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By James H. Hance

Several years ago the writer was connected with the Mint and Assay Service of the Federal Government as Assistant Assayer at the Salt Lake Assay Office. At that time cyanide bars formed approximately half of the bullion purchased by that office. Disagreement in valuat,ion between the producer and the office was not infrequent and to a lesser extent between the Assay Office and the Mint, this latter issue being soon obviated, however, by adopting uniform methods of sampling the bars. A nice problem seemed to offer itself for research and the writer began a series of experiments which were soon terminated, however, by his going into other work, and which he regrets have not since been completed. The results attained may suggest lines of approach to this problem and are, therefore, offered in this article. Frederic P. Dewey, Assayer of the Mint Scrvice, U. 5. Treasury, has had abundant opportunity to study this phase of metallurgy, and has published several articles relative thereto.1 In the last article cited Dewey quotes analyses of cyanide bullion similar in content to that with which the writer worked, and which show some of the variations met with. In the discussion of these papers,2 comparison has been made in terms of copper bullion, but to the writer this seems of questionable value. Copper bullion may resemble silver bullion, but its similarity to gold bullion with little or no silver content is another thing. The freezing-point diagram of Roozeboom, reproduced on page 881 of the discussion cited, is for the gold-silver series as stated. The original problem under discussion, however, is not this alloy but gold with base metals other than copper. As for the statement that the corners are the worst places or

Jan 1, 1916

By Breaux B. Castleman

The ultimate test of a business strategy is whether it achieves the owner's objectives. Most shareholders are interested in growth and profits, and share values on stock exchanges are very often closely correlated with profit growth and profitability measured as return on equity (ROE). Strategic management, then, involves managing investments or resource allocations to optimize long-term growth and real return on equity, within reasonable limits of risk. Figure 1 shows a plot of the five year, weighted average ROE of a number of communications companies against their stock market valuations in 1983, measured as a ratio of market value to book value. The principal explanation of the differences in the relative valuations of the individual stocks is historical ROE, weighted toward the most recent years. Further analysis demonstrates the added importance of growth in explaining the differences in stock market to book ratios. [ ] Research conducted by Booz Allen and others in recent years suggests that the relationships between ROE and market to book multiples hold true in industry after industry. Furthermore, we have found that in assessing business strategies for companies in these industries, the analyses should focus on whether proposed strategies are likely to lead to consistent long-term growth in real ROE, without excessive leverage. Our research also reveals, however, that these approaches to strategy assessment are not consistently applicable in the natural resource extractive industries. Figure 2 shows a similar comparison of market to book values against five year average ROE for a group of nine mining companies in 1983. Market value of the shares shows little correlation with ROE. [ ] Analysis of the data for other extractive industries indicates a similar pattern; that is, low correlation between share values and

Jan 1, 1985

By E. Buehler, R. H. Willens

A Hew melting technique has hem adapted to the rapid quenching of- alloys from the liquid state. The inelting method has no limitations on the alloys investigated for there is no reaction with crucible materials and the most refractory materials are easily melted. The vate of heating is so rapid that alloys which have a high vapor pressure constituent can be melted with a minimal loss in material. Several new superconductovs have been discoveved by vapid quenching of lolten alloys. THE rapid quenching of alloys from the liquid state has led to the discovery of many new metastable phases. The methods initially used were limited to alloys which did not react with crucible materials.1,2 There was also the unmentioned limitation in tem- perature. Alloys with melting points much greater than 2000°C could not be melted in the rapid-quench apparatus. Recently, there have been successful attempts to rapidly quench reactive alloys by Moss et at. and Matthias Moss et al. injected powdered material (325 mesh) into a high-temperature plasma and the high-velocity molten droplets impinged on a cooled copper plate. The technique innovated by Matthias was to melt the alloy in an arc furnace and splatter it against a copper plate by means of a high-velocity gas jet aimed at the melt. I) FAST COOLING APPARATUS The creation of a metastable phase in a given alloy system by rapid cooling from the melt is contingent on the quenching rate. Some alloys require very slow rates while other alloys require the ultimate in quenching rate. At the present time, the vertical-gun technique of Duwez and willens' has demonstrated, in practice, the highest quenching rates and thus the best

