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By J. L. Moriarty, Irving Johnson, H. M. Feder

The crystallization of ternary alloys has been studied as a coprecipitation phenomenon by measuring the substitutional carrying of trace metals with CeCd11 precipitating from liquid cadmium. The Doerner-Hoskins logarithmic distribution law has been found to apply in all cases; the coprecipitation coefficients obtained were: 1.48 (La), 1.06 (Th), 0.63 (Pr), 0.24 (Gd), 0.17 (Sm), 0.13 (U), 0.10 (Er), 0.09 (Sr). Li, Na, K, Ba, Y, Sc, and Zr were not measurably carried. It has been observed that coprecipitation was most extensive for those tracers which form with cadmium an intermetallic compmdnd isostructural with CeCd11 or closely related thereto. For these tracers an inverse relation between Solubility in cadmium and coprecipitation coefficient was noted. THE partition of impurities between the liquid and solid phases of a metal or a congruently melting intermetallic compound has been extensively studied by the methods of zone melting.' However, when the composition of a liquid alloy and of the solid phase crystallizing from it differ grossly, partition of an impurity cannot be investigated in this manner. Partition of the impurity under equilibrium conditions may be studied by investigation of the appropriate phase diagram and partition under nonequi-librium conditions may be studied by observation of coring in the solidified alloys.2 The nonequilibrium case is of special interest in metallurgical practice because many complex alloys are cooled too rapidly to permit the uniform diffusion of impurities throughout the crystallizing phase(s). With this in mind, the present study was undertaken to obtain quantitative data on the phenomenon of coprecipitation via substitutional solid solution in certain metallic systems. It will be noticed that rather than adopting metallurgical ter- minology we have chosen to refer to the partition of impurities during alloy crystallization as coprecipitation.3 In the terminology of coprecipitation the impurity is referred to as the tracer and the precipitating phase as the carrier. From aqueous solution, coprecipitation may occur as a result of adsorption on the surface of the carrier, by occlusion of the liquid within the crystals, or by solid solution of the tracer in the carrier. By slow cooling of liquid metallic solutions it is relatively easy to form large, regular crystals of the carrier; the effects of adsorption and occlusion may be minimized and the influence of substitutional solid-solution formation may be made to predominate. Previous studies of the crystallization of some intermetallic compounds4 and of copper, silver, and gold5 have shown that the coprecipitation or partition behavior of trace metals is entirely analogous to that observed in aqueous systems when ionic substitution occurs, e.g., coprecipitation of Ra++ with BaSo4. The precipitation of CeCd11 from liquid cadmium was chosen for study. This choice was influenced by the following consideration. If the relative atomic sizes of the tracer atom and the atom for which it substitutes determine the tendency to coprecipi-tate, then a lattice having a substitutional site of well-defined size would be desirable. In CeCd116 (structure type cubic BaHg117) the cerium atom is completely surrounded by a cage of twelve nearly equidistant cadmium atoms. Thus, atoms much larger or much smaller than cerium should be poorly accommodated in this cage. The choice of a lanthanide central atom allowed the testing of the size hypothesis with a number of lanthanide tracers which differed in size but not in valence or electro-negativity. EXPERIMENTAL The general technique of this investigation was to prepare a slightly undersaturated solution of carrier in liquid cadmium to which a tracer was added. The concentration of tracer was always so low that saturation over the entire temperature range investigated was never exceeded. The solution was cooled in a stepwise fashion. After each step a por-

Jan 1, 1964

By R. I. Jaffee, C. T. Sims, C. M. Craighead

The fabrication of rhenium metal by powder metallurgy techniques is discussed. The following physical and mechanical properties have been measured and are reported: lattice constants, melting point, electrical resistivity, thermal expansion, spectral emissivity, modulus of elasticity, tensile properties and ductility at room and elevated temperatures, work hardening, recrystallization, grain growth, and oxidation resistance. IT is only occasionally that a metal reaches present-day technology with as little known about its properties as element No. 75, rhenium. Relatively scarce to date, it has been studied only infrequently and used less. Previous work on rhenium has been carried out primarily by European scientists. However, realization that rhenium occurs in commercial quantities in the United States recently has focused attention on this metal. Rhenium is a very dense high melting hexagonal-close-packed metal. Like tungsten and molybdenum, its highest oxide is volatile. However, when protected by reducing or inert atmospheres, its strength at high temperatures is greater than that of tungsten. Rhenium work hardens more than any other known pure metal, but, on annealing, becomes quite soft and ductile. Its vapor pressure is approximately that of tantalum, but it does not enter into the so-called "water cycle" nearly as readily as does tungsten. (The water cycle is a deleterious phenomenon causing blackening of lamp bulbs and vacuum tubes with subsequent failure of the filaments.) These and other properties, some already known and some found as a result of the current researches, have indicated that rhenium has many potential uses, primarily of an electrical or electronic nature. Rhenium or its alloys soon may be found in service as electron-tube filaments, cathodic emitters, or as electrical contact materials. In addition, rhenium or its alloys have potential use in such devices as high temperature thermocouples, and high wear-resistant parts such as precision instrument points. Rhenium, in the form of potassium perrhenate, was made available for this study by the Kennecott Copper Corp. The potassium perrhenate was reduced to rhenium metal in two stages, accompanied by leaching to remove potassium in the form of hydroxide. This impure metal was then oxidized to rhenium heptoxide and dissolved in water. The solution was neutralized with ammonium hydroxide to produce highly purified ammonium perrhenate, a typical analysis of which is shown in Table I. The ammonium perrhenate was ground to —325 mesh in a rubber-lined ball mill with Burundum balls. This operation caused a certain amount of impurity pickup, as reflected in the rhenium analysis shown in Table I. The fine ammonium perrhenate was reduced to metal with hydrogen. Particle size of the powder ranged from 1 to 25 microns, as illustrated by Fig. 1.

