expended on the mine, and those who labored on the job had to he content with rugged living arrangements. The visitor at Climax today. however, sees a townsite carefully laid out to enhance the natural' beauty of the surroundings. There are 250 houses and 43 apartments which have been carefully designed by an architect, and missing is the long line of houses of the same type. Every house is of a different design, all being modern in every respect, with haths, running water, electricity, and .sewage disposal. They vary in size from three to six rooms and rent for $5 per room per month. A complete, well-designed water-treatment plant supplies water for domestic purposes.

Jan 1, 1946

By J. P. Nichols

Modern vibrating screening dates from about 1910 at which time the forerunner of the present day two bearing and four bearing circular motion inclined vibrating screens were first introduced. These simple machines consisted of a screen box holding some kind of a screening surface to which was attached an off-center shaft or a shaft with an off-center weight which was rotated. The rotation of these shafts caused a shivering motion to the screen box and produced the first vibrating screen. In the 1920's and early 30's, the box designs were improved and the mechanisms designs were also improved and by 1940, vibrating screens were an important part of most process plants. In the early days when the screen sizes were dictated by how much could be shoveled onto the screen box and by the force that a particular mechanism could produce, not much thought was given to the proper sizing of the particular units. As mechanism and body design improved the ability to predict vibrating screen capacity at various openings became more important. In the late 1930's, a set of empirical capacities came to be used. with few modifications, these capacities are still in use today, both by those companies that use a formula involving only the amount of fine material in a feed, and by those companies using a formula in which the total feed to a particular screen is used. In either method of calculation, the empirical values are based on these ideal conditions: (1) The material being fed to the screen contains 25% oversize. (2) The feed to the screen contains 40% half size material. (3) The material has a bulk density of 1.6 T/Cu.M. (100 lbs/cu.ft.). (4) The screening surface has an open area of 50%. (5) The material is dry, free flowing and relatively cubical. (6) The maximum screening efficiency required is between 90 and 95%. It is obvious that these conditions do not occur in natural or crushed size distributions. Therefore, modifications must be made to these empirical values to allow for the calculation of a vibrating screen for a particular set of conditions. Before we consider these various modifications, let us look at what happens to material as it is acted on by a vibrating screen so that we can better understand why the modifications are nec-

Jan 1, 1982

By B. G. Slay, J. P. Pritchard, J. T. Pierce

A short discission is given of the cryotron us a supercozductitzg- switch. The parameters of interest such as gaiz, critical gate current, critical control current, and critical surface current density ave described. The photomask-photoresist process makes possible the study of much narrower dimensioned cryotrons than previously possible using mask stencils. Data is given for the above parameters as a function of width, thickness, temperuture, and crossing ratio. Photographs of the various circuits used are shown. The techniques involved in making connection to the circuits and the precautions taken to avoid side effects in the measurements are discussed. In particular data is given for critical currents of sipercotzducting. lines down to 2X 104 in. A vise in critical surface current density is obserced jor the strallev lines in both lead and tin. A discussion of the ihact of these measurements in the design of future cryotron circuitry is given. In addition to the improvement in device density achieved by simple scale reduction. additonal gains in density may result through improved device form factor. THE cryotron is a superconducting current switch, invented by D. A. Buck.' Fig. 1 shows a typical crossed-film cryotron. Usually the gate is made of tin and the control is made of lead. The critical gate current, is the current that drives the gate resistive with zero current flowing in the control. The critical control current, I is defined as the current in the control necessary to switch the gate resistive with a small monitoring current in the gate. The gain of the device, G, is defined as Since for uniform thin films G should be proportional to the gate width divided by the control width, it is convenient to define the critical surface current density, Jcg, to be the critical gate current divided by the gate wldth. The data which follows will show that, for a given control width, I, is relatively constant. Thus, by measuring Jcg the change in gain as a function of gate width may be measured without measuring I,.