Jan 1, 1967

By J. J. Mulligan, F. F. Colcord, E. F. Kern

The electrolytic separation of silver and gold has been practiced by the refineries in the United States for a good many years, and probably because of frequent visiting between officials of plants and the consequent exchange of views, operations in the various silver and gold refineries are very similar. We find, for instance, they practically all use electrolytes of approximately the same composition, which, no doubt, is more the result of experience than of studies of electrolytes. At the new electrolytic parting plant of the U. S. S. Lead Refinery, Inc., East Chicago, Ind., considerable attention has been given to the composition of electrolytes, especially to their conductivity and their effect on the character of the silver deposit. We are not aware that anything has been recently published on this subject and are, therefore, presenting such data as we have with the idea that, although it will not be wholly new, it may stimulate interest in the subject. Effect of Copper Content on Conductivity The first work was to determine the specific conductivity of silver nitrate and copper nitrate solutions. Concentrated solutions of silver nitrate and copper nitrate were prepared by dissolving analyzed chemically-pure salts in distilled water, and determining the silver and copper in each. Definite amounts of the concentrated solutions were taken, mixed and diluted to a definite volume. The silver and the copper were determined in each of these solutions and the conductivity was then determined. The plotted results are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The effect of increasing quantities of silver and copper is readily seen. A comparison of the two sets of curves shows conclusively the benefit of holding the copper content of the electrolyte above 5C g. per liter, as its effect is to increase greatly the conductivity in an approximate propor-

Jan 1, 1926

By N. E. Bonn

IT is well known that most of the materials entering into the manufacture of thermocouples are subject to variations in their thermoelectric characteristics, the chief causes of which are: differences in chemical composition; the previous .history, which includes mechanical working, ageing, oxidation, and contamination; and mode of use, such as depth of immersion, etc. In the case of a very extensively use thermoelement, the iron-constantan couple, neither iron nor constantan are absolutely uniform, and a number of checks are made during the process of manufacture. As both are subject to diversion from a standard value, neither, can be used for checking the other. It is, therefore, necessary to find a third metal against, which iron and constantan maybe checked. It was to find such a metal; that the present investigation was undertaken. To be a reliable, checking standard, the metal must possess a fairly high melting point? it must be obtainable in sufficient purity, and it must be uniform and constant with respect to its thermoelectric qualities. The choice is, as a result, limited to a few metals, such as copper, gold, and silver. Copper has the advantage of low cost, which makes it possible to use each wire only once and thus avoid any variations due to continued use, although previous investigators have found1 that continued use does not affect the calibration of a copper-constantan thermocouple. Copper also has the advantage of a large thermal electromotive force against constantan and would be desirable as a checking standard if it could be shown that it possessed the proper thermoelectric characteristics. The investigation, accordingly, resolved itself into three phases: the uniformity of commercial electrolytic copper, the effect of aging and method of annealing, and the calibration of the copper-constantan thermocouple.

Jan 9, 1919

By E. H. Kelton, R. D. Grissinger

E. E. Schumacher.*—DO YOU control the humidity in your test room? What effect does the environment have on your results? E. H. Kelton.—We do not attempt to control the humidity. As a matter of fact, the humidity in the beam tests that were conducted in a constant-temperature room varied widely and, as far as we know, there is no effect. The tension tests were conducted largely in an oil bath. I suppose there would be an effect in highly corrosive atmospheres, sufficiently corrosive to notch the specimen; otherwise, I would say none. E. A. Anderson.*—The effect of the humidity on the corrosion of zinc does not become important until the relative humidity is 70 per cent. At that point the corrosion products are capable of absorbing moisture and the corrosion rate increases. Below that point corrosion is almost imperceptible. This does not take into account any effect due to stress. That may be important. E. E. Schumacher.—Recently 1 have become very conscious of the enormous effect that surface films can exert on the physical properties of certain alloys. Shortly, we are publishing an article in which it will be shown that the fatigue endurance of some lead alloys can be changed markedly by merely changing the type of film placed on their surfaces. Changes as great as tenfold were observed. These findings make me wonder whether in your creep test you might not obtain quite variable results, depending upon the type of liquid medium used to immerse your specimens. Did you use more than one type of oil and, if you did, what were your results? E. H. Kelton.—I think we have used no more than three different oils, and we could not see any difference in effect.