Jan 1, 1956

By E. C. Wright

The bessemer process is nearly one hundred years old. William Kelly, the American inventor, was able to demonstrate that he had accomplished the pneumatic purification of molten pig iron as early as 1847; Henry Bessemer's English patent was granted in 1855. The application of this steelmaking process since then and the present position of bessemer steel are concisely discussed on pages 355 and 356 of the fifth edition of "The Making, Shaping and Treating of Steel." The great expansion of the automotive, machine-tool, chemical and oil industries after I9I0 opened up a large market for special steels, whereas the output of steel before that time was mainly for structural purposes. The need for building more blastfurnace capacity complementary to bessemer operations, combined with the availability of the' necessary amounts of steel scrap, both contributed to the extension of open-hearth plants at the -exense of besskmer capacity. The ability of the open-hearth furnaces to consume virtually all types of raw materials as far as phosphorus content is concerned, and the need for selecting low-phosphorus ores of rapidly decreasing sources for the bessemer, also played a part in the reduction of bessemer steelmaking operations and the increase in basic open-hearth plants. As a consequence, the proportion of bessemer steel made, in this country decreased from 65.7 per cent of the total in 1900 to 37.1 per cent in 1910, and only 6.8 per cent of the total in 1937. The metallurgical concepts existent between 1910 and 1920 caused the writing of many specifications of very low phosphorus and sulphur content, which definitely barred bessemer steel from many commodities. Now sulphur is being added to many open-hearth and bessemer steels in amounts far exceeding the maximum sulphur content of good bessemer steel. Re-phosphorizing is also widely practiced for several specific applications. Even today, the chemical-analysis limits of many important steel specifications have an arbitrary and archaic tinge. The old standard "0.30 to 0.60 per cent manganese" might be mentioned in this connection as similar to the rigid requirements for maximum sulphur and phosphorus that were established at least 25 years ago. The literature is full of vague and complee discussions of the effects of nitrogen and oxygen where these elements existed in steel in amounts less than 0.02 per cent. Many failures have been attributed to these elements without reasonable proof on which to base the conclusion. Methods of determining oxygen in steel require such complicated equipment that only a few research laboratories have the required apparatus. Even so, the accuracy of oxygen determinations in steel has been only recently reproducible. Up to the present time, no one has succeeded in obtaining a sample of molten steel that accurately indicates the full oxygen content of the metal in the furnace or ladle because the molten sample

Jan 1, 1944

By B. L. Averbach, Morris Cohen, L. L. Seigle

Free energies, enthalpies, and entropies of mixing of Ni-Au solid solutions containing 5 to 95 atomic pct Ni have been determined by the electromotive force method at 700° to 900°C. The thermodynamic activities exhibit large positive deviations from Raoult's law, and the entropies of mixing are almost twice those of ideal solutions. The enthalpies of mixing are positive (heat is absorbed) and are attributable to the lattice distortional energy resulting from the size difference between the nickel and gold atoms. This factor appears to be responsible for the miscibility gap at lower temperatures. IN the thermodynamic study of metallic solid solutions, most interest has been directed toward systems with negative deviation from Raoult's law, namely, those exhibiting superlattice or compound formation. The results of previous investigations are summarized in recent publications.'-' Relatively little experimental work has been carried out on solid solutions which manifest a positive deviation, possibly because the range of solubility in such cases is usually quite limited. Nevertheless, the relationship of the thermodynamic properties of these solutions to diffusion, nucleation, and precipitation in the solid state are of considerable importance. The binary Ni-Au alloys are particularly suited to an investigation of these relationships. Despite the presence of a miscibility gap at lower temperatures, Fig. 1, indicating a large positive deviation from Raoult's law, complete solid solubility is found above 840°C. Moreover, the difference in the atomic scattering powers of nickel and gold is sufficiently great to permit X-ray diffraction studies of atomic arrangements and pre-precipitation phenomena. Radioisotopes of both nickel and gold are available for diffusion work, and finally, a large difference in nobility between the two elements facilitates measurement of the thermodynamic properties. The present paper describes the experimental determination of the free energies, enthalpies, and entropies of mixing of solid Ni-Au alloys. Table I gives a list of the symbols used in the paper. Experimental Method The stability of nickel chloride relative to gold chloride" indicated that the galvanic cell method could be used for determining the thermodynamic properties of Ni-Au alloys. An electrolytic cell (Fig. 2) was constructed, similar to that of Weibke and Matthes,7 in which the electrodes were solid nickel and Ni-Au alloys, and the electrolyte was a fused mixture of alkali chlorides containing NiCl,. The cell electrodes were made from fine gold granules and carbonyl nickel shot melted together under argon, chill cast, swaged to 1/16 in. diam rod, and annealed for one week at 850°C. Commercial reagent and chemically pure grade salts, purified by dehydration, were used for the electrolyte. The cell, operating in an atmosphere of purified argon, was heated in a resistance-wound cylindrical furnace whose temperature was controlled to within ±0.5ºC. The potential developed between the pure nickel and the alloy electrodes, which is related to the thermodynamic properties of the alloys by standard equations to be presented later, was measured with a potentiometer and a mirror galvanometer sensitive to 10-7 v. Dehydration of the electrolyte was carried out in the assembled cell by evacuating at 100°C for about

Jan 1, 1953

By A. Rosen, P. Wynblatt, J. E. Dorn

The temperature, strain rate, and structure dependence of the flow stress in a poly crystalline Fe-2 pct Mn alloy was investigated between 77" and 370°K. It was possible to identify the low-temperature data from 77° to 160°K with Dorn and Rajnak's theory of the Peierls mechanism of plastic deformation. Above 160°K one or more thermally activated mechanisms must he operative; however, these were not identified in this investigation. The mechanistic basis for the rapid decrease in the flow stress of bcc metals with an increase in temperature over the low-temperature range is yet being debated. Various dislocation mechanisms have been suggested in the past but the agreement between the various proposed theories and the experimental results have not been definitive. In the present paper, the authors will demonstrate that the plastic behavior of polycrystalline iron containing 2 wt pct Mn plus interstitials agrees excellently with predictions based on the Peierls mechanism from 77" to 160°K whereas from 160" to about 370°K other as yet unidentified thermally activated mechanisms take over. Undoubtedly, the overlap of these mechanisms with the Peierls mechanism contributed to the difficulties of rationalizing the low-temperature behavior of iron and its alloys. I) EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES AND RESULTS Although extensive data are now available on the effect of temperature and strain rate on the flow stress of various bcc metals and alloys, it was, nevertheless, deemed necessary for the objectives of the present study to obtain highly accurate data of the type most pertinent for checking the theories on a series of well-documented work-hardened states. Iron containing 2 wt pct Mn was used in this investigation in order to obtain a lower ductile to brittle transition temperature than that for iron.' The additional elements present were 0.004 pct C, 0.05 pct 0, 0.004 pct S, 0.003 pct P, 0.006 pct N, and 0.001 pct Si. The as-received 3/8 by 3/4 in. bars were cold-rolled to 0.100-in. thickness, recrystallized under argon for 30 min at 1073"~, further cold-rolled to 0.063-in. thickness, and finally recrystallized under argon for 30 min at 1000°K. This treatment gave a stable reproducible equiaxed grain structure having an average grain diameter of about 90 p. Prior to the final recrystallization treatment, the sheet was machined into tensile specimens 1/4 in. wide having a 1.625-in.-long gage section. All specimens were tested in controlled-temperature baths on an Instron Testing Machine. For convenience in the theoretical analyses the data will be given in terms of the shear stress for flow, 7, the shear strain rate, f, and the shear strain, y. A series of three standard strain-hardened states were obtained by prestraining specimens at 300°K and at a shear strain rate of 7.68 x lo-' per sec to three stress levels of 6.89 X l08, 10.3 X lo8, and 14.5 x 10' dynes per sq cm, respectively. Immediately following this prestrain the temperature bath was changed and each specimen was pulled in tension at either f = 7.68 X lo-' or f = 3.06 X 10"3 per sec. In terms of the accuracy that was achieved, the values obtained did not deviate more than *0.1 X 10' dynes per sq cm and * 1°K from the reported values of stress and temperature and not more than *5 pct in the reported values of the strain rate. The tensile stresses were converted to shear stresses using a factor of 1/2. The shear stress for the initiation of flow at the test temperature was determined by taking a y = 6.16 x 10'3 offset. from the modulus line at which point good accuracy could be achieved in determining y and the associated flow stress 7, with only a negligible increase in the pre-