Jan 1, 1967

By P. G. Carpenter, R. G. Nisle, F. W. Bubb

It is the purpose of this paper to describe an electrical computer which has been constructed to solve the equations for vapor-liquid equilibrium in multi-component systems. The instrument consists of seven component-computing units each with proper indicating means and power supplies. Each unit is a resistance network with a voltage matching servomechanism, and each provides an output voltage proportional to the mol-fractions for vapor and liquid phases. These voltages are summed and matched with a reference voltage to provide the solutions. Any reasonable number of such units may be put together to make a computer. The theory and operation of the computer is discussed. A number of applications and examples of computer results are given. The computer yields the over-all vapor or liquid fraction to a probable error of 0.002. An interpolation method is described which reduces the probable error to 0.0002. INTRODUCTION The process known as Flash Vaporization may be described as follows: A mixture of known composition of relatively volatile components is allowed to come to thermodynamic equilibrium at some given temperature and pressure by any path whatsoever. In general, a vapor and a liquid phase will be present at equilbrium. The problem is to determine the fractions of the mixture in the vapor and liquid phases, and to determine the mol fractions of the various components in each phase. The relations that exist between these various quantities at equilibrium are well known and will be given later. These equations are difficult to solve, yielding only to trial-and-error methods. The virtues of the analog computer are its speed and the automatic character of its calculations. The device is operated by turning a crank which varies the value of v, the total vapor fraction. This actuates a number of servomechanisms which perform automatically all computations. This computer facilitates the solution of such problems as (to mention a few] : Analysis of separator operation, studies of changes in composition of reservoir fluids with pressure decline, and analysis of natural gasoline plant operation. Examples of some of these problems are given in detail later. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The essential equations are xm = 1+(km-l)v . . (1) Kmzm ym =------------------------. . (2) 1 + (Km-l)v ; n n S S xm= --------------------=1 1 + (Km-l)v m = 1 m=1 ......(3) n n S = S Km Zm =1 S ym 1 + (Km-1)v m=1 m = l ......(4) where ym = Vm/V = Mol fraction of m-th component in vapor phase. xm = Lm/L = Mol fraction of m-th component in liquid phase. Zm = Fm/F = Mol fraction of m-th component in mixture. KM = ym/xm = Equilibrium constant for m-th component at the given temperature and pressure. v = V/F = Mol fraction of vapor in the mixture. F = Total mols of a mixture of n components. V - Total mols of vapor in the mixture. L = Total mols of liquid in the mixture. Fm = Total mols of m-th component. Lm = Mols of m-th component in liquid phase. Vm = Mols of m-th component in vapor phase. Assuming the total mols of the mixture F and its composition (all the Fm) to be known — either from a quantitative analysis or from the amounts put together to make the mixture — the zm = Fm/F may be regarded as known quantities. From the given temperature and pressure of the mixture the K., are known (principally from experimental data). The primary problem is then: having given all the zm and Km to calculate v and all the fractions xm and ym. Having calculated these ratios, it is a simple matter to calculate V. L. Vm, Lm from their defining equations. SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM Basic Computer Unit The computer consists of n units, each of which provides voltages xEo and YE, proportional to x and y as in

Jan 1, 1950

By Robert Schorr

PAGE 1. Introduction,........... 82 2. Characteristics of Briquettes,........ 87 3. The Manufacture of Coal- and Coke-Briquettes,.... 89 Binders, Organic and Inorganic,...... 90 Mixing,...........94 Presses, Continuous and Intermittent Action,....95 Cost of Briquettes and Sales-Prices in Various Countries,.. 99 4. The Manufacture of Peat-Briquettes,......101 Solid Peat-Slabs,.........101 Solid, Carbonized Peat-Briquettes,......103 Estimates of Cost of Operating Peat-Briquetting Plants,... 105 5. Manufacture of Mineral-Briquettes for Metallurgical Processes,.. 108 6. Manufacture of Artificial Stone-Masses,......112 7. Bibliography,...........115 Introduction. Briquetting is apparently a very simple operation, yet it has offered so many mechanical and chemical difficulties that it required almost a century to place it on a commercial basis. Since 1860, however, the progress has been steady and satisfactory, and to-day, for most of the European coal companies, the briquette-plant is a very profitable investment. Among the many applications of scientific knowledge to further economy by recovering and utilizing by-products and raw materials, there is possibly none which deserves the attention of Americans to a higher degree than briquetting. The recent miners' strike in Pennsylvania, which resulted in a scarce and irregular supply of coal at a high price, has advanced the possibilities for briquetting, and as a consequence public interest has grown rapidly. While the manufacture of coal-briquettes is not new in the United States, adverse conditions and sometimes lack of