Jan 1, 1945

By E. C. Burke, W. R. Hibbard

G. B. Craig (University of Toronto, Toronto, O,nt., Canada)—The advent of pyramidal slip at room temperatures in a magnesium crystal (M2,) and the very low value reported for the critical shear stress are puzzling. Table I1 shows the calculated values (approximate) for sin x cos I in this specimen if all the (10l) planes are considered. If So is the shear stress resolved in the direction of glide, on the glide plane, and U, is the stress operative in yield point tests, then: S,, — 325 (0.169) 55gpersqmm (approximately) for 1101: S,, = 325 (0.465) = 151 gpersqmm (approximately) for (0001): S,, — 325 (0.101) - 32.8 gpersqmm (approximately) Thus, we see the pyramidal plane in which the minimum shearing component operated. Barrett"' stated: "Experiments have repeatedly shown that, when there are several crystallographically equivalent slip systems in a crystal, the one having the greatest resolved shear stress will become active. ..." It does not appear to me that the measurements given are conclusive proof that pyramidal slip operated. E. C. Burke and W. R. Hibbard, Jr. (authors' reply) —Although the low value for the critical resolved shear stress for pyramidal slip may be puzzling, there does not appear to be any basis for questioning the validity of the measurements. Under the influence of constraints, slip systems having decidedly lower shearing components may become operative, e.g., "cross-slip" or the "forced glide" in magnesium reported by Bakarian. Since we believe that pyramidal slip occurred in the specimen because basal slip was inhibited, it is not too surprising to find an operative plane with a lower shear stress. -7 C. S. Barrett: Structure of Metals U94jl p. 2J6. New York. McGraw-Hill Book Co.

Jan 1, 1953

By Lyle D. Randen

With the environmental movement beginning in the late 1960's came a deluge of permit requirements for the mining industry. Coal mining has been one of, if not the most, severely impacted of the mineral industries as a result of the passage of the Federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. Numerous provisions of this Act and numerous regulations developed under authority of the Act are being challenged in differing levels of the judicial system across the United States. Such court cases have had varied success. Numerous other regulatory programs that are not quite as dramatic as the SMCRA have presented an unending regulatory problem for mining operators. My comments in this presentation relate primarily to the major Federal and State agencies and their legal responsibilities which we in the coal mining industry must address in order to receive authority to construct and operate surface coal mines in the State of Wyoming. A list of the Federal and State agencies one could deal with in an application is as follows: 1. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). BLM is responsible for deciding where and when to lease federally owned coal and for establishing terms and conditions for leases. BLM also has some control over surface reclamation on federal land, i.e. regrading to eliminate highwalls, covering of spoils, maximum extraction of coal to limit future disturbance, contemporaneous reclamation, etc. BLM is also responsible for designation of federal lands unsuitable for all or certain types of surface coal mining operations. 2. Geological Survey (USGS). USGS coal mining responsibilities apply only to Federal and Indian lands and concern compliance with production requirements including diligent development, minimum production levels, royalty payments and resource protection, and

Jan 1, 1983

A price list of publications of the Geological Survey, complete to May, 1931, and with separate monthly notices of publications to (late, will be sent upon application to The Director, United States Geological Survey, Washington, D. C. A leaflet is issued each month listing new publications; it will be sent upon application to the Director, as well as Circulars containing information about topographic maps. Book publications of the Survey include (1) Annual Reports, (2) Monographs, (3) Professional Papers, (4) Bulletins, (5) Water Supply Papers, (6) chapters and volumes of Mineral Resources of the United States, (7) Folios of the Geologic Atlas of the United States and the World Atlas of Commercial Geology, (8) Topographic Folios and Topographic Maps that bear descriptive texts. Monographs, Folios of the Geologic Atlas of the United States and the World Atlas of Commercial Geology, and Topographic Folios and Topographic Maps, are not distributed free. A publication of one of the other classes can be distributed free only until the end of the fiscal year following that in which it was issued. No person can obtain more than one free copy of the same publication, and general requests for free publications, such as all of any series or all on any subject, can not be granted. In ordering publications one is requested to give both the series designation, as Bulletin 738 or Professional Paper 122, and the title. Give full address, plainly written, including county. Prepayment is required and may he made by postal, or express money order payable to the official charged with the sale of the publications. requested, as indicated in the discussion of each classification following; or it may be made in cash-exact amount -at sender's risk. Postage stamps are not accepted in payment for publications.