Jan 1, 1965

By F. C. Schora, H. P. Meissner

Both a graphical and an analytical technique are presented for calculating stream compositions and temperatures in adiabatic staged systems in which solids travel countercurrently to a gas stream. Such a system might be a tower containing several plates, on each of which the descending solid is fluidized by the rising gas stream. Examples are presented in which chemical reactions occur, including the oxidation of SO, by a solid catalyst and the gaseous reduction of iron oxides. COUNTERCURRENT staged processes involving reactions between solid and gas streams are becoming more common. These operations are generally carried out in a series of beds of fluidized solids, with each bed or "plate" acting as a stage. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of such a series of stages located in a column, down through which a solids stream moves from stage to stage counter to a rising gas stream. Typical reactions carried out in such systems are the dehydration of aluminum trihydrate, the calcining of limestone, and the gaseous reduction of iron oxides. Calculation of the performance of these counter-current systems rapidly becomes more complex with increases in the number of stages and in the number of chemical reactions occurring. Calcula-tional procedures for isothermal operations of such systems have been described.4 Actual tower operations, however, are generally adiabatic, and in consequence far from isothermal. The object here is to present both graphical and analytical techniques applicable to such adiabatic towers operating continuously and in steady state. In this introductory discussion, the graphical techniques presented are of the McCabe-Thiele type, rather than of the Pon-chon type. In all the examples presented, it will be assumed that both thermal and chemical equilibrium are attained in each bed. The assumption that the gas and solid streams leaving each bed are at the same temperature as the bed is in accordance with the familiar behavior of actual fluidized solid systems. Chemical equilibrium, on the other hand, is not necessarily attained in any given stage between these two streams, even with deep beds, since reaction rates may be slow. In the last section of this paper, discussion is presented of methods suitable for use when chemical equilibrium is not attained. The adiabatic tower in Fig. 1 has "n" stages numbered from 1 to n, starting with the bottom stage as number 1. In analyzing this tower's performance, it is important to express gas flow rates in terms of a key component or element which remains completely within the gas stream throughout the tower. Similarly, solid flow is best expressed in terms of a key compound or element which remains within the solid phase throughout the tower. Thus, in burning limestone with a hot flue gas, the gas flow might be expressed as G, the pound mols of nitrogen flowing through the tower per unit time, while solid flow might be expressed as S, the pound atoms of calcium in all forms in the solid stream per unit of time. Defined in this way, both G and S are constant throughout the tower. The enthalpy of the gas and solid streams are now best expressed in terms of these key components. That is, the gas stream enthalpy H is expressed as Btu in the total gas per mol of the key component in the gas. Similarly, the solids stream enthalpy h is expressed as Btu in the total solid stream per pound mol (or pound atom) of the key component in this stream.

Jan 1, 1962

By R. E. Collins, Paul B. Crawford

Potentiometric model studies have been made of ertically fractured reservoirs. All fractures originated at he well and extended into the reservoir for various distances. Studies were made to determine the areal sweep efficiencies for line-drive patterns. The areal sweep efficiency for the unfractured system studied war 70.6 per cent. It was found that if the vertical fracture war paralIel with the direction of flood, the areal sweep efficiency may be considerably reduced, approaching zero in some instances. If the fracture was at right angles to the direction of flood, the areal sweep efficiency may be greater than that for the unfractured system. The sweep efficiency depends on the length and orientation of the fracture and direction of the flood. It is concluded that considerable effort should be made to determine the nature and direction of fractures before initiating a flooding program. Such information is required if the maximum sweep efficiency is to be obtained and channeling is to be reduced to a minimum. INTRODUCTION The recent development and application of fracturing techniques to petroleum reservoirs has served to focus considerable attention on the effect such fractures may have on secondary oil recoveries. The opinion has been expressed that fracturing may not alter appreciably the water flooding possibilities. Others have thought that channeling may occur and that the creation of fractures may serve to substantially reduce the possibilities of conducting a successful water flood in the reservoir The purpose of this study was to obtain quantitative estimates of the effect of vertical fractures on the areal sweep efficiencies of line-drive flooding patterns. In presenting this work on vertical fractures, it is not to be inferred that the present fracturing techniques result in producing a vertical fracture. The types of fracture which are created are not known with certainty in every case. Some are believed to be horizontal, others inclined along bedding planes, and some data indicate vertical fracturing. Each fracture will probably exert a different influence on the sweep efficiency of the secondary recovery program; consequently each fractured well should perhaps be considered as a separate problem, requiring a careful analysis. Preliminary work on the effect of fractures on producing capacity of a well indicated that for practical purposes many fractures may be treated as having a nearly infinite permeability This assumption appears to be valid in some instances where the permeability of the fracture is only 10 or 100 times greater than the permeability of the matrix. It is known to depend on the type, orientation and length of the fracture. In realization that fractures of only 0.01 in. width have calculated permeabilities near 5,000 darcys, it is believed that many fractures may be considered as of near infinite permeability without incurring serious error. Primarily for this reason this study was made with fracture analogs of very great permeability compared to the matrix. FRACTURED SYSTEM ANALOG The pattern sweep efficiencies reported here were obtained with the aid of a potentiometric model. The application of this type model for solving reservoir problems has been described in the literature.1,2,3 The electrolyte reservoir was 20 in. wide by 30 in. long by approximately % in. deep. The liquid depth was constant, which corresponded to a constant permeability-feet product from the injection to the production well. The electrolyte reservoir was built to correspond to a unit in the line-drive pattern shown in Fig. 1. This figure shows part of an infinite array of wells having alternate rows of fractured and unfractured wells. The area within the dashed rectangle shows the area generally studied in the model. In using the model to represent a fractured system, a thin strip of copper was soldered to the well or wells and the length and orientation of the strip was made to conform to the vertical fracture under consideration.