Jan 1, 1905

By J. S. Kirkaldy, G. R. Purdy

THE formation of ferrite in supersaturated aus-tenite has been the subject of considerable speculation and investigation. Aaronson has recently reviewed the data pertinent to this reaction.' Since these data in all cases refer to ternary or high-order alloys it is not possible to put them to the test of simple binary diffusion formalism. It has not, therefore, been possible to make a certain statement as to the controlling mechanisms in the process. An assessment of the difficulties inherent in the conventional statistical metallographic approach suggested that a study of the problem by means of a macroscopic two-phase diffusion couple might contribute useful information. Accordingly, such a couple was synthesized, and the rate of motion of a ferrite-austenite phase boundary (the growth of an austenite layer at the expense of a ferrite layer) was determined. Wagner originally produced a diffusion solution applicable to the motion of a planar phase interface in a binary diffusion couple, assuming local equilibrium throughout the diffusion zone. This solution, which is stated free of typographical error* in Ref. where a is the position of the interface in A space (A = x/fi), C; and CL1 are the equilibrium inter-facial concentrations in phases I and 11, C: and C*1 are the initial bulk concentrations in phases I and 11, and & and are diffusion coefficients (assumed constant). If a diffusion couple consisting of homogeneous layers of ferrite and austenite in equilibrium is raised to a higher temperature, the austenite layer will grow at the expense of the ferrite. Provided that the thickness of the ferrite layer is much less than the diffusion length of carbon in ferrite, we can set , so that Wagner's solution reduces to

Jan 1, 1963

By M. J. Marcinkowski, A. S. Sastri

A detailed compressive stress-strain analysis and transmission electron microscopy investigation has been made of the deformation behavior occurring in a 50 at. pct Ni-Ti (hypoeutectoid) alloy and a 54.5 at. pct Ni-Ti (hypereutectoid) alloy. In the case of the hypoeutectoid alloy, three stages of work hardening are observed. Stage I occurs at a very low stress and is associated with plastic deformation via martensite formation. Stage 11 is characterized by very rapid work hardening and is due to difficulties in causing further deformation in the fine martensite aggregate produced in Stage I. Stage III which occurs at very high stress levels is characterized by smaller work hardening rates and is due to the plastic deformation arising from alternate reconversions of the original martensites to martensites of varying orientation. Rapid quenching of the hypereutectoid alloy leads to very high yield strengths and is related to a fine precipitate dispersion that such treatment brings about. The present investigation represents the final phase of a three-part study directed toward an understanding of the solid-state transformations in near equi-atomic Ni-Ti alloys as well as the deformation mechanisms associated with these alloys. In the first part,"2 to be henceforth referred to as I, it was found that alternate simple shears on {112} planes and in (111) directions convert the parent B2 structure in the equiatomic NiTi alloy into two distinct close-packed monoclinic martensites. All of the marten-sites were of this type, whether they were formed by cooling or by plastic deformation, whether induced to form in bulk samples or in thin foils, or whether examined in the electron microscope at room temperature or below. On the other hand, in the second part of this investigation,3 to be reffered to as 11, it was shown that upon slow cooling to about 640°C. alloys in the neighborhood of NiTi which possess the B2 structure transform eutectoidally into their equilibrium phases Ti2Ni and TiNi3. However, preceding the formation of these equilibrium phases a series of metastable intermediate phases are formed. This paper will set as its goal the elucidation of the remarkable deformation behavior exhibited by NiTi. In particular, Buehler and Wiley4 have found equiatomic NiTi to be surprisingly soft, while Buehler et al.5 have shown this alloy to possess a memory effect: i.e., upon bending at room temperature it will revert to its original shape when heated to above about 50°C. In I it was shown that NiTi was soft in the sense that the yield stress was low; nevertheless, the alloy work-hardened at an extremely rapid rate to very high stress levels. On the other hand, the hypereutectoid alloys with somewhat higher nickel, say 54.5 at. pct (60 wt pct) have enormously increased yield strengths compared to those of the equiatomic alloys. In order to determine the atomistic processes giving rise to the above behavior, it was decided to examine samples that were wafered from bulk specimens deformed in compression to various strains using the techniques of transmission electron microscopy. EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUE All of the alloys used in the present investigation contained either 50 at. pct Ni (55.06 wt pct) or 54.5 at. pct Ni (60 wt pct) and were arc-melted in the form of a finger using the same techniques described in I and II. The finger was capsulated in a stainless-steel jacket and swaged at 850°C into rods. Compression specimens 0.300 in, long and 0.200 in. in diam were machined from these rods. In order to completely re-crystallize the samples and remove residual stresses, all of them were capsulated in evacuated quartz, annealed for 1/2 at 1050°C. and then furnace-cooled. Compression tests were carried out in an Instron tensile testing machine covering a range of temperatures from —196° to 200°C using procedures described previously.6'7 In all cases crosshead speed was 0.02 in. per min. Wafers 0.015 in. thick were spark-cut from the cylindrical samples at 45 deg to the compression axes after they had been deformed to the desired strain. These specimens were then spark-planed to about 0.005 in. and then electrochemically thinned for examination by transmission electron microscopy as described in I.