Jan 1, 1933

H. G. DAVIS, * Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (written discussion ? ).-The only practical method of testing mine air for gas, until recent years, was by the effect of the gas on the flame of the ordinary Davey Lamp, and it is quite surprising how nearly the correct percentage of gas can be deter-mined by many men by observing the behavior of the safety-lamp flame in the different mixtures. Mine foremen frequently guess the percentage of gas to within 0.1 per cent., making certain allowances to cover the dust-laden atmosphere, in which the test was made. It is not meant by this that anthracite dust is explosive, but that its properties increase the length of a fuel cap on an ordinary oil-burning lamp, which, as Prof. -Young contends, increases in height with the proportion of gas and in-creased temperature. Naphtha or benzine-burning lamps have a hotter flame, and, there-fore, are more sensitive so that a smaller percentage of gas can be detected. Some of the fire bosses in this region some years ago preferred the Koehler lamp, while others did not care to use it in their morning examinations. In 1911, when the experimental mine of the Bureau of Mines at Bruce-ton, Pa., was being prepared to be exploded, a large number of mining men went through it to examine the entries, which were lighted by electricity. While so doing, they saw in the face-return-airway a Koehler or Wolfe lamp, that seemed to he burning with difficulty. An investigation showed that the lamp had been filled to overflowing with naphtha and was generating this surplus gas. This shows how easily we can be

Jan 11, 1919

By Utley Wedge

In general, the art of securing copper from sulphide ores or concentrates may be said to consist of: (1) separation, in the molten state, of copper sulphide with some iron sulphide, from the great bulk of gangue-material, followed by (2) elimination of sulphur and iron from the molten matte, by oxidation and fluxing, leaving metallic copper. The definition is made broad enough to cover the general practice, whether or not the ore or concentrate is given a prelimiuary roast for the removal of surplus sulphur. The above process, which I will designate as the smelting process, makes necessary the presence in the ore, or the addition thereto, of such silica, lime, and iron as may be necessary for the formation of a light and fusible slag, together with sufficient sulphur and iron for the formation of copper-matte, and also the addition to the matte of sufficient silica for the oxidation and fluxing-out of the iron. These items, together with the cost of fuel sufficient for melting the mass, constitute important items of cost in the copper-smelting process. Numerous cases where fluxing-materials are scarce or dear, or where fuel is expensive, have caused special attention to be given recently to the wet process of copper-extraction, which may be designated as consisting of forming soluble copper salts which are then washed or leached out of the ore or concentrates by dissolving in water or acid. Metallic copper may then be secured from the solution of copper salts by electrolysis; by cementation; or copper can be brought out of the solution as a hydroxide or other insoluble precipitate and reduced to metallic copper by subsequent melting in a reducing atmosphere.

Jan 1, 1913

W. G. MATTESON,* Fort Worth, Tex. (written discussion?).-Dr. Brokaw has evidently given a great deal of time and study to this phenomenon and his conclusions seem sound and logical. .Mr. Lee Hager was probably the first geologist of repute to attach any great importance to the occurrence of paraffin dirt in connection with the Gulf Coast oil-producing salt domes. The writer has been reliably informed that through his discussion, the idea was promulgated that the presence of this so-called paraffin dirt was one of the most important and reliable indications of the presence of an oil-producing salt dome. Despite very strong evidence to the contrary, Hager evidently still has considerable confidence in this theory, as brought forth in his discussion1 of Dr. Brokaw's paper. Halter here gives all the paraffin dirt occurrences known to him, and adds, "Fifteen of these localities, including practically all of the greatest fields, have produced oil in some quantity." . The acceptance of the list of occurrences as submitted by Hager depends upon what material we are justified in including under the term "paraffin dirt." If we agree to a broad classification, whereby paraffin dirt is. to include all spongy, earthy, decomposed, vegetable material, or spongy soil impregnated with the same, then Haggler's list will have to be not only accepted but perhaps enlarged. On the other hand, if we confine ourselves to a strict interpretation of the substance known as paraffin dirt, based .upon typical occurrences, general understanding, and application, several of Hager's occurrences will be seriously questioned by many geologists. The typical material is excellently described by Hager as a dirt or soil-like substance "resilient to the step, like rubber, which falls apart in small squares when dug. Intimately mixed with the soil itself and between the cracks and joint planes is a yellow, jelly-like