Jan 1, 1955

By S. Weinig, E. S. Machlin

IN a previous study of the grain boundary stress relaxation phenomenon,' the authors had arrived at the conclusion that two successive steps were involved in the complete relaxation of stress at a grain boundary. These two steps were grain boundary migration and grain boundary slip. It was further suggested that the slower of these two processes is rate controlling. In an attempt to ascertain the validity of the above, a study of grain growth kinetics on the same alloys used for the previous study was undertaken. Separate wire specimens, 0.030 in. diam, in the same as-deformed state (99 pct reduction in area) as in the previous investigation were heated to the various temperatures for a sequence of times. The compositions used and the temperatures of testing are summarized in Table I. A statistical determination of grain size was then made on each specimen, using the average length of traverse between boundaries as a measure of the grain size. Examples of typical results obtained are shown in Figs. '1 and 2. The grain growth law D = ktn was found to fit most of the data. Using this relation, values of the grain growth exponent n were calculated and the inter -esting dependence of n on solute content shown in Figs. 3 and 4 was then obtained. Also, it was found that the constant K which was obtained from extrapolation is roughly independent of solute content. (K is uncertain to within ±25 pct.) An estimate of the activation energy for grain growth was made using the technique of Burke? This method utilizes the plot of the reciprocal of time necessary for the grain size to increase from a definite starting size Do, to a final size D, for each isothermal heat treatment. The slope of this curve corresponds to the heat of activation for the process. In Fig. 5 the rate of grain growth is plotted against the reciprocal of absolute temperature. The activation energies were obtained from these curves and are summarized in Fig. 6. Discussion It is interesting to note that the same saturation in the variability with concentration has been found for the grain growth exponent n in this research as was found in the previous researches on both grain boundary stress relaxationa and internal friction of dislocation origin." The significant feature is that saturation in the variation of these properties has been found to occur at about the same level of solute concentration, namely, between 0.1 and 0.5 atomic pct. The only characteristic common to these different quantities is that solute adsorption at grain boundaries and dislocation can take place and affect these values in a similar fashion. Thus, it is concluded that the grain growth exponent n depends upon solute adsorption at the grain boundaries. It appears, therefore, that theoretical considerations leading to the contrary conclusions5,6 have not treated the real process by which solute atoms exert their effect on grain growth. Prior to the analysis of the observed activation energies, certain of the aspects of the aforementioned grain boundary stress relaxation investigation will be briefly reviewed. It was found that with the addition of solute atoms the grain boundary stress relaxation peak (internal friction vs temperature) decreased in intensity. Simultaneously a second peak was observed which increased with increasing solute atoms. Both of these peaks were shown to be the result of grain boundary stress relaxation. They have been termed, respectively, poire peak and solute peak. It was suggested that the solute peak was dependent upon grain boundary migration, whereas the pure peak was a manifestation of grain boundry slip. Activation energies for both peaks were obtained as a function of Solute content. The value of the activation energy in the temperature range corresponding to the solute peak was

Jan 1, 1958

By L. W. Pommier, F. B. Brien

The Rheological properties of pulps are non-Newtonian in character and more than one viscosity parameter is necessary to describe their behavior, therefore, the single term 'apparent viscosity' which has been used in the past may be misleading. The study reported in this paper uses a dimensional analysis based on the Ostwald-de Waele shear stress-rate of shear model for non-Newtonian liquids to develop velocity and resistance equations for falling spheres. An electronic monitoring apparatus was assembled for determining the velocity of metallic bodies as they fall through opaque liquids and suspensions. By means of this apparatus the behavior of the viscosity parameters of the Ostwald-de Waele model and the applicability of the proposed equations were examined for a number of non-Newtonian liquids. The validity of the equations for these liquids was confirmed. Preliminary data collected using solid-liquid suspensions established the validity of the form of the basic equations for these systems. The differential movement of solid particles through solid-liquid pulps and suspensions is very important LO many branches of engineering, such as minerals processing, soil mechanics, ceramic slip processing, oil well drilling-mud technology, materials-handling in pipelines, and many others. There is a dearth of fundamental knowledge on the flow resistance encountered by immersed bodies moving through solid-liquid suspensions. The resistance offered by Newtonian liquids to the movement of free settling spheres is well described for laminar and turbulent conditions by Stokes' and Newton's Laws, respectively. However, problems are encountered when attempts are made to extrapolate these simple relationships into solid liquid suspensions. The rheological properties of pulps are such that they are non-Newtonian in character;'" that is, the applied shearing stress and resulting rate-of-shear are related by non-linear functions, and thus, in the simplest case two viscosity parameters are necessary to describe their rheological properties. For this reason the single term 'apparent viscosity' which has been commonly used to explain the flow resistance of suspensions and non-Newtonian liquids may be misleading. It is realized that a rigorous analysis of the rnechanisms of momentum transport of liquid-solid systems is complex indeed. There are many variables that affect the rheological properties of the systems such as density, size, shape, and surface energy of the suspended solid and density and viscosity of suspending liquid, as well as the solid to liquid ratio. However, it was felt that a useful contribution to the knowledge of the behavior of suspensions could be made by examining the systems in terms of the basic fundamentals of nowNewtonian flow. This has led to the development, by means of dimensional analysis, of velocity and resistance equations, using two viscosity parameters to describe the velocity of penetrating bodies and the flow resistance encountered by these bodies, as they pass through non-Newtonian systems. THEORY In order to examine the effects of the rheological properties of solid-liquid suspensions on the movement of immersed bodies it is appropriate to start with non-Newtonian liquids and develop equations, analogous to those of Stokes and Newton, for laminar and turbulent flow respectively, from which quantitative information may be obtained. Further investigation would then be directed at the complex suspension systems, and the effects of the many variables on the velocity and resistance equations. Liquids are classified on a basis of viscosity which may be defined as the relationship between applied shear stress and resulting rate of shear?-'* Pure single phase liquids composed of small light molecules behave as Newtonian liquids, having a single viscosity parameter since the shearing stress and rate-of-shear are related by a linear function. Bingham plastics are similar but have a yield stress. Of particular importance in our investigation are dilatant (shear thickening) and pseudoplastic (shear thinning) non-Newtonian liquids, with and without yield values.