Jan 1, 1969

By AIME AIME

THE annual session for the election of officers and transaction of other official business of the Institute, which must be held, in accordance with the By-Laws, in New York on the third Tuesday in February, was the only session scheduled for the morning of Feb. 19. Many members gathered in the auditorium at 10 o'clock, and President George Otis Smith presided. He said that his report was best set forth in the reports of the other officers and committees, which were avail-able in printed form. Productive activity had characterized the Institute's year and a number of new ventures had been successful. He felt that he had "rattled around" in the office of president, as he had traveled some 39,000 miles during the year in visiting the various Sections, having visited everyone that had held a meeting during his term of office. He spoke of the educational effect on a president of these broad contacts and suggested that a three-year course would be even more enlightening than one.

Jan 1, 1929

By Dever C. Ashmead

COAL companies in the anthracite region are studying various methods of mining that will permit a considerably shorter life of gangway and therefore a decrease in the maintenance charges. Maintenance charges in the upkeep of gangways where the measures are steeply pitching are high due to the excessive cost of the replacement of timbers and the cleaning up of falls. Therefore, if the length of gangway in the coal beds can be decreased and the mining more concentrated, the life of the coal gangways will be decreased and consequently the maintenance charges will be lower per ton of coal produced. Customary practice in the anthracite region is to drive long coal gangways and to work the breasts as the gangway from which they were driven is advanced.

Jan 1, 1925

By E. W. Davis

IF the tonnage of merchantable iron ore remaining in the Lake Superior district is divided by the average of the annual shipments for the past 20 years, it will be found that this ore supply will be exhausted in approximately 35 years. This computed exhaustion period would be an indication of the future activities of the iron-mining industry if it were not for the fact that merchantable ore is being manufactured from low-grade ore, of which there is an almost inexhaustible supply in the Lake Superior district. It is true that at present only the simplest of these low-grade ores are being concentrated to any considerable extent, but progress is being made with the treatment of the more complex ores, and now, in addition to 20 washing plants on the Mesabi Range, three plants are equipped with jigs for the treatment of ore that cannot be concentrated simply by washing. The latest addition to the ore-treating plants of the Mesabi Range is a magnetic roasting and concentration plant at Cooley, Minn., in which ore that cannot be concentrated either by washing or by jigging is roasted to the magnetic state and concentrated on magnetic separators. This plant is beginning its third season of operation, and while it is too soon to make definite predictions, there are strong indica-tions that this new process may make commercially possible the manu-facture of high-grade, merchantable iron ore from large quantities of low-grade ore now considered worthless. After the iron oxide contained in an ore has been converted to mag-netite, almost any desired grade of concentrate can be produced, using magnetic-concentration equipment of the types now in general use for the concentration of the natural magnetites of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The conversion of hematite (Fe203) to magnetite (Fe304) is easily accomplished by heating the ore to a dull red tempera-ture in a reducing atmosphere. The reaction is slightly endothermic, and while it requires 200 B.t.u. to heat to 900° F. one pound of hematite ore containing 45 per cent Fe, it requires only 100 B.t.u. to convert the oxide into magnetite. In the laboratory, using small quantities of ore, this conversion is very simple, but large furnaces suitable for commercial