Jan 11, 1918

ANDES, lying south of Chuquicamata and north of Braden on the western slope of Chile's cordillera, can best be described as a big well-managed copper-mining enterprise without any peculiarly outstanding features. In point of copper produced, since output started in 1927, it ranks fifth among the Porphyries, being exceeded only by its two Chilean contemporaries and by Utah Copper and Morenci in the United States. Even so, there is little to distinguish it from other properties. It does not have the phenomenally rich ore (better than 2 per cent copper) that characterizes Braden; and it is not in the same class as Chuquicamata whose ore has the excellent tenor of around 1.7 per cent, nor has it Chuqui's immense tonnage of proven ore reserves and potential ore resources. One might say the operations are standard in that there are no basic or radical departures from established practice. A letter from New York supplying me with sundry pertinent facts for which I had asked, makes this comment regarding the answer to one inquiry: "omitted because it is the ordinary equipment found in any well-run mine." The substance of that remark applies generally to the other operations, plants, and facilities. One interesting fact that helps explain this situation should not be overlooked. Until the "new" Morenci in 1942, Andes was the last of the Porphyry copper mines to come into production. It did not do much pioneering because other companies had, of necessity, charted the way in many particulars. The company was organized by the Anaconda Copper interests in 1916 to take over a, group of claims held under option by William Braden who, a few years earlier, had interested

Jan 1, 1957

By Alfred James

Some months since, in the Johannesburg gold-fields of South Africa, the attention of the author was directed to certain statements to the effect that the gold-contents of foul or extremely dilute cyanide-solutions could not be effectively precipitated in practice by the usual zinc-method. Such statements caused all the greater surprise, because it is well known that this difficulty is not encountered in other wellknown districts, as, for example, in New Zealand, where solutions containing less than 0.05 per cent. of KCy are regularly reduced in practice to below 1 grain of gold per ton, while in Mexico and the United States almost equally satisfactory precipitations are not uncommon. As a result of these representations, however, the author visited several plants at work in the Transvaal, and noted that while at some few mines the precipitation was really excellent, at others the effluent, after treatment, was much too high in bullion-contents. An investigation into the causes of these unsatisfactory results disclosed the fact that more attention to the close packing of the zinc-shavings in the extractor-compartments tended to improve the results, even with the most dilute solutions. The function of the zinc being one of surface, it stands to reason that a compartment well filled with zinc would be more effective than a half-filled one. Moreover, the quality of the zinc was inferior. This should be in long, tough, thin, light threads; light enough to ignite readily, and tough enough not to disintegrate easily into a slime. The coarse shavings too frequently employed appear to give the reverse of the best practice ; they are brittle, contain less surface, and take up more room. It is almost impossible to pack a compartment properly