Jan 1, 1968

By Pablo Hadzeriga

Great Salt Lake brine was subjected, in laboratory scale, to conditions simulating solar evaporation. Solid phases and the variation in composition of the liquid phase throughout the potassium salts crystallization zone are presented. These experimental results are discussed and compare with stable equilibrium data of the quinary system Cl-, SO4, Na+, K+, Mg + + and H2O. The Great Salt Lake brine in Utah is a vast reserve of several potential chemicals which has attracted much attention in the recent past. From the standpoint of an ore reserve, it may be said that the lake contains a low grade ore which has to be concentrated by evaporation of water. Because of the fairly favorable weather conditions in the Great Salt Lake area, it seems reasonable to consider solar evaporation as an economical means of concentration. From the view of phase chemistry, the main constituents of Great Salt Lake brine make it belong to the five component system: C1-, SO4=, Na+, K+, Mg++ and H2O. Because of their low concentration, the presence of other elements may be regarded as having little effect on the equilibrium of the five main components. Equilibrium data for the quinary system of our interest has been available for many years. Using these data, it is possible to calculate how the brine of the lake will concentrate when subjected to solar evaporation. In practicing solar evaporation, the weather factor and supersaturation conditions cannot be ignored, but their introduction into calculations using equilibrium diagrams is almost an impossible task. With the experimental work presented in this paper, an attempt is made to compare the stable equilibrium data of the quinary system as applied to the case of the Great Salt Lake brine and the dynamic equilibrium when that brine is subjected to continuous solar evaporation. Sea water brine belongs to this quinary system when only the major constituents are considered. The study of this system has been carried on since the last decades of the nineteenth century. The reason for these intensive studies was to give a geological explanation to the underground potash deposits. AS a result, many theories were presented trying to relate the equilibrium data with the geological formation, paragenesis and metamorphism of these deposits. Two main approaches were followed for the equilibrium studies of this quinary system. One of them, and the best known to us, was the school started in Germany in the last century by J. H. Van't Hoff. The other one, which started about the same time, was the school of N. S. Kurnakov in Russia. Both approaches were different and as a consequence generated opposite theories about the geological formation of potash deposits. The Van't Hoff school studied the quinary system of sea water under careful laboratory control, resulting in stable phase diagrams. During these studies, Van't Hoff recognized the difficulties in crystallizing some double salts.' ". . . . we unexpectedly found that some compounds whose formation in the solutions under investigation was possible at 25°C, nevertheless totally failed to put in an appearance. These, not to mention the calcium salts, were leonite, MgSO4 . K2SO4 4 H2O; kainite, KC1-MgSO4 . 3 H2O; and kieserite, MgSO4 .H2O. Even exceedingly slow crystallization with the addition of the compounds themselves did not remove the condition of supersaturation in the case of these bodies." However, those salts (leonite, kainite, and kieserite) were included in the stable phase diagram at 25°C as shown in Fig. 1 using D'Ans data.3 The figure also shows the sequence of crystallization of the Great Salt Lake brine according to the stable diagram. In later studies by the Van't Hoff school, especially by D'Ans,3 Karsten,4 Autenrieth,5,6 attention

Jan 1, 1968

By Oscar E. Harder, John E. Dorn

The phenomenon of diffusion, according to the most prevalent conceptions at the present time, undoubtedly played an important part in the formation and distribution of metals and minerals in the earth's crust. Apparently there is good evidence that in the geological rate of cooling diffusion caused numerous materials to separate into individual masses or into duplex structures. As is well known, the early steels were made by cementation; that is, by heating wrought ferrous metal in contact with carburizing materials so as to produce a relatively high carbon content on the surface. If the process was continued long enough, the carbon diffused throughout the piece. A more homogeneous product depended upon further heating and forging, so that the carbon diffused to a fairly uniform concentration throughout the metal. In the modern metallurgical industry, diffusion is the basis for many operations; for example, the production of hard surfaces on steels by carburizing, nitriding, cementing with chromium, silicon, boron and beryllium. Castings or ingots as they solidify do not have homogeneous structures, but these structures are made largely homogeneous by suitable process of heat-treating and the resulting diffusion. It is in modern physical metallurgy, however, that we become greatly concerned about the mechanism of the phenomenon of diffusion. The rates of diffusion, effect of temperature and time on diffusion, and the relation of diffusion to the many properties of the parent metal and the diffusing metal have become important; also, we are concerned with the diffusion of a single metal into a complex alloy. For example, what is the mechanism whereby carbon and nitrogen travel into steel? What is the effect of alloying elements in the ferrous material on the rates of diffusions? What is the effect of simultaneous diffusion of carbon and nitrogen? How does chromium, beryllium, boron, or the like, diffuse into the steel, and what are the effects of alloying elements in the steel previous to the cementation process? These inquiries are by no means limited

Jan 1, 1938

By M. Sagheer

This paper gives a report of the laboratory work investigating the fundamental flotation characteristics of chromite and its commonly associated mineral, serpentine. Floatability curves, showing floatability of chromite at different concentrations of sodium oleate and pH, were obtained by pick-up method. One of the difficulties encountered in flotation of chromite in presence of serpentine has been attributed to dissolved metal ions. The influence of metal ions, dissolved in pulp filtrate, on floatability of pure chromite and serpentine has been studied and it has been shown that Mg, Ca and Fe ions depress chromite. A considerable amount of work applying bubble pick-up method was carried out to counteract the depressing action of metal ions. Various methods and reagents were applied in this connection. Validity of each method and reagent has been discussed. Probably due to the abundance of high-grade chrome ores, very little has been published concerning the flotation of chromite. As improvements in mineral beneficiation are realized, more attention is being directed to low-grade ores previously considered unusable. Currently, gravity concentration is the principal process applied to upgrade chrome ores, but this cannot be used for finely disseminated ore because of the substantial losses in the fines,1,2,3 To avoid these losses, flotation can be applied to material which is too fine for satisfactory gravity concent ration, and it is probable that a combination