Jan 1, 1936

By J. H. Richards, G. Derge, W. Peifer

A WIDE Variety of metallurgical defects in steel have commonly been attributed to the presence of excessive amounts of hydrogen. These defects include flakes in rails and forgings, cracks in welds, and blisters in enameled ware, They have been related to hydrogen largely by circumstantiat evidence because the proper sampling and analysis of steel for hydrogen has been known to be difficult and because no general agreement has existed with regard to the relative suitability and accuracy of available methods. The need for a direct approach to these problems has been widely recognized. This general situation has been well described in the publications of the British committee on the Heterogeneity of Steel Ingots,' and current approaches to the problem were reviewed in a recent symposium of the AIME.I2 The plans described by the present authors at that meeting have now matured satisfactorily and will form the basis of this paper. The principal object of this paper will be to describe the methods of sampling and analysis which have been developed and to illustrate the usefulness and limitations of these methods by citing their application to a specific problem, The first problem selected for investigation was the behavior of hydrogen in rail steel. This was chosen because the occurrence of shatter cracks in rails has received a great deal of study over a long period of time. The defect can be controlled by the expensive procedure of slow in However, it may be hoped that a better understanding of the factors influencing the hydrogen content of rails will lead to a more efficient control of this problem. Rails provide a good starting point for a more general study of hydrogen in steel because they provide a cross-section large enough to develop cracks, Yet small enough for convenient handling and sampling. Rails were also selected because they arc made from plain carbon steel and it was felt that the initial work should not be complicated by the effects introduced by alloying elements. The considerations which determined the original planning of this study should be reviewed. The inherently complex nature of most hydrogen problems requires that a large amount of data must be collected for any particular case. This in turn means that any analytical procedure should be as rapid and simple as possible. The same objective of speed is indicated by the fact that it may finally become desirable to use hydrogen analysis in process control. It is also known that hydrogen is highly fugitive and that any procedure which facilitat~s early analysis of the sample without prolonged or irregular storage has distinct advantages. The most important previously reported methods of analysis may be classified into three general groups: (I) Vacuum fusion, (2) Vacuum extraction (without melting), (3) Total combustion.

Jan 1, 1949

By G. Derge, W. Peifer, J. H. Richards

A WIDE Variety of metallurgical defects in steel have commonly been attributed to the presence of excessive amounts of hydrogen. These defects include flakes in rails and forgings, cracks in welds, and blisters in enameled ware, They have been related to hydrogen largely by circumstantiat evidence because the proper sampling and analysis of steel for hydrogen has been known to be difficult and because no general agreement has existed with regard to the relative suitability and accuracy of available methods. The need for a direct approach to these problems has been widely recognized. This general situation has been well described in the publications of the British committee on the Heterogeneity of Steel Ingots,' and current approaches to the problem were reviewed in a recent symposium of the AIME.I2 The plans described by the present authors at that meeting have now matured satisfactorily and will form the basis of this paper. The principal object of this paper will be to describe the methods of sampling and analysis which have been developed and to illustrate the usefulness and limitations of these methods by citing their application to a specific problem, The first problem selected for investigation was the behavior of hydrogen in rail steel. This was chosen because the occurrence of shatter cracks in rails has received a great deal of study over a long period of time. The defect can be controlled by the expensive procedure of slow in However, it may be hoped that a better understanding of the factors influencing the hydrogen content of rails will lead to a more efficient control of this problem. Rails provide a good starting point for a more general study of hydrogen in steel because they provide a cross-section large enough to develop cracks, Yet small enough for convenient handling and sampling. Rails were also selected because they arc made from plain carbon steel and it was felt that the initial work should not be complicated by the effects introduced by alloying elements. The considerations which determined the original planning of this study should be reviewed. The inherently complex nature of most hydrogen problems requires that a large amount of data must be collected for any particular case. This in turn means that any analytical procedure should be as rapid and simple as possible. The same objective of speed is indicated by the fact that it may finally become desirable to use hydrogen analysis in process control. It is also known that hydrogen is highly fugitive and that any procedure which facilitat~s early analysis of the sample without prolonged or irregular storage has distinct advantages. The most important previously reported methods of analysis may be classified into three general groups: (I) Vacuum fusion, (2) Vacuum extraction (without melting), (3) Total combustion.

Jan 1, 1949

By W. D. Robertson, W. L. Phillips Jr.