Jan 1, 1898

By Francis Foley

FROM the point of view of the metallographist, the adaptation of x-rays to the study of the crystal structure of metals is of the greatest importance. While one may hardly consider the findings resulting from x-ray study as revolutionary, their positive nature, compared with the deductions we have been forced to accept from the work that had gone before, gives firmer ground on which to build and furnishes new fields for speculation. Prior to the advent of the crystallogram, the best work on the crystal structure of steel was that of Osmond and Cartaud.1 They concluded, from their investigation with percussion figures formed at various temperatures, that alpha, beta, and gamma irons belonged to the cubic system and that they showed well-marked specific characteristics and could not have the same internal structure. What the internal structures were, they had no direct method of determining; but from a consideration. of the fact that the 001 plane (that parallel to the cube face) is a plane of perfect cleavage and minimum hardness in alpha iron and that the 111 (octahedral) plane is by far the most important in the crystallography of gamma iron, they were led to suggest the simple cubic arrangement as that of alpha and the face-centered cubic arrangement as that of gamma iron. They suggested the body-centered cubic arrangement as that of beta iron. The atomic arrangement of the various crystal forms of iron has been quite definitely determined in recent years by means of x-rays and the work of Westgren2 and Westgren and Phragmèn3 has been rather conclusive. They not only determined the atomic arrangement of alpha, beta, and gamma iron but also that of the high-temperature modification delta.

Jan 10, 1925

By T. R. Young, S. A. Scott

9.5-1. Introduction. The use of pipelines to transport solids has been successfully accomplished with many different materials. One of the oldest applications is the dredging and placing of hydraulic fill. Many installations have been made and operated for long periods of time with excellent dependability, low operating cost, and low maintenance. It is not the aim of this chapter to give the engineer the answers from which to design a pipeline, but rather to supply helpful information from which to start the project. There are several phases of solids pipelining which as yet have not lent themselves to quick engineering answers. Investigations have been carried on by many, with several theories advanced by the various investigators. In recent years certain notable theoretical advances in hydraulic transportation have been achieved. Vertical transport, using balanced "leg" operation, now appears competitive with other forms of vertical transportation. In addition, horizontal transport utilizing capsules has been proven experimentally to be attractive because of lower pressure drop than the conventional methods of solid transport in fluid media. With the aid of the computer, the laborious calculations associated with pumping calculations have been greatly simplified; and with this tool the pipeline engineers of the future will undoubtedly be able to develop a more comprehensive understanding of solids-fluid transport. 9.5-2. Theory. There have been many excellent studies made and information is available in the literature, but a general comprehensive theory of pipeline transportation of solids has not been advanced. The existing flow theories will give approximations for minimum and optimum flow velocities, friction head losses, energy requirements, and pump and pipe size The principles of dynamic similarity and scaling laws are well understood for the flow of pure liquids. There are no firm methods of scaling slurry pipelines of small diameter to larger diameters except for a few empirical.

Jan 1, 1968

By E. Posnjak

IT is rather the general belief that acidified, solutions of ferrous salts are readily oxidized when in contact with air, and often elaborate pre-cautions are taken to prevent it. This, however, is not the case and several statements may be found in the literature expressing surprise at the extreme slowness with which oxidation takes place when air or oxygen is bubbled through such a solution. Thus C. Baskerville and R. Stevenson1 "observed with surprise" that no oxidation apparently took place, as shown by titration with 0.5 N KMnO4, when a stream of air was passed for 3 hr. through an acidified solution of ferrous ammonium sulfate or ferrous sulfate. The same authors state that even the presence of salts such as. cobalt, chromium, copper, manganese, etc., which usually act as oxygen carriers, had "no effect upon the oxidation as was observed by passing air for 3 hr.. through solutions of Mohr's salt acidified with sulfuric acid." While this statement will bee proved further on to be at least partly incorrect the slowness of the oxidation of ferrous salts alone has been previously established by McBain.2 His investigation also showed that the rate of oxidation increases markedly with an increase in the concentration of ferrous sulfate as well as that of oxygen; the concentration of free acid had a comparatively small influence, which in the case of sulfuric acid was to retard slightly the rate of reaction. More recently R. Thomas and E. T. Williams3 investigated the catalytic effect of nitric oxide on the oxidation of ferrous salts, which had been earlier patented by McCulloch.4 They found that the probable mechanism of the catalytic action was the oscillation of the catalyst between two stages of oxidation and its interaction alternately with the oxygen and the ferrous iron.