Jan 1, 1967

By A. U. Seybolt, D. H. Haman

The rate of oxidation of the lowest nitride of chromium, Cr2N, was measured to be equal to the rate of oxidation of chromium metal. It was found that, while the presence of Cr2N in chromium does not affect the oxidation mechanism, a long exposure at high temperature affects the morphology of Cr2N in chromium, causing a massive internal nitriding along chromium pain boundaries. Marker expen' -ments showed that the rate of oxidation of Cr2N layers on chromium is determined by the rate of chromium diffusion through Cr,03. The rate of formation of Cr2N is determined by diffusion rate of nitrogen through Cr2N. This rate at 1000°C is around thirty times faster than the rate of oxiahtion. Evidence is presented which suggests that nitrogen from the air reaches the chromium through the Cr2O9 by migration through pores or cracks rather than by a diffusive process. IT has long been recognized that, when chromium or alloys containing substantial amounts of chromium are oxidized in air, some chromium nitride (Cr2N) is formed under the oxide scale. Although the presence of this nitride layer has often been described, there appears to have been no systematic study of the role played by the nitride during the oxidation process. Indeed, there have been conflicting re-ports'92 on the kinetics of oxidation of chromium and chromium alloys in air and in oxygen. However, it is now well-established'-5 that the rate-controlling process during the parabolic oxidation of chromium to Cr2O3 is chromium-ion diffusion through Cr2O3. Because of the importance of chromium-containing alloys as oxidation-resistant materials, it seemed desirable to investigate the behavior of chromium during oxidation with and without the presence of chromium nitride. Since a semicontinuous Cr2N layer forms relatively early during the oxidation of chromium in the air, chromium atoms must either pass out of or through the Cr2N layer to become incorporated in the growing Cr2O3 scale. Therefore, it seemed desirable to examine the oxidation behavior of the pure nitride. MATERIALS AND EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The chromium used in this investigation consisted of slices of an ingot made from "five-nine" iodide chromium which had been argon-atmosphere melted in a Y2O 3-stabilized ZrO2 crucible in an induction furnace. The only impurity of any significance was 625 ppm of 0, which was usually reduced to a microscopically invisible amount by hydrogen annealing at 1400°C. However, one sample of chromium was used with the as-cast oxygen level as explained below. The samples were used after abrading through 600 Sic paper and then washing in toluene and alcohol. Both nitriding and oxidation experiments were performed in a vertical tube furnace connected to a glass vacuum system. 'This system was equipped with pressure measuring instruments for the range of 10 p to 1 atm, and a cartesian-diver pressure-control device was used in conjunction with a needle valve to allow control of pressure in the range of about 10 to 760 mm. The nitrogen or hydrogen gas was purified by passing through hot copper chips at 600°C, anhydrous calcium sulfate (Drierite), and liquid nitrogen. Oxygen gas was dried through the Drierite column and a dry-ice trap (-78°C). Changes in specimen weight were followed by a Pyrex helix used in conjunction with a cathetometer which could reproducibly be read to +0.001 cm, yielding an accuracy of about +0.2 mg. The spring was maintained in the cool upper part of the furnace tube where the temperature did not rise above about 35°C. The nitride in equilibrium with metallic chro-

Jan 1, 1964

By John Wulff, David A. Stevenson

The rates of solution of copper, nickel, and three copper-nickel alloys in liquid lead were studied at 527° and 727°C under dynamic conditions. The relative velocity at the solid-liquid interface was varied from 8.65 to 125 cm per sec. Analysis of the data for the pure metals indicates that the solution rate is transport corztrolled at lower velocities, but a transition to mixed control occurs at higher velocities, higher temperatures, and higher percent saturation. 1 HE present work concerns the effect of relative velocity at a solid-liquid interface on the dissolution kinetics of pure solid materials in liquid metals. This general problem is of interest in electrode kinetics, in electrolytic processes, and more recently in the field of liquid metal corrosion. Considerable work has been done on dissolution kinetics in aqueous environments because of the obvious importance to electrolytic processes.1,2 In purely metallic systems investigation has been more limited. There are, of course, extensive data from loop tests which are used in an engineering evaluation of liq- uid metal corrosion. Here, however, the dissolution process is complicated by several interdependent processes. In general, one of two factors is considered to be rate limiting in the dissolution process: the transport of material from the solid-liquid interface into the bulk liquid, or an activation process directly at the interface. A number of studies of the dissolution rates of solid metals in liquid metals under static conditions have been published.3- Since the attendant hydrodynamic conditions imposed by thermal gradient convection and concentration gradient convection are difficult to analyze, it is doubtful if a clear interpretation of the experimental findings of these papers in terms of the mechanism involved in the dissolution process can be made. A clearer picture of the dissolution process is provided by

Jan 1, 1962

By H. Bernstein

Grain coarsening tests were carried out on AI-4.5 pct Cu and AI-4.5 pct Si alloys. The effects of three variables, melt composition, pour temperature, and mold temperature, were determined. It was found that the macrostructure generally coarsened with increased pour and mold temperatures. Coarsening was extreme in the unrefined alloys but was retarded by the active grain refiners like titanium and columbium. The effect of boron was spectacular in suppressing coarsening tendencies. The results of the investigation support the carbide theory of nucleation as opposed to the peritectic theory. A REVIEW of prior work on the subject of grain refinement in the light metals indicated that, for the most part, it had been concerned with the positive effects of addition agents upon structure. This work produced various theories of refinement. Prominent among them were the peritectic theory and the transition element carbide theory. Certain inadequacies in the former theory appeared to be explained satisfactorily by the transition element carbide theory. In order to appraise these theories further, a study was undertaken of the permanence of grain refinement effects when subjected to thermal or chemical variations. It was considered that a study of this kind would be of practical value, since the light metals are exposed to thermal and chemical variations in the normal course of foundry operations. Accordingly, two alloys of commercial importance were selected for this investigation, the A1-Cu and A1-Si alloys. Experimental Procedure and Results Raw Materials: The base alloys, A1-Cu and A1-Si, were prepared from virgin aluminum and hardeners, induction melted, and pigged for remelting. The grain refiners, including titanium, columbium, zirconium, and boron, were added as master alloys. Analyses of the raw materials and base alloys are listed in Table I. Melting and Casting Practice: The metals were melted in clay-graphite crucibles in a Hevi-Duty pit-type resistance furnace, equipped with a Leeds and Northrup Micromax Recorder and Controller. After melt down of the base alloys, the additions were made. For each casting, approximately 80 grams of metal were poured into a preheated graphite mold held in a transite flask. The mold (Fig. 1) weighed 320 grams. To determine the effect of superheat upon structure, a set of melts was heated successively to four temperature levels, 705°, 775°, 845°, and 915°C, and test specimens were cast at each level. Prior to each pour, the furnace temperature was held constant for 20 min. Next, a set of melts was put through a superheat cycle and test specimens were cast at melt temperatures of 705" and 915°C successively. The crucibles then were cooled in air to 705°C as deter-mined by immersion thermocouple and additional test specimens were poured. The cooling interval was approximately 1 min. Another set of melts was furnace cooled with the cover slightly ajar and test specimens cast as before. The interval in this case was 15 to 20 min, varying with the superheat temperature. The mold temperature for all these tests was 400°C. To determine the effect of cooling rate without superheat upon structure, a set of melts was heated to 705°C, and castings were poured at mold temperatures of 205", 400°, and 540°C. An interval of 15 min elapsed between each pour. Mold temperatures were measured by a direct reading millivolt-meter, using a chromel-alumel thermocouple located at midwall thickness of the mold. To demonstrate the phenomenon of chemical coarsening, agents such as chromium and beryllium, which had acted as coarseners in a previous investigation,' were added to the A1-Cu alloy. Test speci-