Stress-strain curves were obtained for single crystals of alpha brass in tension and in direct shear. Specimens were strained various amounts in a given slip direction, unloaded, and immediately strained in a second slip direction 60°, 120°, or 180&apos; from the original slip direction. Crystals strained in tension and direct shear had comparable critical resolved shear stresses and stress-strain curves. The density of slip lines in direct shear and in tension was essentially the same. The stress-strain curves obtained in shear were independent of initial orientation, choice of {111 } slip plane, choice of <110> slip direction, prior annealing temperature, and rate of cooling after annealing. There was no recovery after annealing for 4 hr at room temperature or 200°C; recovery was observed after 4 hr at 400°C. The crystals showed no asterism and mechanical properties were completely recoverable up to 20 pct strain. It was found that there is a barrier to slip in all latent close-packed directions, and that the magnitude of these barriers, evaluated at 3 pct strain, is proportional to prior strain and independent of the choice of latent direction in the {111} plane. The formation of Cottrell-Lomer barriers is discussed as a possible explanation for the hardening of the latent systems. AN idealized concept of plastic deformation indicates that a single crystal should yield at some stress that is dependent on crystal perfection and it should then continue to deform plastically by the process of "easy glide," which is characterized by a linear stress-strain curve and a low coefficient, ds/dE, of work-hardening. Hexagonal metal crystals generally conform to this ideal concept of laminar flow. In face-centered cubic metals the range of easy glide is always restricted in magnitude and it is strongly dependent on orientation, composition, crystal size, shape, surface preparation, and temperature. Since one of the principal differences between the two crystal systems, both of which deform by slip on close-packed planes, is the existence of secondary (latent) slip planes in the face-centered cubic crystals, it has been proposed that the transition from easy glide to turbulent flow, characterized by rapid linear hardening, is due to slip on secondary planes intersecting the primary plane.&apos;-.; However, the characteristic differences between individual face-centered cubic metals remain to be explained; in particular, it is not clear why the range of easy glide should vary so greatly in different metals and alloys similarly oriented for single slip. An investigation and comparison of different metals with respect to latent hardening on the primary slip plane should provide some of the information required to specify the necessary and sufficient conditions governing the transition from easy glide to turbulent flow. But, in order to accomplish this purpose, plastic strain must be produced by simple shear in a chosen plane and in a predetermined direction by some form of directed shear apparatus, the results of which must be correlated with the corresponding tension experiments. Two such experiments have been performed previously with zinc and with aluminum. Edwards, Washburn, and Parker" and Edwards and Washburn7 found that the strain-hardening coefficients in two latent directions in the basal plane of zinc were the same as in the primary direction. However, to initiate and propagate slip in either the [2110] or the [1210] direction, following primary slip in the [1l20] direction, it was necessary to increase the stress above that required to continue slip in the primary direction; when the direction of shear was reversed 180 deg plastic strain began at a much lower stress than that required to initiate slip in the original direction and the stress to propagate slip in the reverse direction was lower than the stress to continue slip in the forward direction, indicating a permanent loss of strain-hardening. Rohm and Kochendorfer observed softening in aluminum for all latent close-packed planes and directions. They also found that the critical resolved shear stress obtained from their direct shear apparatus was 50 pct lower than the value obtained from conventional tension tests, that the stress-strain curve was linear at 50 pct plastic strain, and that slip lines were not visible at strains less than 30 pct. At present it is uncertain whether these diverse results correspond to real differences in work-hardening characteristics of the close-packed planes of aluminum and zinc or to differences in experimental technique. In view of Read&apos;s analysis &apos;" of the stress distribution in the experimental arrangement of Rohm and Kochendorfer, there is some reason to question the significance of the latter results. In order to resolve this problem it is necessary to re-valuate the direct-shear technique and either repeat the previous measurements or investigate a third system. The latter choice seemed most likely to produce significant results with respect to work-hardening, and accordingly, it was decided to examine the hardening characteristics of the latent slip directions in alpha-brass. The choice of alpha-brass was dictated by the fact that easy glide is more extensive in this alloy than in any other face-centered cubic metal or alloy and, presumably, more nearly like the idealized hexagonal system. Experimental Procedure Crystals were made in graphite by the Bridge-man method in the form of cylinders, 11/2 in. diam and 8 to 9 in. long. Material for the crystals was 70/30 brass containing the following impurities:

Jan 1, 1959

By R. A. L. Black

Rock mechanics is a very new science. It has been accepted as a recognized discipline for some two decades, but it is only within the last five to ten years that it has been common to include the teaching of rock mechanics as a separate subject in undergraduate curricula at universities. Thus, few senior mining engineers practicing in industry, either men in charge of production or those engaged in mine planning and design, are familiar with the subject. That this unfamiliarity has continued so long is also due in part to the fact that the results of rock mechanics investigations have been published in a large number of different periodicals covering subjects ranging from experimental stress analysis to obscure branches of applied earth sciences. The first really useful textbook &apos; in the English language was published only in 1965, in Canada. It made available to students and to practicing engineers, for the first time in concise form, the essential body of accepted knowledge about rock mechanics and developed the theories on which it is based in a simple, clear and logical manner. Another factor which has resulted in rock mechanics science being slow to be accepted by the mining industry is that research work has often appeared to be esoteric and unpractical. Senior engineers have been reluctant to spend money on the application of new knowledge when the process of application seemed uncertain and ill-defined, and where the cost of field investigations (which is necessarily high) appeared to offer no certainty of economic reward. This is a reasonable attitude on the part of mining engineers; they are responsible to skeptical boards of directors whose chief concern is, very properly, the net return on capital invested. The application of rock mechanics science has not in the past,

Jan 1, 1968

By T. K. Perkins, L. R. Kern

A study of fluid mechanics, rupture of brittle materials and the theory of elastic deformation of rocks shows that, for a given formation, crack width is essentially controlled by fluid pressure drop in the fracture. Operating conditions which cause high pressure drop along the crack (such as high injection rate and viscous fluids) will result in relatively wide cracks. Conversely, operating conditions which cause low pressure drop (low injection rates and thin fluids) will result in relatively narrow cracks. Charts and equations have been derived which permit the estimation of fracture widths for a variety of flow conditions and for both horizontal and vertical fractures. INTRODUCTION There has been considerable speculation concerning the geometry of hydraulically created fractures in the earth&apos;s crust. One of the questions of practical importance is the width of fractures under dynamic conditions, i.e., while the fracture is being created and extended. Such width information could be used, for instance, to help estimate the area of a fracture generated under various conditions. Also, there has been a recent trend toward the use of large propping partiles.13, 15 Therefore is is desirable to know what factors can be varied in order to assure entry of the large particles into the fracture. There has been some work on fracture widths reported in the literature. In particular, there have been several Russian publications dealing with this sub-jeCt.1.31,3 These papers have dealt principally with the elastic theory and the application of this theory to hydraulic fractures. These studies have not led to an engineering method for estimating fracture widths under dynamic conditions. A recent paper3 has reviewed and summarized the Russian concepts. An earlier paper- from our laboratories also discussed the application of the elastic theory to hydraulic fractures. This first approach, based largely on photoelastic studies, has proved to be too simplified to accurately describe the fracturing process. However, these early thoughts have served as a guide during the development of more exact concepts. We would like to present in this paper our current concepts regarding fracture widths and some estimates of hydraulic fracture widths for several conditions. We believe that it is now possible to predict with fair accuracy the factors influencing fracture widths. Furthermore, the method of prediction has been reduced to a simple and convenient graphical or numerical calculation. CRACKS IN A BRITTLE, ELASTIC MATERIAL Many investigators2, 4, 30 have shown that competent rocks behave elastically over some range of stresses. Of course, if the tensile stress imposed upon a rock exceeds some limiting value, then the rock will fail in tension. In similar manner, there are some limiting shear stresses that can be imposed upon rocks. Hubbert and Willis11 have discussed the shear conditions which will lead to failure. Under moderate stress conditions (such as those likely to be encountered when hydraulically fracturing) and when stresses are rapidly applied, relatively, most rocks will fail in a brittle manner. Hence, for this discussion of hydraulic fractures in the earth&apos;s crust, we assume the rocks behave as brittle, elastic materials. Let us develop the discussion in the following way. (The following thoughts are applicable only to brittle materials.) 1. First we consider a brittle, elastic system. An energy balance will show the minimum pressure necessary to fracture rock, and from this pressure we calculate the minimum crack width resulting from extension of a hydraulic fracture. 2. Then we will show that, under ordinary fracturing conditions, fracture widths are appreciably greater than the minimum widths of extending fractures. In fact, we will find that crack width is controlled by fluid pressure drop in the fracture. 3. We will discuss pressure drops in fractures and resulting crack widths for various operating conditions and both vertical and horizontal fractures. 4. Finally, we will discuss the significance of these concepts, their relationship to fracturing pressures, etc. First, consider minimum fracture extension pressures. We can shed some light on this question by considering the theory proposed by Griffith7, 8 Yo explain the rupture of brittle, elastic materials. Griffith recognized that solid materials exhibit a surface energy8 (similar to surface tension in a liquid). The fundamental concept of the Griffith theory is that, when cracks spread without the application of external work (in the interior of an elastic medium which is stressed