Jan 12, 1926

By Herbert Banks Johnson

During the past 10 or 12 years very little information has been made generally available concerning the commercial possibilities of separating materials by means of static electricity; and yet during that same period important improvements have been made in various branches of the science of electricity, which, when taken together, and applied to electrostatic separation, have resulted in important improvements in that art as well. For example, much improvement has been made in high-voltage electrical equipment such as full-wave vacuum-tube rectification and improved mechanical rectification. Great strides have likewise been made in the development of insulators for high-voltage work, not only in the materials used but also in the design of the insulators themselves. Again, in another field, the development of air-conditioning equipment has improved the technique of controlling the surface condition, through drying or humidifying, of the various materials that are passed through the electrostatic separator. In many authoritative publications and textbooks, the electrostatic separation process is declared to require a balance far too sensitive for general commercial application. For example, one publication1 in the past has referred to an unfavorable effect on the process caused by varying atmospheric conditions such as humidity. Some2 have even gone so far as to state that sunlight and shadows may seriously affect the separating efficiency of the process. Such statements may have been true in the early development of the art, when the source of static electricity was derived from a friction disk machine, such as the Wimshurst. The Blake Mosher equipment and the work of Huff in applying motor-generator sets, transformers and mechanical rectification overcame much of this kind of objection to the commercial application of the electrostatic separating process. Another objection made periodically is that it is generally considered necessary to feed the particles into the electrostatic field in a stream that

Jan 1, 1939

By Herbert Banks Johnson

During the past 10 or 12 years very little information has been made generally available concerning the commercial possibilities of separating materials by means of static electricity; and yet during that same period important improvements have been made in various branches of the science of electricity, which, when taken together, and applied to electrostatic separation, have resulted in important improvements in that art as well. For example, much improvement has been made in high-voltage electrical equipment such as full-wave vacuum-tube rectification and improved mechanical rectification. Great strides have likewise been made in the development of insulators for high-voltage work, not only in the materials used but also in the design of the insulators themselves. Again, in another field, the development of air-conditioning equipment has improved the technique of controlling the surface condition, through drying or humidifying, of the various materials that are passed through the electrostatic separator. In many authoritative publications and textbooks, the electrostatic separation process is declared to require a balance far too sensitive for general commercial application. For example, one publication1 in the past has referred to an unfavorable effect on the process caused by varying atmospheric conditions such as humidity. Some2 have even gone so far as to state that sunlight and shadows may seriously affect the separating efficiency of the process. Such statements may have been true in the early development of the art, when the source of static electricity was derived from a friction disk machine, such as the Wimshurst. The Blake Mosher equipment and the work of Huff in applying motor-generator sets, transformers and mechanical rectification overcame much of this kind of objection to the commercial application of the electrostatic separating process. Another objection made periodically is that it is generally considered necessary to feed the particles into the electrostatic field in a stream that

Jan 1, 1939

By D. Coutsouradis, L. Habraken, P. Nicolaides

The TTT curves of 0.1 pct C, 13 pct Cr steels containing up to 12 pct Co have been determined in order to establish whether the effect of cobalt is similar to that observed m plain carbon steels. It is shown that cobalt increases the incubation time and decreases the transformation rate, though not in an uniform way. The bainitic transfornation is displaced to lower temperature and overlaps partially the martensitic zone. ThE effect of cobalt on the transformation of a plain carbon austenite has been studied by many investi-gators.'-3 It was shown that cobalt displaces the TTT curves to shorter times and diminishes the harden-ability. The interpretations given for this effect of cobalt are conflicting. According to E. Houdremont,4 cobalt increases the transformation rate of austenite because it increases the diffusion of carbon as shown in the experiments of E. Houdremont and H.Schrader,' R.Smoluchowski,5 and M. Blanter.6 On the other hand, M. Hawites and R. Mehl3 deny on the basis of their own experiments any effect of cobalt on the diffusion of carbon and they assume that an explanation should be found in an eventual effect of cobalt on the mechanism of nucleation and growth of pearlite. W. C. Hagel, G. M. Pound, and R. F. Mehl7 have shown by calorimetric measurements that cobalt increases the free energy of the austenite-pearlite transformation in an eutectoid steel and this result explains qualitatively the observed effect of cobalt on the rate of nucleation and growth of pearlite. The purpose of this research was to see by determination of TTT curves, if this same effect exists in 13 pct Cr steels. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES The preparation of the alloys was carried out in an

Jan 1, 1960