Jan 1, 1955

By E. N. Mazza, H. S. Kalish

The effect of sintering types 302, 3028, and 430 stainless steel powder compacts in hydrogen and dissociated ammonia was investigated. It was found that sintering in dissociated ammonia resulted in as much as 0.5 wt pct increase in the nitrogen content of stainless steel even though the dissociation of the gas was complete. Sintering in hydrogen, on the other hand, reduced the nitrogen content of the stainless steel to less than 0.01 wt pct. In the case of the 302-type stainless steel, the low nitrogen content resulted in a material that was largely ferritic, whereas the high nitrogen content rendered the material fully austenitic. Sintering in dissociated ammonia resulted in lower density, generally lower tensile strength, less ductility, and higher hardness than sintering under equivalent conditions in hydrogen. The reduction of oxides on both stainless steel and iron particles was found to be effected by hydrogen partial pressure in the sintering atmosphere. Compacting pressure was found also to effect oxide reduction during sintering. DISSOCIATED ammonia often is used as a substitute'.' for hydrogen in sintering and in annealing, since economic advantages sometimes can be obtained by such a substitution. In addition, anhydrous ammonia contains very little impurity. Thus, dissociated ammonia gas is very dry whereas tank hydrogen often must be freed of oxygen and water vapor prior to use in many applications. The sintering of stainless steel powder compacts as well as bright annealing is well recognized as requiring a hydrogen atmosphere and for the foregoing reasons dissociated ammonia is frequently substituted. It has generally been overlooked, however, that the nitrogen in dissociated ammonia might have an important effect on the sintering process and on the properties of stainless steel compacts. Considered an inert gas in many applications, nitrogen, on the other hand, is very reactive with cer- tain metals. Dissociated ammonia could not be used for hydriding zirconium or titanium. Nitrogen reacts with columbium, tantalum, chromium, uranium, thorium, and many other active metals. Iron and iron-base alloys are, for the most part, inert in nitrogen but there are many borderline cases. It has been reported that stainless steel stabilized with columbium or titanium should not be sintered in dissociated ammonia.3 olybdenum has been reported as reacting with dissociated ammonia to a minor extent.' Although most of the reactions with iron-base alloys are attributed to the action of un-dissociated ammonia and the action of nascent nitrogen, Uhlig4 showed how readily pure molecular nitrogen reacts with and diffuses into 18-8 stainless steel at 1150°C. He also pointed out how readily nitrogen diffuses out of 18-8 stainless steel when heated in pure dry hydrogen, and these thorough investigations on the subject show that commercial stainless steels are nitrogen-bearing, since they are melted in air. The effects of nitrogen in stainless steel, particularly the 18-8 Cr-Ni type, previously have received considerable attention." In 1926, it was pointed out

Jan 1, 1956

By Nicholas J. Grant, John Chipman

A full understanding of the behavior of sulphur in the basic open-hearth process has been delayed by lack of dependable data covering a wide range of slag conditions in the absence of other complicating factors that are likely to be present under operating conditions. It has been generally accepted that strongly basic slags will dissolve more sulphur than will those in which the acidic and basic constituents are more nearly balanced. It has been known that both slag and metal would absorb sulphur from the flame when the sulphur content of the fuel is high. It has been generally believed that manganese assists in the transfer of sulphur from metal to slag. Almost nothing has been known of the effect of temperature upon desulphurization;the data have been conflicting and there has been a tendency to depend rather heavily upon analogy with the better understood desulphurizing reaction of the blast furnace. Many attempts have been made to build up from open-hearth data a satisfactory theory of the chemical reactions involved in the process. That this has been an extremely difficult task is owing to two reasons that have been very generally recognized. The first is the parallel and simultaneous reaction of sulphur transfer between flame and bath. The second is the difficulty of distinguishing between the factors that ultimately limit the transfer from metal to slag—i.e., equilibrium conditions—and those whose influence is only upon the rate of transfer. It has been the object of the work here recounted to study the equilibrium distribution of sulphur between slag and metal in the absence of these complicating factors, with the hope that a better understanding of the equilibria involved would lead to a better control of the over-all process in the open-hearth furnace. A review of the literature on steelmaking reveals almost complete agreement with respect to the paramount importance of lime in promoting desulphurization. In expressing this effect in quantitative terms, however, and in formulating the relationships between the concentrations of other slag components and the desulphurizing power, there is little agreement. For instance, the "basicity" or basic strength of the slag is commonly measured by some kind of ratio of concentration of basic to acidic oxides. Of these, the following have been reviewed by Schenck:20 V radio = % CaO/%SiO, Körber and Oelsen's _ % CaO'. 100/% CaO + % SiO2 where (%CaO') = % CaO- 1.18% P2O5. Herty's B ratio = % CaO - (0.93 . % SO2) - (1.18% P205) Among others there appear the following: 20 References are at the end of the paper.

Jan 1, 1947

By W. L. Fink, L. A. Willey

DURING the war there was introduced a new higher strength aircraft alloy designated 75S.1,2.3 The properties of this alloy assure extensive applications in both military and commercial aircraft. It is therefore important to understand its limitations as well as advantages. The properties of 75S alloy in the heat-treated tempers, like those of many other aluminum alloys, are affected by the rate of quenching. In general, low quenching rates tend to cause low strengths and to adversely affect the resistance to corrosion. Commercial quenching procedures are usually sufficiently rapid to permit the development of maximum properties. However, in the center of heavy sections, such as large rolled and extruded shapes, the quenching rates may not be rapid enough to develop maximum strength or resistance to corrosion. The investigations of 75S alloy described herein reveal the most critical range of temperature and the effects of quenching sheet and extrusions at different rates through that temperature range, on the tensile properties and resistance to corrosion. PROCEDURE Preparation of Specimens Sheet specimens (3 in. by 9 in.) were prepared from a commercial lot of 75S "as rolled" sheet (0.064 in. thick). The composition° was as follows: Weight Percentage Cu Mn Mg Zn Cr Al with Normal Impurities 1.64 0.16 2.58 5.66 0.27 Remainder The specimens employed for the determination of the time-temperature relations during quenching of sheet were prepared by the following procedure: the hot junction of a 28-ga. iron-constantan thermoelement (asbestos insulated) was brazed to a thin strip of aluminum which was in turn brazed into the end of a 3/16 in. i.d. by ¼ -in. o.d. by 30 in. long aluminum protection tube. Before brazing, the tube was flattened to 0.064 in. thickness over the junction and adjacent lead wires for a distance of 1 ½ in. The flattened end of the tube was fitted into a slot cut from one edge to the center of the 3 in. by 9 in. by 0.064 in. sheet and brazed into place. The brazed joint was dressed to the thickness of the sheet and the entire specimen buffed to approximately the brightness of "as rolled" material. Because of the brazing operations required, these specimens were prepared using 3S alloy. For the investigation of quenching rates in heavy sections, there were used 75S extrusions which had compositions similar to that of the sheet. The specimens consisted of 14 in. lengths of ¾ in., 2 in., 3 in. and 4 in. diam cylindrical rods and a roughly rectangular extruded section which was approximately 4 in. by 7 ½ in. Thermocouples were peened into the bottoms of 1/8 in. diam wells drilled into one end and parallel to the axis to a depth of

Jan 1, 1947

By P. G. Winchell, A. J. Heckler

An experimentally simple method for determining the effect of alloying elements on the activity of carbon is validated in Fe-Ni-C austenite. The technique consists of the equilibration of carbon between specimens of different nickel contents within a sealed silica capsule. The attainment of carbon equilibrium within each capsule is evidenced by: 1) in each capsule specimens of the same nickel content attained the same final carbon content regardless of their initial carbon contents, 2) in every capsule the final carbon content was reached for most nickel contents by carburizing and by decarburizing. The activity of carbon attained within each capsule was calculated from the carbon content of a binary Fe-C alloy placed within the capsule, and from the activity coefficient of carbon in the Fe-C system as found by Smith for CO/CO2/C equilibrium. The activity of carbon in Fe-Ni-C austenite determined by this method at 1000°C agrees with prior work by Smith, who used mother method. The measurements are extended to 800°and 1200°C. The activity coefficient of carbon 7c, in Fe-Ni-C austenite is given by: where xC is the ratio of carbon to metal atoms and XNi is the ratio of nickel to metal atoms and where the standard state is chosen such that yC = 1 as xc approaches zero in Fe-C alloys. This equation appears to be valid for xni < 0.3, and 1073° < T<1473°K. ThE activity of carbon in Fe-C austenite has been measured by smithL at 800°, 1000°, and 1200°C. Smith has also studied the effect of nickel on the activity A. J, HECKLER and P. G. WINCHELL are Graduate Student and Associate Professor of Metallurgical Engineering, respectively, School of Metallurgical Engineering, Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind. This paper is based on a thesis submitted ty,to Purdue University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of M.S. in Metallurgical Engineering which A. J. HECKLER received from Purdue in January 1962. Manuscript submitted August 13, 1962. IMD of carbon in austenite at 1000°C. In both these studies the activity of carbon was fixed by a flowing CO-C02* *Gas mixtures of hydrogen and methane were also used in Ref. 1 but these results are not incorporated in Ref. 2 or in the present study. gas mixture. In the present work, Smith&apos;s results for Fe-Ni-C austenite are confirmed and extended to 800" and 1200°C by a different experimental technique. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE In essence the experimental technique consisted of enclosing specimens of various nickel contents in an initially evacuated silica capsule and annealing the capsule until carbon equilibrium was attained among the enclosed specimens. The carbon activity obtained within the capsule was determined from the final carbon content of the binary Fe-C alloy included in each capsule and the results of smith.&apos; In order to evaluate this method the absence of nickel transfer between specimens must be established and the attainment of carbon equilibrium between samples must be assured. The absence of nickel transfer was demonstrated in the case of an originally pure iron sample which was annealed at 1200°C in a capsule with a 27.3 at. pct Ni alloy. The final nickel content of the iron specimen was less than 0.1 at. pct, a change which has a negligible effect on carbon activity. The attainment of carbon equilibrium was demonstrated within every capsule and in over half the results by achieving the same final carbon content in a sample which carburized during equilibration and in a sample of the same nickel content which decarburized during equilibration. The base Fe-Ni alloys were vacuum melted from Ferrovac E or electrolytic iron and Mond or electrolytic nickel. The samples were rolled and/or swaged and their carbon content adjusted to the desired pre-equilibration level either by methane-hydrogen carburization or by direct carbon transfer from a graphite source in a sealed silica capsule. As mentioned previously, high-carbon and low-carbon samples were prepared for most nickel levels in each capsule. The specimens were cleaned and

Jan 1, 1963

By M. N. Dunlap

This article summarizes the successful incorporation of a flash-flooding stream into the tailing-disposal system at the St. Joseph Lead Company&apos;s Federal Division mill, in St. Francois County, Missouri. The mill was built in 1906, by the Federal Lead Co., as its No. 3 mill for the concentration of southeastern Missouri lead ores, and damming Davis Creek was first considered in 1908. Plans were made also in 1925 and in 1937. Dam layouts varied from a reinforced concrete structure to a barrier built of tailings alone. .All were abandoned because of liability that would be incurred by flash-flood rupturing of an incompleted dam. By 1942 mill capacity had reached 12,000 tons daily and increasing tailing-disposal costs again focused attention on the Davis Creek basin. This time the problem of riskless dam building was solved. Moreover, most of the items that appeared in the answer were materials that normally required wasting and the major portion of labor involved performed functions that it mould normally have done, without constructive benefit, elsewhere. The new layout also made possible advantageous changes in mill-water supply pumping; static head being reduced from 514 ft to 9; ft, friction head from 4900 ft to 2860 ft, and pumping can be done now at periods of low power demand. The following facts about the Davis Creek watershed explain the 36-year reluctance to reach these, and other, benefits. Size: 3600 acres. Outline: roughly pear-shaped, 21/2 by 3 miles at the largest dimensions. Topography: mostly hill land with steep valleys. Relief: 760 minimum to 1153 maximum. Maximum rainfall: 3.36 in. per hour. Permanent water: none natural. Now 2200 gpm discharged through 16-in. drill hole from mine pumps underground. Geology: the 17 acres near dam centerline is Bonne Terre dolomite covered with sand and gravel eroded from Pleistocene beds that cap some of the hills. The remainder of the pond basin is on Davis shale. Soil cover: mostly second-growth timber with some abandoned fields; all subject to careless burning, which reduces water-retaining ability. Flood history: flash-flooding that had taken at least one life. Downstream values: two railroad bridges before creek intersection with Flat River. Immediately below confluence, a highway bridge, a low-water crossing, a few business establishments and several blocks of residences. In July 1942 the following segments of an ingenious plan were put into operation. A ditch 270 ft long, 16 ft wide and 51/2 ft deep was excavated to bedrock in the gravelly soil along the proposed dam&apos;s centerline. This excavation, which exposed many gravel-filled channels, was run full of slimes drawn from a riser set in the top of an adjacent tailings-disposal

Jan 1, 1949